Page 141 of Knot So Lucky

"I could see my family doctor," I muse, thinking out loud. "Ask about it. Get professional medical advice instead of just guessing."

But then reality crashes back in, and I hear myself adding:

"Then again, it's not like you're going to be my permanent pack, so maybe it doesn't matter."

The words come out casual, dismissive, like I'm discussing the weather rather than the pack bonds that apparently formed during my heat.

Elias's smirk takes on a different quality—knowing and slightly amused in ways I don't understand.

"Are you sure about that?" he asks, voice gentle but carrying weight.

The kitten chooses that moment to meow loudly, like it's trying to emphasize a point.

"What do you mean?" Confusion cuts through my post-heat contentment. "Of course I'm sure. Heat fucks with biology and makes temporary bonds, but those fade once the cycle ends. Everyone knows that."

"Usually, yes." Elias sits up slowly, careful not to dislodge the kitten that's now glaring at him for the disturbance. "But Aurora... do you remember what happened? During the heat?"

I frown, trying to pull coherent memories from the fragmented haze.

There are flashes.Sensations.The overwhelming need and the way multiple Alphas worked together to satisfy it. I remember Cale's scent most clearly—burnt cedar and coffeewrapping around me like armor. Remember feeling safe enough to let go completely.

But specific events? Actual actions I took rather than just experienced?

Those are blank spaces in my memory, white noise where information should be.

"I remember..." I start, then pause. "I remember needing. Being satisfied. Feeling safe. But the details are fuzzy."

"That's normal for heat," Elias assures me. "The biology takes over, and the conscious mind kind of... steps back to let instinct drive."

The kitten meows again, more insistent this time.

Elias's smile widens.

"You marked Cale."

The words don't compute at first.

"I what?"

"You marked Cale," he repeats, slower this time. "Claimed him. Bit down on his neck hard enough to leave a permanent claiming mark."

I stare at him, waiting for the punchline.

But his expression stays serious, gentle, like he's delivering news he knows will be shocking.

"And when you did that," he continues, voice soft, "it ignited a pack bond. Not just between you and Cale—though that's the strongest connection because you chose him first. But somehow, through proximity or shared experience or just the particular biology at play, it created bonds between all of us."

My brain feels like it's stuttering, trying to process information that doesn't fit with my understanding of how bonding works.

"That's not... that's not possible." My voice sounds distant even to my own ears. "Claiming creates one-to-one bonds.It doesn't just spread to everyone nearby like some kind of biological contagion."

"Usually, no." Elias reaches up to adjust spectacles he's not currently wearing, realizes his mistake, and lets his hand drop. "But we're not dealing with usual circumstances. Multiple Alphas sharing a heat, all of us compatible on some biological level, the intensity of the experience—it created the perfect conditions for a pack bond to form."

I try to remember. Try to pull up any memory of biting Cale, of claiming him, of making a permanent mark that would bind us together.

Drawing a complete blank.

Nothing.