Page 9 of Knot a Thief

“Just contemplating our future.” I give her a soft smile before reaching out to caress her cheek. “You know how much I care about you.”

Ava’s eyes flicker, curiosity mixes with a hint of worry. She knows there’s more to my words than meets the eye. I can tell she senses the storm within me, the silent battle between my desire to keep her all to myself and the nagging fear of her slipping away because she needs so much more.

She takes my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers, her thumb stroking over my skin. “We have each other, Seb. Stop worrying,” she whispers. “I’ve found my home in you, and nothing else matters. We're meant to be. When Garrett rejected me, I thought my world was over and then I met you.”

“I can’t believe an alpha rejected you. Did you want to know more? Like why?”

She sighs. “I wasn’t his scent match.” She stares at the ceiling. “He was about to tell me something about the right alphas being out there for me, but I told him to stop talking, which he did. But he did say something strange to me. He told me to live my life and not hunt my alphas. He told me to let them find me." She shrugs her shoulders. "But I don’t care. I have you.” She presses a kiss on my lips.

Her words warm my heart, but since her sister Eleanor found her pack, I’ve had lingering doubts about her not only wanting me but needing an alpha. I know once her scent returns they will hunt her. But we prevent that from happening.

Despite that, I know I can’t keep burying my fears deep inside, hoping they’ll disappear on their own. Ava deserves honesty, and I owe it to myself to find some peace of mind.

“I know you're being kind to me, but your body reacted to that alpha today.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs.

I shake my head and take a deep breath as I meet Ava’s gaze. “There’s something I need to discuss with you,” I begin, trying to keep my voice steady. “About your heat.”

Her brow furrows in concern as she squeezes my hand tighter. “I won’t be having any heats.”

She leans forward and kisses me on the lips before walking backward to the bed, wanting to stop this conversation with sex. Something she’s excellent at.

“Forget the alpha. Like I told you, I don’t need alphas or heats. Just pretend I’m a beta.”

I appreciate her words, but I know it won’t always be like this. “I have these thoughts, and they’ve been consuming me lately.” I let out a sigh before continuing. “I worry that one day an alpha will come along and sweep you off your feet.”

She giggles. The sound of her laughter filling the room, momentarily washing away the weight of my concerns. “Seb, you know how much I despise alphas,” she says. “I only want you. You’re enough for me.”

I sigh because I watched her last night thrashing in her sleep. And seeing the slick that coated her legs this morning, I know there’s only one reason for that.

The alpha in the café did something to her, regardless of how much she tries to deny it.

“I can’t shake this nagging feeling that I’m not enough for you,” I confess. “As a beta—”

Ava’s expression softens, and she gently cups my face in her hands. “Listen to me, Seb. You’re more than enough for me. Our bond is built on something much stronger than an alpha-omega pairing. What we have is trust and a genuine love. It didn’t come from biology. It’s here.” She touches her chest—her heart.

I lean into her touch, wanting to believe her words, but still struggling. “But what about your omega needs? I can’t ... I can’t satisfy them the way an alpha can.”

“I know you’ll give me whatever I need,” she assures me without saying what I promised. That I could share her with alphas when I need to. “And I love you because of that. But you have to stop worrying. I take my injections, so nothing is going to make me suddenly beg for anyone other than you.”

I smile. She always knows what to say to soothe away my worries. And I worry far too much.

I suppose that’s because I was on my own since I was sixteen years old. Even before then, I was all alone.

My parents handed me over to social services in England when I turned six years old. I was too old for a family to want me, too young to understand it. It wasn’t until I met Ava that I felt love.

I still pinch myself.

She loves me. A nerdy hacker who wears glasses and is hardly a match for her.

“And I’m begging you.” She drags my hand, taking me with her when she lands on her back on the soft mattress. “Please fuck me, Seb. Show me why I won’t ever give you up.”

She pulls her top off as I drag her panties down her legs, her core already glistening with slickness. “Always wet.”

“Only for you. Now please fuck me.”

“Maybe just for tonight, I’ll make love to you.” I smile and shake my head once.

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