Page 109 of Knot Only His

In the rearview mirror, I catch Asher and Oliver exchanging glances before they both nod.

“I trust you to find her,” Asher says softly.

The weight of their acceptance, their trust, settles over me like a warm blanket. And for the first time since Harlow revealed herself as an omega, I feel steady. Grounded.

“Yeah,” Oliver murmurs. “We’ll find her together.”

Chapter 27

Harlow

I curl deeper into Freya’s plush couch, hugging a throw pillow to my chest. “They’re not perfect, you know. Parker barely looks at me sometimes, and Asher—”

“Hold up.” Freya plops down beside me, her ponytail bouncing as she flicks one finger in the air. “One, they are probably scared.” Another finger. “And two. They’ve been a pack way longer than you’ve been around. You can’t just waltz in and expect everything to change overnight.”

“I know that.” My voice cracks. “And Jagger... God, Parker loves that kid so much.”

“Don’t envy him.”

I throw the pillow at her. “I’m not jealous. I’m just—”

“Whyare you here instead of there?”

I reach across the couch and grab another cushion, and press my face into the pillow, breathing in the scent of Freya’s fabric softener. “Jake will use me against Parker in court. I can’t be the reason he loses Jagger.”

“Honey.” Freya’s hand lands on my shoulder. “You might be the reason he loses him by not being there. How’s it going to look when his omega abandons the pack?”

“But Jake’s right—we faked it at first.”

“So what? Be honest about how you feel now. Tell the truth about falling for them, about needing to be part of Jagger’s life. About wanting to be their omega.”

I pick at a loose thread on the pillow. “There’s something else.”

“Spill.”

“I thought...” Heat creeps up my neck. “I thought they’d be fighting over who got to claim me first.”

Freya’s laughter fills the apartment as her apartment buzzer sounded. “You really are a needy omega!”

“I am not! I just thought—”

“You thought gorgeous Harlow Foster would have four alphas eating out of her pretty little hands?”

A giggle flies from my throat. “Yes, actually.”

“Well.” Freya wiggles her eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure Carver would claim you right this second if you let him.”

“I know, but...” I trail off, thinking of Parker’s distant looks and Asher’s hesitation.

“Do you want this pack?” Freya’s voice carries from the intercom panel where she’s jabbing buttons.

“Only if they want me, but yes,” I call back, sinking deeper into her couch.

“Oh honey.” Freya skips back. She grabs a hair band and pulls her copper ponytail and turns it around her finger, clips the band in place, leaving her with a messy bun on the top of her head.

She grins. “You’re being ridiculous. You’ve been an omega for what, five minutes? And you’re already drowning in alpha attention. Meanwhile, I’m twenty-seven, soon to be twenty-eight and the closest I’ve gotten to a pack is that time three alphas ordered cupcakes from my bakery. And I can't even talk about the alphas I have sex with in Club Midnight.”

“I don't think the bakery guys count—” I can’t help but laugh. “Sorry.”

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