Page 38 of Knot My Luck

I stroke a slow hand down her back, tracing the ridge of her spine through her dress. “I’m exactly where I need to be, Embers. And so are you.”

Her lips tremble like she wants to argue, but no words come.

“Talk to me, Devlin,” I say, voice low, steady. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She lets out a brittle laugh, shaking her head. “Everything. Nothing. I don’t even know anymore.”

I press my forehead to hers, tightening my arms around her. “Start anywhere.”

She exhales, long and shaky. And then—finally—she speaks.

“I thought I could handle it,” she whispers, her voice raw. “Finding Lorcan was enough. More than enough. And then—” She swallows hard. “Then I went into heat. In the middle of a crowded reception, like some feral, desperate thing.”

I tighten my grip on her, stroking a hand down her back, slow and steady, grounding her. Letting her feel me here. Still purring. It’s instinctual, something I’ve never done before, but my alpha knows this is what our omega wants. What sheneeds.

Her breath shudders. “And it wasn’t just Lorcan.” Her fingers twist together in her lap, white-knuckled. “Tadhg, too. Two scent matches, Cathal. Do you know how rare that is?”

My chest tightens.

She lets out a hollow, broken laugh, shaking her head. “I thought I knew who I was. I thought I understood myself. And then suddenly, I’m drowning in scent and heat and instincts I don’t even know how to control.” Her voice drops to a whimper. “I don’t know what to do.”

I drag in a slow breath, steadying myself before I say the words that will change everything.

“Three.”

Her head jerks up, her eyes flashing with confusion. “What?”

I hold her gaze, my voice quiet but certain. “You have three scent matches, Devlin. You’re mine, too.”

Her lips part like she wants to deny it. But she doesn’t.

Because sheknows.

Her breath catches. Her pupils blow wide. A fresh sting of tears glistens in her eyes.

“No.”

So fucking stubborn. That hasn’t changed a bit.

“Yes.” I reach for her hand, threading my fingers through hers. “Don’t try to fight it. You feel it just as much as I do.”

She yanks her hand away, shaking her head. “You don’t get to say that. Not after everything.”

I don’t flinch, even though her words land like a blade between my ribs. “I know.”

Her nostrils flare, her scent spiking with distress. I instinctively purr, hoping to soothe her, but it only makes her eyes burn hotter.

“You left, Cathal.” Her voice wobbles, full of too much pain. “Youbrokeme. And now you’re telling me, what? That it was all a mistake? That youwant me back?”

“I never stopped wanting you.” The words are raw, dragged up from somewhere deep. “But I thought—” I swallow hard. “I thought it was over. You never presented. I couldn’t?—”

Her expression twists. “Youcouldn’t? What, be with a beta? Is that it?”

My stomach churns. “It wasn’t that simple.”

“It was for me.” Her voice breaks, her fists clenching in her lap. “I would have stayed with you forever. I would have—” She sucks in a sharp breath. “But you walked away.”

I shut my eyes for a moment, the weight of it pressing down on me. “I was eighteen, Devlin. I didn’t know any better. I thought I was doing what was right for both of us.”

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