Page 79 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

He ducks his head, suddenly very interested in arranging the pillows again. But I catch the pleased smile tugging at his lips, the way his shoulders relax slightly. Something warm unfurls in my chest at the sight. I made him smile.Idid that.

The thought sends my heart racing for entirely different reasons. This feeling—this warmth spreading through me—it’s nothing like what I felt when the masters would visit the Academy. Nothing like the sick dread that would pool in my stomach when I could feel their hungry eyes looking at me, even with the blindfold for cover. Nothing like when they’d take my hands and make me touch them. This is…something else. Something that makes my skin tingle and my pulse quicken in ways I don’t understand.

Finn moves to adjust another blanket, and the air shifts, carrying his scent to me. I inhale without thinking—sage and rain and something earthier underneath. It’s intoxicating. Comforting in a way that makes me want to burrow closer, to wrap myself in it until…

“You smell really good, too,” I blurt out, then immediately want to die of embarrassment. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I keep my stupid mouth shut around him? Is it because he’s an omega?

Finn freezes mid-motion, then lets out a startled laugh. “Careful,” he says, resuming his tufting. “Saying things like that to an omega usually means you want to fuck them.” His eyes go wide the instant the words leave his mouth. “Shit!” He squeezes his eyes shut tight. “Pardon my dirty mouth.”

The blush deepens, spreading down his neck as he stammers. “You smell good too,” he finally manages, clearly trying to change the subject. “The honey and vanilla…it’s nice. Really nice.”

I blink at him, momentarily distracted from my mortification. “Honey and vanilla?”

“Yeah, your scent…” He trails off, looking at me curiously. “You don’t…know what you smell like?”

I shake my head slowly. “Nobody’s ever…mentioned it before.” I’d never ever thought about it before either.

Something dark flashes across Finn’s face, there and gone so quickly I might have imagined it. But his voice stays gentle when he speaks. “Well, you smell like honey and vanilla. Sweet, but not cloying. It’s…comforting.”

“Oh.” I don’t know what to do with that information. With any of this, really. Everything about this situation should terrify me—being in a strange house, surrounded by alphas, sharing an omega’s nest. But Finn’s presence is like a balm, soothing edges I didn’t even know were raw.

He goes back to arranging things, humming softly under his breath. The sound wraps around me like another blanket, makingmy eyelids feel heavy. I stop myself from sinking deeper into the softness around me. I’m pretty sure I slept for a whole day. Probably a result of not sleeping properly in…I can’t remember how long. But surely I can’t sleep again. Can’t let my guard down completely, even if…

“You can rest if you want,” Finn says quietly, like he can read my thoughts. “You’re safe here. I promise.”

“How can you know that?” The question comes out smaller and almost silent.

Finn pauses in his endless adjusting to look at me directly. Those gray eyes seem to see right through me, but not in an invasive way. More like he’s trying to understand something written in a language he’s still learning.

“Because this is my space,” he says finally. “My nest. Nothing bad happens here.” A small smile tugs at his lips. “Well, except for my questionable taste in reality TV. But that’s a different kind of suffering.” His grin is sheepish as he smooths down a corner of the blanket. “That one dude threatens to stage an intervention at least once a week.”

Despite myself, I feel my lips twitch. “Reality…TV?”

“Don’t judge me.” He points a stern finger that’s completely undermined by the sparkle in his eyes. “Until you’ve experienced the pure chaos of that dating show where they’re all stuck on an island together, you can’t understand the appeal. It’s like watching a beautiful train wreck in slow motion.”

The way he talks about it—so animated, so unguarded—makes something in my chest tingle. I’ve never seen anyone so…free with their joy. At the Academy, any show of emotion that wasn’t asked of you was promptly room for punishment. But Finn seems to wear his heart right on his sleeve, unashamed.

“I’ve never…” I hesitate, then push forward. “I’ve never watched reality TV.”

Instead of pity, his face lights up. “Oh my god, you’re in for a treat. We can start with the classics. That British baking competitionis basically chicken soup for the soul. Though fair warning—it will make you desperately hungry for cake.”

He’s still talking, describing something about tent disasters and soggy bottoms, but I’m caught by the casual way he said ‘we.’ Like it’s a given that we’ll spend time together. Like he wants to share things with me. Like I’ll still be here tomorrow and the next day and the next.

My heart does that strange flutter again, and I find myself watching his hands as he gestures enthusiastically. They’re scarred, I notice. But they’re beautiful hands. Delicate yet capable.

“—and then there’s that show where they strand people on islands and make them compete in ridiculous challenges. The drama! The alliances! The—” He cuts himself off, catching my expression. “I’m overwhelming you, aren’t I?”

“No!” I say quickly, then softer, “No, it’s…nice. Hearing you talk about things you love.”

The smile he gives me is so bright it almost hurts to look at. “Well, speaking of things we need to talk about…” He settles back, crossing those long legs. “We should make a list of stuff you need. Clothes, toiletries, books if you want them. The basics.”

My stomach drops. “I don’t need anything. You’ve already?—”

“Hailey.” His voice is gentle but firm. “You have exactly one outfit, and while I appreciate that you managed to make my sweater look like high fashion, you need your own things.”

I glance down at his borrowed sweater, swimming on my frame. The sleeves are rolled up multiple times, and it still hangs low. “Thank you, but I can’t…I can’t accept?—”

“Yes, you can.” He leans forward slightly, and I catch another whiff of that intoxicating scent. “Look, I know it’s hard. Accepting help feels like…like you’re taking something you don’t deserve, right? But you do deserve it. Basic necessities aren’t charity; they’re rights.”

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