Page 33 of Knot My Type

"So what now?" Eliana asks. "Where do we go from here?"

"Forward," I say simply. "Together. Whatever comes next, we face it as a pack."

"All four of us," she adds, thinking of Fen sleeping down the hall.

"All four of us," Rhys agrees.

And sitting there in the gentle glow of the bedside lamp, with the woman we've all come to love accepting the worst parts of our past with the same grace she's shown everything else, I finally start to believe that maybe we can have a future after all. Maybe the ghosts that have been chasing us for three years don't have to define the rest of our lives.

Maybe, for the first time since that night in the city, we can finally stop running and start living.

"Thank you," I tell her, the words inadequate for everything I'm feeling.

"For what?"

"For not running. For staying. For seeing us instead of just our mistakes."

She turns to look at me, her dark eyes serious. "Kael, you didn't make a mistake that night. You made a choice. The right choice. And I'll spend the rest of my life being grateful that you're the kind of man who makes those choices, even when they cost you everything."

The simple honesty of it breaks something open in my chest, something that's been locked away since that night three years ago. And as Rhys moves from the chair to settle on her other side, completing our small circle, I finally allow myself to believe that maybe redemption isn't just possible – maybe it's already here, sitting beside me in the form of a dark-haired omega who sees heroes where others see killers.

KAEL

Iwake to the scent of honeysuckle and fire, so thick and intoxicating that for a moment I can't remember where I am. The early morning light filters through the curtains of Eliana's room, casting everything in a golden glow, but it's the heat radiating from the bed that truly captures my attention.

Eliana is in the center of her nest, her dark hair spread across the pillows like spilled ink, her olive skin flushed and gleaming with a light sheen of sweat. She's partially tangled in the sheets, one full hip visible where the fabric has fallen away, and the sight of her curves in the morning light makes my mouth go dry. But it's the scent rolling off her in waves that has my alpha instincts sitting up and taking immediate notice.

Heat. Deep, urgent, undeniable heat.

Her dark eyes flutter open as if sensing my presence, and when they focus on me, they're dilated with need and something deeper – a desperate vulnerability that makes my chest tight with protective instincts.

"Kael," she whispers, my name coming out like a prayer, like a plea.

I'm moving before I fully realize it, crossing the room to kneel beside the nest she's built for us. The scent is stronger here, so potent it makes my head spin and my body respond with an immediacy that takes my breath away. This isn't just any heat – this is a claiming heat, her body preparing for the final bonds that will tie us together permanently.

"How long?" I ask, my voice already rough with want.

"Started about an hour ago," she manages, her hands fisting in the sheets. "I tried to wait, tried to call for you, but..."

But the heat is too strong, too overwhelming for rational thought. I can see it in the way her body moves restlessly against the bedding, in the flush that spreads down her throat to disappear beneath the thin nightgown she's wearing.

"Shh," I soothe, reaching out to brush her hair back from her face. Her skin is burning hot beneath my touch, and she turns into it like a flower seeking sunlight. "I'm here. We're here."

Because Rhys is already in the doorway, drawn by the same irresistible call that woke me. His sandy brown hair is mussed from sleep, his green eyes dark with recognition and want as he takes in the scene before him. He moves with that fluid grace that's always been natural to him, but there's a careful restraint in his movements that speaks to the control he's exercising over his own instincts.

"Both of you," Eliana breathes, her gaze moving between us with desperate need. "I need both of you. Please."

The word 'please' breaks whatever remaining restraint either of us had. Rhys is already stripping off his shirt as he approaches, and I can smell his arousal mixing with mine, creating a cocktail of alpha scents that makes Eliana whimper with want.

"Are you sure?" I ask, even though I can see the answer in her eyes, can smell it in the air around us. "Once we claim you, once we complete the bonds..."

"I'm sure," she says firmly, struggling to sit up. The movement makes her nightgown slip off one shoulder, revealing the smooth curve of her neck where Fen's mark sits like a badge of belonging. "I've been sure since the first night I built this nest. I want this. I want you. Both of you."

Rhys reaches us first, his long frame settling on the edge of the nest. When Eliana reaches for him, he catches her hands and brings them to his lips, pressing gentle kisses to her palms. "Tell us what you need," he says softly.

"You," she whispers. "Inside me. Claiming me. Making me yours."

The raw honesty of it sends a spike of heat straight through me, and I can see the same effect it has on Rhys. His green eyes darken further, and when he leans in to kiss her, it's with a hunger that's been building for weeks.

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