Knot The One They Want

Walter Pov

There are many things I expected to have changed when I came back from my parents. Many things. One of my cars being missing was not one of them. Still, I feel like voicing that opinion now would be selfish with all that’s going on, and I am trying to be less selfish.

That’s the only reason I came back was to try and work things out with Lorali, to apologize, even though I know it won’t do much. I want to be somewhat of a better person, even if it means having to sit through Torin’s emotional outbursts.

"I... I don’t get it. Why? WHY would she do this?" Torin shouts, pacing up and down the living room. His voice cracks, his steps uneven and his hands pulling at his hair. I’m going to take a wild guess here and assume he no longer needs us to open his eyes to the truth about Lorali. That realization has already happened.

"Torin, calm down," Augi says, stepping into his path. I never thought I’d see the day Augi would be the one calming anyone down. It’s almost always the other way around.

I guess Lorali’s impact is that strong. I can admit it, I’m not trying to bottle all my emotions anymore. I know how bad it can get when they burst.

"You don’t understand what happened, what Lorali has done!" Torin shouts even louder, his voice trembling, sounding like he’s a second away from breaking down completely.

"Then tell us," Kei demands, his arms crossed, his gaze sharp.

Torin snaps his eyes to him, and I see them gleaming red. "She... she’s the one who put my mother in the hospital."

Yurena is in the hospital?

I never knew that. When did this happen? So many questions flood my mind, but I know this is not the time or the place to ask them.

"What do you mean by that, Torin?" Augi asks, placing a hand on Torin’s shoulder.

Torin’s lips quiver as he takes in a shaky breath. "I was investigating Lorali’s kidnapping matter, which I now think never happened, and my mother’s accident. At first, I thought my new business associate’s wife was involved. But I was wrong. I was so very wrong. It was Lorali. She’s the one who got my mother where she is now. She took Walter’s car in the middle of the night, and it never returned. Her blood DNA was at the scene of the crime, proving it was her." His voice shakes as his breath grows short. He pulls at his tie, as if he isn’t receiving enough air.

I always knew Lorali wasn’t the sanest of minds, but I never thought her capable of what Torin is accusing her of.

I am shocked to my core, unable to believe what I am hearing. Everyone else in the room is just as stunned. We stand in stone silence for a full minute until Augi, the most disturbed of us all, finally speaks.

"This... umm..." He clears his throat, forcing himself to continue. "Torin, are you sure? She could have easily been manipulated. I mean, you don’t know what happened. For all we actually know, she could have been helping your mother." He pauses, his voice steady but cautious. "Look, Lorali has always been accused of things she didn’t do since coming to this pack. Don’t do that to her again."

He’s right. Lorali has the messiest track record of accusations in this house, and though I’m not proud of it, most of them were my fault.

Torin’s eyes light up suddenly as he looks to Augi. "Yes," he mumbles, his voice trembling with relief. "You are right. I cannot believe I doubted her. She could not do this. There must be some other explanation." His words spill out fast, oddly excited, almost manic. "I must go ask her at the hospital," he declares, moving away from Augi and rushing toward the door before any of us can stop him.

"TORIN!" Augi shouts, running after him. It isn’t long before Kei joins, muttering to himself as he follows.

"Guess we are going to the hospital, why she’s at the hospital, I do not know" I sigh, dragging my feet behind them. For some reason, they all use the stairs, probably because they followed Torin, who doesn’t want to wait for the lift. I, however, wait for the lift, and by some miracle I make it down a whole five minutes before them.

Lorali’s POV

"You are really good at skating," Astrid says with a bright smile, hovering around me like she’s glued to my side. She’s been stuck to me like gum ever since I stepped onto the ice. I don’t know why she won’t leave me alone. Even Erin is giving me space by he’s watching from a distance, leaning against the railing. He told me he isn’t the skating type, so he’d rather watch from the sidelines.

"You’re better than me," I bite out, because it’s true. She’s in a league of her own.

She laughs, twirling gracefully before skating backward to face me. "My mother was a figure skater, but because she was an omega like you, she couldn’t do it competitively. So she raised me to be the skater she couldn’t be."

"You skate professionally?" I ask, tilting my head. I’m shocked her mother was an omega, given Astrid’s disdain for the designation, but even more shocked that she skates at this level.

She laughs at my question, shaking her head. "No. Thankfully, I was never good enough to make it past regionals. After the tenth failed attempt, my mother gave up on me, which was great. I hate figure skating." She laughs lightly, spinning again as if to prove her point.

"But you seem to have talent. I could hook you up with my mother. She could make you a figure skating star," she adds, following her words with a dramatic twirl.

"No, thank you. I just do this for fun," I say, before feeling my phone vibrate against my pocket. The little buzz makes my stomach drop. "I need to take this," I mutter, skating to the half wall and pulling out my phone.

Kazair.

It’s the first time he’s ever called me first. This cannot be good.

I answer, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Since Ella isn’t talking to you, she asked me to tell you," Kazair says in his usual bored tone. "And I quote: ’Torin knows. Everything’s been compromised. He has gotten most of the spyware out of the house and pulled your blood work from the omega files. I think you left some of your blood at the scene. It’s over. I think it’s time we go with Cleo’s plan. You’ve had your fun. Let’s just kill all of them before they kill you for what you did to Yurena.’"

My eyes shut tight.

Fuck.

I knew it. I knew something was wrong somewhere. Who would have guessed Torin not coming today was because he was digging up my truth? It’s over. I played a good game, but every game has an end.

"So... is a pack going to die or..." Kazair asks, his voice ringing against my ear, casual as ever.

I pause, biting at my nail slowly, thinking. I have had my fun, though not nearly as much as I wanted.

The Spade pack could die now, especially Oracle, who would be an easy kill since he’s in prison. If I wanted, I could end it all here. I could be free. Free to do whatever I want. I could even take Astrid up on her offer, skate competitively, live for myself.

The thought tempts me.

Freedom.

No more venomous bonds, no more acting, no more Torin.

But as much as I want to, I can’t.

I can’t kill Spade.

Perhaps it’s because of this fated mates bond I pretend I don’t feel.

Perhaps it’s because I believe they haven’t suffered nearly enough.

Or perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to this toxic pack, tangled in their chaos until I can’t imagine life without it. Something is wrong with me.

"No. I do not want them to die... at least not now," I say finally, surprised Kazair hasn’t hung up yet.

"No way. Lorali Alma, have you gone soft for them already?" he exclaims, sounding amused for the first time since this conversation started.

"No!" I shout abruptly, clenching my phone so tightly my knuckles ache. "I almost killed my mother‑in‑law because she stabbed me, and I hate Torin more than I hate her. Best believe I have not gone soft." I stretch out the last word, daring him to believe me.

He laughs on the other side, clearly not buying my very true reason. "Alright, Mrs. Spade!" he taunts, and I roll my eyes.

"Is this finished? Can I hang up now?" I press, my patience thinning.

"Yeah, I guess that’s all. Don’t go out and die in hopes of protecting Spade."

"Oh, let me guess, it’s because you don’t want Ella to be angry at you for not doing more to convince me otherwise."

"Yeah, that. And you’re not so bad, Mrs. Spade. I find you somewhat tolerable. It would be a real loss if you died." He laughs again, and I shake my head.

"Bye, Kazair. This is probably the last time I’m ever going to need your assistance. Also, tell Ella not to worry about me. I’ll be fine. She’s done so much for me already, and she should live her life without having to worry about me. I’m sure I can handle Spade by myself now." I say it firmly before hanging up.

The silence after the call feels heavier than his voice. This is it. I’ll probably have to face Torin by the end of the day. Should I lie and deny? Yes. That will be my game plan. Torin will probably buy it.

I’ll blame it on Walter since it was his car and he isn’t here. The only problem is how long until I’ll have to lie again.

What am I even lying for?