Knot a Clue

Copyright Knot a Clue by Leah Steele and Demi Warrik Copyright © 2022 by Leah Steele and Demi Warrik All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review, and except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected] This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover by Pretty in Ink Creations Contents Dedication Join Leah Steele’s Readers’ Group Join Demi Warrik’s Readers’ Group Please Read! 1. Verity 2. Verity 3. Emmett 4. Jedrik 5. Verity 6. Verity 7. Verity 8. Ryland 9. Verity 10. Jedrik 11. Verity 12. Verity 13. Verity 14. Andrik 15. Verity 16. Ryland 17. Verity 18. Verity 19. Verity 20. Kyle 21. Verity 22. Verity 23. Emmett 24. Verity 25. Verity 26. Verity 27. Verity 28. Verity 29. Verity 30. Verity 31. Andrik 32. Verity 33. Verity 34. Andrik 35. Jedrik 36. Emmett 37. Verity 38. Verity 39. Verity 40. Verity 41. Kyle 42. Verity 43. Jedrik 44. Verity 45. Verity 46. Verity 47. Verity 48. Ryland 49. Verity 50. Verity 51. Verity 52. Verity 53. Verity 54. Verity 55. Ryland 56. Andrik 57. Epilogue - Verity 58. One Year Later - Verity 59. Chapter 59 About Leah Steele Books by Leah Steele About Demi Warrik Books by Demi Warrik Dedication To Demi. Thank you for stepping in to inspire me when my muse packs her bags and says “Fuck you, bitch.” To Leah. For being my co-wrifey in literary crime. Thanks for loving me when I’m a goofball (more often than not) and being the mac to my cheese. ALSO I’M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE. Fuck you Demi for one up-ing me and sounding sweeter (even if it’s true.) Aww, babe! Fuck you harder *devil emoji* Ooo you had to go and get kinky. I like it. Picasso. Join Leah Steele’s Readers’ Group Stay up to date with Leah Steele by joining her Facebook readers’ group, The Steele Room. Ask questions, get first looks at new books/series, and have fun with other book lovers! Join The Steele Room Sign up for Leah Steele’s Newsletter Join Demi Warrik’s Readers’ Group Stay up to date with Demi Warrik by joining her Facebook readers’ group. Ask questions, get first looks at new books/series, and have fun with other book lovers! Join Demi Warrik’s Reader Group Sign up for Demi Warrik’s Newsletter Please Read! Dear Readers, Knot a Clue is a Bachelorette meets Clue-style Reverse Harem Omegaverse with our own personal spin and flair. It is the first book in a series of standalones, meaning each main character’s story will resolve in their book, and they will end up with three or more love interests.While things may overlap, the Heat Paradise universe is a little different from our world as we know it. In this Omegaverse, everyone is a beta until the season of their twenty-first birthday when they begin to emerge as their designation. Alpha, beta, or omega. You can expect to find things like: scent marking, scent driven instincts, heats, mating bites, knotting, A/B/O hierarchy, but the characters do not shift into wolves. Thank you for reading! We hope you swoon often. ;) Chapter 1 VerityIt’s hard to tell which is louder... the pounding of my heart beating through my ears like rushing rapids, or the thudding of my feet meeting the forest floor as I run from my future. Nothing makes you wish you were in better shape than when you’re running for your life. One moment I’m lounging in my tent, feet kicked up on my backpack as I read from my Kindle—thank god for solar power chargers—then all of a sudden my name rings out through the trees. Fear instantly fists my heart in a death grip, sending adrenaline coursing through me, making my fingertips tingle. My body jerks into motion of its own volition, jumping from my comfortable sleeping bag and sprinting out of the tent like it’s on fire. The scent of the forest wraps me in its embrace as I move, pumping my arms faster to get away. The distinct bite of damp moss and the undercurrent of the fresh rain we had a few days ago wrap around me. This forest has always felt freeing to me and right now… it might be my salvation.If I can escape.One might say it’s impossible, but I’m up for the challenge. It’s not like I really have a choice.I know what awaits me if I don’t—the ceremony. It’s only a formality. A way to parade emerging omegas in front of the cameras before we’re shipped off to Hidden Haven Manor. And there’s no doubt about me being an omega. I’ve been showing subtle signs for a while now, and the closer I get to my twenty-first birthday, the stronger they are. Like the desire to follow an alpha’s orders the moment they give one. The way I’m drawn to their scent. The burning curiosity about their knots.Regrettably, I didn’t have my shoes on—rookie move honestly—and now my feet are littered with cuts from the sharp, unforgiving forest floor. I’m moving on instinct, the prey being chased by the ultimate predator. An alpha. More than likely there are multiple tracking me down to drag me back to town. Why do they have to be so attractive, with their giant forms and their bulky muscles? Always showing how much stronger they are than the rest of us. Fuck, I can’t even think of an alpha without wanting to clench my thighs together. The scent of my arousal surrounds me, making a fresh wave of panic take over. Damn it! I can’t leave