Page 69 of Break Me Knot

“Zane tells me you had a good time last night.” There's no jealousy in his tone, only genuine pleasure at my happiness.

Zane leans against the counter, looking entirely too pleased with himself. His satisfied grin reminds me of a cat that got into the cream, and his scent is rich with pride. The way he watches me and Adrian together speaks of contentment rather than possession, like seeing us together brings him joy.

Maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe their hushed conversation wasn't about anything sinister. Maybe this is just what it's like to have alphas who care, who want you to be happy, who...No.

Don't go down that path.

They’ve told me we’re mates. That we’re…scent-matched. That they want me forever. That means, for the safety and wellbeing of all of us given the dangerous knowledge I hold about Haven, I have to be the strong one and draw back.

I settle onto a stool at the counter, wrapping my hands around the warm mug as Zane plates up delicious-smelling bacon and poached eggs and sets them before me. My stomach tightens and I can’t believe I’m hungry again even after the huge, delicious dinner last night.

“The dinner was amazing,” I tell Adrian, still warm from the memory. “And the roof garden is beautiful.” The image of fairy lights twinkling against snow, of Zane's gentle kisses, makes me smile despite myself.

Adrian's smile broadens, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Wait until you see it in spring. When all the flowers bloom... the wisteria cascades down the gazebo, and the rose garden fills the whole space with scent.” He looks so excited to share it with me, so certain I'll be here in spring to see it. Something in his casual assumption makes my heart stutter.

Before I can protest, he pulls a box from one of the kitchen drawers. “Here. I have something for you.”

It's a phone… not just any phone, but the latest model with all its expensive features. My stomach drops as I think of my old, cracked phone, the one Stacey gave me that I haven't seen… since my heat, maybe? What if she asks for it back? I can barely afford food, let alone replacing a phone. Not that I believe I still have a job with her, considering I haven’t turned up for any of my recent shifts.

Then again, she owes me. She told them where I lived. I’m still processing how and why she did that. I’ll have to be much more careful with my next employer. If they ask, I’ll fake a name and address.

I mentally shake myself and look at the box I’m too afraid to touch. “This is too much.”

“Nonsense,” Zane chimes in, plucking the phone from its box. “How else will you join our group chat?” His fingers fly over the screen as he powers it up. “I've already loaded our numbers so you can call us whenever you need us. Or even when you don’t. You might just want to hear our voices.”

He lifts the phone, snaps my photo and does something complicated with the screen. “There! Now you're in.” He scrolls through pictures… Adrian frowning in concentration at his desk, his strong profile highlighted by weak morning light; Cole looking annoyed and sweaty in the gym, Zane's grinning selfie with a thumbs up, and... me.

I look small in the photo, pale and cheap in my oversized sweater. The kitchen lights emphasize the hollows in my cheeks and the shadows under my eyes but the way Zane shows it to me, you'd think he's captured something precious instead of pathetic.

“I can't,” I start, overwhelmed by their generosity, as he sets the phone next to my plate of food.

“You can,” Adrian says, his tone brooking no argument. “You will.” But his eyes are soft as he adds, “We want to be able to reach you. To know you're safe. And know if you need us, we’re only a phone call away.”

They're being so nice, treating me like I'm something special instead of a stray they literally picked up from the streets. Reality crashes back. I'm an omega, nothing more. A rare commodity valued only for my biology, for my ability to take a knot. Haven taught us that's all we're good for, all we deserve. The lessonsecho in my head with clinical clarity: Omegas are vessels. Tools. Property to be used and discarded when-

Shards of myself tumble to the ground, shimmering and twinkling as they fall and fall and fall…

“Little One.” Adrian pulls me to my feet with a gentle tug. “Where did you just go in your head?”

I drop my gaze, shame burning in my chest. How can I tell them? How ungrateful would it sound to question their kindness? To admit that every gift makes me wait for the other shoe to drop, for the moment they demand payment in flesh and submission?

Zane's arms wrap around me from behind and he pulls me gently back against his muscular chest. “I know all these gifts might be overwhelming. But it pleases us to give them to you,” he says, his breath warm against my ear.

“I can't… I don't have money...” I can’t help the unspoken thought that follows, except with what's between my legs.

Adrian cups my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Listen to me very carefully. These gifts aren't transactions. They're not loans to be repaid. They're expressions of care, nothing more. We give them because we want to, because you deserve nice things, because seeing you happy brings us joy.” His thumb strokes my cheek, and I lean into the touch despite my fears. “Your only obligation is to be yourself. Not to service us, not to submit, not to do anything you don't want to do. Just be you. That's all we want.”

The sincerity in his voice, in his scent, makes my eyes burn with tears I don’t want to shed. No one has ever... I've never been told... Haven always said…

Zane's arms tighten slightly around me, and Adrian's thumbs catch the tears I didn't realize had fallen. I'm surrounded by their scents, their warmth, their care, and it's too much. Too real. Too different from everything I've been taught to expect.

“But I'm just...” A broken omega. A runaway. A thing to be used. The words stick in my throat.

“You're ours,” Adrian says simply, like it's the most natural thing in the world. “If you choose to be. And that means we take care of you, not because you're an omega, but because you're you. Because you deserve care. Because we want to give it.”

These alphas and their kindness are breaking down walls I've spent years building. Walls that have kept me alive and safe; kept me from hoping for more than mere survival.

“What'll it be today, Little One?” Adrian asks, smoothly changing the subject as if he senses my overwhelm. “Books, movies, or cooking? We could bake cookies together.”

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