Knot The One They Want

Erin Pov

I hit the button for the top floor, humming a brainless tune under my breath as the mirrored elevator glided upward.

When Keion had called me out of the blue, practically begging me to go check on Torin, I hadn’t even hesitated. Torin was my best friend, and I had spent the last few days spiraling with worry after he completely vanished off the face of the earth. Finding out where he was felt like a massive weight lifted off my chest, even if Keion’s voice on the phone carried a strange edge of panic.

The second reason I came was because Torin was going to die, at least, that was how it felt. What was he even doing? He had the Whale Project in his hands, yet not a single brick had been laid for the resort. Just the other day, I had a meeting with Smiley Face, one of the Masintoshes. I called him that because he was always smiling, no matter the situation. They were leaving, returning to their home country, so we met one last time. Somehow, the conversation shifted to Torin, and what I heard was not good.

Spade Industries was bleeding money, running a massive loss and because of how much the Masintosh’s poured into the Whale Project the fact that it’s stagnant is making them lose money. Worse, Spade’s stocks were still falling after the second omega announcement, and Torin had done nothing to control the damage. No press statement, no appearance at the office, no reassurance for the worried investors. Silence, when the company needed him most.

I should have known. All that time he had been spending at my house, hiding away, had been a bad sign.

The lift chimed with a polite ding, and the doors slid open to a sleek, quiet hallway. I stepped out, my sneakers squeaking against the polished floor as I walked up to the heavy double doors at the end of the hall and knocked.

I barely raised my knuckle for a second tap before the door swung open violently.

Before I could even open my mouth, Augustus, I think, nearly tackled me, throwing his arms around my shoulders and squeezing the life out of me.

"Thank God you’re here," Augustus gasped, clinging to me like I was a floating log in a shipwreck.

I froze, completely paralyzed, not because of the sudden hug, but because the moment the door opened, an overwhelming, suffocating scent slammed directly into my nose. It was thick, dizzyingly sweet, and intensely warm, filling the air with the unmistakable, heavy aroma of fresh Cinnabon.

I physically recoiled, awkwardly patting Augustus’s back while trying hard not to breathe too deeply through my nose. "Is... is Walter in heat?"

Augustus pulled back, nodding frantically, looking like a man who had just survived a war zone. "Yes! It’s... extremely unfortunate that we have to meet under these circumstances, but I seriously have to run." He pointed a trembling hand toward the grand staircase winding up to the second floor. "Torin is in his room. Up there. Good luck!"

Before I could ask a single follow-up question, Augustus snatched a small duffel bag off the floor and bolted past me into the hallway, letting the heavy door slam shut behind him.

I stood alone in the entryway, coughing slightly to clear the thick, sweet scent from my lungs, and looked around.

The place was massive, featuring giant floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the glowing city skyline. But as my eyes took in the stark black marble, the cold glass tables, and the pristine, untouched leather furniture, I couldn’t help but frown. It didn’t look like a loving, warm pack house at all. It looked like a cold, isolated bachelor’s den, expensive, sterile, and entirely empty of real comfort.

This was my very first time stepping foot inside Torin’s actual home and from first glance it makes sense he lives here.

I slowly made my way toward the stairs, the sticky-sweet scent of cinnamon hanging heavier in the air with every step I took upward. As my boots clicked against the steps, a faint, amused smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite the chaos.

I wondered if today was finally the day I’d get to put a name to a face. I was genuinely curious to see the mysterious little sugar plum Torin had been so completely, wildly obsessed with.

The scent of cinnamon gets so thick on the second floor landing that it stings the back of my throat. I push open the door to the second master suite and instantly stop dead in my tracks.

Torin is lying flat on his back in the middle of the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling like a freshly washed corpse. His arms are pinned straight to his sides. He isn’t moving. He isn’t even blinking. I step back, yank the door shut, and stand in the hallway for three solid seconds.

Taking a deep breath, I turn the knob and swing the door open again. He is still there. Sprawled out on the hardwood floor like a discarded ragdoll.

Shock hits me straight in the chest, and I hurry inside, letting the heavy door click shut behind me. "Oh my gosh, what is happening here? Who are you, and what have you done to my best friend?" What is he doing on the ground, Torin does not lay down on the floor. Never. He’d never allow himself to do such a thing.

Torin doesn’t even jump at my sudden presence. He slowly turns his head toward me, his eyes entirely hollow, oozing pure, pathetic misery. "Erin? What are you doing here?"

I crouch down on the floor beside him, crossing my legs and staring at him in utter disbelief. "Oh, your pack member called me. I think his name is Kail or something? Not sure, honestly. Today is my first time actually meeting the guy, so I don’t really know his name."

Torin blinks slowly, his voice raspy and devoid of life. "Why did he call you anyway?" I stare at him, completely floored by the sheer fact that he has no clue. My mind races to process the stupidity of the situation. How does the pack’s main Alpha not know that his own pack’s Omega is in heat?

"Walter is in heat," I tell him flatly.

Torin lets out a dull, meaningless sound from the back of his throat, nodding once against the floorboards. "Must be nice. My pack members get to have a wonderful time with their fated mates. Me, on the other hand... I screwed everything up." He chokes on a ragged breath, staring back up at the ceiling. "I’ll never have a relationship with my fated mate. I’ll just be forced to live alone and die alone."

A fat tear leaks out of the corner of his eye and tracks down the side of his face, soaking into his hairline. Then another follows.

He is crying aloud. Real, actual tears.

I sit there, frozen in a swirl of complicated, deeply shocked emotions. My mind refuses to wrap itself around the visual in front of me. Is the Great Torin actually crying right now? I can’t even process what I’m looking at. This is the exact same man who used to break hearts without a second thought when we were younger. And now here he is, completely heartbroken and sobbing on the floor.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!