Page 25 of Knot Our Mistake (Knot Ours #1)

SOPHIA

Three years later

"Did you get them?" I was practically begging Leo.

"Any day, darling," he promised, but he'd been promising for weeks, and I absolutely could not risk it. I needed those suppressants. I understood that they needed to be specially ordered. I really did. But the way the alpha was looking at me... I needed them now.

"He's looking at her like she's a fresh steak," Bran observed as he approached from behind.

"Leo," I whined.

"They will be here by the end of the week. You're not that close to your heat, and anyway, he always looks at you like you're his next meal. Hell, most nights you are," Leo licked his lips. "Someone's meal."

I hiked my son higher on my hip. "I cannot... absolutely cannot... have another child right now."

Leo rubbed his forehead as he watched our alpha with our two little girls, helping them feed the goat. "Yeah... let's have a break before number four."

"A forever break?" I asked hopefully.

"Oh no no no, little omega," Bran laughed. "James won't be happy until the walls of our little farmhouse are bursting with children."

It was true. As it was, there were already plans in the works for expanding the home in the next few years.

Maybe I could hold off the alpha until then.

Not that I minded having their children, or lying in their bed.

But our alpha, well, he seems to have a bit of a kink about me carrying his child, which is how we ended up with three over the last three years.

"Maybe you should sleep in your nest for the next week or so," Bran offered.

"She'll be fine. She's not that close yet," Leo reminded Bran.

"Yeah," Bran sighed. "I just want some sleep for once."

I reached over and punched him, but he laughed it off before reaching for our son.

The baby kicked his little legs, happy to be held by his favorite person.

His favorite person was happy to hold him too, judging by the pure love in his eyes as he gazed at the baby.

I wondered if he would be an alpha one day, or if he'd grow up to be a beta or delta like his fathers.

A little squeal drew my attention to where James and the girls were walking toward us. He had picked up one of the girls, but our oldest, and his pride and joy, was skipping happily into the barn.

"Mama, Daddy said if I caught a kitten I could keep it," her smile was wide, the excitement coating every word.

Leo cursed under his breath before he knelt down to our girl. "Darling, hasn't your daddy learned his lesson?"

She shook her head, not understanding the underlying joke of the situation. "Well, if your daddy is willing to give it a bath and you promise to feed it."

Her little head shook vigorously, her steel grey eyes the exact replica of the alpha's. "I will, Mama."

"She means I will," Bran whispered, because we all knew that at three she wasn't ready for that responsibility.

"Well, alright then," I sighed. "If you catch it."

"Thank you, Mama," she hugged my legs before skipping off.

"She won't catch it," James promised as he approached. He stopped next to me, before leaning down and kissing my cheek. "They are impossible."

"I have a vague memory of another time we thought that exact same thing," Leo grumbled.

James's eyes shined with amusement. "I hadn't known she grew up on a farm then, and neither did any of you. This is different. She's?—"

"Daddy! Look!" His pride and joy held up a cat.

All three men cursed in unison, but I was proud as hell. "Like mother, like daughter."

"Hush," James grumbled before handing off our two-year-old so he could deal with the cat situation. "Careful with the claws, baby!"

The little cat squirmed in her grip, but that grip was firm. "Think she's going to be an omega?"

"We could only be so lucky," Bran answered.

"He will never let her out of the house, I don't care what she is," Leo added to the conversation before turning to our daughter in my arms. "You either."

"She could be a beta," Bran offered.

"That's almost worse," Leo groaned. "Two of you and a beta, as you know, are more liberal with their... choices."

"My choices hadn't failed me," Bran defended.

"No," Leo pecked his cheek. "But I don't want my daughters roaming this earth with the freedoms of a beta while looking as gorgeous as their mama."

"Good point," Bran nodded. "Omegas it is."

I could have told them that omegas were rare and the odds of having more than one in the family was nearly impossible.

I could have reminded them that omegas meant training and expectations and fear of rejection.

I should have mentioned that with the title of an omega came the willingness and desire to please.

.. but I'd let them discover that on their own, in their own time.

After all, it had taken them longer than necessary to realize that my existence here on their farm was fate. That I traded my family for this one, trained to please our alpha even after I'd been rejected. And I'd do anything to please them, even now. Anything except...

James put his arm around me from behind, his chin resting on top of mine. "Just one more... for now?"

"No."

"A boy. Two and two," he tried to bargain.

"No."

"Omega," he growled, and I'll admit, that sound always did me in, but not this time.

"Give me a two to three year break," I offered.

"One?" he countered.

"Two," I bargained.

"One, and we revisit the subject for a possible extension," his fingers flexed on my hip.

With a sigh, I agreed. "Fine."

He kissed the top of my head. "Thank you. For all of this."

"Pretty sure I didn't do this on my own," I stated.

"No," he squeezed my hip again, and though I was self-conscious of the weight I had gained since having children, I think the alpha seemed to find it more appealing.

"Thank you for having patience and not leaving, even when I tried sending you away.

Turns out, those old hags knew what they were doing after all. "

I swatted at his shirt, and he only smiled harder. "Those old hags are your mothers!"

"Exactly."

I laughed then grabbed his chin, directing his lips to mine so I could crush our lips together.

What started as a simple peck turned into a fierce kiss that made my toes curl and my stomach tighten.

It wasn't until a throat cleared that we pulled away, though I still held him close, looking into his eyes as I spoke.

"Thank you for keeping me."

He licked his lower lip. "Always, omega."

"Always, alpha."

Then he leaned in, kissed my nose, before chasing down the little girl with his eyes and my hair, who never would have existed if it wasn't for a chance encounter and a mother's scheme.