Page 235 of Fated or Knot

“I love you. I’m glad I could be the happy ending you needed,” I said. Before he could put me down so I could wash, I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

He growled and deepened the meeting of our mouths.“Love you more,”he answered in my mind, since his lips were occupied.

I wondered why he always responded that way. He set me down and closed the clear door to the rain room, putting it between us before he succumbed to the feral urge to have me one more time while we were alone.

Instead, he leaned on the edge of the shower casually and kept talking. “Because I love you more than my next breath, and I might irritate you with my devotion if I use too many words.”

My own breath caught. “No such thing,” I murmured.

“I’m trying not to give doubt a place in my life anymore. I can’t be a very good best friend for you if I allow a rain cloud to follow my every step.”

Well, it was a good thing I was taking a shower, because I could cry with joy to hear that from him. “You’re doing a great job,” I told him.

His teeth were a flash of white through the fog on the glass door. “It’s easy right now. Hard to be sad about anything after feeling how passionatelyyoufuckedme. However…” He shifted, casting his gaze away. Self-conscious, I sensed. “Now that myrut’s finally passed, I’m ready to make love to yougentlyand often, like the sweet li’l prey you are.”

I muffled a groan in the stream of water. He echoed the sound and straightened. “Sorry, it seems I still have sex on the mind. I’m leaving.”

“I’m going to take you up on that promise!” I called after him. “Later!” Much later, possibly. Five days of heat had left my pussy and inner thighs sore.

I cleaned and dressed myself…then re-dressed myself into something less tight. The fabric had to feel just right, as my skin was extra sensitive. In that private moment, I sniffed myself as thoroughly as I could, and swiped a finger over my neck to dab it on my tongue.

I purred in delight at what I scented. My pheromones were already changing. As a mated omega, I represented my pack by carrying a touch of every alpha’s scent in combination with my own. I was claimed by my mates in every way possible and it felt amazing. I wore that joy openly on my face as I headed for my receiving room and found my mates sitting with Nemensia.

Our whole mini eclipse of house moths was fluttering around, serving tea and cookies. They greeted me with extra enthusiasm. “Welcome back, Princess!”

“We missed you, Princess!” This was from Jani.

“Yay!” And this, delivered with a happy bounce, was from Lon.

“Thank you,” I giggled.

Nemensia herself stood and came over to me in a bustle of iridescent skirts. She caught my head between her hands, tilting my face this way and that as she stared at my new pack mark and gasped with delight. “Mo stóirín! Look at you. My heir, at last. Come, let’s sit.”

She guided me to the center of a couch, between her and Tormund. My gentle giant offered his hand, and I threaded myfingers with his. “I’m so sorry to call upon you this soon after your heat, Metalark. I just needed to see if you all had survived,” she said, covering the worry that broke through her words with a delicate laugh.

“Five days was quite the heat,” Fal said from his casual perch in an armchair across from us. He kept his own tone carefully neutral.

“I would certainly say so!” the queen exclaimed. “A routine heat will seem like a breeze after this.”

Stars, I didn’t want to think about going into heat again. Even though I knew, logically, that no heat would compare to how difficult this one had been.

“Anyway, I came here with a gift. Something I think you sorely need, Metalark. It was the biggest one I could find.” She gestured to the mothkin and one came forward with a small box, wrapped in a bow.

My face lit up immediately. I untied the bow and peeked inside, before pressing my lips together and closing the box. The pack bond was full of taps, which sent little vibrations over my omega mark. All four males were trying to get my attention with a reaction like that.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, trying desperately not to laugh.Sorelyneeded, indeed. It was a pot of bruise salve. Something expensive, scarce, and in high demand, I’d learned.

“You are most welcome. Once you are recovered, we may as well pretend we’re still following tradition and have the king’s dinner,” she said with a vague wave. “Instead of presenting your prospective mate for your fathers to meet, boys, you’re just presenting your mate at this point.”

“So, just a dinner?” Tormund asked.

“Well, I suppose that’s right. And we can work out your tutoring schedule and duties from there, Metalark.”

Tutoring? Duties? Well, I’d been warned this was coming. Being a princess was about to be hard work, but I would do my best to meet the challenges ahead. My mates were counting on me.

“Okay, Mom. I won’t let you down,” I said.

“I know you won’t,mo stóirín. You’re here by fate, and fate doesn’t make mistakes.” She patted my shoulder with an approving nod.

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