Page 100 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

The second bond snaps into place alongside the first, a complementary thread weaving through me, connecting me to Stone as surely as I’m connected to Jax. His release pulses inside me, hot and so, so much, his knot ensuring that not a drop is wasted.

When he finally releases my neck, licking gently at the mark, I’m trembling, overwhelmed by the dual bonds now thrumming beneath my skin.

“Mine,” Stone murmurs, his voice gentler than I’ve ever heard it. “My omega.”

He carefully maneuvers us onto our sides, his knot keeping us joined, his arms wrapped securely around me. I feel his heart pounding against my back, his breath warm against my marked neck.

“Two down,” he says with a hint of satisfaction. “How do you feel?”

I laugh softly, feeling slightly delirious with pleasure and the buzz of two new bonds. “Like I’m flying. And falling. Both at once.”

His arms tighten around me. “I’ve got you. We all do.”

From across the nest, I meet Ren’s ice-blue gaze. He’s watching us intently, his arousal evident, but there’s hesitation in his expression, too. Doubt. Uncertainty.

I reach a hand toward him. “Ren.”

He approaches slowly, still wincing slightly from his injuries. “Hailey.”

“Stay,” I ask softly. “While we wait for Stone’s knot?”

He nods, settling between me and Finn, his hand finding mine. When I tug on his arm, he leans in, lips finding mine as Stone’s knot gradually subsides.

When Stone finally eases out of me, pressing a kiss to his mark, I feel momentarily bereft despite the bonds humming beneath my skin. Two alphas claimed, one to go.

But Ren makes no move to take Stone’s place. Instead, he sits beside me, his expression troubled.

“Ren?” I reach for him.

His gaze drops to my marked neck, then back to my face. “I’m not…I’m not like them, Hailey. I’m damaged. Broken. There are things you don’t know about my past. About the people that held you in that Academy. About how I’m linked to them…”

The raw vulnerability in his voice makes my heart ache. I sit up, ignoring the pleasant soreness between my thighs, and cradle his face between my hands.

“You’re not broken, Ren. You’re healing. There’s a difference.”

His expression remains troubled. “I almost got you killed. I failed to protect you?—”

“Yousavedme,” I interrupt firmly. “You came for me when I needed you most. You fought for me. Bled for me. You almost…” Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. “You almostdiedfor me.”

He swallows hard. “I should have prevented it. Should have seen it coming.”

“None of us saw it coming,” I tell him gently. “Not even Jax or Stone or Finn. It wasn’t your fault.”

His ice-blue eyes search mine, looking for…what? Blame? Accusation? He’ll find neither.

“I want your mark, Ren,” I say, my voice soft but certain. “Your bond. Just as much as I wanted theirs. Maybe even more, because I know how hard you’ve fought to be here. How much it costs you.”

Something shifts in his expression—hope, fragile but unmistakable.

“Hailey—”

I silence him with a kiss, pulling on all the confidence I’ve been learning and pouring everything I can’t say into it—mycertainty, my desire, my acceptance of all that he is, broken pieces and all.

When we part, his breathing is ragged, his pupils dilated with need. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I tell him. “I want you, Ren. All of you.”

The last of his resistance crumbles. With a groan that sounds like surrender, he gathers me into his arms, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that’s desperate and tender all at once.

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