Page 109 of Seen Knot Heard

I whimper in protest as he shifts away, and without thinking, I grab his wrist. His pulse thrums beneath my fingers, quickening at my touch. For a moment, he stills, his hungry gaze sliding down the bare parts of my body revealed by the shift in the comforter.

“Stay a little longer?” I plead, not ready to let this perfect moment end. “Please?”

Blake’s arms tighten around me, his hairy leg rubbing mine. “I second that. Just tell Emily to come up here for breakfast.”

At the mention of food, my stomach lets out an insistent growl. Everyone freezes for a heartbeat before Blake and Nathaniel burst out laughing.

“Someone’s hungry.” Blake tickles my side, drawing giggles from me as I now fight to get away from him.

“No! Stop!” Escaping his grasp, I crawl over Nathaniel, who palms my bottom as I pass.

I freeze at the edge of the mattress, though, blushing all over again when I spy my clothes from last night all the way across the room by the door. Why are they so far away? I don’t remember stripping as soon as we stepped into the room.

“Something wrong, Chloe?” Blake asks, amusement in his voice.

I peer back over my shoulder, and my heart stutters. Blake leans against Nathaniel, the two Alphas complementing each other, Blake’s shoulder-length, dark-brown hair, beard, and tattooed arms contrasting with Nathaniel’s trimmed blond locks and sculpted body.

A whimper escapes me, and both Alphas grin.

Puffing my cheeks at them, I grab hold of the blanket and take it with me as I leave the bed.

The heavenly aroma of freshly brewed coffee and crispy bacon envelops me as we enter the kitchen. My stomach rumbles with appreciation.

Holden stands at the stove, his back to us as he tends to the sizzling pan. Domesticity looks good on him. I shuffle over to nuzzle my nose into the groove of his spine.

He reaches back to squeeze my hip. “Morning, sleepyhead. Hungry?”

“Starving.” I step back, not wanting to distract him while he’s handling the snapping grease. “It smells amazing.”

“Hopefully, it tastes even better.” Deftly, he reaches for the upper cabinet with his free hand, grabs a mug, and passes it to me. “Get yourself some coffee.”

I kiss his shoulder before heading for the full pot waiting on the warming plate.

Blake comes over, his hands on his hips. “Hey, what about us?”

Holden rolls his eyes at him. “Your and Nathaniel’s thermoses are on the island, and I’ll have the bacon done for your breakfast sandwiches in a minute.”

“Aww, you’re the best.” Blake rubs his cheek against Holden’s. “You take such good care of us.”

“Yes.” Nathaniel peeks into the basket of biscuits that sits next to two thermoses and hums in appreciation. “We don’t deserve you.”

Holden ducks his head, the tips of his pointed ears turning pink.

Blake grabs a biscuit and bites into it, mumbling around his mouthful. “Are Dom and Quinn still sleeping?”

Ears pricking, I pause with my head in the fridge as I search for the creamer.

“Quinn was up coloring in her room when I checked,” Holden replies. “Dom had a long night, though, so I doubt he’ll be up before noon.”

My cheeks heat. I hope it wasn’t the bond humming that kept him awake.

The patter of little feet announces Quinn’s arrival a split second before she barrels into the kitchen, her brown hair flying behind her. She beelines straight toward me, vibrating with excitement.

“Look, look!” She thrusts a piece of paper into my hands. “I drew a picture of our pack!”

My heart squeezes as I take in the crayon rendering of six figures standing hand in hand, each one with a label. Blake with his bushy beard, Holden in an apron, Nathaniel with yellow hair, and Dom with a black braid. In the center, a short figure with flowing brown hair holds the hand of another figure with a shock of pink hair labeledAunt Chloe.

Tears threaten as I trace a finger over my likeness, overwhelmed by the simple drawing. For so long, I’ve yearned for a place to belong, for a family to call my own. And now, seeing it depicted in Quinn’s artwork, it finally feels real.

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