Page 112 of Knot Your Baby

I take a deep breath before continuing. Normally I'd make a comment about my weight. Not today. Today, I'm comfortable in my skin. They—my pack—made me feel this way. “I never thought I’d get here. Sometimes I thought I’d lost everything—my dream, my hope, my future. But then I found something even better than what I’d imagined.”

My eyes find Zane beside me. “I found the best work partner in the world,” I say, squeezing Zane’s hand as my gaze drifts to Thorne, Miller, and Stone. “And I found the pack I’d always yearned for.”

Tears fill my eyes as I look at each of my alphas. “You gave me a home when I was lost. You gave me love when I thought I didn’t deserve it. And you gave me the strength to make this dream a reality.”

The tears I’ve been holding back finally spill over, and a sob escapes my lips. It’s all too much—this bakery, my family being here, my pack loving me, all of it washing over me in a tidal wave I can’t control.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out, wiping at my eyes. “I didn’t mean to—”

Before I can finish, Harlow is at my side. She takes my hand in hers and squeezes tight.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” she says fiercely. “Not today. Not ever.”

I look at her through my tears, this woman who became my best friend.

“You know,” Harlow continues, she swallows her voice thick with emotion, “when you first showed up at the airport with a box of pastries and a big smile, I knew you were something special.”

A watery laugh bubbles up from my chest at the memory. “Holly begged me to take you in.”

Harlow shakes her head. “I was a stranger to you, yet you gave me a place to stay because you have a beautiful heart,” she whispers.

“I’m only kidding. I loved having you stay.”

She smiles. “And I love being around you. You gave me friendship when I needed it most,” Harlow continues. “You spent hours listening to me ramble about my life. And when I couldn’t sleep, you baked me stress-relief cookies at midnight. And it was you who held my hand through my fear of being an omega.”

She glances around at the gathered crowd, then back at me. “You’re the most wonderful and funniest person I know, Freya Rose. You see the good in everyone—but not yourself. But what you never lacked was your belief in your dream. Not only for a baby but also for a business when most omegas look for someone to look after them. You went out to get what you wanted when it seemed impossible. And now look at you.” She glances at my alphas. “In fact, look at us. One girl who never believed she was an omega and one who definitely did, but never believed she was worthy of a pack. And now we’re both so lucky to find our mates.”

I sniffle, squeezing her hand back. “I wouldn’t be here without you. You made me believe I was special.”

“You are special and yes, you would,” Harlow insists. “That’s the thing about you—you’d have found a way. But I’m so gladI got to be part of your journey.” She wipes a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “My fierce, funny, fabulous best friend.”

I pull her into a tight hug, burying my face in her shoulder. “I love you,” I murmur.

“I love you too,” she whispers back. “Now stop crying or you’ll make me ruin my makeup.”

I laugh through my tears, feeling lighter somehow, surrounded by all the love in this room. But just when I think I have it under control. I burst into tears, overwhelmed by the moment.

Thorne is instantly at my side, his face creased with concern. “Are you okay?”

I hear Harlow laugh behind me. “She’s fine. This is Freya loving something. She’s always been a crier.”

I chuckle through the tears. “Remember when we watched that documentary about the seals?” I manage through my tears. “I cried for three days when I found out they left their young after twelve days.”

Harlow nods. “I understood that one, but not the time you found that perfectly shaped heart-rock on the beach and cried again.”

“I told you it was a sign!” I defend, hiccupping through my tears and laughter.

“It was.” She nods to my alphas, who are gathering around me, their arms encircling me from all sides.

I feel Thorne’s strength, Zane’s warmth, and Miller’s steadiness.

“We love you,” Thorne murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple.

“Every tear,” Zane adds, his lips finding my cheek as he kisses away a stray tear.

“Every laugh,” Miller finishes, his hand warm on my back.

“Here’s to this pack. And to La Petite Rose, and to my beautiful daughter, Freya Rose,” my father yells.

---