Page 146 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

"You're not broken," his response carries absolute conviction. "Changed by experience, perhaps. Shaped by survival in ways that require careful healing. But not broken."

His hand finds mine, fingers intertwining with deliberate care.

"And you're already exactly what this pack needs. Strong enough to survive impossible odds, brave enough to maintain core of self despite systematic attempts to destroy it, and resilient enough to still offer trust despite every reason not to,” he reveals. “An Omega for us would have to be one who can protect herself. We’re not necessarily bad Alphas, nor are we good. We have feral moments, especially when not having an Omega within our pack for so long. We’re nowhere near perfect, and that’s something we've accepted long ago, but the allowance and ease I’ve seen from my pack proves your presence makes them hopeful again."

"But I don't know how..." The admission comes small and uncertain. "How to be normal. How to trust these feelings that keep surfacing. How to believe this isn't another elaborate experiment designed to prove my worthlessness."

"Then we learn together," Atlas's voice carries gentle certainty. "Day by day. Moment by moment. Without pressure or expectations beyond what you're ready to offer." His thumb traces my knuckles with infinite care. "You've spent six years surviving. Now it's time to learn to live again. If it takes another six years to learn, grow, and adapt. So be it."

Something in his quiet confidence loosens the knot of anxiety in my chest.

"I never thought I'd have this chance," the words emerge weighted with wonder and lingering disbelief. "To discover myself beyond their careful programming. To learn what it means to be Omega without their clinical interference. To possibly..." My voice drops to barely audible whisper, "to possibly belong somewhere. To someone. To a pack that sees me as more than a failed experiment."

Atlas's response comes pitched low, intimate in the quiet room.

"You already belong, little Goddess. The only question is whether you choose to accept that belonging."

The shadows weave through his declaration, their song carrying notes of destiny fulfilled rather than their usual warnings. They recognize in this moment something profound –the possibility of genuine connection untainted by force or clinical necessity.

From the beginning, Atlas has stressed that I’m not forced to be with their pack. That if I decide to want another set of Alphas, he’d make it happen and ensure they watch over me for years to come to ensure those Alphas always treat me like a valuable gem.

They don’t have to offer such self-sacrifice for my happiness, but the mere intention and admission makes a big difference. It proves this isn’t a lie or alibi.

That they’re being truthful and want me to have a happy ending, even if that doesn’t involve them.

“So…we don’t need to rush?” I whisper and peer at the silk, knowing he can sense it.

“No rush, little Goddess,” he assures me. “We go at your pace. Your call. When you want to move fast, we move. You want us to slow down, we listen to your command with no resistance.”From his tone of voice I feel as though he’s made that very clear with the others.

“When…I’m ready…for that…” I struggle to ask the lingering question in my mind, but I realize I’d want him to be the one to take the lead.

That he gives me a sense of comfort that if I had my first with him…

"Yes,” he answers before I can lay it out for him embarrassingly. “You just let me know, Nyx. Our Omega is safe with sharing any of her firsts with me. Understood?”

Hearing him say my name and matching it with “our Omega” sends butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I try to ignore how easy it is to make me wet when it comes to him.

Falling hard much.

"Understood,” I whisper, feeling a sense of peace in his company. “Thank you, Alpha.”

No rush…baby steps…at least…at the pace where I’m ready.

25

PASSION IN THE HEART OF STILLNESS

~NYX~

Three days had passed since we arrived at the cottage—three days of peace so profound it felt unreal.

This place was more than a house; it was a sanctuary, a quiet corner of the world where time slowed down and memories could be made without the weight of the past. I’d spent much of it rediscovering simple joys:running my fingers through soft blades of grass, feeling the sun warm my skin, and listening to the low rumble of Atlas’s voice as he shared snippets of his life.

I hadn’t expected him to call this home.

Not a man like him, with his towering presence and commanding authority. But he’d surprised me yet again. I remembered the moment vividly, a conversation wrapped in the glow of golden light that filtered through the leaves.

“I would’ve expecteda sprawling mansion for someone like you.” I’d been blunt—something about Atlas made it easier to speak my mind, even when uncertainty nipped at my heels.

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