Page 83 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

Jude looks up at me with surprise, a dopey smile on his face. “It’s been a while since you called me that. Since you called any of us that.”

I nod my agreement, feeling uncomfortable. “I know.” Jude reaches out and pauses the video, turning in his chair to face me.

“Are we ever gonna talk about it?”

My first instinct is to say no. There’s no need to hash it out. But Jude might need this, might need a conversation. So I guess we’re doing this. “I don’t regret what I did, Jude.” He flinches. I keep going. “Our pack bonds were rotting. You know that. You could feel it as well as I could.”

“Didn’t mean you had to break them entirely. We could have worked on it. Made them stronger.”

I shake my head. “No, we couldn’t have. Not while I was so… angry at all of you for what you were doing to Haven. Itwas festering, poisoning every interaction, every conversation, and each time you updated that damn spreadsheet, it only got worse.”

Jude sighs, shoulders slumping. “I know. It’s my fault.”

“It’s all of our fault,” I correct. “None of us should have let it get that bad. We were just too focused on revenge. We didn’t take care of our bond the way it needed.”

He looks up at me, a furrow in his brow. “Do you miss it?”

My hand rises of its own accord to press against my chest, to that hollow space that used to be filled with the presence of my pack. “Yeah,” I admit eventually. “Yeah, I do.”

He gives me a rueful smile. “It’s lonely as hell, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” And it is. I don’t enjoy feeling so alone. “But we’ve been acting more like a pack since I broke the bonds, since we got Haven away from Brian and her father. Even if we can’t feel each other here,” I tap my chest. “It feels… better, doesn’t it? More solid.”

He nods. “Yeah, you’re right.” He peers up at me. “A pack built on mutual respect and love is better than one built on revenge and grief.”

He’s not wrong. Our bonds had barely formed when we lost Janie. We’d had barely a week of being in a pack before she was taken from us. They were always strained, always brittle because of it.

“You think we’ll ever be a pack again?” He asks, and my heart lurches, my stomach swoops and I answer without thinking.

“Aren’t we already?”

As soon as the words form, I feel it. The familiar cords that bound me to three other alphas form in my chest, shining and bright. Stronger. It’s an overwhelming rush of emotions, Jude’s awe, Tic’s gratitude, Hale’s confusion and pride, and my own happiness, all swell in my chest until it feels too tight.

But I welcome all of it.

Fuck, I missed this.I swear as soon as I have the thought, the pack bond in my chest tightens and strengthens. I let it. Grip it, hold on to it. I want to be a member of this pack. Just like before. They’ve learned from their mistakes and so have I.

It feels stronger this time, fuller, like maybe we’d never fully formed before with Janie, before she was taken from us. And then, over time, those already weak bonds fractured and frayed until I broke them entirely.

But this new bond? I don’t think I’d be able to break it.

Jude gives me a bright smile, running his fingers through his golden hair. “Fuck, I’ve missed this,” he says, echoing my own thoughts back at me. I can feel it, his pleasure at being connected again, at no longer being alone.

I clap a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, a grin taking over my mouth. Through the bond, I can feel Tic and Hale, and get the impression that they’re on their way back to the house. A bubbly, effervescent feeling swells in my chest, making my heart feel full. Like the Grinch or some shit.

I laugh. Jude does too. And I know wherever they are, Tic and Hale are laughing as well.

This is what a bond should feel like. This is how it’s supposed to be, not like it felt after we lost Janie, brittle and fragile, cracked in too many places.

“Fuck, man,” Jude pulls me into a tight hug and slaps my back. “Fuck, man, I missed you.”

My eyes sting as I hug him back. “I missed you too.”

As we release each other, an intoxicating scent hits my nose and my alpha lifts his head. My pupils dilate and my breathing becomes ragged. Next to me, Jude seems to be in a similar state, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides, the front of his jeans tented with an obvious erection.

“Omega,” he growls.

“Omega,” I agree, stalking down the hall. “Our fucking omega.” Because I know the scent, acidic pineapple and spicy chili, just as tasty as it’s always been. But somehowmore. Now Haven’s scent makes my alpha growl,mine.

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