Page 93 of Knot Your Sugar

When he’s done, I feel dazed. "Wow," I breathe. "That’s… more effective than a morning espresso." Cole just nuzzles the bite, purring, his body locked with mine.

Before I can fully process what's happened, Cole repositions himself to straddle me, giving James room to return to my nipple, sucking urgently. Before I can catch my breath, he releases it with a soft pop and moves to eye level, his blue eyes dark with desire and something deeper, softer. His mouth finds the other side of my neck, the symmetric spot to Cole's mark.

"My brave, brilliant partner," he murmurs against my skin, his voice husky. "My Elena. The only woman who could look this good while being on fire. I love you."

His bite feels different. It's quicker, more playful, a spark igniting alongside the profound connection. Another thread forms, this one vibrant and bright, carrying his joy, his admiration, his love that burns like a cheerful flame.

I giggle through the pleasure-pain. "You always know how to make an entrance, James."

Finally, Dorian turns my face toward him, his gray eyes intense as they meet mine. He cups my face in his hands, thumbs brushing away tears of quiet joy I didn't know I was shedding.

"You okay there, princess?" he asks softly.

When I nod, he continues, "You've changed everything. My life. My heart. My five-year forecast…"

I snort-laugh, which isn't very elegant, but he doesn't seem to mind. Instead, his gaze drops to my neck, to the spot just above Cole's mark.

He bites me slowly, deliberately, slightly higher than where Cole did. The final thread clicks into place, elegant and strong, carrying his devotion, his respect, his love that runs deep as an underground river.

"Mon amour," he whispers against my skin, his voice raw with emotion. "I can feel you…us." He pauses, then breathes, "Je t'aime."

"I love you too," I reply, my voice trembling with all I feel. "I love you Dorian. James. Cole." And I mean it. I love them all, fiercely and equally.

My body feels impossibly relaxed against the plush floor of my nest, my heart overflowing. Cole's knot has deflated and he's shifted to rest his head on my stomach while James and Dorian remain on either side of me, their bodies creating a protective, loving embrace.

In this intimate a cocoon, I can feel their bonds solidifying. Not competing but complementing each other, creating a tapestry of connection I never imagined possible. I feel them all, not just physically but emotionally, spiritually; as if parts of them live inside me and parts of me inside them. It's like having three extra heartbeats, all perfectly in sync with mine.

* * *

The heat remains, but it's changed. It's no longer a desperate, painful need but a warm, pulsing desire, like a cozy fireplace on a winter night. We continue to explore each other through the night, learning how four bodies can move together (sometimes gracefully, sometimes with a comical bumping of elbows), how three alphas can share an omega without rivalry (mostly, there was a minor, playful dispute over who got to cuddle my left foot), how boundaries dissolve and reform in this new dynamic.

Sometimes they take turns. Sometimes they work in concert. Sometimes one rests (or rather, engage in intense napping) while the others continue. They're attentive to each other aswell as to me: gentle touches, compliments, small gestures of affection that tell me this is more than about me. This is about all of us, this strange, beautiful, currently sleep-deprived pack we've formed.

In quiet moments between waves of heat, we talk: soft confessions, shared dreams, plans for the future. My bakery. Dorian's business (which might need a new line item for 'omega nest supplies'). James's ambitions (which apparently now include mastering the art of the foot rub). Cole's career (and how he’s going to have to learn to balance fires with another kind of heat). How we will make it all work together.

"My assistant is going to have some interesting scheduling challenges." Dorian says at one point, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my thigh.

"And I'm going to need to explain some very interesting time-off requests," Cole adds dryly, his arm draped protectively across my waist.

James presses a kiss on my shoulder. "And I have to admit, I never pictured myself curled up with the two of you, no offense." He flashes a grin. "But we’re like one of those complicated jigsaw puzzles. The kind with no corner pieces. But somehow it fits.”

“Different shapes,” I add as sleep begins to pull at me, “but made to fit.”

I finally drift off near dawn, boneless and sated in the center of the nest, which now looks like someone dropped a grenade in it. The claiming bites throb pleasantly, reminders of the invisible bonds I can feel humming between us.

As sleep claims me, wrapped in the arms of three alphas who see me for exactly who I am, I realize something.

Mom was right.

Love doesn't take away. It expands.

Chapter fifty

Elena

4 MONTHS LATER

The bell above the door of "Elena's Creations" chimes merrily as Mrs. Henderson, my last customer of the day, leaves with a box overflowing with my signature lavender-honey éclairs and a mini apple pie.

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