Page 90 of Chain Me Knot

Dread fills my chest. Not just for myself, but for these three alphas who've risked everything they’ve spent their whole lives building. Still, his dark eyes soften, never wavering, his hold steady and protective. He brushes gentle fingertips along my spine, grounding me quietly in his touch. “I promise you we will never stop fighting for justice for you. We won't ever stop protecting you. You're more important than anything else we've ever had in our lives. You're the center of our world. The one thing we're willing to lose every damn thing for.”

Desperation winds through me. “But…”

His thumb brushes my trembling lower lip, halting my protests.

“Our careers mean nothing if you're not safe, Emma. Nothing if you aren't in our lives. It's that simple. Don't you understand? Our badges, our positions, mean nothing compared to you. I'd give them all up without hesitation. Phoenix and Soren would do exactly the same. We promised you everything and you’ll get nothing short of that.”

All along, they told me their vows, but now, wrapped securely within Asher’s strong arms in this perfect, golden-lit morning, I understand these aren’t just words.

He's so open with me. Every thought, every emotion that flows from him is raw and unfiltered. He's showing me everything, allowing me into each hidden corner of himself. And the depth of what I feel for him in return swells from a long-forgotten place inside me. My heart aches with tenderness and longing, a deep, abiding need to shelter and soothe him as he's sheltered and soothed me. Sharing ourselves equally.

My alpha.

My mate.

But one thought lingers, tugging at the edges of my mind. Last night was beautiful. So deeply intimate, filled with a closeness I never dreamed I'd find. Heat blooms across my cheeks at the memory of offering myself to them but Asher held back and I…I need to know why.

“Last night…Asher, you didn't make love to me, even though I wanted you to. Even though I wanted all of you. Why?”

A heavy silence stretches between us as his gaze flicks between mine. “Moonbeam, I didn't—couldn't—bring myself to take more from you. Not after the unforgivable damage I caused the night I bit you without permission and took your choice away.”

His thumb traces the line of my jaw as desperate sincerity floods the bond, his pain flaring wide open between us. “That mistake haunts me. Every time I touch you,”—his voice roughens—”every time I hold you, every kiss you give me, I remember the betrayal in your eyes. Above all else, before I ever dare ask you to give yourself, I have to beg your forgiveness. Not even desire, not the most intense wanting I've ever felt, could make me risk causing you that pain again.” He cups my cheek. “I'm so sorry, Emma. Sorrier than I've ever been for anything in my life. Until I know you've completely forgiven me, until I’m certain your desire truly comes freely, I won't take advantage of your trust. Or your body. Your forgiveness means more than anything I could ever ask from you.”

Remorse, genuine and powerful, surges into me. He means every word he says, showing the truth also through actions, thoughts, emotions, and in this moment, my feelings carve new paths that only Asher can navigate. Now I understand clearly why he held himself back last night: because for him, my consent truly means everything.

Tears spill, trembling along my lashes as I lean into his palm. “You already have my forgiveness.”

He stills, gaze searching mine, thumb brushing along my cheek. “Are you sure, Emma?”

I don't hesitate, don't think. I just move.

Want to claim him now.

I surge upwards to mold my mouth to his. His emotions flare pure gold, bright and breathtaking. He groans, the sound wrenched from his chest as his lips part against mine. His strong arms tighten, pulling me flush against him, chest against chest, heart to heart.

There's no more question now, no room for doubt.

Only honesty.

Only this.

My fingers tangle into his hair, anchoring in his strength. His breath hitches. I swing my leg over his hips, lodging the hardness caged in his jeans between my thighs where I throb in the sweetest way. I press down, savoring the weight of his hands sliding down my back, tracing lightly over bare skin. His touch sparks desire through me, burning hotter and brighter.

His bond whispers fierce tenderness and possessive devotion, drowning out the shadows of my past. I deepen our kiss, drinking him in, claiming each heartbeat, each ragged breath. This alpha—my alpha—gives everything freely, withholding nothing, asking only what I'm ready to give.

And I'm ready now.

His breath is uneven. “Emma,” he murmurs against my lips, my name a prayer, a plea.

I roll my hips, grinding down on the hard length trapped between us, reveling in the way his jaw clenches, the way his grip tightens not to control, but to savor.

This is different.

Not the desperate, starved passion I shared with Soren, nor the playful, wicked heat Phoenix drew from me. This is deliberate. A claiming. My palms slide down his chest, feeling the pound of his heart beneath my touch as I work to open the button on his jeans.

“Alpha, let me see you,” I whisper.

His dark eyes never leaving mine as I rise to run my touch over the dips and rises on his chest, over his pecs and down the raised muscles of his abdomen. His skin is warm bronze and hard planes, scars mapping his history. I trace them with my fingertips, my throat tightening at the way his breath catches when I brush over the oldest-looking scar, just above his heart.

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