Page 114 of Chain Me Knot

Someone who could belong at a gala.

Someone not afraid of what the night might bring.

I run my hand over the fabric of the gown, feeling my ribcage beneath. My hips are still too narrow, my bones sharp beneath the silk. My body’s filled out a little—my alphas have insisted on feeding me, on making every meal a mission to rebuild what was starved away—but I’m still a waif. Still too fragile, but tonight, wrapped in color and new softness, I look more omega than ever.

More like I could belong somewhere, even for just one shimmering night.

The beach has done me good. There’s a golden wash to my skin now, warm and healthy, nothing like that ghost-pale shade I wore for years. I look alive. Real. Not a shadow sneaking through someone else’s world. For a moment, my reflection makes me smile.

I promise myself that once this is all over, I’ll make time for exercise. Walks and runs right here on my own sand, letting the salt and the sun finish what my alphas started. I want to grow strong, to fill out every inch of this body.

But those days are for tomorrow.

For now, I have a sister to rescue.

Chapter Forty-Four

Emma

Iwalk out to the living room where I know my alphas are waiting. As I round the corner, their heads snap up. Their silence hangs heavy and charged. The air thickens with their scent, seeping through my skin and making my insides twist. Their arousal isn’t subtle and they don’t bother hiding it.

“Tough Girl, I’m gonna have to come up with another name for you. Beauty, perhaps, but no. That’s not enough.” Phoenix’s hungry gaze lingers at the base of my throat before sweeping down the curve of my waist and the length of my legs. He doesn’t even try to hide the way he looks at me, like he would peel away every silky thing I wear with his teeth if we had the time.Later.

“Goddess is the word you’re looking for, brother.” Soren’s gaze is slower, more intense. He watches every move I make, tracking my hands, theslight tremor of my fingertips, the lift of my chest as I breathe. His gaze lingers longest on my mouth, his own lips parting. His jaw tenses and a flush climbs his neck. I know he’s struggling to keep his hands at his sides and not on my body.

Asher watches me as though he needs to memorize every inch of me for the rest of his life. His liquid-black gaze drags over the hollow of my throat to his silvery-scarred mating bite. Unlike Phoenix and Soren, our prime closes the distance between us. Close enough for his body heat to lap across my skin. Whiskey edges with dark leather and masculine power make my omega mouth water.

“Our everything,” Asher breathes before he bends to kiss me delicately to avoid smudging the lipstick I curse I’m wearing. Even at the graze, heat sears a path through me. My nipples tighten like arousal is an Olympic sport and a heavy ball of need settles in my abdomen.

I know I’m breathing only because my breath hitches when Asher’s hand finds my cheek and his talented tongue delves into my mouth. I press against his hard planes and stifle the omega whine that wants to spill out of me.

Asher ends our devastating kiss, the echo of his lips burning against mine. Before I can gather myself, Phoenix drops to one knee in front of me, blue eyes gleaming. He holds the supple leather of a thigh holster, black and sleek, straps buttery soft and lined with pale blue silk in his large hands.

“Extra insurance. Any asshole comes at you, you pull this out and end them without thinking twice about it.” The mood grows serious as Phoenix lifts my skirt, fingers brushing warm and steady against my thigh as he draws the holster up my leg. He leans in close—so close his nose skims the inside of my knee and his breath huffs over goosebumps as he pulls a sleek gun from somewhere unknown on his body and slots it into the holster.

His eyes flutter closed for a moment as he inhales deeply, savoring my scent as though he could live off it alone. “You smell good enough to lick. If I had my way, I’d drag this dress off and eatyou right here.”

Asher’s frown is immediate, concern overtaking desire. “That’s going to be a problem. Pack Carmichael will know you on scent alone—even with a wig they’ll pick you out in a crowd a mile away.”

He pulls a small, unmarked spray bottle from his pocket. “Sorry, Moonbeam.” He meets my gaze, apologetic. “This will be the last time I’ll cover up your delectable scent.” Then he begins misting my skin and dress, making sure not a patch is left untouched.

“That’s okay. Anything so this comes as a complete surprise to them.” I’m unsurprised to find my alphas found illegal de-scenter here. This is Pack Blackwood’s house after all—Adrian’s, Cole’s, and Zane’s territory. If I haven’t checked every cupboard yet, it’s only because I know I’d find every survival tool ever conceived. Dishwasher tablets? Check. Omega scent suppressant? Of course. Probably three brands made by their own company, just in case. When Phoenix has finished spritzing me, he hands me the bottle and tells me to put it in my clutch to use in case I need it at the gala.

“Here. This is for you too, Butterfly.” Soren clasps a bracelet around my wrist. The chain is delicate and lays cool and smooth against my skin. Small, intricate pendants dangle from the chain: a tiny sapphire-studded shield, a miniature brass book with real turning pages, and a crescent moon carved from luminous mother-of-pearl. He turns my wrist, drawing my attention to the shield. “This one holds a tracker. I embedded the chip in the base. Nobody will see it; nobody could remove it without ruining the charm. It’s coded into our phone, so we’ll know where you are at any time.”

I stare at the bracelet, awed by the thoughtfulness and skill that went into it, by the depth of Soren’s care. Between the disguise, the holstered weapon at my thigh, the blessing of de-scenter, and the sparkling bracelet encircling my wrist, a sense of safety settles into my bones.

I run my gaze over my alphas and wonder how many weapons they’ve packed under the tailored lines of their tuxedos. But I get stuck on the way their biceps pull at their sleeves and the way their thick thighs threaten to tear through theluxury wool. There’s not enough crotch room to hide the way they’re affected by me.

My mates are absolutely gorgeous.

Gods, strip me naked and fuck me senseless into tomorrow.

“You okay there, Moonbeam?” Asher cocks a brow as he looks down at me. The corner of his lip twitches.

I freeze. Did I…”...say that out loud?”

“Say what out loud?” Soren says.

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