Page 88 of Knot in Bloom
Before I can respond, Reid and Levi approach from different directions, drawn by the same instincts that brought me to check on her. They settle at our table with easy familiarity, creating a protective circle around her without making it obvious.
“How are you feeling?” Levi asks gently, though the answer is written across her flushed features.
“Like I accomplished something incredible and like I’m about to fall apart,” she admits with devastating honesty. “The tourism board wants to feature us in their official Montana travel guide. Mountain Living is running a six-page spread. Everything worked out better than I ever imagined.”
“You should be proud,” Reid says firmly. “You earned every bit of this success.”
“We earned this,” she corrects, looking between the three of us with dilated pupils and trust that makes my chest tight. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my pack.”
The casual way she says ‘my pack’ makes something settle in my chest that I didn’t realize was missing. She’s not fighting it anymore, not pretending we’re just helpful friends.
As evening approaches, the festival takes on a more intimate atmosphere. Families start heading home with tired children, but couples and groups of friends linger to enjoy the music and the warm evening air. String lights that someone strung between the trees earlier start twinkling as the sun sets behind the mountains.
“Ready to head home?” Levi asks gently when Sadie starts swaying in her seat.
She nods, then tries to stand and immediately sways. I catch her elbow to steady her, and the contact makes her gasp softly.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, and watch her pupils dilate further at the promise in my voice.
The walk to her apartment takes longer than usual as she stops frequently, needing to lean against buildings or lamp posts, overwhelmed by sensations that her omega biology is amplifying beyond manageable levels. We form a protective escort, ensuring no other alphas approach while she’s in this vulnerable state.
By the time we reach her building, she’s trembling with need, her scent so rich and inviting that I’m fighting every instinct not to sweep her into my arms and carry her upstairs.
“I can’t fight this anymore,” she whispers as we reach her door. “I’ve been trying all day, all week, but I can’t...”
“You don’t have to fight anymore,” I tell her, my voice carrying the steady authority that’s been building all day. “We’re here. We’ve got you.”
She looks between the three of us, something shifting in her expression. Surrender, maybe. Or recognition that what’s happening between us is bigger than biology, more permanent than heat.
“I need you,” she admits, voice barely above a whisper. “All of you.”
The admission hangs in the evening air like a promise.
Festival successful beyond all expectations, her professional dreams secured, and the woman we love finally ready to accept what we’ve been offering.
Time to transition from public celebration to private.
Chapter 25
Sadie
Saturday evening, and I’m sitting on my couch trying to process that today actually happened.
The festival exceeded every wild expectation I had. The tourism board practically gushed about our “authentic Montana charm.” Mountain Living’s photographer captured shots that will showcase Honeyridge Falls to thousands of potential visitors. My business cards vanished so fast Reid had to make an emergency run to Pine Valley for reprints.
But more than the professional success, it’s the memory of the day itself that fills me with warmth. Watching families enjoy the decorations we created. Kids running between vendor booths with cotton candy-sticky fingers, their parents actually relaxed for once.
We created something magical for our community.
But as the last vendors packed up and cleanup crews finished their work, my body decided that professional success was the signal to completely overwhelm my failing suppressants.
“You created something incredible today,” Levi says softly from his spot beside me, close enough that his cedar scent wrapsaround me like comfort itself. “The whole town’s still talking about it.”
“Regional reputation officially established,” Reid adds with satisfaction, though his bergamot carries an undertone of concern. “You’ll be booking events from this for months.”
“Tessa confirmed the state campaign inclusion,” Caleb reports, though even his steady presence can’t quite hide the way his sandalwood makes my core pulse with need. “Everything we worked for.”
Everything we worked for. The casual way he includes himself in my success makes my throat tight with emotion that has nothing to do with the biology currently hijacking my system.
