After Zayne left, I took a quick shower and threw my bedsheets in the washer. There’s no trace of him anywhere in my bedroom. Luckily, Knox and Kara stayed at the bar for a while, giving me the time I needed.
Kami: Knox just left. The offer still stands if you want to stay with me tonight.
It’s tempting, but I only have two more days until Zayne, and I leave town.
Me: I’ll be fine. I’m feeling much better.
Kami: I bet.
I can still feel Zayne’s lips all over my body. Being with him for those few minutes wasn’t enough; I need more.
Ten minutes pass, and I can hear Knox’s car pull into the driveway. Thankfully, I only hear him and not Kara. When he comes through the door, he walks around the living room and slowly comes up the stairs. He stops at my bedroom and gently taps on the door. My light is on, so he knows I’m awake.
“Amelie? Can I come in?”
“Yeah. I’m awake,” I say, sitting down on the edge of my bed. After my time with Zayne, I haven’t been able to think about sleep.
Knox opens the door and walks in, his eyes searching around my room. My heart starts to beat faster, and I don’t know how to get it to stop. Of course, Knox will see it as I’m excited, but I’m anything but that.
A smile spreads across his face as he sits down on my bed. He reaches over and places a hand over mine. “I’ve missed your touch, Amelie. I keep waiting for things to pick up where we left off.”
“So much has changed, Knox. I don’t know who you are anymore.”
The words come out of nowhere, and in return, his fiery gaze pierces into mine. “Why do you say that?”
In two days, I won’t see him again for a few weeks, and when I do, things will be different. I’ll be mated to his greatest enemy, and he’ll see it as a deception.
Squeezing his hand, I look right into his eyes. “You said you’d tell me the truth if I asked, right?”
He nods once. “What do you want to know?”
Maybe I shouldn’t bring it up, but I have to hear it from his mouth. “Are you really planning to kill Zayne’s mate for revenge?”
For a split second, he looks away but then his jaw clenches, and he meets my gaze again. “When they failed to tell you about me coming into town, I figured it was because you weren’t a royal.”
I squeeze his hand harder. “Is it true?”
There’s no guilt or remorse on his face when he answers. “Yes.”
Quickly, I jerk my hand away and stand, putting some distance between us. “How could you? We’re talking about an innocent female’s life. How could that even cross your mind?”
Knox stands, his body towering over mine. “It’s the only way to hurt him.”
There’s so much pain in his eyes that it breaks my heart. I want him to see revenge isn’t the answer, especially when Zayne didn’t do anything to warrant it.
“Knox, you need to move on from the past. Your family betrayed the Royal Pack. That wasn’t Zayne’s fault. He stayed loyal to the pack and stood with them. But, unfortunately, he had no choice but to turn his back on you and Kara.”
Knox’s power fills the room, and it makes me stumble on my feet. He grabs my arms and pulls me closer. “That’s not the point. The Lyalls and the Storms didn’t have to kill my entire family, but they did.”
Tears fill my eyes. I lost my parents, but I was lucky enough not to see it happen firsthand. I can’t imagine what that would’ve felt like. “They went on the attack, Knox,” I whisper, letting the tears fall down my cheeks. “What did you expect would happen?”
His grip loosens, and he turns toward the door, stopping with his back to me. “I was stronger than the Storms,” he growls. “If Zayne hadn’t gotten in my way, I’d be the Royal Pack alpha.”
Mouth gaping, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Is that what you’re here for? To take over the Royal Pack?”
Knox glances at me over his shoulder. “No. Once my business with Lyall is over, I’m going to start my own Royal Pack. I know there are others out there. All I have to do is find them. Being here is my first step in doing that. It’s time I take a mate.” The need in him intensifies as he looks at me. “I’m a patient man, Amelie. When we were together all those years ago, I knew you were destined to be my mate.”
I shake my head. “I will never forgive you if you kill an innocent. You lied to everyone tonight when you said you were done with your vengeance.”
His eyes darken. “I did what I had to do to get through the night.” He turns to face me and closes the distance, his body flush with mine as he looks down at me. “There’s only one way I’ll forget all of this and move on.”
Swallowing hard, I believe I already know what he’s going to say. I can feel the dread settle in my stomach. “And that would be?” I ask.
He cups my face in his hands. “For you to come with me and be my mate. We can travel the world and do whatever we want. If you leave with me, I’ll forget about Lyall.” I try to suck in a breath, but I’m frozen in place. There was a time many years ago when I would’ve left with him, but it’s not even a possibility now. The only way I would is if Zayne had a mate out there that wasn’t me. I would leave to save her. Only that her is me now. How do I save us all?
Knox stares down at me with his dark blue eyes, waiting on a response. When I don’t answer, his hands slowly slide from my face, and he steps away. “Your silence is deafening. I don’t like it.”
I wipe the tears off my face. “It’s a lot to take in. I have family here, and I don’t want to leave them.”
Knox steps back toward the door and sighs. “I understand. All I’m asking is that you think about it and make the decision before it’s too late.”
Turning on his heel, he walks out, and I quietly shut the door behind him. When I wanted to learn the truth, I didn’t expect it to be that. But the reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks. With everything coming to light, I’m afraid the outcome will be what I’ve dreaded all along. Someone’s going to die.