Page 25 of Knot Sharing the Ice

Chapter

Ten

CARTER

Ipace outside the breakroom door, my nerves frayed and my inner alpha restless. It's been over an hour since Ember disappeared inside to build her nest, and the silence is maddening. Every instinct in my body screams at me to break down that door, to go to her, to help her prepare for what's to come.

But I force myself to stay put, reminding myself of the boundaries she set.

"Do you think she fell asleep?" Jayce asks, voicing the concern we've all been harboring.

I shake my head, even though I'm not sure. "Her scent is too strong. She's awake in there."

The air is thick with the sweet aroma of omega in heat—ofouromega in heat. It takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to let out a possessive growl.

I've never smelled anything so intoxicating in my life.

"Maybe we should check on her," Mason suggests, his usual calm demeanor cracking under the strain.

Adder opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, the door creaks open. We all freeze, our eyes locked on the figure emerging from the dimly lit room.

Ember stands in the doorway, looking smaller and more vulnerable than I've ever seen her. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright with fever, and her scent—god, her scent. It hits me like a freight train, pure and unfiltered now that she's opened the door. My mouth waters, and I have to physically stop myself from surging forward.

"I'm, uh... I'm ready," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "If you still want to..."

The hesitation in her tone simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me as my mind floods with irritation at the thought of who could ever make her feel unwanted.

As if we could evernotwant her.

"Of course we do," I say, surprised by how steady my voice sounds despite the chaos raging inside me. "May we come in?"

She nods, stepping aside to let us enter. The sight that greets us steals my breath away.

The breakroom has been transformed. All the lights are off, the only illumination coming from the soft glow of moonlight reflecting off the snow outside. Ember has organized every soft thing we could find—couch cushions, blankets, even our clothes from our gear bags—and arranged them into a massive nest on the floor.

Something primal stirs in my chest at the sight.

Our omega has built a nest for us.

Forme.

I want to growl with pride, to show the world that this incredible woman has chosen us. But as I take in the makeshift nest, a pang of guilt twists in my gut. Ember deserves better than this. She deserves the finest silks, the softest furs, a proper nestbuilt in a home of her own. Not some hastily assembled pile of cushions in a community center breakroom.

I find myself imagining our penthouse back in the city, with its sleek lines and modern furnishings. It's a bachelor pad, built for four alpha hockey players, not a home for a mate.

We'll need to change that.

We'll need to find a place with a proper nesting room, somewhere Ember can feel safe and comfortable. We'll spoil her rotten, shower her with everything she could ever want or need.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One step at a time, Carter.

"Is it... is it okay?" Ember asks, and I realize I've been staring silently at the nest for too long.

"It's perfect," I assure her, meaning it with every fiber of my being. Because anything this omega makes, anything she deems worthy of nesting in, is perfect to me.

She gives a small, relieved smile, and my heart skips a beat. "You can come in," she says softly. "If you want."

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