Page 114 of Knot Happening

But underneath the casual chatter, I can sense the undercurrents of anticipation. Marcus and Felix are satisfied and content, their bonds with me fresh and strong. But Theo's carefully controlled need adds a note of tension to the atmosphere that makes my skin prickle with awareness.

"How much longer?" I ask Felix softly, referring to his knot.

"Maybe thirty more minutes," he estimates. "Are you uncomfortable?"

"No," I assure him. "Just... aware that someone else is waiting."

"I can wait as long as necessary," Theo says immediately, but I can smell the lie in his scent. He's holding on to his control by a thread, and the knowledge makes heat pool low in my belly despite the satisfaction of two recent orgasms.

"I don't want you to wait much longer," I tell him honestly. "Theo, I need you too. Just as much as I needed Marcus and Felix."

His scent spikes at my words, and I can see his hands clench into fists as he fights for control. "Belle..."

"Soon," I promise him. "As soon as Felix's knot recedes, I want you to claim me. I want to complete our pack bond."

"Are you sure you'll be ready?" Marcus asks, concern evident in his voice. "Belle, you've already been through two intense bondings. If you need more time to recover..."

"I'm sure," I tell him firmly. "Marcus, I can feel both of you in my mind now, and it's incredible. But it's not complete. I need Theo's connection too. I need all three bonds to feel whole."

"Then you'll have all three," Felix says softly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "As soon as I can let you go, you can bond with Theo."

"And then?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.

"And then you'll be completely ours," Marcus says with obvious satisfaction. "And we'll be completely yours. The pack bond will be permanent and unbreakable."

The thought sends a shiver of anticipation through me. In less than an hour, I'll be bonded to all three alphas, claimed and marked and cherished by the most incredible men I've ever known. The woman who walked into this heat cycle will be gone forever, replaced by the omega I was always meant to be.

"I can't wait," I admit, and the truth of it surprises me with its intensity.

"Neither can we," Theo says quietly, his eyes dark with promise. "Belle, when I claim you, when our bond forms, you're going to understand what it means to be completely loved. Completely protected. Completely cherished."

"I already understand that," I tell him softly. "You've all been showing me since the night we met. The bonding is just making it official."

"Official and permanent," Felix corrects with a smile. "After today, you're stuck with us forever."

"Good," I say firmly. "That's exactly how I want it."

As Felix's knot finally begins to recede, as my body prepares for the final claiming that will complete our pack bond, I realize that I've never been more ready for anything in my life. The heat is still there, simmering under my skin and making me acutely aware of Theo's proximity and need. But it's manageable now, focused, something I can work with rather than something that controls me.

Most importantly, I know without question that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. With the alphas who love me, who see me as I really am and want me anyway, who will spend the rest of their lives making sure I never doubt my worth or my place in their hearts.

The third bonding is coming, and with it, the completion of everything I've been unconsciously seeking my entire adult life.

I can't wait to take that final step.

"Ready?" Felix asks softly as he finally slips free from my body.

"Ready," I confirm, already turning toward Theo with heat and love and desperate need in my eyes.

The final claiming awaits, and I've never been more eager for anything in my life.

36

BELLE

The moment Felix slips free from my body, the atmosphere in the nest shifts. Where there had been contentment and gentle satisfaction, now there's a crackling tension that makes my skin prickle with awareness. Theo's scent has been steadily intensifying throughout my bonding with Felix, and now it fills the space around us with dark coffee and something wilder, more primal.

He's been holding himself back for hours, watching me bond with his packmates while his own need built to what must be unbearable levels. The control he's maintained is staggering, but I can see the cracks in his composure now as his hands clench and unclench, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the barely leashed hunger in his dark eyes.

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