Page 42 of Knot A Chance

“Fuck you, you arrogant prick,” I yelled.

If it weren’t for Oakley, I’d tell this fucker to get fucked daily. Being a cop was the worst thing to happen to his giant ego.

“Okay,” Wyatt yelled. “That’s enough. Bennett, if you remember things like that, text me. Maybe it will mean nothing, but maybe there’s evidence of Ryder or someone else hanging around and messing with you both.”

“Thank you. I’ll let you know what Dr. Tanaka says about weaning him off the meds.”

“Good.” Wyatt’s voice cleared and the background noise of being on speaker filtered out. “Ally is planning to visit in a few hours, but there’s a full moon tonight so she’s getting twitchy. Prepare yourself.”

I chuckled and ran a hand through my almost dry hair. “Will do. I’ll offer to get her some kibble. That usually helps.”

Wyatt laughed heartily. “You clearly have a death wish.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “See you later.”

I hung up the phone and walked back into the ICU, scrutinizing every nurse I passed. I hadn’t seen Carissa myself and wasn’t sure what she looked like. When I’d spoken to Dr. Tanaka last night, she’d assured me that the mistake was not Carissa’s fault and convinced me to keep her on Felix’s care team. I’d been too exhausted to fight anymore because I’d agreed.

Maybe it’s better this way. I can keep an eye on her if she’s still here in the hospital.

The scent of tobacco hit me like a brick wall as I stepped into Felix’s room, turning my empty stomach. Bile rose in my throat as my eyes landed on Ryder standing next to Felix’s bed with a smug smile on his face.

“Where’s Julia?” I asked.

“She got called away for an emergency,” Ryder said, reaching for Felix’s hand.

I growled and advanced on him as I snatched his wrist away from my omega. I dug my nails into his skin until the metallic scent of blood filled the air. “If you so much as touch him, I will slowly remove your limbs from your body.”

“You have to know that the alpha in me wants to touch him. Heal him.”

“You can take the alpha in you and fucking rip it to shreds for all I care. Felix isn’t your omega.”

“Right. There’s only a bond between us that says otherwise.”

“Your bond doesn’t mean shit with me in the picture. You and I both know that.” My canines dropped and I bared my teeth.

Ryder tipped his head toward Felix. “But does he?”

“Get the fuck out of here or I’m calling security,” I growled, finally dropping his wrist. “I know you had something to do with this.”

Ryder shook his head. “You don’t know shit, and you can prove even less.” He stepped closer, his breath hot against my ear. “I have more legal standing to make decisions about his medical care than you do. If I don’t want him to wake up, I get a say in that, whether you like it or not.”

Panic rippled through my veins as my hands shook at my sides. I pushed down the fear, not wanting him to scent it. “What good does keeping him in this state do for you?”

“Every day he’s sedated is a day that makes his recovery harder, his memory weaker. Maybe I just want to punish him for leaving me.” Ryder grabbed Felix’s hand before I could stop him. “I’ll see you again soon, baby,” he said before pressing his lips to back of Felix’s hand.

I grabbed Ryder by the shoulders, wrenching him away and shoving him toward the door. Felix’s monitor started beeping. His heart rate was climbing quickly. “Get the fuck out of here.”

Ryder chuckled on his way out, brushing past a nurse with long, dark braids who came running in. “I’ll see you later, Carissa,” he said, winking at her. She cowered in his presence even as he returned his attention back toward me. “I’ll be back with paperwork to have you removed from the premises. Enjoy your last moments with him.”

Carissa’s head swiveled between the monitor and me as Ryder disappeared from sight. “He’s stressed. Get into the bed with him,” she demanded as she ran back out of the room.

Chapter Twelve

Felix

April: Two Months Ago

“Come here,” Bennett said as I rubbed my arms, trying to massage warmth back into my limbs. He’d instructed me to sit in the cab and warm up while he finished packing up everything from our movie under the stars, and so far, I wasn’t having much success. I slid across the bench and he pulled me against his chest before running his hands up and down my arms. He let go with one hand and quickly reached behind the seat, producing a black hoodie with white lettering that said “Mirror Lake” above an outline of the mountains, a logo that graced all the tourist gear in town.