Page 33 of Fated or Knot

I nodded, not trusting my voice as I wrapped the material around me more. I was seconds from rolling around in this blanket if he would just look away for a moment.

“I have a theory, if you would indulge me.” He held out his arms for a hug.

More trickery? Or just a kind offer?

I barely hesitated before walking into him, resting my cheek on his chest while he held me tight. “You need this, don’t you? You’re a little touch starved,” he whispered.

Since I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been held like this, other than Tormund’s soothing last night, he was probably right. I whispered back, “Was my dream why you already know me so well?”

He stroked my hair with a warm hand. His muscles shifted as he shook out his wings and added them to the embrace. Starry purple leather made a boundary between us and the outside world, and I succumbed to a deep purr that rattled my whole frame from how snug and safe I felt. This was no trick.

“Being observant isn’t magic, sweetheart,” he said just loud enough for us in this cocoon of comfort. “I just want you to know…if your stepmother turns out to be the reason you’re touch starved and have pushed off your heat for so long, Iwillensure she has nightmares for the rest of her days.”

That was possible? I couldn’t wish ill on Cymora due to my vow, but I could purr even more at the idea.

12

LARK

“Weren’t you going to tell me a secret?” I asked Kauz once we left the omega store, our fingers now entwined. He’d held me for an extended period of time, yet I still mourned the loss of his wings when he decided we needed to go. We had to make it back to the inn in time to catch a train to Serian launching when the first stars appear in the sky.

“From my pack bond, yes,” he said. “Well, I bought this soap for a reason.”

He carried my fur-lined cloak and the bag of purchases from the omega store. In it was the fleece blanket I still wanted to wrap myself in and an additional pillow for the trip, but also several bars of scent-blocking soap. I’d figured those were to keep my scent contained if the pre-heat returned.

“It’s for my brothers. We share strong emotions over our pack bond. Over the last day, I’ve felt an echo of their attraction to you, and it isstrong. I smelled our compatibility too…last night. Things are different in dreams.” He gave a vague wave. “In the enclosed space of a train, I believe my brothers will bendto their alpha instincts. The three of them won’t be able to keep their hands from roaming if you remain smelling so tempting.”

My cheeks grew rosy. That was how they already felt? I mean, the scent-led attraction was mutual, considering their pheromones had triggered the onset of my heat. It also helped that they were handsome, noble males. Maybe I was too easy to mislead, but the extended hug in Kauz’s wings had gone a long way to convincing me that them being Unseelie wasn’t so bad after all.

I wanted to ask if he meant to include Marius, but I didn’t dare. The kelpie thought I was adoormat. How mortifying. A burning sensation lingered in my belly every time I thought about it and acknowledged with shame that he was probably right.

“But our honor is on the line. If we don’t deliver you to the queen, our mother, untouched by us for her approval, we’re breaking a very long line of tradition. Forgive me, but we’ve assumed you areintact, considering the situation with your heat,” he added with a squeeze of my hand.

Stars, the late afternoon sun had just gotten so much hotter. I murmured, “I am.”

He chuckled. “It’s like asking foxes to guard a henhouse. If their scents prompt your heat’s return, you will not leave the train unclaimed. I’m going to touch up your heat suppressant daily, but given how powerful your body’s needs are…”

“Right. I’ll use the soap,” I promised.

I also didn’t want to tempt the alphas and end up in emotional agony later. As much as I wanted to be touched and held, I didn’t want to get too attached before their mother’s appraisal and potential rejection of me. Too many other things also stood in the way of me becoming their pack princess.

I should tell him about Pack Ellisar.

Later. I’d do it later, after we put a sea between us and them. I didn’t want to kill any potential interest because a pack back in Osme Fen had a piece of paper Cymora forced me to sign.

“In the meantime, let me tell you about my family,” he said, distracting me from that threat to my happiness.

We returned to the inn still hand in hand, laughing together as he finished telling a story about his big sisters. He talked like it’d be a finished deal soon and I’d soon call these people my family too. I didn’t dare allow myself to hold on to hope for it yet.

Before he told me their birth order, I hadn’t realized just how many siblings he had. After Fal and Marius were born thirty-some years ago, two nixie sisters came along and treated toddler Kauz, born fifth, like an accessory to tea parties and game nights before another sister was born. Tormund followed, but the Queen of Serian had since birthed a fourth daughter and was now about halfway through in her ninth pregnancy.

“She’s as clever as ever, our mother,” Kauz said fondly. “Our next sibling hasn’t slowed her down at all.”

This was the female I had to impress if I truly wanted to be a part of Pack Sorles. If I followed in the queen’s footsteps, I may also have to birth seven children before making the required four male heirs for the next generation. Maybe more, depending.

That was a hair-raising number of babies. More babies than I had ever imagined carrying, whether I had a pack of supportive males or not. My sight swam at the requirement.

But then I thought of Queen Alora and her single child. When placed under similar pressure, she’d given her country one fiery omega to inherit everything.

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