Page 79 of Chain Me Knot

The bond is open and pulsing with the good desire. The desire that cherishes me. That makes me feel precious. Thick warmth pools between my thighs as I release a burst of slick. It would normally have me recoiling but this time it doesn’t. This time I want it to be there because I’m starting to ache with a different, deeper need than I’ve experienced in the past.

His arms band around me as his lips claim me with delicious possession. He fits my body against him as well as his mouth. His hard bulge presses into my stomach and I know these panties are destroyed. I lean against him, chasing that perfect, exquisite connection.

We break apart and my breath comes in fragile gasps. I’m entirely, utterly shaken. His eyes are heavy-lidded, dark with longing that matches every aching cell of my body.

I want more. Want him desperately. Completely. More than I've ever wanted anything.

A nearby low groan shatters the intimate little bubble Asher and I have created. Reality floods back in at the warm rumble of desire emanating from Phoenix. He stands at the kitchen island, an elbow propped with easy, teasing grace, his expression openly heated. Openly watching.

“Damn, Tough Girl, that kiss was hot as hell. Good to see you enjoying our Prime.” He shifts his hips, his hand sliding down to adjust the obvious arousal beneath his jeans.

I bite my lip, heat blooming across my cheeks at Phoenix’s unchecked honesty. Need to see how Soren is affected. My gaze slides to him and his brown eyesburn. His jaw ticks as if straining to hold onto control. He’s just as deeply affected as Phoenix.

An irresistible, instinctive urge rises swiftly from deep within my chest, a yearning so overwhelming and intense it leaves me breathless.Every dormant omega instinct clamors wide open inside me, insisting that I gather soft bedding, comfortable fabrics and comforting scents.

Nest.

Want a nest.

A peaceful, protective sanctuary surrounded by alphas.

My alphas.

But just as quickly as that impulse ignites, ice fills my veins as panic wells in the back of my brain and suddenly all my feel-good emotions vanish.

“Emma, what is it? What's wrong?” Asher draws my gaze to his with gentle hands on my cheek but how do I even begin to put words to the years of terror and humiliation forced upon me? How do I admit to them that I'm an omega who's never been permitted something as essential and natural as a nest? I swallow thickly, shame and pain making my chest ache fiercely.

“I…I’m okay. It's nothing.” It isn’t nothing but I don’t want to dwell on the darkness in me. I don’t want to sully the days like this with them. And. That. Kiss.

I want that kiss to remain bright and golden and untarnished.

“It's obviously something, Emma. It's okay. You can tell me anything. Do you want to talk about it?” Asher waits, patient and gentle, his dark gaze never wavering.

I don't want to disturb this type of spun magic that’s still warming the space between us all.

“Not…not right now. I just want to stay here, in this moment.”Please, don’t insist because then I’ll tell you and the moment really will be broken.

He leans down to brush his lips along my jaw before pressing them softly on my lips. “Okay, Moonbeam. When you're ready.”

“But I hope one day you’ll be able to tell us what you’ve been through so we can help. You don’t have to hold this burden alone,” he says, and gods, what is it about this alpha who gives me exactly what I need when I need it? That’s magic in and of itself.

Soren places a slim, black phone into my palm. “We thought you might want a phone again. This one is safe. It’s completely non-traceable. We thought you might like to call Mira.”

I stare at the phone, willing my tight throat away. This kind of care and patience comes from all of them. This is exactly what I need.

“Thank you.” I clutch the phone to my chest against the tender ache just under my skin. I want to say thank you foreverything,but the words catch at the sight of their open laptops on the kitchen table and the screens filled with data, images and graphs.

This is the reality I’ve ignored. The blade to the cocoon wrapped around me.

Guilt twists in my chest, the euphoric warmth from moments ago dissipating into tense anxiety. They're here because they’re protecting me. We're hidden away, trapped on borrowed time, because I'm a hunted omega and I’m losing myself in my base instincts.

Their future, theirlives, hang in the balance because of me.

Swallowing back the prickling shame, I shift the weight of the phone in my palm, eyes lifting back to meet Asher’s gaze. “Have…have you found anything yet? Anything that can help?”

I don't even have to hear their answer, not really. The tense silence tells me everything.

“We're working as hard as we can, but there’s just nothing yet. This Alpha1465 is covering his tracks well. And the Carmichaels are untouchable. We haven't found a single solid lead yet. Sorry, Emma,” Soren says.

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