Page 66 of Knot Gonna Lie
One more day closer to Planet Tera and whatever challenges waited there. One more day closer to Elara’s heat—and soon after, I’d have to find the courage to tell Eli the truth, to confess the fraud that had brought me here.
But tonight—tonight my omega slept peacefully in her nest, her first pack member claimed and close, our bonds strengthening with each shared breath. The hollow spaces the day had carved began to fill with something warmer, something that tasted like hope and home and belonging.
My eyes grew heavy, my own purr rumbling low and steady against her. Through the bond came nothing but calm—no fear, no doubt—just the certainty she was where she belonged. That we all were.
Sleep pulled at me with gentle insistence, and for once, I let it take me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ELARA
Seth’s fingertips traced the mark on his chest like he was memorizing a constellation, each gentle stroke following the pattern my teeth had carved into his skin. Wonder painted his features in the nest’s golden light—the kind of raw awe that made my chest tight.
How can I have such an effect on someone?
I caught his hand, stilling its movement. His gray-blue eyes snapped to mine, startled from whatever deep thoughts he’d been lost in.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” I whispered, the words barely more than breath.
“For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming, waking up beside you,” he murmured, giving my hand a gentle squeeze over his mark. “But this…this tells me it’s real.”
“It’s all real,” I confirmed softly. “Every bit of it.”
“Oh, stars…” He sighed, resting his forehead against mine, eyes closing. “You’ve given me such a gift. If this is even afraction of what an alpha feels after claiming an omega…I can’t fathom how they can survive without one.”
“They don’t.” I frown. “Which is why I’m afraid history is only repeating itself.”
“You’re right.” Seth pulled away. “But who will stop it?”
“Someone has to.”
Behind me, the spot where Luca had been was empty, still warm and carrying the faint trace of tropical paradise. I turned, searching, but found only rumpled blankets holding his scent. Through our bond, I felt him—close, but distant. Stress pushed through the connection—sharp and intrusive—worry threading through what should have been morning peace.
My alpha was in his office, just beyond the wall, and I could feel his anguish as if it were my own.
“What’s wrong?” Seth’s hand cupped my cheek, pulling me back to the present. His mark was warm under my palm, our new bond carrying his concern and quiet protectiveness. “I can feel your worry.”
I tilted my head toward the wall separating us from Luca’s office. “He’s tearing himself apart in there.”
Seth’s expression softened with understanding as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “The secret he’s keeping from Eli—it’s tearing him apart. They’ve been partners since birth, built Coco Pharma from nothing into something remarkable.” His voice dropped, weighted with respect. “Two alphas of equal strength working side by side without killing each other—it only happens when love runs deeper than instinct.”
The weight of Luca’s deception pressed against our bond, making my mark ache with phantom pain. “I need to go to him.”
“I know.” Seth’s acceptance came without hesitation, though something flickered in his eyes—not jealousy, but a shadow of uncertainty. “It’s natural—an omega steadies their alpha, and an alpha soothes their omega. Two sides of the same syzygy.”
I stroked the mark on his chest, the warmth there pulsing as our connection stirred beneath my touch. It wasn’t the deep pull I had with Luca, but something quieter—new, steady, and vital. Both bonds hummed through me, grounding me in a way I hadn’t known I needed.
“This is real too,” I told him, needing him to understand. “You’reminenow. Pack.”
Seth’s kiss landed soft on my forehead, a benediction and a promise. “I’ll freshen up in my quarters, then salvage something edible from the galley.” His lips twitched. “I don’t trust Tobias or Xavier near anything more complex than ration bars. Jaxom’s my only hope for actual food.”
“Thank you for understanding—for everything.” The gratitude felt too small for his easy acceptance. I knew how betas had it—too often seen as replaceable, sometimes even forgettable. For him to not demand my attention and reassurance, meant that he meant he valued my choice more than his ego, trusting that I’d come to him because I wanted to, not because I had to. “I’ll bring Luca with me when we come.”
He glanced down at his naked form, then at me wrapped in emerald silk that had slipped to reveal more than it concealed. Color bloomed across his cheeks, that endearing shyness that seemed impossible for someone who’d claimed me so thoroughly the night before.
Laughter slipped out, surprising me after the heaviness of the morning. I cupped his face, then pressed my other palm over his heart, my thumb brushing over the mark that bound us—claiming him—before pulling him into a kiss that carried both possession and promise.
His groan rumbled against my lips, low and rough, as his hands gripped my waist and dragged me closer. I leaned in harder, meeting the urgent slide of his tongue with my own, drowning in his taste.
