Page 44 of Knot My Type

We're complete now, the four of us bound together by choice and fate and love so deep it remade us all.

And as I drift off to sleep surrounded by the warmth and scent and love of my pack—my family—I know that whatever challenges lie ahead, we'll face them together.

Because we're more than the sum of our parts now.

We're pack.

We're home.

We're forever.

ELIANA

The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting dancing shadows across the cabin's rustic walls. I pulled my oversized sweater tighter around my curvy frame, tucking my legs beneath me on the worn leather couch. The scent of pine and woodsmoke filled the air, mingling with the lingering aroma of the venison stew we'd shared for dinner. My stomach was still pleasantly full, the warmth of the meal settling into my bones alongside the heat from the fireplace.

Kael sat across from me in his usual armchair, his massive frame making the sturdy furniture look almost delicate. At six-foot-four with shoulders that could block out the sun, he was an intimidating presence even in relaxation. His dark hair had grown longer during our month-long isolation, falling across his forehead in a way that softened his permanent scowl. The stubble on his jaw caught the firelight as he nursed a mug of coffee, his dark eyes fixed on the flames.

Rhys had claimed the other end of the couch, his long legs stretched out, one arm draped along the back cushions. Even sitting, he had to duck slightly to avoid the low-hanging beam above. His sandy brown hair was tousled, and those green eyes that could charm any omega held a gentle warmth as he watchedme fidget with my sleeves. There was something fluid about the way he moved, even in stillness—like a predator at rest, but one that meant no harm.

Fen occupied the wooden chair he'd pulled from the kitchen table, his compact but sturdy build making him appear more grounded than his alpha companions. His brown hair was neat despite the casual evening, and those perceptive hazel eyes missed nothing as they flicked between the three of us. He had that quiet efficiency about him, the kind of beta who noticed everything and said just enough.

The storm that had trapped us here for the past month raged on outside, wind howling through the trees with a ferocity that reminded me why we'd taken shelter in this remote cabin in the first place. What was supposed to be a brief stopover during our research expedition had turned into an extended cohabitation when the weather reports warned of a three-month siege.

I could taste the nervousness on my tongue, metallic and sharp, as I worked up the courage to speak. My hands trembled slightly as I set down my own mug of herbal tea—chamomile with honey, Fen's suggestion to help me sleep better.

"I need to tell you something," I said, my voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

Three sets of eyes turned to me immediately. Kael's scowl deepened with concern, Rhys shifted to face me more fully, and Fen leaned forward slightly in that attentive way of his.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Rhys asked, his voice carrying that natural alpha authority softened by genuine care.

I took a shaky breath, tasting the salt of unshed tears. "I've been thinking about my role here. With you three. I know I'm supposed to be the omega, but I don't know if I'm good enough for that. I don't know if I can be what you need."

Kael's mug hit the side table with more force than necessary. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Kael," Fen said quietly, a gentle warning in his tone.

"No, I mean it," Kael continued, his voice gruff but not unkind. "Where's this coming from, Eliana?"

I hugged my knees to my chest, feeling small and vulnerable despite being a grown woman. At five-foot-four with curves that had never quite fit society's omega ideals, I'd always felt like I was fighting for my place in any pack dynamic.

"It's just I keep thinking about what happened before. About why I was alone when you found me." I swallowed hard, the words sticking in my throat like pine sap. "I need to tell you about my last pack. About what happened in the forest."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, though the fire burned just as bright. I could smell the shift in their scents—Kael's dark, smoky musk sharpening with protective anger, Rhys's warm cedar taking on an edge of alertness, and Fen's steady, earthy scent growing more grounding, more present.

"You don't have to—" Rhys started, but I held up a hand.

"I do. I need you to understand why I'm so afraid of failing again."

I closed my eyes, letting the memory wash over me like a tide I couldn't stop.

"The air changes, because I'm standing in a forest," I began, my voice taking on a dreamy, distant quality as I sank back into that nightmare. "There are pines stretching high above me, their trunks blackened by shadow and memory. Moonlight slices through the canopy in sharp, white lines, casting my surroundings in that silver-blue that only exists in memories and nightmares."

I could smell it again—the sharp, wild scent of that forest floor, damp with moss and old leaves. The metallic tang that I now knew had been blood, so much blood.

"And then I smell him. My Alpha. That unmistakable scent—smoky, warm, with the kind of grounding musk that used to anchor me when everything else fell apart."

My voice broke slightly, and I felt Rhys shift closer on the couch, his warm presence a comfort even as I relived my worst memory.

---