Page 64 of Knot Going Down (OlympicVerse #3)

KNOX

D eclan doesn’t ask to drive. He just takes the keys from Emily. No one protests. There’s something steadying about the way he moves, all coiled control and quiet purpose. He’s taking care of us the only way he knows how: by taking charge.

He pulls out of Glenn’s neighborhood, jaw locked, eyes sharp on the road. With one hand on the wheel, he taps his phone, then puts the call on speaker.

“Tell me you got it, Curtis?” Declan asks, no nonsense, barely masking everything boiling underneath.

“We got more than enough to put this guy away for life.” His boss, Curtis, sounds like he’s smiling. “He was cocky and kept all his records right on his desktop. Fucking asshole.”

“Thank God.” Declan slumps, his grip on the wheel relaxing a little. Lucas looks back at me from the passenger seat, and Emily gives my arm a little squeeze before brushing a piece of hair out of Ava’s face.

“Are you still in there?” Curtis asks.

“Nah, we’re out.”

“Good. A team’s headed that way now.” There’s a noise in the background and Curtis’s voice becomes muffled as he speaks to someone else. “How far out are you?” he says, back on the line now.

“I’m not coming in.”

“What the hell do you mean, you’re not coming in?” Curtis snaps. “You need to give your statement and?—”

“I’m not coming in.” Declan’s voice is as cold as ice. “My pack was in there. They need me. We’re going home.”

“What?” Curtis snaps. “You’re pack?! Since when?—”

“We’ll talk tomorrow, Curtis,” Declan cuts him off. “Right now, my omega is exhausted and bleeding. My betas are scared. And my alpha’s shoulder…” He pauses to catch his breath, and I can feel the swirl of his emotions. He’s worried about me too.

“Look,” Curtis says, “if they’re hurt, that’s all the more reason to bring them in.” The former harshness has gone out of his voice, and now he seems like he’s trying to talk down a wild animal.

Declan meets my gaze in the rearview mirror.

“Can you reset a dislocated shoulder?” I ask him.

“Yeah.” He blows out a breath. “Done it a few times.”

“Great. Then we’re going home.” I hold Ava a little tighter with Emily leaning into my side. Declan nods.

“That your pack?” Curtis asks through the speakerphone.

“Yeah, you heard him, Curt. I’ll get them all checked out tomorrow and have my report on your desk by morning.” Declan hangs up before his boss can say anything else.

We’re quiet for the rest of the drive to Emily’s apartment. Ava is still asleep, so Declan carries her upstairs as I cradle my arm and help a drowsy Emily. Lucas unlocks the door, and we all follow him in, stumbling on tired feet.

It’s the first time I’ve seen Emily’s place, and it’s different from what I imagined.

But it feels like her. The apartment’s modest, two bedrooms, nothing flashy, but every inch feels lived-in and loved.

Glittery throw pillows crowd the couch like they’re trying to make the space sparkle.

The kitchen counter has a stash of open cereal boxes and a pink tea kettle on the stove.

There’s a quiet warmth, a mix of chaos and calm, like the person who lives here.

Unpretentious, genuine, with just enough charm to make you want to stay a while. Or forever.

Emily leads us back to her room, stumbling out of her clothes as she does. It’s not sexual, just the exhausted hurry of wanting to be in bed. Down to her underwear, she throws back the comforter, crawls in, and reaches for Ava. Her eyes are already half-closed, adorably cute.

Declan sets Ava down next to Emily, who immediately curls into her side.

“We should clean her up,” I whisper.

But neither of us move right away, we just stare at the women we love. Yeah, love. I can feel it through the bond, the same emotion that pours from my heart, too.

“First, your shoulder.” Declan doesn’t give me time to anticipate, moving so quickly there’s no chance to tense up.

Gripping my elbow and wrist, he manhandles my arm and snaps the joint back into place.

It fucking hurts but the pain ebbs with the joint back where it belongs.

“Tomorrow, I’m taking you to the doctor. ”

“But not tonight.” I give him a peck on the lips.

“No, not tonight.” He smiles softly.

Declan wraps both arms around me, resting his chin on my uninjured shoulder. “We almost lost them tonight.”

My throat tightens even thinking about it.

“But we didn’t,” Lucas says. He’s holding a damp rag, some rubbing alcohol and bandages. I’m not sure when he got them, but I’m grateful for our beta’s sweet care and pull him into my chest.

Declan opens his arms to engulf both of us. He kisses Lucas’s forehead over my shoulder, then my cheek. “It’s over now.”

There’s still a lot I’ll need to figure out about how to live this new life. I’ll need a new job. My sister will still need suppressants—hopefully legal ones now—and we’re gonna need to figure out where we live. But we’ll deal with all that tomorrow. Together.

As carefully as possible, we clean and bandage Ava’s bloody knuckles. She wakes up and hisses when we dab on the rubbing alcohol, but Declan kisses her back to sleep.

Once we’re done, I pull Lucas out to the living room, and Declan follows. The bond hums steady between us, synced and certain. There’s no need to talk about what comes next. We’re already moving like one pack, one instinct.

“There is no mattress in the other room yet.” Lucas blushes slightly. “The one night you were away, we all shared Emily’s bed, but that might not work as well with?—”

I silence him with a kiss. Open-mouthed and deliberate. He shudders against me, all breath and nerves and heat.

“We have no intention of sleeping yet, beta,” Declan murmurs, voice low and sure. “You’ve done such a good job taking care of everyone. Now, we want to take care of you.”

Our pack alpha slips his fingers between us, unclasping the buttons on my shirt one by one until he pushes the fabric off my shoulders, exposing my bond mark.

Lucas catches sight of it and freezes. His gaze sweeps from me to Declan, full of awe and wanting. “You bit him?”

“Yes,” Declan answers. “And I’d like to bite you, too.”

“We both would,” I add, gaze locked on Lucas.

Lucas’s breath stutters. “I want that. I want you, alphas.”

“Then strip,” Declan says, stepping back, letting him move.

Lucas peels off his clothes, slow at first, until confidence kicks in.

His shirt hits the floor, followed by his jeans, revealing that lean, perfect athlete body.

He’s all strong limbs and eager tension, half-hard and flushed, shoulders squared like he knows he’s being watched. Admired. Wanted. He’s breathtaking.

“Hands on the counter,” Declan commands, voice roughened by restraint.

I glance around the modest kitchen, then spot the pantry and duck inside. I don’t know where Emily keeps lube—if she even has any—but extra virgin olive oil will do just fine.

I hand the bottle to Declan, and we exchange a look that crackles with shared intent. Then I kneel beside Lucas, eyes on the way he’s braced, his ass tipped back, thighs trembling with anticipation. He’s breathtaking like this.

Declan steps behind him, stretching him open little by little with practiced ease and slick fingers. My muscles tense just watching. Fuck they’re hot. And they’re mine. When Declan presses in, Lucas gasps, sharp and needy, his fingers white-knuckled on the counter’s edge.

I shift forward until I’m beneath him, hand gliding up the inside of his thigh before wrapping around his cock. I stroke him once, then lean in and take him into my mouth.

Above me, Declan lets out a guttural groan as he begins to move. His rhythm is slow, but deep. I can’t see, but I snake my hand around to feel the drag of Declan’s knot pressing against Lucas’s rim. I grip the swelling bulge, fingers unable to touch, and he rewards me with a hiss.

“Fuck,” Lucas moans. “You— porra —so good.”

His hips rock into my mouth, helpless and sweet. I let him. I want him unrestrained.

“Touch yourself, Knox,” Declan growls, voice tight with control.

There’s no way I’m gonna stop working his knot to pleasure myself.

I’ve only got one good hand right now, and I’m not letting go of him.

Not him or Lucas. Instead, I give Declan’s balls a light slap.

He gasps, then slams hard into Lucas, which sends the beta deeper down my throat.

My eyes sting, but I don’t back off. I want to feel everything. Them. Us.

“Shit, he’s making you feel so good, isn’t he, beta?” Declan pants. “You’re so tight for me. Such a good boy. I’m gonna bite you now. Gonna make you mine.”

Lucas whines, too far gone for words. I feel the exact moment Declan comes, the sensation rushing through the bond, into my body, as if it’s my own. Cum soaks the dress pants I’m still wearing, but I don’t stop pleasuring my beta.

Declan bites Lucas’s shoulder, and Lucas arches back with a sharp cry. His hands leave the counter, reaching for my face like he needs to anchor somewhere as he spills himself across my tongue. I swallow every drop, even when he pulses again, his release sweet and sudden. That’s it, my sweet beta.

The bond hits me in a rush.

Not the one I already share with Declan. This is different. Tenuous, flickering like a new flame—but it’s there. Lucas. Ours.

I pull off with a gasp and shift, pressing my mouth to the inside of Lucas’s thigh. He’s still trembling, his whole body wrecked and pliant. I bite down, firm and clean, marking him where it’ll ache tomorrow—in the best way.

Warmth explodes across my chest as our own bond clicks fully into place. Not just a tether. A promise. Lucas is ours now. And he wants to be. I feel it in the bond. He loves us. And we love him. We don’t have to say anything to know it without a doubt.

I stand up and wrap him in my arms. He trembles between us, flushed and sated, head resting on my shoulder as Declan eases back, kissing the bite he left behind.

My thoughts are thick with awe as I whisper, “Perfect.”

Declan grins, fingers brushing Lucas’s hair from his face. “Ours.”