Page 77 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

Our eyes met, and something passed between us—something that wasn’t possible before the bond. I could feel his reluctance to disturb our peace, his instinctive desire to shield me from whatever somber news he’d received. But I also sensed his recognition that I was no longer someone to be kept in the dark. I was his mate, bound to him in every way.

He sighed, shoulders dropping slightly. “Rocco’s been spotted,” he admitted, voice tight. “Near the city.”

The atmosphere shifted instantly, that peaceful morning haze evaporating as if it never existed. I felt the change like a physical thing—the way Marco’s muscles coiled, how Gio’s jaw clenched, the slight quickening of Tommy’s breath.

Rocco Valentino. The name alone was enough to make my skin crawl, and I longed for the day I’d never have to hear it uttered again.

Before anyone could speak, a harsh electronic beep pierced the air—a perimeter alert from the security system. In seconds, the brothers moved with practiced precision: weapons appeared as if conjured from thin air, and I found myself pulled to thecenter of their protective formation, surrounded on all sides by their bodies.

Dimitri’s phone buzzed again. He answered it with a curt “Report,” then listened intently. The seconds stretched, filled with nothing but our breathing and the pound of my heart. Finally, he exhaled. “Stand down. False alarm.”

“What happened?” Marco demanded, his weapon still at the ready.

Dimitri glanced at his phone, jaw tight. “Appliance delivery. He was early. Didn’t check in with security downstairs and tried to take the service elevator without clearance.”

He didn’t sound angry—yet—but the tension in his body said enough. This wasn’t just some minor inconvenience. The protocols had worked, yes, but the idea that someone—anyone—could slip through even partway had rattled them all.

Slowly, weapons disappeared back into holsters and waistbands. Shoulders uncoiled. But the moment had already shattered. The warmth, the quiet, the fragile sense of peace we’d been clinging to—it all cracked under the reminder that we weren’t untouchable. Our sanctuary, as beautiful and safe as it felt, was still just a few walls between us and the rest of the world.

I felt Tommy’s hand slip into mine, squeezing gently. “It’s okay,” he murmured, though we both knew it wasn’t, not really.

Not while Rocco was out there, nursing his wounded pride, plotting his revenge.

Until he was dealt with, it felt like we were living on borrowed time, and Ihatedit.

twenty-nine

KITANIA

I slipped awaywhile my mates were preoccupied with security protocols and contingency plans, their deep voices a low murmur from the office down the hall. They hadn’t noticed me leave—or if they had, they’d respected my need for space. Either way, the pull was too strong to resist.

The nest called to me like a beacon, promising comfort in every plush pillow and fluffy blanket, each one steeped in my Alphas’ scents. The echo of everything we’d shared here over the past week wrapped around me, steadying me when the world outside felt too loud, too heavy.

I crawled into the center of it all and inhaled deeply, letting their signatures soothe me. They were all mingled together, along with the unmistakable scent of sex and surrender and joy. It was intoxicating, grounding, safe. The perfect antidote to the knot of dread that had tightened in my chest since the phone call.

I burrowed deeper, wrapping myself in a soft cashmere throw that smelled particularly like Marco. The silk pillow beneath my cheek carried Dimitri’s scent most strongly. My fingers drifted over the fabric, tracing idle patterns, trying to quiet the noise in my mind.

But it wouldn’t stop. Not when danger was circling again. Not when I had so much to lose now.

Almost unconsciously, my hand found the bond mark on the right side of my throat. Dimitri’s.

I brushed the raised edge of the silvery scar, and a warm ripple of sensation passed through me at the contact. His presence rushed back along the thread, steady and iron-strong. A reminder that I wasn’t alone anymore. That I belonged. That I was protected.

One by one, the other bonds answered.

I closed my eyes, visualizing those threads. Deep crimson for Dimitri. Golden for Giovanni. Vibrant green for Tommy. Electric blue for Marco. All of them extended from the center of my chest, stretching through the penthouse, tethering me to my mates.

Mine. Truly, deeply mine. The reality of it still stole my breath on more than one occasion.

The door opened quietly, and I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. I’d felt him coming, felt the golden thread between us growing taut with proximity. Felt the way it was tinged with concern.

“Found you,” he said, filling the doorway before stepping inside.

He didn’t ask why I’d disappeared. He didn’t need to. Hefeltit.

I shifted slightly, making room for him beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight as he settled in, his back against the mattress, one long leg stretched out alongside mybody. This close, his scent was rich and addictive, making my insides all fluttery.

“I wish we could just stay here,” I whispered. “Let the world sort itself out without us.”

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