Page 39 of Knot the Last Chapter

We fall into a quiet rhythm again, loading the last of the utensils, wiping down the counters. It’s such a simple thing, but it grounds me. Her presence, her scent, the small clinks of ceramic and silver. It makes everything feel quieter. More real.

“I should go find Corwyn,” she says eventually, drying her hands on a towel. “See if I can contact the mainland. My mom’s probably convinced I’ve been kidnapped by lake pirates.”

I nod, but I don’t want her to leave. I want her to stay here, in this quiet place we’ve made. She starts to turn, then pauses.

“Rhys?”

I look up.

“Thanks. For being… steady.”

I don’t know what to say to that. So I just nod.

She disappears down the hallway, and Misty follows a beat later, tail swishing.

And I lean back against the counter, staring at the place she stood, heart still pounding like I’ve just run a mile uphill.

She’s going to undo me.

Every inch of her is a reminder of the things I thought I could live without. Her scent is already woven into this house like it belongs.

Like she does.

Chapter twenty-one

Lila

Leaving Rhys is hard, his scent beckoning to me even now. Part of me is embarrassed that he can feel my rising heat, and part of me feels safer now that he acknowledged it so gently while letting me know what to expect. No dire warning of alphas losing control. Something that had been winding deep in me loosens up, which makes my growing heat feel even more dangerous.

I find Corwyn in the library, as promised, and immediately feel underdressed for the moment. He’s perched on a rolling ladder, one long leg braced against the bookshelf, a worn hardback in his hands and wire-rimmed glasses sliding slightly down his nose.

Ofcoursehe wears glasses when he reads, which makes him look even hotter.

The library is both refined and lived-in. Rows of wooden shelves stretch high, filled with books that smell like cedar and dust and memory. A small fire crackles in the hearth, casting amber light across the dark rug and polished floor. A globe restsin the corner beside a decanter and two armchairs, and the rain tap-taps gently on the windowpanes like an old clock.

“You cataloging your grandfather’s collection?” I ask softly, stepping inside.

He looks up and smiles, not surprised to see me. “Trying to. He kept terrible records. Half of these are shelved alphabetically by author, half by region, and a few by which one had the prettiest spine. It’s chaos, really.”

I wander further in. “Charming chaos.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I perch on the arm of a nearby chair. “Rhys said you might still have a four-way radio? I’m hoping to let my mom and brother know I haven’t been murdered by island alphas.”

Corwyn laughs, low and warm. “Unfortunately, it gave up the ghost a year ago. We kept it for nostalgia. Tyler kept meaning to fix it.”

I sigh. “Of course he did.”

He tilts his head, studying me. “That bad, huh?”

“Not what I expected.”

He doesn’t press. I like that about him. He’s curious, but not invasive.

“You can probably get a bar or two if you stand by the boathouse. It’s not too far from here. The winds are supposed to drop overnight. If you’re patient, I’ll walk you there.”

I nod. “Thank you.”