Page 97 of Knot a Thief

“It was never her fault.” He still thinks I’m angry at her for being the reason my wife died. And I know he’s still angry at me for my past choices. But I had to save Ava that day.

“It wasn't.”

“And I want a mother for Lily. She’s more important than my feelings. And one day—” I swallow because it’s a damn lie.

“One day, when you’re ready, you hope she falls in love with you,” he finishes.

“Isn’t that what we all want? An omega who loves her alpha? And a scent matched omega at that.” I admit my true feelings for the first time to him. Because if Ava wants me, eventually, I’m taking it.

“You told me you hated her.”

“I don't hate her." I sigh. "And now I accept she wasn’t to blame. My wife made the decision that day. She drove the car, not Ava.”

Max nods.

“And Lily loves her so much, and I think Ava loves her, too.”

“It has to be more than being for Lily.”

“It is.”

Max chuckles. “Ava never wanted children. Yet, I’ve seen her with Lily, and you’d think she was hers.”

My heart thunders in my chest as Ava turns our way and stares at the two of us as we watch her.

Max gives her a small wave and I smile.

She lifts her hand and smiles at us both in return.

My heart is like a wrecking ball in my chest, beating at the bars, keeping it in. “What if she doesn’t want us?”

“She wants us,” Max says adamantly. “And Lily.”

He’s right. I’ve seen the way Lily reacts to Ava. Ava treats her beautifully.

Finding Lily asleep in Ava’s bed, tucked underneath her blankets while Ava reads to her, despite my daughter being sound asleep. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.

“Her nurturing of her is highly unexpected but so wanted,” I admit.

Max nods, but the silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Finally, I break the silence. “We both want what’s best for Ava and Lily,” I say, my voice low. “And for ourselves.”

Max nods slowly. “We do. But how do we make this work? How do we both win her heart after we started off so reprehensible?”

I lean back in my chair, considering his words. “Maybe if you hadn’t made this all about getting her pregnant and more about her. But it’s done. From now on, we have to work together.”

Max raises an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”

“A pact,” I say, the idea forming as I speak. “We both want Ava in our lives. We both want her to be happy. We tell her she is ours. Our pack omega. We tell her how much we want her. Like we did in her heat. We make her feel special and not like she’s a vessel to bring your child into the world.”

“Are you blaming me?” Max retorts.

“Yes. You took advantage of the pact we made. We’re a pack Max, but you forgot that somewhere since her heat.”

Max is quiet for a moment, his eyes thoughtful. “What do you suggest?”

I smile. “We’re honest with her about our feelings, about our intentions. We give her the space to make her own choices, but we also show her the best of ourselves. And we sleep with her ... together.”

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