Page 79 of Knot the Last Chapter

My jaw tightens with emotion. I kiss her again, on the temple, then the cheek, then press my forehead against hers.

“Because you are wanted,” I murmur. “You’re everything.”

We lay like that for a long while, wrapped in each other’s scent and warmth, the silence stretching golden and unbroken. When my knot finally begins to soften, she stirs again, wincing slightly as her body adjusts.

“I’ve got you,” I soothe. “Almost done.”

A few long minutes later, I slip free. She gasps softly, then exhales all at once, like something tight inside her just gave way. I ease her gently onto the nest, kissing her temple as I slide out from behind her to rearrange the blankets. She’s boneless now, heavy with exhaustion and something deeper—contentment, maybe.

“You did so well,” I whisper. “You were perfect.”

Her only answer is a slow breath, the kind that signals sleep pulling her under. Her lashes flutter closed, and the tiny smile on her lips is all the proof I need that she feels safe. Cherished.

I don’t move for a moment. I just look at her.

Hair tousled. Lips kiss-swollen. The faint flush still lingering on her cheeks. Her legs curled, her body pliant in sleep. And the scent—our scents, mingled. It fills the air like the promise of something permanent.

I put on my pants and wrap her in the thickest blanket, one that smells like me and like home. Then I lift her in my arms, as gently as I can, careful not to wake her.

She fits against me perfectly. As if she was always meant to be there.

I carry her toward the stairs, heading for her room and the nest I know my brothers prepared. The room is sun-drenched with tall windows, the day already well on its way. It's layered in comfort and lined with familiar clothing from all three of us. It will smell like home to her. Like family.

Because this isn’t over. Her heat will keep rising and falling for a while yet. And she won’t be alone for a single second of it.

She has us.

And we have her.

Chapter forty-six

Lila

Iwake with the scent of them all around me—warm, earthy, rich with musk and something softer, uniquely theirs. My body aches in the best way, a sweet soreness thrumming through my limbs like the ghost of being held. My nest is soft, cocooned in pillows and fleece, with one of Tyler’s shirts bunched beneath my cheek and a sweater that still smells like Corwyn tucked around my shoulders. There’s a flannel button-down under my thigh—Rhys’s. I smile.

My room is quiet and bathed in honeyed light streaming through the curtains. Misty is curled up at the edge of the bed like a small gray sentinel, tail flicking lazily. The scent in the room is heady but comforting, thick with alpha pheromones. There’s also food. I blink, sitting up slowly, surprised at the small spread laid out on the nightstand: crackers, dried fruit, protein bars, sliced apple, and one of those little hazelnut spread packets.

I don’t hesitate.

I devour everything with shaking fingers, my body craving sustenance after the storm of my heat. I moan softly around a piece of apple. It’s cold and crisp and perfect.

I barely register the knock until the door creaks open and Tyler steps inside, eyes immediately locking on mine. He’s freshly showered, hair damp and curling around his ears, a soft gray t-shirt clinging to his chest.

“Hey,” he says, voice low, gentle.

“Hey,” I say, wiping my fingers with the napkin left for me. “You made all this?”

He smiles a little, ducking his head. “Yeah. I figured you’d be hungry.”

I nod, throat thick. “Thank you. I—I really needed it.”

He comes closer, slow, cautious, but not hesitant. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I admit. “Tired. Still sore. A little… embarrassed.”

His eyebrows lift. “Embarrassed?”

I glance away, blushing. “That I lost control. That Rhys…”