Page 45 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

Enzo leaned back into the couch, arms stretched wide like he owned the place. “Sure as fuck do. Almost done knitting myself a scarf to keep me warm during our brutal New York winters. It’s a whole vibe.”

She giggled—giggled—and it hit me square in the chest. That sound had become one of my favorite things in the world.

“Be serious,” she pressed, tucking her feet beneath her. “I bet you had better options tonight than movie night with me and my Alphas.”

Marco snorted. “You think Enzo turned down plans for this? Please. Our boy’s idea of ‘plans’ is spontaneously texting ‘U up?’ at 2 a.m.”

Enzo flipped him off. “Choke on your slice, you smug bastard.”

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, all cool authority. “When was the last time you actually went on adate?”

Enzo exaggerated a thoughtful look. “What year is it again?”

Kit’s laugh rang out, light and easy. “I refuse to believe it’s beenthatlong.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Hard to find a woman worth slowing down for. And between keeping these guys from getting themselves killed and making sure the business doesn’t burn to the ground, I’m not exactly flush with free time.”

Kit’s expression softened. “That sounds… kind of lonely.”

“I’m alright, Kit. Don’t worry about me.” He tipped his bottle toward the rest of us. “You’ve got your hands full enough with this crew.”

“I thinkthey’rethe ones with their hands full,” she muttered, smile faltering.

That got our attention. All four of us straightened subtly, tension threading through the room.

“What do you mean by that, Butterfly?” I asked carefully.

She hesitated, then exhaled, like the words were pushing their way out whether she wanted them to or not. “I’ve brought a lot of trouble into your lives. You didn’t ask for this—constant security, being on edge all the time. You’re stuck inside with me more days than not. I know I’ve… changed things.”

“No offense,” I said gently, “but that’s bullshit.”

All three of my brothers nodded their agreement.

“We’re notstuck, Kit,” I continued. “We’rehome.And that’s because of you.”

She blinked, lips parting like she wasn’t sure what to say.

“You guys used to have active social lives,” she said softly. “Parties, poker nights, the club. And now…” She looked around the room. “You’re eating pizza and watching a Nicholas Sparks movie.”

Giovanni leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “You think we’d rather be anywhere else?” His tone was soft but sure. “Dolcezza, I’d pick this night—this couch, this movie, withyou—a hundred times over.”

Dimitri captured her chin, turning and tilting her face until she was looking up at him. “You didn’t stifle our lives, Kit. You made themmeansomething.”

She nodded, but her eyes glistened, another invisible crack in her armor. “It just feels like I’m the reason everything’s changed.”

“Everythinghaschanged,” Marco said. “But not in the way you think. You didn’t take anything from us. You just made us realize what actually matters.”

There was a beat of silence. Heavy, warm.

Her gaze dropped, lashes brushing her cheeks as she pulled in a breath. “I know you allsaythat… and I believe you. I do. But if I’m feeling the strain of being stuck inside all the time, I can’t help wondering if you guys feel it, too.” She glanced at each of us, worry etched across her brow. “I mean, I’m an Omega—being kept inside is something I’m used to. Being sequestered is practically the law. But you’re Alphas. You used to go wherever you wanted, whenever you wanted. Isn’t that hard to give up?”

My ‘no’ resonated through the room right alongside my brothers’.

Kit huffed a laugh and shook her head. “You guys are too much.”

“‘Nah, Butterfly. We’re just right.” I shot her a wink, loving the pink infusion in her cheeks.

Giovanni leaned forward in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on Kit. “You feeling cooped up, Dolcezza? Being here all the time?”

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