Page 73 of Knot Only His

Jagger takes her hand again as he tells where all the rooms in the house are. I follow behind as he leads Harlow through our home, watching her reactions.

When we pass the study, Oliver and Parker are huddled close, their whispered conversation cutting off abruptly. The tension is thick enough to taste.

Their eyes follow her as we walk by and both men nod to me as I pass.

“This is your room!” Jagger announces, pushing open the door to the room we prepared for Harlow.

I hang back, studying her face as she takes in the nest we built. The bed is piled with our clothes - shirts, sweaters, things carrying our scents. Enough for her to decide what she likes.

Hopefully, she’ll want a bit of everything.

Something flickers across her expression as she picks up one of Oliver’s hoodies.

“It’s beautiful, but...” She inhales deeply, her brow furrowing. “Something’s missing.”

The scents mingle in the air—coconut, vanilla, and pineapple. But she’s right. There’s an emptiness, a gap where another note should be. We’ve always thought that it was our omega’s scent that was missing.

“Do you think your pack is complete?” she asks suddenly, turning to me.

“Do you?” I reply softly.

She shakes her head, opening her mouth to respond when a knock echoes through the house.

I glance at my watch. I groan. “It’s the social worker.”

I catch the flash of panic in her eyes before she smooths her expression.

“Okay, let’s pretend we’re a pack,” she says.

“Just be real,” I tell her.

I watch Ms. Jenkins follow us through the house, her pen scratching against her clipboard.

Tension radiates through Harlow's body as I keep my hand at the small of her back.

“And this is our shared living space,” I explain, gesturing to the open-plan area with my free hand. “We believe in maintaining both private and communal areas for pack harmony.”

Ms. Jenkins clears her throat. “How exactly do the pack dynamics work with multiple alphas and one omega?”

Harlow’s shoulders stiffen when I grip them and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her head. “Today she’s mine,” I murmur, playing my part.

“Oh.”

“Yes, we each have designated time. Two days each with Harlow individually, and we share one day together,” I explain, feeling Harlow’s sharp intake of breath against my chest.

Ms. Jenkins’ cheeks flush pink as she scribbles on her form. “That’s...very organized.”

“Structure is important for pack stability,” Parker adds from behind me, his voice tight. “Especially with Jagger.”

“About that.” Ms. Jenkins shuffles her papers. “I’ll need to discuss Jake’s proposal. He already has a lawyer who has submitted his application and it will be heard next week.”

“Next week?” Parker’s voice hitches a notch.

She nods. “So, I’ll be making several visits before finalizing anything, but having a bonded pack that’s raised Jagger since infancy weighs heavily in your favor. And now you also have an omega.”

We haven't bonded yet.

I can’t tell her that as I stare at Parker, wondering what he wants to say.

---