Page 38 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
LUCA
The bucket handle carved grooves into my palm, warm water sloshing against metal with each exhausted step toward Elara’s nest. My body moved on autopilot through the corridor, muscles heavy as gravity after hours trapped in that suffocating call with Eli.
Every deflection, every half-truth had scraped another layer from my conscience until I felt hollowed out, a shell of deception wearing my brother’s stolen name.
Discussing the station politics and the societal disintegration only added to the carved hollows in my chest that no amount of whiskey could fill.
All I wanted was to collapse beside my omega and let sleep drag me under until the universe made sense again.
Through our bond, pleasure rippled—not mine, but hers .
Pleasure building like a tide, warm and languid, pulling me forward despite my exhaustion.
No jealousy stirred in my chest, only a bone-deep relief that she’d found comfort while I’d been in that suffocating call—drowning in corporate politics and family lies.
The contentment flowing through our connection soothed raw edges I hadn’t realized were bleeding.
The nest door whispered open at my touch, revealing a scene that should have triggered every territorial instinct if it wasn’t my ship, with my clan member.
Seth arched above her, both of them lost in that moment of release.
His lean form trembled as he collapsed beside her, their mingled scents—lemon-pine and lavender-vanilla—creating something new in the charged air.
The fresh mark on his chest caught the ambient light—the beginnings of a sunset bleeding across fluffy golden clouds—a declaration written in flesh.
My omega had claimed her first.
Through our bond, satisfaction poured like honey—thick and golden and impossibly sweet.
She was at peace, fully pleased in her sanctuary, and that contentment wrapped around my frayed nerves like a balm. The tight knot in my chest, wound tight from hours of deception, began to loosen.
Seth’s eyes snapped open, panic flooding gray-blue irises. He scrambled back, nearly tumbling from the nest’s edge, hands raised as if to ward off an attack. “Luca—I—forgive me, I didn’t—”
“Stop.” The command came gentle but firm, cutting through his spiral before it could drag him under.
I set the bucket down with deliberate calm, washcloths draped over its rim.
Seth’s breathing came too fast—that familiar pattern I’d witnessed too many times when he thought he’d failed someone.
“You’ve done nothing requiring forgiveness. ”
“But she’s yours—”
“She’s ours .” I pulled a cloth from the warm cleansing water, wringing it carefully. “An omega needs more than one person to anchor them through what’s coming. You think I’d deny her what she needs?”
His shoulders dropped a fraction, though uncertainty still painted every line of his body. I tossed him the cloth, nodding toward our omega who watched us both with eyes gone soft as starlight, satisfied and sleepy and absolutely radiant in her pleasure.
“Help me take care of her.”
Seth caught the fabric reflexively, staring at it as if he’d forgotten its purpose.
Then understanding dawned—not just of the task, but of the acceptance behind it.
He moved with that particular medic’s grace, gentle strokes along her golden skin while I worked from the other side.
Each touch deliberate, reverent, the kind of care that spoke of devotion rather than duty.
She purred—actually purred—the sound vibrating through our bond and settling something primal in my chest. That sound alone made every difficult moment of the day worthwhile. My omega, content and claimed and building the pack she needed.
Her fingers found my neck, pulling me down. The kiss tasted of gratitude and something deeper, her lips soft against mine—breathing life back into spaces the day had hollowed out. “Thank you for understanding.”
“You gave me peace.” My thumb traced her jaw, following that elegant line down to where my mark branded her throat, the sight of it sending possessive satisfaction through my veins—not because she was mine alone, but because she was ours to protect.
“Who you welcome into your nest, who you bind to your heart—that’s yours to decide. Never mine to control.”
She searched my face with those gold-speckled emerald eyes that saw too much. “Other alphas wouldn’t—”
“Luca’s never been like other alphas.” Seth’s defense came swift as a blade, protective and absolute.
He dropped the washcloth into the bucket with more force than necessary, water splashing against metal.
“Never tried to control us, never demanded—” Color flooded his cheeks as he caught himself, grabbing the bucket like a lifeline. “I’ll rinse these.”
He fled to the bathroom, leaving us wrapped in the low light of the nest. Elara pulled a blanket around herself, the emerald fabric highlighting rather than hiding the curves that had captivated me from that first moment in the jewelry store.
“Seth,” I called after him, keeping my voice low but firm. “When her heat comes, I’ll need help. We both know an alpha alone can’t give an omega everything she needs. There’s no jealousy here, no territorial anger. You’re pack now. That changes everything.”
He paused in the doorway, shoulders tight with doubt. Then he sighed, gave a small nod, and stepped out of sight.
“Everything’s fine.” I turned back to Elara, brushing golden strands from her face, tucking them behind her ear. “I’m not angry. I’m grateful you trust Seth enough to claim him.”
A yawn escaped before she could respond, exhaustion finally catching up after the chaos we’d survived. The restaurant, the confrontation, Quinn’s goodbye, Nova’s revelation—all of it crashed over her at once. Seth emerged from the bathroom, hovering uncertainly at the threshold.
“Would you like us to stay?” The question hung between us, weighted with tomorrow’s possibilities and tonight’s needs.
Pink bloomed across her cheeks, the blanket slipping to reveal the pale curve of her shoulder. “Please. I don’t—I don’t want to be alone. Not anymore.”
My clothes hit the floor without ceremony, exhaustion making me clumsy. The day’s weight—Eli’s questions, Owen’s threats, the station’s secrets—fell away with the fabric. “Seth, stop looking like you’re about to face an execution and get in the nest.”
He sat beside her, careful and a little stiff, leaving a few inches between them—like he didn’t want to assume too much, but hoped it meant something. The awkwardness would fade—pack bonds always took time to settle and find their rhythm—but for now, uncertainty painted every line of his body.
I claimed the other side, pulling Elara against my chest where she belonged.
Her scent enveloped me like a prayer answered, home and haven combined.
My lips found my mark, pressing a kiss to the still-tender flesh that made her shiver and press closer, a soft gasp escaping that sent satisfaction spiraling through our bond.
Seth’s hand settled tentatively on her hip, fingers barely touching.
She turned slightly, granting permission with the shift of her body, and he buried his face in her hair with a sound that might have been gratitude or relief—or both.
The sight should’ve sparked some primal territorial urge—should’ve made my alpha instincts snap, if I were unhinged and slipping from sanity.
Instead, satisfaction bloomed warm in my chest—my omega building her pack, creating the layers of support that would carry us all through the storm approaching.
Through our bond, contentment settled over me in steady waves. Seth’s citrus-pine cut with warm coconut threaded through her lavender-vanilla, the mix grounding and unmistakable. It smelled like belonging. Like pack. Like the kind of future we could build together.
I pressed my lips to her forehead, breathing the words against her skin like a benediction. “Sleep. You’re safe.”
“Mm.” She nuzzled deeper into my chest, one hand reaching back to tangle with Seth’s fingers on her hip. “Safe…I like that.”
“We’ll be here as long as you will it,” Seth whispered softly, but there was warmth in it now, acceptance beginning to settle.
“Mine,” she mumbled, already half-asleep. “Both mine.”
Between us, surrounded by pack, she finally let exhaustion claim her.
Seth’s breathing evened out, his grip on her hip loosening but not releasing—trust beginning to replace uncertainty.
The day’s events—the violence, the goodbyes, the revelations—all of it faded into background noise against the symphony of their breathing.
And I lay awake a while longer, feeling the nascent pack bonds strengthening with each shared breath. Mine to hers. Hers to him.
Tomorrow would bring another day.
One more day closer to Planet Tera and whatever challenges waited there. One more day closer to Elara’s heat—and soon after, I’d have to find the courage to tell Eli the truth, to confess the fraud that had brought me here.
But tonight—tonight my omega slept peacefully in her nest, her first pack member claimed and close, our bonds strengthening with each shared breath. The hollow spaces the day had carved began to fill with something warmer, something that tasted like hope and home and belonging.
My eyes grew heavy, my own purr rumbling low and steady against her. Through the bond came nothing but calm—no fear, no doubt—just the certainty she was where she belonged. That we all were.
Sleep pulled at me with gentle insistence, and for once, I let it take me.