Page 99 of Knot Your Romeo

I wait, forcing myself to be patient as the three of them slowly untangle from each other. Emmie looks dazed, satisfied, but there's still something fragile in her eyes that makes my protective instincts flare.

When they finally separate, I move forward and lift Emmie away from them, cradling her against my chest. She melts into me immediately, and I carry her toward the bathroom.

"Let me take care of you," I murmur against her hair, and she nods, too exhausted to protest. I fill the tub with warm water andsettle us both into it, positioning her so she's sitting between my legs, her back pressed against my chest. For a long moment, we just breathe together, the water lapping gently around us. I press gentle kisses along her shoulder, lingering over the spot where I claimed her. The mark is already healing, but I can still see the indent of my teeth, and something primal and satisfied rumbles in my chest.

"You're so beautiful," I whisper against her skin, and she shivers despite the warmth of the water.

We stay like that until the water starts to cool, and I can feel Emmie beginning to relax completely in my arms. When I turn, I see Jude watching from the doorway.

"Your turn to hold her," I tell him quietly, and he nods, understanding passing between us. I top the tub with hot water and get out, letting Jude take my place.

Elias and I watch from the doorway as Jude settles into the tub with Emmie, both of them looking peaceful and content. There's something beautiful about seeing them together like this—not sexual, just... connected.

"How do you feel?" Eli asks me quietly. "Having a new pack. Does it feel like you're betraying your old pack?"

The question hits me harder than I expected, and I have to take a moment to find the words. I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of old grief mixing with new hope.

"I never knew what I needed," I finally say, my voice rough. "My pack mates always thought you should be in it too, you know. They said I was incomplete without my brother."

Elias's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "They said that?"

I nod, a sad smile tugging at my lips. "Maybe it took losing everything to know that."

Eli is quiet for a moment, his gaze drifting to where Jude and Emmie are still wrapped together in the warm water. Then he turns back to me, his expression soft. "They would be happy foryou, Beck. They'd want you to love again, to build something beautiful from the ashes of what was lost that day."

The words break something open in my chest, and suddenly I'm crying—not the controlled tears I've allowed myself over the years, but deep, wrenching sobs that come from somewhere I thought I'd locked away forever.

Emmie rushes out of the bath, water streaming from her skin as she wraps her arms around me, her body warm slick against mine. She purrs softly against my chest; the sound vibrating soothingly through me.

"I mentioned his old pack," Elias explains quietly, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder as Jude wraps a towel around Emmie and then himself.

I shake my head, struggling to speak through the tears. "That's not why I'm crying," I manage to say between sobs. "It's because it took me losing something special to find something special. But what if—"

"Don't, Beck," Emmie interrupts, her small hands framing my face as she forces me to look at her. Her voice is fierce despite how gentle her touch is. "You deserve to be happy. You deserve this. We all do."

I lean into her touch, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. "I just need to sleep in your arms," I tell her, my voice shaky as I whisper. "I'm just overwhelmed. That's all."

She takes my hand, her fingers intertwined with mine, and leads me to the bed. We settle in beside each other, her body fitting perfectly against mine.

"I love you, Beck," she whispers against my neck. "I'll always love you."

My arms tighten around her instinctively. "I love you, Emmie. God, I love you so much. I'm so scared of losing you."

She pulls back slightly to look at me, a knowing smile crossing her features. "That's what this is about. Because you lost your last pack."

I swallow hard; the admission scraping my throat raw. "It's because I've nearly lost you so many times, and I'm sure I'm cursed."

Her hand comes up to stroke my cheek, wiping away the lingering tears. "But I'm still here. We're all still here."

I nod, feeling the truth of it settle into my bones. "We are. You are."

"And you claimed me," she says, her fingers tracing the mark she left on my neck, "and I claimed you, so I'm not going anywhere." She takes my hand, pressing it over her heart as happiness and love pulses between us through our bond.

"Do you feel me?"

The sensation is like warmth spreading through my entire body, her emotions mixing with mine until I can't tell where I end and she begins. "I feel you. I've always felt you."

Her smile brightens, radiant in the dim light. "And I felt you at that bar in Boston."

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