Page 134 of Knot So Lucky

The thought makes satisfaction curl through my chest—petty and possessive and completely genuine.Because yeah, she chose me first. Bit down on my neck and claimed me as hers before anyone else got the opportunity.

That has to sting for Luca, the pack Alpha who's probably used to being first choice, being the one others defer to automatically.

Except Aurora doesn't defer to anyone.

And her biology recognized me as safe, as trustworthy, as someone she wanted in her pack hierarchy before she even considered the others.

Mine.

She's mine, and she made sure everyone knows it.

I finish rinsing off and shut off the water, standing in the cooling steam while water drips from my body. Reach for a toweland start drying off with movements that are more automatic than conscious.

The exhaustion is catching up with me now that the adrenaline's fading. My limbs feel heavy, movements sluggish, like I'm operating underwater.

But I can't rest yet.

Need to eat something. Need to check on Aurora. Need to deal with whatever pack drama is brewing because I can feel the tension through the bond like static electricity before a storm.

I wrap the towel around my waist and open the bathroom door, already anticipating the empty hallway.

Instead, I find Luca.

Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, scowling like I personally insulted his entire bloodline. His dark hair is damp—he must have showered in one of the other bathrooms—and he's wearing clean clothes that emphasize the breadth of his shoulders and the predatory grace he carries naturally.

My heart skips a beat.

Literallyskips, doing something complicated in my chest that has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the bond suddenly flaring with proximity.

I can feel his emotions more clearly now—anger and jealousy and underneath it all, reluctant attraction that he's trying desperately to ignore.

"If you want to kill me," I grumble, hand going to my chest because what the fuck, "can you not try it with a heart attack? That's such a sad way to die. I'd rather it be quick behind the wheel or something dramatic so people remember me."

Luca's scowl deepens, but I catch the way his eyes track the water still dripping down my chest, following the path of droplets with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.

"We need to talk," he says, voice flat but carrying undercurrents I'm too tired to fully parse.

"No shit." I move past him into the bedroom, heading for the dresser where someone—probably Elias—has laid out clean clothes. "But if youeverpull that shit again with trying to make Aurora feel bad for submitting to her Omega instincts, I'm kicking your ass."

The words come out harsher than intended, sharp with protective fury that's been building since the moment Luca made some comment about "inappropriate claiming" while Aurora was still coherent enough to hear it.

She'd flinched. Actuallyflinched, like the words were a physical hit to her pure, tender heart, and my Alpha instincts had roared with the need to eliminate the threat.

Luca's silent for a moment, and when he speaks, there's something almost vulnerable beneath the aggression.

"I didn't mean to initially react like that."

The admission surprises me enough that I pause mid-reach for a shirt.

"But whatever," he continues, defaulting back to defensive hostility. "It happened. We deal with it."

I turn to face him properly, taking in the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw is clenched tight enough that I can see the muscle jumping.

"Listen." I keep my voice level, reasonable, even though my instincts want to posture and challenge. "We don't know each other. I know you're Luca Thorne, reigning Formula One champion, pack Alpha for Thorne Racing. You know I'm Cale Hart, champion in virtual gaming and other competitions, not at the Formula One level before I semi-retired to focus on other shit and well, back at it though you weren’t the racing partner I wanted to put up with."

His eyes narrow, but he doesn't interrupt.

"Now that this whole pack bond is established…however the fuck that happened…we're going to have to get to know one another. Actually know each other, not just racing stats and public personas." I pull the shirt over my head, giving my hands something to do. "And we're potentially participating in the most sought-out and watched competition in the racing world while navigating this mess."