Page 69 of Knot Gonna Give You Up
“What the fuck, Simon?” he yells.
“Mine,” I growl at him before advancing forward.
Vic’s eyes widen in realization. He must know I’m going to beat the shit out of him for daring to touch what’s mine.
“Aw shit, this is the last thing we need,” he mutters to himself.
I take a swing at him, putting as much power into it as I can, but Vic ducks at the last second and rams his shoulder into my stomach, trying to knock me off my feet. The air rushes out of my lungs, and I fumble back, lying stunned as I try to breathe again. When I realize he’s shouting at me and sitting on me, I buck my hips and throw him off me, scrambling to stand up.
We’re circling each other now, Vic’s hands up, pleading as more words come out of his mouth that don’t register in my brain. My aggression won’t let me idle, so I take a step forward and clock him on the jaw. Vic’s head whips to the side before he looks back at me with determination in his gaze.
Then he gets serious and snaps out a punch so quickly that I miss it. I feel his knuckles make contact with my cheekbone, and while I register that there’s pain, it doesn’t faze me at all. My arm swings, and my fist lands on his side, a satisfying grunt of pain releasing from him. A savage grin takes over as I get lost in the red haze.
We trade blows back and forth, and I glimpse some blood here and there, but I don’t know if it’s mine or his. All I know is this challenger needs to be stopped. Fists fly as we battle for dominance, but I can see my competitor flagging, and the red haze that’s taken over intensifies. Yes, I’m winning, I can feel it. My opponent surprises me with a tackle, though, and we bothfall to the floor, grappling for the top position, fists landing on any body part that they can get to.
My arm wraps around his neck at one point, and I squeeze, trying to cut off his air supply. In a desperate move, he slams his elbow back and manages to land a blow to my solar plexus. The blow loosens my arms, and he wriggles out of my hold, both of us breathing heavily. Then he surges forward and lands on top of me, straddling my chest. My face takes another blow before a sharp hit lands on my temple, and everything goes dark.
My eyes blink open,and the first thing that registers is pain. My face feels like it’s been put through a meat grinder, and my torso aches like I was a punching bag for a while. It’s evening now, but I swear I came home early from work. I remember leaving the shop, but that’s the last thing until now.
The restlessness and crawling feeling under my skin has abated, which is weird. Perhaps I passed out for a nap, and that's what fixed whatever was going on. My arms move to try and stretch over my head, but they’re sore enough that I stop halfway.
“Ow,” I complain, letting my eyes fully open.
I’m on the couch, which isn’t unusual, but when I glance around the room, I see Vic on a nearby chair, looking beat to hell and pissed as all get out. My body freezes, and my eyes track the damage with concern.
“Holy shit, are you okay man? What happened?” I ask, hoping he didn’t get mugged or some shit.
Vic just sighs and closes his eyes for a moment before speaking.
“You had to be a fighter instead of a fucker when you rut, didn’t you?”
Rut? What does he mean… oh, oh shit. I can’t believe I missed the signs. I’ve never gone into a real rut before, but I know the signs for one.
“Shit, am I the one that?” I gesture to his… well, everything.
Vic just nods.
“Fuck.” I close my eyes for a moment before sitting up with a groan and looking at him, “I’m so sorry, man. Shit, I can’t believe that happened.”
Vic shakes his head and runs his tongue between his teeth and cheeks. I wince as I adjust how I’m sitting.
“You got me good, if that helps,” I offer.
Our eyes meet, and I can tell Vic is still upset, but he laughs a little and tips his head back for a moment.
“I tried to talk you down several times, but you must have been deep in it. I’m not pissed that you went into rut, just for the record. I’m pissed at how much of a dick you are when you go into it.”
I grimace, “Sorry, man.”
He waves me off, “I owe you an apology. I should have talked to you about the Bond stuff before you heard it from Josie, and I should have showered. I just didn’t want to lose her scent, but I know now that’s what triggered you fully. It must have started when you were at her place.”
“Yeah, I’ve been feeling restless for the last few days, like I’m about to crawl out of my skin. Haven’t been able to figure it out, but it makes sense now. Restless, mood swings, and high aggression. Started right after I smelled her going into heat. God I’m a dumbass.”
“True, but that’s not new information,” Vic smirks at me.
I flip him the bird with a smile, and it feels like normal banter again, not the stressful existence we’ve had lately. We lapse intosilence, and now that the rut haze is gone, I’m thinking clearly again. Vic has never acted in a way to hurt me before. It’s just not who he is. Obviously, I don’t know Henry as well, but if Vic trusts him, I should take that into consideration.
Maybe I’m too hard-headed for my own good when it comes to Packs. The realization that I’m going to have to talk about this with Vic settles uncomfortably with me.
