Page 48 of Down Knot Out (Pack Alphas of Misty Pines #3)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Blake

Q uinn’s foot jabs my ribs with the persistence of a child who has never once slept still. I pick her curls from my beard again and remove her toes from my lungs.

Someone shifts in the nest, followed by a low grunt and the rustle of blankets as the pack readjusts. Shadows stretch across the tangled limbs of my pack. Six distinct scents mingle in the space. Vanilla, clove, cedar, lilac, sugar, and sleep.

Chloe curls around my niece, her face tucked into the crook of my arm.

Holden lies behind her with his cheek pressed to her shoulder.

Nathaniel has the other side of me. He sprawls across the cushions, long legs taking more than his share.

Despite his stillness, he’s only pretending to sleep as he listens to every breath and tracks every shift, ready to move if anything changes.

I try to match Chloe’s breathing and let it lull me under, but sleep won’t come. My mind is too busy running through what-ifs.

If Chloe’s Heat starts tonight, it will be sooner than we expected, but we’re ready. We’ve been waiting for this, craving the bond that will claim her in a way even the Sinclairs can’t deny.

But I still worry.

The one thing I hadn’t considered was what to do with Quinn.

If Quinn wakes up and senses the shift in Chloe’s scent, she’ll be confused.

We need to separate her from Chloe soon, but the last thing I want is for my niece to think she’s being rejected, and none of us can leave with her.

Not during Chloe’s first Heat. It’s the most important one for all of our pack to be here for.

The uncertainty keeps me staring into the dark instead of resting as I should, because sleep will be scarce once her Heat takes full control.

I press my fingers into Chloe’s throat to check the rapid flutter of her pulse and her rising temperature. We still have time for me to take Quinn to Kyle’s in the morning.

But what if Quinn refuses? What if she panics ?

Careful not to disturb my niece or Chloe, I shift onto my back and nudge Nathaniel.

His eyes open right away, proving that he, too, can’t sleep. He arches one brow at me in question.

I lean in close to his ear. “What’s the plan if it starts before morning?”

He shifts on the cushions and angles his head closer. “Kyle and Grady are on standby. Emily will handle the job site.”

I relax. Of course, he already has everything figured out. I shouldn’t have wasted so much time worrying on my own.

My phone vibrates under the pillow. I slide it out, shielding the screen with my palm, and my heart lurches at the message preview.

Sadie Burton – Visitation Confirmed. Thursday, 11:00 AM. Accompanied by: Martha Reynolds (Housekeeper/Sober Companion).

Nathaniel catches the shift in my scent, and his hand covers mine, angling the phone so he can read the message .

His expression doesn’t change, and his grip on me remains loose, waiting for me to speak first.

I turn off the screen. “This is the worst time for her to come.”

“Better to get it over with, so we know what the next steps will be. And Chloe’s Heat will be over by then.” Nathaniel’s hand settles over my heart, and my breathing steadies. “We’ll get through it.”

My hand tightens around my phone. The urge to throw it across the room is strong, but that would wake Chloe, and our Omega needs calm right now, not frustrated anger.

With a calming inhale, I tuck the phone back under the pillow, then turn my head toward Chloe, who sleeps so deeply that her lashes stick together in damp little spikes. I let myself imagine every night being this safe and every morning as sweet.

Nathaniel settles next to me, draping his arm over my shoulders. The room feels crowded and perfect, and for a second, I let myself believe we can hold the world at bay with nothing more than the strength of our bonds.

Near dawn, Quinn’s whimpers pull me from a restless sleep.

She twitches between Chloe and me, hands balled into tight fists. Her mouth moves, lips pale in the blue light leaking through the window. “No, please don’t let her take me.”

Chloe’s arm finds Quinn by reflex, clutching the girl tighter to her chest, as if she can keep the world out by force of will alone. But Quinn keeps whimpering, legs kicking at the blankets, caught in a loop of fear she can’t shake loose.

I try to soothe her by running a hand down her back, but my palm comes away damp with sweat. I scoop her up slowly so as not to jar her awake. Her body folds into my lap, small and shivering, and she latches onto my T-shirt, face buried under my chin.

Chloe stirs and opens her eyes, sleep-glazed and feverish. “Is she okay?”

I stroke the tangle of Quinn’s hair, and my niece tucks in closer, as if she can burrow straight through me and out the other side. “Nightmare. I’ve got her.”

Holden mumbles and rolls over, his arm draping across both of them. His hand finds Quinn’s back, and he pats her in his sleep. Quinn relaxes a little, the whimpers fading to breathless hiccups.

Ever the caretaker, our gentlest Alpha.

I wait until Quinn’s breathing settles, then lay her back down between me and Chloe, keeping a hand on her so she’ll know I’m there. But sleep won’t come again, not for me.

I let my mind drift back to the day before and the way Quinn reacted to the news about her mother wanting to visit. She’d taken the news about as well as expected, asking if it meant she’d have to leave here, and I hadn’t been able to offer her reassurance.

She’d sat on the stairs for half an hour, silent, chewing her thumbnail until it bled while Sprinkles whined at her feet. After, she’d retreated to her tree house in her bedroom and refused to come out until Chloe bribed her with coloring.

I want to believe this place is enough. That the nest, the pack, and the endless hours of story time and home-cooked meals will be the thing that wins out over old hurts and bad blood.

But then I see her curled up in a ball, fists tight, jaw locked in terror, and I wonder how many years it will take for her to trust that this is real.

If this even can be real.

I inhale slowly and follow the therapist’s instructions on how to calm, counting backward from ten. But my heartbeat doesn’t slow.

Instead, my mind races with all the ways I could fail her.

The sky bleeds from blue to silver, and a weak shaft of sunlight creeps across the nest. Holden stirs first, rising with the slow movements of someone who doesn’t want to disturb the peace. He rubs the back of his neck, then slips away to the kitchen.

Dominic follows next, eyes bloodshot but alert. He heads for the garage office with a soft pad of footsteps, probably off to check the emails and security feeds before the rest of us can worry.

Quinn continues to sleep, her face slack and peaceful in the hush of early morning.

Chloe wakes and tries to slip out of the nest, moving with the caution of a cat.

I catch her by the ankle, fingers wrapping around the fragile bone, and she freezes. “Where are you going?”

Her mouth twitches. “Bathroom.”

I let her go, and she tiptoes down the hall, hair rumpled and face sleep creased.

When she comes back, she studies Quinn, then me, her face flushed but still aware. “Can’t sleep?”

I shake my head. “Bad night.”

She settles next to me, folding her knees under her chin, chin perched on top. She lets out a shaky exhale. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. ”

Alarm shoots through me, worried she’s second-guessing bonding with us. “For what?”

She chews on her bottom lip. “After I was kicked out of the Sinclair pack, I never dared dream of joining another pack. I thought I’d grow old, maybe adopt a cat, and live vicariously through Grady. Now, I have so much, and it scares me, because it means I have so much more to lose.”

I squeeze her knee, then slide my thumb up to the spot behind her kneecap that always draws a giggle from her.

She doesn’t laugh now, but she does uncurl, letting her head rest on my shoulder.

“Life is scary.” My hand smooths over Quinn’s wild curls. “But that shouldn’t stop us from grabbing hold of happiness and holding on for all we’re worth.”

She shakes her head, hair falling forward, shrouding her face. “What if I mess it all up?”

I find her hand under the blanket and thread my fingers through hers. “You won’t.”

“How are you so sure?” she whispers.

“Because I have to be.” I kiss the top of her head. “I want you in this pack, bonded to us, more than I want to take my next breath.”

She lets out a long sigh and relaxes against me. “Me, too. ”

With her head on my shoulder, we watch the sun climb higher, painting everything in golden warmth.

Chloe’s breathing stays shallow, but her hand squeezes mine.

“You know we’re better off with you here, right?” I whisper, not wanting to break the moment. “Dominic’s happier than he’s ever been, Holden’s confidence is growing by the day, and Nathaniel’s learning to relax.”

My bondmate stiffens beside me, but he remains silent, counting to pretend to sleep.

Chloe’s whole body shivers, and for a second, I think she might start crying, but she doesn’t. She just cuddles closer, our bodies a cocoon around my niece.

“Quinn feels safe with you, too.” I slip my arm around her body. “And no one is asking you to be her mom. Just keep doing what you’re doing, being the best Aunt Chloe she could ever ask for.”

She laughs, the sound watery. “Well, that’s not hard. She’s fun to be around.”

“And she loves being around you.”

She shifts and whispers, “I heard you get the text last night.”

I tense. I guess she hadn’t been as asleep as I thought .

She lifts her head. “Was it about the visitation?”

“Yeah.” I swallow past the sudden lump in my throat. “Thursday. Two p.m. She’s bringing the housekeeper as a chaperone.”

Chloe rubs her thumb over the knuckle of my hand, tracing the scar I got in high school when I tried to break up a fight between two construction workers. “How do you feel?”

“Terrified. I want her to be better, but…” The words jam in my throat, but I force them out. “I don’t trust her. I don’t trust myself to protect Quinn if Sadie slips up. And I know that makes me a shit brother?—”

“Stop that.” She shoves my shoulder, gently, but hard enough to give me pause. “You are not a shit brother. You’ve kept Quinn safe and loved. You did that. Not Sadie. Not the courts. You.”

“Doesn’t feel like enough.”

She shakes her head, her expression fierce. “It is.”

I lean into her, letting my cheek brush her temple, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. “I also worry about my dad. If he finds out Sadie’s coming, he’ll use it. He’ll find a way to drag us all down.”

She lifts her head. “How could he? You’re not even talking. ”

A bitter laugh escapes. “He always finds a way. And he’ll dig up whatever leverage he can find.”

A flash of anger crosses her face. “He doesn’t get to touch you or Quinn, not while your pack is here.”

The conviction behind her words knocks loose the self-doubt riding me, and for the first time in weeks, I believe it. Maybe we can outlast the old man. Maybe we can rewrite how this family works.

Quinn blinks awake, hair wild, smile slow to dawn but bright when she finds us together. She burrows closer to Chloe, wrapping slender arms around her waist with the kind of force only a six-year-old can muster.

As Chloe wraps Quinn up and holds her close, I see our future in that moment, messy, imperfect, but ours.

“I love you,” I breathe into Chloe’s ear.

She squeezes my hand. “I love you, too.”

“And I love you, too,” Quinn announces, proving I wasn’t quiet enough for the little eavesdropper.

I pat her on the back. “Go get dressed. You’re going on an adventure.”

She perks up. “I am?”

“You’ve been begging to go on a fishing trip with Kyle, so?— ”

A high-pitched squeal cuts me off, and Quinn bolts from the nest, racing out of the room. “I’m going to catch the biggest fish!”

Nathaniel groans as he sits up. “I’ll make sure she packs enough for three days.”

Instead of following after my niece, though, he leans across me to kiss Chloe and rumbles, “I won’t be gone long.”

A pretty pink blush stains her cheeks. “Okay.”

Once he’s gone, I pull Chloe to me. “You know, nothing needs to happen if you’re not ready. I can go fetch the tentacle dildo, and— Ouch!” I clutch my chest where she smacked me. “Sure, abuse the Alpha who just wants to ensure you’re taken care of.”

She glares. “I’m going to confiscate that thing.”

“Nope.” I pop the P . “It’s mine now. You only get it on loan.”

Then I stop teasing. “Seriously, though. If you’re scared, we can wait until your next Heat. We’d never push this decision on you before you’re ready.”

Her blush deepens. “That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

I cup her jaw, thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone. “Then what?”

She turns her face into my palm. “I’m scared I’ll lose myself. That I’ll want you too much and forget where I stop and you start.”

My chest tightens. “Maybe that’s the point.”

She searches my face. Then she leans in, lips a breath from mine. “What does the bond feel like?”

I smile, slow and sure. “Belonging. Like you’re never alone.”

Tears brighten her eyes. “I want that.”

I lean in closer, nudge her nose with mine. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she sighs, and kisses me.