Page 111 of Knot Only His

“Yeah, well.” Freya wipes her eyes. “Look at her—she’s gorgeous, curves in the right places. She’s just perfect. I’m just the crazy baker with the word vomit and too many curves.”

“You’re beautiful,” I protest. “You’re funny—I’m not. I’m a needy bitch. You can get to a man’s heart through his stomach. I’m more likely to poison him. So who’s the better catch?”

“She has a point,” Carver says, lips twitching.

I grab my cushion and hurl it at his head.

“Coffee?” Freya stalks toward her kitchen, suddenly invigorated. “I’ve got fresh beans from that place downtown.”

“Please.” Asher’s nostrils flare. “And are those muffins I smell?”

“Just came out of the oven thirty minutes ago.” Freya winks. “Maybe you should bring your omega to the bakery more often. I could teach her.”

Carver’s nose twitches. “That’s not an awful idea. Could use someone who can actually bake cakes in the pack.”

“I can bake!” I protest, crossing my arms.

Freya snorts. “Honey, you don’t have the knack and I don’t have the patience. Remember when you tried to make cookies? You got bored halfway through and started eating the raw dough.”

“That was one time!”

“It was the three times I tried to teach you.” Freya busies herself with the coffeemaker. “And I’m too busy running a business to teach lost causes.”

“Cheers,” I huff.

Asher’s laugh fills the apartment, but his expression turns serious as he faces me. “Speaking of lost causes, you’ve got Parker all wrong. He wants to claim you—desperately. But his mother drilled it into all of us that an omega’s wishes come first. His parents’ pack is very traditional that way.”

“His mother said that?” I blink.

“She did. It’s why she and her alphas have such a strong bond. They respected her choices from day one. They refused to claim her until she presented herself to them.”

“Oh.” My chest tightens with unexpected emotion.

“You’ll love her,” Asher says softly. “She’s perfect. Like you.”

“Ugh!” Freya throws a dish towel at me. “You really are a lucky bitch. And for that, I’m definitely keeping my muffin recipes to myself. And I might unfriend you.”

I laugh. “You would never do that. Your baby will need me.”

The apartment buzzer cuts through our laughter. Freya rushes to the intercom panel.

Carver stalks to the window, peering down at the street. His shoulders are tense, protective instincts clearly on high alert.

“Now you’re regretting it,” Asher says, lips quivering. “Should have brought my practical SUV. No one’s going to look twice at it.”

Freya waves her hand dismissively. “This neighborhood’s only sketchy after dark. During the day, the scariest thing around here is Mrs. Peterson’s chihuahua.”

I can’t help but laugh at their banter, the tension in my chest finally easing.

But it’s when the door clicks open. My breath catches as Parker fills the doorframe.

“Sorry, I had to sign off on a ton of paperwork for Carver’s legal team.” His eyes find mine immediately.

“You came,” I whisper, hardly daring to believe it.

“She thinks you don’t want her,” Asher says. “Because you won’t claim her. I tried totell—”

Parker takes one hesitant step forward, then suddenly he’s rushing toward me. His muscular arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off the ground and spinning me in a circle.

---