Page 82 of Break Me Knot

The need for forgiveness.

The ability to finally ask for it.

Forgiveness freely offered.

Accepted.

Their scents twine together, creating a safe haven for both of us to fall apart in. This is safe here. This place we make together is our harbor. We can be our fractured selves. The edges don’t tear us apart. They bring us together.

Cole’s movements are painfully careful, like he expects to be rejected at any moment. Like he's waiting for us to realize our mistake, to send him away. A groan catches in his throat as he settles beside me, as years of self-imposed isolation crumble in this one moment of surrender.

“Sweetness,” he whispers, his voice cracking. His hand hovers near mine, not quite touching. “I don't deserve—”

“You do,” I reach for his hand. His fingers are cold, trembling against mine. “We all do.” We all carry wounds that need healing and that makes us deserving of love, even if we can't believe it ourselves.

Watching this strong alpha finally let himself break and be held is heartbreaking and beautiful. Zane reaches over to squeeze Cole's shoulder while Adrian's hand finds my hair, and suddenly we're all connected. All holding each other as Cole's walls crumble.

Maybe this is what real strength is, not holding yourself together, but letting others help put you back together. Not running from your broken pieces, but sharing them with people who'll help you carry them. Maybe that's what pack really means.

This pack, in any case.

Cole looks down at me, his stormy eyes burning. There's a difference in his expression now. A weight has lifted. His dark hair falls across his forehead, and combined with his vulnerable expression, he looks younger. More like the boy he must have been before guilt carved permanent lines around his eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

I shake my head. “You don't—”

“I do. Please, listen.” His hand tightens on mine, trembling slightly. “There's only one thing that's ever eased this guilt.”

That surprises me. “What is that?”

“You.” His gaze is liquid, full of wonder and filled with something deeper, something that makes heat flow through my veins in a slow burn instead of scraping me with barbed wire. “You don't try to fix it or excuse it. You just... understand.”

Pieces of my shattered puzzle click into new places. My jagged edges rearrange, fitting perfectly with his, with all their pieces. Our broken parts create a perfect, healed whole.

“Kiss me?” My thirst is different from before. Not desperate, or driven by heat or fear or guilt. This is chosen. Wanted. I'm not just accepting his kiss; I'm asking for it, here in my nest, surrounded by our pack. Making a choice that feels right down to my bones.

Cole’s eyes darken and his pupils dilate. His scent deepens with desire as he leans down. “You never need to ask me again.”

His kiss is gentle, reverent, like he's finally allowing himself to have this. To want this. To deserve this. The void inside me fades, filling with warmth and brightness. With something like belonging, like hope, like future.

I want nothing more than to wrap myself around these alphas, to lose myself in their strength, their acceptance.

My mates.

The word surfaces in my mind, and for the first time, it’s not threatening or dangerous or impossible, but natural.

Inevitable.

I allow my instincts and heart to override the constant warnings from my brain, letting myself embrace my omega nature, knowing—finally—that it's safe to do so. These alphas won't exploit it or attempt to control or confine me. As Cole's lips yield to mine, the connection between us ignites and transforms into a perfect, pure bond.

COLE

Her lips are soft beneath mine. I can't believe this is real, that this amazing omega—this strong, beautiful creature who carries her own darkness—has accepted me; has looked at my broken pieces and said, “yes, these too.”

She started healing me the moment I saw her in our offices, though I was too blinded with guilt to recognize it. She called to the wounded parts of me, recognized a kindred spirit. Even as I fought it, ran from it, she kept drawing me back. Kept showing me that broken doesn't mean worthless.

I'm drowning in her kiss, and I don't want to come up for air. Her sugared lilac and vetiver fill my whole body. I’ll never get enough of her flavor. I’ll rub her slick all over me and wear it as my cologne. I’ll feast off her forever and never have enough.

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