Page 34 of Break Me Knot

We feed her when we can, coaxing water and small bites of food into her between waves of heat, but it’s clear this heat is hitting her hard. We make love to her again and again, taking turns, working together to ease her pain. Sometimes she takes us both at once, desperate for connection, for fullness, for completion. Other times she needs gentle, singular attention, soft touches and whispered praise.

Hours or days pass; I'm not sure anymore. We're all exhausted, running on instinct and need. Zane's usual grace is gone, replaced by endless weariness. Mira's face is drawn, her body pushed to its limits despite our care.

When I wake next, they're both sleeping. Zane curled protectively around Mira's tiny frame, her face finally peaceful in true rest. Her skin, where I touch her, is back to a normal temperature. Her heat has broken, and I can only thank the gods that with it gone, so is her unnatural pain.

I carefully ease out of the nest, intending to fetch more supplies. We're all dehydrated, hungry, depleted.

I pass through our living area to see the kitchen light is on. I hear noises and find Cole leaning against the countertop looking as rough as I feel. His clothes are rumpled, dark circles under his eyes, his scent sharp with distress and conflict.

“Cole,” I say softly.

His head lifts and knowing passes over his features.

The conversation we're about to have has been brewing for days.

And despite my weariness, it can't wait any longer.

Chapter Fifteen

Cole

Ihunch over the kitchen counter, a forgotten cold cup of coffee in front of me, when Adrian finds me. His scent hits me, thick with exhaustion and the thick notes of Mira's heat. My stomach churns with guilt and self-loathing. When I wasn’t making sure they had food and fluids, I holed up in my office the next floor down. ‘Dump and run’ now holds new meaning.

“Cole,” he says softly, and I flinch at the gentleness in his voice. My shoulders curve. I deserve his anger and disappointment, not his understanding.

“How is she?” I manage, though the words are ash. My throat is raw, probably from hours of suppressing the urge to howl my distress through our pack bond.

I felt everything. Their elation. Worry. Compassion. Guilt andrage.

Their desire and arousal.

“Struggling. Fighting it every step of the way.” He moves to lean against the counter beside me. I haven't showered or changed in days, lost in work at the office, trying to drown out the pull of our omega. “She needs all of us, Cole. Not just two-thirds of her alphas.”

The word 'alphas' makes me want to run again. My legs twitch with the urge to flee. Instead, I slug down a mouthful of cold coffee and grimace at the bitterness. “I can't. I'll just... I'll hurt her. Like I hurt—”

“Lily,” Adrian finishes for me. The name sends a deep ache through my chest. “You think you'll hurt Mira like you hurt Lily.”

“I killed her.” The words tear out of me, raw and bleeding. I have to set down the mug before I drop it. “My lack of control, my stupid hormones—”

“No.” Adrian's voice is firm but gentle. “Lily died because of a rare genetic condition that made her heats dangerous. The doctors explained this, Cole. Her body couldn't regulate its temperature properly during heat. No one knew it would happen. It was her first heat. She was too young. If it hadn’t happened with you, it would have happened with another alpha.”

“I triggered her heat. My pheromones were too much for her—” My voice breaks completely. I press the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to stop the burning tears.

“The defect was hidden in her DNA.” Adrian sighs. “Do you think Lily would want this for you? This self-imposed punishment?”

My body trembles with suppressed emotion. “She was so young. So bright. She had plans...”

“And her death was a tragedy. But it wasn't. Your. Fault.” His hand lands on my shoulder, warm and steady. I nearly collapse under the gentle touch, starved for pack comfort after days of isolation. Since we joined our pack, there hasn’t been a day we’ve not been together. “You must work through this, brother. Really work through it, not just bury it under guilt.”

I finish his unspoken sentence in my head:The way I’ve done for years.

“And what about Mira?” I gesture toward the bedroom wing, my hand shaking in the air between us. “She's traumatized enough without dealing with my issues.”

“She needs you.” Adrian's voice carries certainty. “Haven't you felt it through our bond? The way she calls for you? Her scent should tell you that much.”

I’ve felt everything she’s broadcast. That's what makes this so hard. Every cell in my body aches to go to her, to complete our pack, to claim what's ours, but the memory of Lily being taken away by Omega Services, so small and pale on that gurney, stops me every time.

“You can't protect her by staying away,” he continues softly. “You will only hurt her more.”

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