Page 83 of Knot Gonna Lie

“It’s deep but clean.” Seth’s approval carried weight as he carefully applied healing salve to her claiming mark. “The hand especially. It’ll scar beautifully. Everyone will know.”

“Good.” Elara’s smile sharpened, predatory. “I want everyone to see he’s claimed.”

Her declaration sent primitive satisfaction flooding me. Not jealousy. Pride. Pride in her strength, her certainty, her refusal to apologize for taking what she needed.

“The clan will notice.” I kept my voice neutral, testing.

“Let them.” Fire flickered in her eyes. “I’ll build my pack as I choose.”

Exactly as she chose. Not as biology dictated. Not as the Matron or society demanded. Choice.

“Jaxom.” I met his gaze, addressing him directly for the first time since entering. “You understand what this means?”

He straightened, meeting my gaze with surprising steadiness. “She’s my omega now. My priority. My everything.” His voice roughened. “But you’re still my alpha. That hasn’t changed.”

Complex dynamics, layered hierarchies. Not the simple alpha-omega pairing tradition of the past demanded, but something more intricate. More stable. More beautiful.

“We should return to the nest,” Seth said, finishing the salve with care that lingered on skin. “She needs rest. And—”

“And I need you all close.” Elara finished, unashamed. “To smell you, feel you, know you’re mine.”

The honesty unraveled the last of my restraint. Through our bond, her exhaustion pulsed—yet beneath it hummed deep contentment.

“Can you walk?” I asked Jaxom, noting how his eyes remained slightly unfocused, drunk on the claiming.

“The claiming can be intense for betas,” Seth murmured, already gathering their scattered clothing from the cabin floor. “Omega saliva contains compounds that—”

“I’m fine.” Jaxom protested even as he struggled to sit up, the sheet sliding dangerously low. “Just... overwhelmed. Today wasn’t something I thought would ever happen to me… only in my dreams.”

Elara made a soft sound, pressing closer to him, uncaring of her nakedness. “My fault. I was... intense.”

“Perfect,” he whispered, wonder threading his voice. “You were perfect.”

Seth helped them dress with brisk efficiency, though his fingers lingered when hers brushed his. The air thickened with our mingled scents—arousal, claim, belonging.

The journey back to the nest became a careful dance of bodies and needs. Elara walked between us, one hand in mine, the other holding Jaxom’s, while Seth managed our medical supplies and kept watch for any signs of distress. Through the corridors ofParadise, our scents mingled and merged—tropical warmth and vanilla sweetness, cedar storms and citrus-pine clarity.

Pack.

The word resonated through our bonds. We weren’t just individuals anymore—we were becoming something new. Something stronger.

The nest room door sealed behind us with a soft hiss, shutting out the world. Elara stood at the center of the space she’d claimed, her chosen pack gathered around her, and a steady peace flowed through our bonds.

“Stay with me,” she whispered, though it wasn’t really a question. “All of you. Please.”

As if we could leave. As if any force in the universe could drag us from our omega’s side when she called to us with such naked need. Jaxom sank onto the bed first, exhaustion from the claiming finally overwhelming pride. Seth followed, medical instincts keeping him close to his newest pack mate.

I held back a moment, watching her arrange us with subtle touches, building her nest not only from blankets and pillows but from people—her pack.

“Luca.” She held out her hand to me, invitation and command combined. “Please.”

I went to her, always. Pulled her into my chest, felt her sigh into me while her hands reached for Seth and Jaxom, binding us together.

“Sleep,” I murmured against her hair. “We’re here. We’re yours.”

“Mine,” she agreed, the word slurring with exhaustion and satisfaction.

Through our bonds, contentment pulsed—four hearts finding rhythm, four souls clicking into place. Tonight, in the nest our omega had built, we were exactly where we belonged.