Page 169 of Knot So Lucky

"Press conferences are tedious," Luca says finally, voice quiet in the enclosed space. "I've been doing them for years, and they never get easier. The questions become more invasive, the scrutiny more intense, the expectation that you'll perform your entire personality for public consumption."

I don't respond, just watch the city pass by and try to process the emotional chaos of the last few hours.

"I'm not expecting you to change yourself for them," he continues, and there's something almost vulnerable in his tone. "That's not what I meant earlier when I said stop hiding."

"Then whatdidyou mean?" The question comes out softer than my earlier accusations.

Luca is quiet for a long moment, carefully navigating a turn before responding.

"I want you to be more confident in who you are. To stop second-guessing your presentation or your choices becauseyou're worried about how people will react." He pauses, jaw tightening. "You've never been given the opportunity to just... exist authentically, have you? Without calculating the cost or the risk."

The observation lands with uncomfortable accuracy.

Because he's right…

Every choice I make about presentation—from how I dress to how I speak to which bathrooms I use—is calculated based on safety and passing and maintaining the performance that keeps me employed.

I've never had the luxury of just being Aurora without considering the consequences.

"Maybe not," I admit quietly, still watching the city lights. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly start performing femininity because it's expected. This—" I gesture at my clothes, my presentation, "—isn't hiding. It's authentic. Just because it doesn't match what people think an Omega should look like doesn't make it any less real."

"I know." Luca's voice is soft, understanding in ways I didn't expect from him. "And I'm not asking you to change that. I'm just... I want you to have the freedom to explore all aspects of yourself. Without fear. Without calculation. With your pack protecting you enough that you can take those risks."

Something in my chest loosens at the words.

Because underneath the argument, the tension, and the public spectacle, this is what it comes down to:Luca wanting me to feel safe enough to be fully myself.

Even if he doesn't quite understand what that self looks like yet.

We pull up outside my penthouse building—the Celestine Towers rising into the night sky with intimidating grandeur. Luca puts the car in park, but doesn't move to get out.

"Thank you," I say quietly. "For defending me in there. Even if the method was... dramatic."

His lips quirk into something that's almost a smile. "Dramatic is kind of my specialty."

I reach for the door handle, ready to escape into the safety of my apartment and process everything that happened today.

But Luca's hand catches mine, gentle but insistent.

He lifts my hand to his lips, the gesture so unexpectedly tender that I freeze.

His lips brush across my knuckles—soft, reverent, nothing like the aggressive Alpha I've come to expect from him. The kiss is chaste but somehow more intimate than anything we shared during the heat.

"Sleep well," he murmurs against my skin. "We have a long day of training tomorrow, and you'll need your energy."

The consideration in his voice makes my chest tight with emotions I'm not ready to name.

"Goodnight, Luca," I manage, voice rougher than intended.

"Goodnight, Aurora."

He releases my hand slowly, and I can feel his eyes on me as I exit the car and walk toward the building entrance.

I turn back once, catching a glimpse of him still sitting in the driver's seat, watching to make sure I get inside safely.

The gesture is so classically protective Alpha that it should annoy me.

Instead, it just makes me smile as I watch him drive away, the sleek car disappearing into the night traffic.