Page 108 of Knotted By my Pack

Elias gets up and grabs the silverware, tossing a napkin at me without looking. I catch it midair.

Cora pours me a glass of whiskey and hands it over with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I study her.

There’s something underneath it all, something more than the nerves of a woman trying to balance three alphas under one roof. I’m not sure if I want to know or if I already do.

We eat mostly in silence, exchanging simple conversation about the fish, the weather, the trail Rusty chased a raccoon down. Her shoulders drop a little with every bite.

She reaches for the bottle and tops off my glass halfway through her meal. Her hand brushes mine and lingers. That small touch says more than her words have all night.

After we finish, she picks up our plates and puts them in the sink. She doesn’t start talking until her back is to us. When she turns around, she’s holding onto the counter like she needs the support.

“I wanted to talk to you all,” she begins, then pauses to switch the music to something softer, wordless. “Because this thing between us... it’s not just sex. I know that. You know that. And I think we’re all starting to realize it’s getting harder to ignore.”

Elias sets his beer down slowly. Noah crosses his arms. I stay quiet.

She walks toward us again, barefoot on hardwood, curls falling over one shoulder. “I thought if I kept it casual, if Ididn’t name it, maybe it wouldn’t shift. But everything’s shifting anyway.”

She sinks down beside me this time, her knee grazing mine. Her voice drops. “I’ve been thinking about the store. The break-in. The way people look at me lately.”

Guilt swamps me.

Noah’s voice is low. “You think it’s connected to us?”

“I don’t know.” She glances at each of us. “But I do know people have noticed. And I’ve started to wonder if being with all of you?—”

“Us being your harem?” Elias cuts in with a crooked smile.

Cora slaps a hand to her chest, laughing. “Exactly. My pack of very territorial bodyguards.”

We all chuckle, even me, even now. But her laugh doesn’t last long.

She shifts toward me. “Julian. You’ve been quieter than usual.”

I swirl the whiskey in my glass, watching it catch the lamplight. “Because I’m listening.”

Her gaze is heavy on me. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you all this, but I wanted to be honest. Noah knotted me. So did Elias.”

The words aren’t a surprise, not really. But hearing them said so plainly, knocks something loose in my chest. I sip my drink.

She watches my face carefully. “You okay?”

“I’m not angry,” I say. “Jealous? Sure. But mostly just... needing to catch up.”

Noah’s watching me like I might flip the table. Elias is unreadable.

Cora touches my hand again. “I know, that’s why I wanted to tell you. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

I cover her hand with mine. “Well, you just did. And I know I knotted you too, but this is also a big deal for me.”

“I know,” she says.

The silence between all of us is strange but not unbearable. She curls closer to my side. Her head against my shoulder. My arm slips around her, heavy and sure.

For now, I don’t need more than this. But that doesn’t mean the conversation is over.

Not even close.

“Okay,” Cora says, curled beside me, fingers still brushing my thigh like she’s not sure whether to hold on tighter or let go. “But how does this even work? We’re not exactly a pack.”