Page 36 of Pack Down Bad

His breathing begins to settle. Slowly. Unevenly. Like someone waking from a fever dream.

I keep my hands braced on the desk, unsure whether to move or speak. Instinct tells me not to startle him with the haze of his rut still lingering. But after a moment, I can feel the shift in the air.

“Belle?” His voice is hoarse. Shaky.

I turn my head just enough to make eye contact. His forehead is wrinkled with concern, his gaze sharp with awareness. Knox is back in charge, his satisfied alpha stepping back to let him retake control.

The concern in his expression spurs me to move. I turn myself gingerly to face him, remaining propped against the edge of the desk for support because my body feels a bit like a limp noodle.

“You didn’t hurt me,” I reassure him. “It was perfect.”

He leans down to press his face into the crook of my shoulder. He stays like that for a minute before he gathers himself enough to speak.

“I’ve never let go like that before. Not with anyone,” his voice cracks, vulnerability seeping in.

“I know. That’s why I let you.” I tilt my head so that I can press my lips to his temple, desperate to reassure him that I’m truly not upset.

Even in the midst of a rut, he was unbelievably careful with me.

Knox wraps his arms around my waist, his touch protective and anchoring. He holds me so tightly it’s like he needs to reassure himself that I’m still here.

I would be content to stay like this forever, if we could. And we do stay connected in the embrace for so long that I lose track of time.

Until an unexpected guest clears their throat, startling us apart.

When I look toward the doorway, Percy meets my gaze with an easygoing smile from where he stands lounging against the door frame. Unlike the sexy way Knox lit my body on fire, my body is now on fire in a much more mortifying way as I realize we’ve been caught being intimate in Percy’s workspace.

“I am so sorry,” I choke out as I scramble to stand up and face the consequences of my actions.

Instead of consequences, Percy throws his head back with a deep laugh and then waves off my apology. “What are you even apologizing for?”

“Having sex with Knox in your library...” I mumble under my breath as quickly as I can get the words out.

“Nonsense.” Percy is completely calm. “This house is meant to be enjoyed. Some of us might spend more time in some spaces than others, but this cabin is for sharing.”

Sharing roomsandsharing me.

Knox chuckles under his breath behind me. When I glance back, he’s looking at me with a knowing smirk as if he can read my thoughts. As connected as I felt to him while he fucked me, I wouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly developed the power to read my mind.

“Now that you two are done, though, we should get in the kitchen and start on breakfast. Rhys isn’t awake yet. If we move fast enough, we might get a halfway decent meal together before he can get hold of the spice rack.”

That’s enough motivation to get our asses into gear, and Knox and I both manage to wrangle ourselves back into our clothes in record time. Our more feral needs are satiated... for now.

Percy leaves to head to the kitchen. Before Knox can follow, I touch his arm for him to wait a second.

“I have a favor to ask.” I nip at my bottom lip anxiously, knowing that I’m pushing my luck with what I’m about to ask.

“Whatever you need,” he says instantly.

“Can we wait to tell the others about my memory?” I see the hesitation in his answering frown and hurry to continue, “Just until this afternoon. I’m still adjusting, and I’m not ready to answer a million questions yet.

Knox might not have asked many, but I know Rhys and Percy are more likely to grill me about mymostlyreturned memory.

“Okay,” Knox begrudgingly agrees. He puts an arm around my shoulder to lead me out, and I’m relieved we don’t have to have more of a conversation about this.

Once everyone knows my memory is back, things might start to change. This morning, I want to enjoy my time with the alphas before we have to face reality. Whowouldn’twant to live in their fantasy for as long as possible before reality creeps in?

ChapterTwenty

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