Page 164 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

"You're not defective," she states with surprising fierceness. "None of you are."

"No?" I can't help testing, curious about her certainty. "Even with my failing legs? Dante's hearing loss? Atlas's eyes? Kieran's emotional scars, though I guess thanks to a certain Omega, that’s faded into the abyss of the past."

"Especially because of those things," she declares without hesitation, though she smiles slightly at the reminder of Kieran’snewfound restart. "They prove you're real. Human. Not just walking stereotypes of alpha designation."

Pride swells in my chest at her understanding.

"That's exactly it, little one. We want an omega who sees past surface damage to who we really are. Who might actually care about the men beneath military precision and tactical gear."

"I do care," she whispers, the admission carrying the weight of profound truth. "Even before knowing details of your conditions or histories. You each played a role in my survival and escape…even if that freedom is threatened now, I feel beyond grateful to experience any of this.”

"You deserve to exist and be free, Nyx" I interrupt gently. "Not just as an omega, but as a person who survived incredible trauma without losing the capacity for genuine connection."

Her free hand rises to cup my cheek, the gesture carrying such tenderness it steals my breath.

"Thank you for explaining. For helping me understand why you approach things differently."

"Thank you for listening," I return quietly. "For seeing us as more than just alpha stereotypes or damaged goods."

"Never damaged," she declares with surprising intensity. "Just real. Human. Worth knowing beyond designation or military precision."

Her understanding strikes deep, awakening parts of me I thought permanently dormant after years of careful control.

This would be a good time… wouldn’t it?

I pause in front of a heavy metal door, gesturing toward the handle.

"Would you mind opening it?"

"Not at all," Nyx responds immediately, reaching for the handle. The door swings open to reveal what appears to be a storage room, though the reinforced walls and climate control system suggest it's designed for more than simple storage.

I roll inside, Nyx following close behind as I navigate toward a specific shelf.

"We don't come in here much," I explain, "but anything particularly valuable gets stored here. The room's fireproof, temperature controlled, basically a vault without looking too obvious about it."

My wheelchair stops at a precise spot, hands reaching for a drawer built into the wall. The mechanism slides smoothly and silently, revealing a box wrapped with green and pink ribbon. I lift it carefully into my lap, fingers running over the fabric with an almost reverent touch.

"Is that the time capsule you mentioned earlier?" Nyx asks, curiosity clear in her tone.

A slight smirk tugs at my lips as memories surface.

"No, this belonged to my grandma." The words come easier than expected, weighted with emotion but not the usual pain. "She made the most incredible cupcakes…the kind that actually reminds me of your scent, all sweetness and complexity layered together."

Nyx moves closer, drawn by the warmth in my voice as I continue.

"Her specialty was split flavors – chocolate on one side, vanilla on the other. People would line up around the block for them, selling out within hours of opening."

My fingers trace the ribbon as I lose myself in the memory.

"One night, I got the last one. Bit into it and discovered it was special. Filled with this golden cream that seemed to glow. I've wondered since if she planned it that way, but at that moment..."

I pause, gathering the courage to share the deeper truth.

"At that moment, it made me feel like the most important person in the world. Like I mattered in ways I couldn't quite grasp but desperately needed to believe."

I think of all the magical moments from back then. How I believed, despite the chaos and mean things kids and adults alike would do, I could see the happiness and pure beauty in a world filled with magic potential.

"She didn't know about the bullying," I admit quietly. "Didn't know how rough things were outside school and sports clubs. But somehow that cupcake, that moment of discovering something magical meant just for me…it meant everything."

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