Page 37 of Knot Gonna Lie

My sister.

She would’ve liked Elara. It stung to think I might never know if Nova had found an alpha who truly saw her.

I wasn’t allowed to contact her. No one was, once an omega was taken. Protocol—cut off the past, make them reliant on their caretakers. Prevent outside influence. Keep them tethered to their new life.

But sometimes, when I walked through The Center on business trips, I’d scan every crowd. Every scent. Hoping. Imagining I’d turn a corner and there she’d be—glowing with joy beside her caretaker. And maybe, if fate was kind, she’d choose to speak to me again.

She’d have to make that choice.

The privilege of visiting The Center came with silence—I wasn’t allowed to hunt for her. Our paths crossing had to happen naturally…which made me wonder if the Matron ensured her caretaker kept her away from me.

I exhaled and turned back toward the room.

Elara stood near the bed now, dressed in soft layers that complemented her nest’s palette. She looked…settled. Not completely, not yet. But the tension had eased from her posture, replaced by quiet contentment that made something settle deep in my chest.

“We ready?” Stella asked, slipping a psydagger into her thigh sheath with practiced ease.

Elara nodded, then looked to me. “Almost. One last thing.”

She stepped closer, close enough that her scent brushed against me—warm, steady, unmistakably hers.

“Thank you for helping me figure all of this out.”

Before I could reply, she rose onto her toes and pressed a light kiss to my cheek.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t claiming. It was justtrue—genuine appreciation, gently given.

And it lit something deep inside me.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me,” she whispered, holding my gaze with a warm smile.

I stood still, spine straight, anchoring myself as slow warmth spread through my chest. That single moment—so simple—felt like the beginning of something. A soft thread beginning to weave between us.

“Anytime,” I murmured, voice low, barely trusting it to stay even.

As the others gathered by the door, waiting to escort her into the station, I stayed where I was—anchored by the ghost of her kiss and everything it might mean.

A ripple of silence stretched across the threshold. I glanced up to find the rest of the clan staring at me—mouths slightly agape, expressions frozen between shock and disbelief. A single kiss. A casual gesture, yes. But a first…and not to our alpha.

Just me.

Elara didn’t notice. Or maybe she did.

She turned without another word, head ducked slightly—not in shame, but with quiet composure—and stepped between Maia and Stella as if she belonged there, their shoulders brushing in silent solidarity.

No one said anything. No teasing. No pointed looks. Just a quiet shift in the room’s gravity as she passed, and the clan fell into step behind her, following their omega out of the nest room.

I remained behind for a moment longer, staring at the door after it closed, feeling the weight of that simple contact settle deep in my chest.

If she chose to build her pack one day…

PerhapsIwould be part of it.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

SETH

The Center’s corridors buzzed with their usual rhythm—gammas escorting their charges, betas conducting business, alphas prowling for opportunity. I’d witnessed this dance countless times before, but today everything felt different.