Page 39 of Knot My Luck

Her laugh is hollow, bitter. “Right foryou, you mean.”

I let the words hit. I deserve them.

Silence stretches between us before I force myself to ask, “When did you perfume?”

She exhales, looking away. “I was twenty.”

Something clenches deep in my chest. “And you didn’t tell me.”

She snaps her gaze back to me, eyes blazing. “You weren’t there, Cathal! You left for England, and you never looked back. And I couldn’t stay in Cork, it was too painful, the memories…”

Guilt claws at me. I thought I was doing what was best, leaving her behind. I thought it would be easier for her if I didn’t reach out, if I let her move on.

But now?—

I swallow hard. “You went to England, too.”

She nods once, her throat working. “Yeah.”

I stare at her, my mind reeling. I always thought she’d stayed in Cork. That she’d built a life here without me. I never imagined?—

“You had no idea,” she says, watching me closely.

I shake my head. “No.”

Her breath is shaky. “I hated you for leaving. And when I perfumed, I thought—” She swallows. “I thought maybe it was too late. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be yours after all. Because if I was, fate would have found a way to bring you back to me, right?”

My chest aches. “It’s never too late. Fate has intervened now.”

She exhales sharply, looking down. “You hurt me, Cathal.”

I reach for her again, this time not letting her pull away. I stroke my thumb over her cheek, catching a tear before it can fall. “I know. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you’ll let me.”

Her eyes lift to mine, raw and searching. “And if I don’t?”

I don’t hesitate. “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life wanting and loving you anyway. And making it up to you.”

Another tear slips down her cheek. This time, I kiss it away.

I won’t let her go this time.

EIGHT

Devlin

I exhale slowly, trying to ignore the burn creeping beneath my skin, the telltale ache coiling low in my belly. Being around them –my alphas– has triggered another heat spike, and I can already feel the next wave building.

I need to get back inside.

But my body doesn’t want to move. Not yet.

Because he’s here.

Cathal.

The one who left. The one who should have been mine from the start. The one I convinced myself I’d never see again, neverneedagain.

And now, I know.

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