Page 115 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

She couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at their ridiculous competitiveness. Even in this—perhaps especially in this—they couldn't help turning everything into a contest of Alpha dominance.

"If we're measuring performance," Ronan drawled, "let's talk about stamina. Some of us don't shoot off like teenagers at their first strip club."

Lucian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's rich coming from someone who couldn't even manage to stay on top without reopening his wounds."

"I didn't hear any complaints about my position from Serenity."

She propped herself up on her elbows, watching their verbal sparring with amusement. There was something almost... endearing about their bickering, especially when she could see the playfulness beneath the barbed words.

"The difference between us, Drake," Lucian continued smoothly, "is that I don't need to throw my weight around to impress a woman."

"No, you just throw your money around instead."

Before Lucian could retort, the bedroom door swung open without warning. Darius stood in the doorway, impeccablydressed in a charcoal suit that made his gray eyes seem even more piercing. His gaze swept over the scene—the tangled sheets, their naked bodies, the lingering scent of sex—with calculated interest.

"I see I'm late to the festivities," he said, his deep voice betraying no emotion. "I might as well join in."

Serenity hurriedly pulled the sheet up to cover herself, more out of reflex than modesty at this point. "Do none of you know how to knock?"

Ronan's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Darius. "Late, my ass. You've been lurking outside like a fucking voyeur, haven't you?"

A rare smile touched Darius's lips, making him look almost predatory. "Actually, I've been recording. The acoustics in this room are quite impressive."

"You what?" Serenity gasped, heat flooding her face.

Darius reached into his pocket and held up his phone. "Consider it payback, Drake. For that little stunt you pulled recording me and Serenity in my office."

Ronan's laughter echoed through the room despite his injuries. "Blackmail, Castellano? That's amateur hour."

"Not blackmail," Darius corrected, pocketing the phone again. "Insurance. And perhaps... personal entertainment."

Lucian chuckled, seemingly unbothered by the revelation. "Always playing the long game, aren't you?"

Serenity should have been furious—would have been, under normal circumstances. But something about the absurdity of the situation, the way these dangerous men were acting like squabbling children, struck her as hilarious.

"You're all impossible," she said, failing to keep the laughter from her voice. "Three billionaire Alphas with the emotional maturity of high schoolers."

"I'm mature enough to ask permission before I record," Darius countered, his eyes meeting hers with unexpected warmth. "Unlike Drake here."

"That was business," Ronan protested, but his smirk said otherwise.

"And this?" Serenity gestured between them all.

Darius's expression turned serious for a moment. "This is... complicated."

"Less talking, more deleting that recording," she said, trying to sound stern despite the smile tugging at her lips.

"I don't think so," Darius replied, settling into an armchair by the bed as though he'd been invited to a business meeting rather than walking in on a post-coital scene. "I think I'll keep it as a reminder of how the mighty Drake looks when he's not the one calling the shots."

Ronan's green eyes flashed dangerously, but there was a grudging respect in them too. "Touché, Castellano. But this isn't over."

"It never is between us," Darius agreed, his tone almost fond.

Serenity watched them, these powerful, dangerous men who controlled empires and struck fear into their enemies, now exchanging barbs like old friends. There was something strangely comfortable about it all, something that felt dangerously like belonging.

For a woman who had spent her life keeping people at arm's length, who had learned early that trust was a luxury she couldn't afford, this newfound intimacy was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.

But as she looked from one Alpha to the next—Ronan with his unfiltered passion, Lucian with his calculated charm, and Darius with his controlled power—she realized that for the first time in her life, she might have found a place where all parts of herself could exist.

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