Knot Over (Omega Den #3)

22. Kaylani

Chapter 22

Kaylani

I head toward the back exit, my excitement building with each step. I pause just outside the door to Hux's office, hesitating at the sight before me. Hux is hunched over his desk, his face etched with stress. Papers are strewn across the surface, a chaotic mess that mirrors his apparent frustration. He mutters to himself, his jaw clenched tight, clearly consumed by the tasks at hand, likely related to the re-opening of The Omega Den.

A pang of guilt twists in my chest. Maybe I should give him a bit more time. He’s been so dedicated, and I don’t want to add to his stress.

I let out a guilty, silent sigh and step away from the door. The anticipation of seeing my nest still buzzes within me, but I can't shake the feeling that Hux needs a little more time to finish up. I’ll wait a bit longer and let him wrap up whatever he’s doing before dragging him away from his work.

I push open the back door with a smile on my face and scan the empty parking lot for Creed's truck. When it doesn’t come into view, a sharp pang of anxiety and disappointment jolts through me.

Where are they?

Determined to find my pack, I round the corner, hoping they might have parked in the front to unload the liquor. My eyes stay fixed on the ground, trying to steady my nerves as I make my way down the short alley toward the front entrance.

Then, I catch the scent—cloves and tobacco, overpowering and suffocating. It hits me like a punch, making me freeze. The smell is so intense it feels like it's seeping into my very core. My body tenses instinctively, and an unsettling coil of recognition winds tightly in my stomach.

I’ve been imagining this scent everywhere for months, an unshakable shadow of my past. Every time I turned around, it was as if he was just out of sight, a haunting presence that drove me to the edge of madness. My heart pounds as I slowly raise my gaze, and there he is—standing in the alley, just as vivid as the nightmares that have plagued me.

Adam.

The sight of him sends a shiver of disbelief through me. I’ve been picturing him everywhere, convinced he was a figment of my mind’s cruel game. All this time it made me feel crazy. But now, seeing him here, so real, so close, it feels like a punch to the gut.

For a moment, everything freezes. The world narrows to just him and me. I’m paralyzed, the image of him so clear and so present, it’s as if time itself has bent to torment me. The intense ache of fear mingles with a twisted sense of relief.

I’m not crazy—he’s here.

But the reality of it is overwhelming. My breath comes in shallow bursts, and I struggle to process the sight of him. I clench my fists, the knife digging into my side, grounding me with its dark promise.

It's time I get my revenge.

I know I have to move, to act, but the shock of seeing him after so many months of tormenting visions makes my mind reel. With my heart racing and the scent of cloves and tobacco burning in my lungs, I force myself to take a step forward, my eyes never leaving Adam’s.

This ends now.

I narrow my eyes into slits, heat simmering just beneath the surface as all the horrors Adam has put me through rush back with brutal clarity. But instead of letting it ice my veins with fear, I allow it to seep into my bones like fuel to the fire. Until it's an all consuming, raging inferno.

His forced bite, the violence that left me broken—every cruel memory surges forward. The threat his family poses to those I care about. The fear and pain he has caused me. And now, here he is, intruding on my life again, demanding my attention.

Well now he will be the one to fear me.

“Why the hell are you here Adam?” I growl, my voice raw and seething with pent-up fury. I step tentatively toward the monster that haunts my nightmares, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The urge to run, to flee from the dangerous alpha before me, is strong, but I crush it down.

No more running.

I won’t be anyone’s victim again. Today, I’m taking back my power. I inhale deeply, straighten my shoulders, lift my chin, and force my arms to hang loosely at my sides. Despite the appearance of calm, my heart pounds furiously.

Adam steps towards me, his movements deliberate as he comes to his full height. His eyes lock onto mine, a predatory gleam dancing in their depths.

“I missed you, little lamb,” he purrs, his voice dripping with false sweetness.

I grit my teeth, the tension in my jaw almost unbearable. “I won’t ask you again. Why are you here, Adam? We’re over.”

The darkness in his green eyes sends a shiver down my spine. The warmth and affection I once thought he harbored are long gone, replaced by a cold, calculating gaze. He’s nothing more than a cruel alpha who sees me as a mere plaything, a tool for his gratification.

Fuck that.

I'll never let him make me feel that way again. This ends here.

“My mother says I need to break our bond,” he continues, tilting his head to the side predatorily. His eyes roam up and down my body, a dark caress that feels like a thousand fire ants crawling across my skin. I swallow hard, feeling a surge of anger toward this alphahole. The only way to truly sever a bond with a feral alpha is through death. Words alone won’t suffice; there will always be a lingering part of him in my heart, tainting it with his malevolence.

“Do you always do what Mother says?” I taunt, letting the bitterness show in my eyes. A sly grin tugs at my lips, defiant and unrepentant. I'm taunting him, urging him to lose control. I'm playing with fire and I'm ready to get burned. But if I go down, Adam is coming with me.

That is my dark promise.

Adam’s nostrils flare at my taunt, his face darkening. I take another step toward him, pushing his buttons intentionally. My heart is restless, my hand itching to hold my knife.

“I thought you were the alpha of Pack Sterling, Adam? What happened? It seems you’re still just a puppet on Mommy’s strings. You have no backbone, letting an omega dictate every one of your moves.” I let out a slow, mocking laugh. “You’re nothing but a coward.”

His eyes flash with fury, and his voice drops to a dangerous growl. “I am the Sterling Pack alpha. I rule this fucking city. My mother—”

I cut him off with another laugh, my voice cold and mocking, taunting him. “You’re pathetic, Adam. Always hiding behind someone else’s power. You’ve never been your own man. Always Mommy’s little golden boy.”

His face twists with rage, and he snarls, “You little bitch. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

His threat is empty, and I no longer fear him. If anything, I pity him. He will never have the bond, the pack, the strength I possess. And everything I'm about to do is for them.

“If that’s how you feel...” I shrug nonchalantly, the casual gesture belying the storm inside me.

In a flash, he lunges at me, exactly as I anticipated. My hand dives into my holster, gripping the knife with steely resolve. I meet his charge head-on, the blade slicing through his gut with a sickening squelch. The force of his attack makes the knife sink to the hilt and his blood spills over my fingers, slick and warm.

I pull the knife free, the handle slippery with his blood, but I don’t falter. I drive the knife into him again, and again, my eyes locked onto his, filled with fierce determination. Each stab is a release, a catharsis, a reclaiming of the strength he tried so hard to crush. It tanks my soul with darkness as his eyes widen in shock and he falls to one knee, his body slowly collapsing under the weight of my rage. The power it gives me is intoxicating.

"Kaylani please," he begs.

My smile is cruel. “Just remember, you asked for this. You wanted to break our bond. You tormented me. Used me. Never again will I cower to you adam. Ever,” I sneer, echoing his own cruel words from so long ago.

He tries to raise a bloody hand, shaking and desperate, his fear fueling my fury.

“This is for Rebecca,” I rasp, my voice trembling with the weight of my grief over losing my best friend.

I plunge the knife into him again, the blade slicing through flesh as if it’s cutting through the very fabric of my pain. The release is bittersweet, a cruel comfort for the loss that still gnaws at me. His blood spills out, dark and pooling onto the ground beneath us, a grim testament to the justice I’ve sought for so long.

“For Hux,” I say, my breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts. The knife meets his flesh once more, each thrust a release of the anguish I feel for the broken man who sacrificed so much for me.

I think of Hux’s kindness, his protective strength, and the way he has stood by me despite everything. The stab is a tribute to his unwavering courage, to the way he’s faced his own demons with quiet resolve.

To a true fucking alpha.

“For Creed. Your brother, Adam. For the fucked up shit your bloodline put him and Vaughn through,” I continue, my voice cracking under the strain of my emotions.

The knife plunges in again, each stab echoing my fury and sorrow.

“And for me,” I declare, plunging the knife into him, a raw release of all the fear, the hurt, and the powerlessness I’ve felt for so long.

I stab him again…

And again…

Each one driven by a desperate need to reclaim my strength, to turn my pain into power. This moment marks the end of his reign of terror.

His body convulses as my tears fall uncontrollably. I stand over him, shaking violently, my heart pounding with a chaotic mix of pain and liberation. The air is heavy with the scent of blood and the weight of my trauma.

Through my sobs and trembling hands, I feel an overwhelming clarity—a finality to the chaos that has plagued my life.

I continue to stab, my hands growing weaker with each thrust. The knife becomes slippery in my grip, but I keep going, driven by the need to erase every ounce of fear and suffering he inflicted on me. Until the tears stop flowing, until his green eyes stop haunting me.

As his life drains away, I watch the light dim from his eyes, feeling an unsettling calm despite the raging storm inside me. The scent of copper fills the air, and his blood soaks into my clothes, marking me with his final moments. The numbness should frighten me, but all I feel is profound relief.

Finally, I am free.

I can feel the bond between us dissolving, the fiery pain of his bite on my neck a brutal reminder of our severed connection. And that, even in death, he still causes me pain. I touch the bite mark on my shoulder, feeling the burn deep within me. A cry of anguish escapes me as I collapse to my knees painfully beside his lifeless body, his still warm blood soaking into my clothes. But no new tears fall. Through the agony, I manage a shuddering laugh, knowing Adam will never hurt me—or anyone I care about—again.

For the first time in my life, I feel a raw, transformative power. I throw my head back, gasping through the fire in my chest, embracing the warmth of my liberation.

They say taking a life changes you, and in this moment, I understand that truth more than ever.

I am changed, and I accept the darkness with a sense of twisted triumph.