Page 108 of Knot Happening

"Let go," he encourages, one hand sliding between us to touch me where we're joined. "Come for me, Belle. Let me feel you fall apart around me."

The combination of his touch and his words and the overwhelming sensation of our bond forming sends me over the edge with a cry that echoes through the apartment. Wave after wave of pleasure crashes through me, so intense that for a moment I lose all sense of time and space. But through it all, I can feel Marcus in my mind, sharing my pleasure, amplifying it until I think I might die from the intensity.

As my body clenches around him, as my orgasm triggers his own, something changes. Marcus begins to swell inside me, his knot forming and locking us together in the most intimate way possible. The sensation is foreign and overwhelming and perfect, his body claiming mine in the most primal way an alpha can claim an omega.

But it's when his teeth find the sensitive junction between my neck and shoulder that everything truly changes. The bite is sharp and claiming, his canines piercing my skin deep enough to leave a permanent mark. The pain-pleasure of it sends another wave of sensation through my already overwhelmed system, butmore than that, it completes our bond in a way that's permanent and undeniable.

"Mine," Marcus growls against my throat, his voice rough with possession and satisfaction as he licks the fresh wound. "My omega. My mate."

"Yours," I agree breathlessly, tears streaming down my face from the overwhelming intensity of everything we've shared. "Always yours, Marcus."

We stay locked together for what feels like hours, his knot keeping us joined while our bodies recover from the intensity of bonding. Marcus holds me carefully, stroking my hair and whispering soft words of love and possession while I process what just happened.

The bond is real, tangible in ways I never understood from reading about it. I can feel Marcus in my mind now, a warm presence that speaks of safety and protection and unwavering devotion. His emotions flow through our connection, and there’s a contentment so deep it makes me want to cry.

"How do you feel?" he asks softly, his fingers tracing the fresh mark on my throat.

"Different," I tell him honestly, my voice hoarse from crying out. "Complete. Like a part of me I didn't know was missing has finally been filled."

"And the bond? Can you feel it clearly now?"

I close my eyes and reach out with my consciousness, marveling at what I find. "Yes," I whisper. "I can feel you in my mind. Your love, your protectiveness, your satisfaction that I'm finally yours. It's incredible, Marcus."

"Good," he says, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple. "That's how it should be. Belle, you have no idea how complete you make me feel."

I can feel the truth of his words through our bond, can sense his deep satisfaction and contentment. "The heat?" I ask, taking mental inventory of my body.

The desperate urgency that had been driving me is significantly diminished now. The aching need is still there, but it's manageable, focused on my other two mates rather than the overwhelming desperation it had been before.

"Better," I say. "Still there, but not overwhelming. Not frightening."

"Good," Marcus says, settling more comfortably beside me as his knot finally begins to recede. "That's how it should be after the first bonding. The heat will continue for a couple more days, but it shouldn't be unmanageable now that we've started the claiming process."

"Started?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.

"Belle," Marcus says gently, "you still need to bond with Felix and Theo. The pack bond isn't complete until all four of us are connected."

The thought of being claimed by Felix and Theo the way Marcus just claimed me sends another wave of heat through my body, though it's different now, and less desperate, more anticipatory.

"I want that," I tell him. "I want all of you."

"And we want you," Marcus assures me, his arms tightening around me possessively. "But first, you need to rest. Let your body recover from this bonding before we continue."

As if summoned by our conversation, Felix appears beside the nest, his eyes dark with want and barely controlled need. "How is she?" he asks Marcus, though his gaze never leaves my face.

"Perfect," Marcus says with obvious pride. "Absolutely perfect."

"Can I touch her?" Felix asks, and the careful politeness in his voice makes my heart clench with affection. Even now, even when I can smell how badly he wants me, he's asking permission.

"Please," I say, reaching for him. "Felix, I need you close."

He settles beside me in the nest, his hands immediately finding my skin, soothing and reassuring. The moment our skin connects, I can feel the beginnings of what will become our bond—different from what I have with Marcus, but equally strong. Where Marcus's connection feels like bedrock, solid and unshakeable, Felix's potential bond feels like sunrise, bright and warming and full of creative possibility.

"Soon," I promise him, seeing the want and patience warring in his expression. "As soon as I'm ready, I want you to claim me too."

"I'll wait as long as you need," Felix says, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. "But Belle, seeing you like this, knowing that you're finally ours... it's the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed."

"Where's Theo?" I ask, suddenly needing all three of them close.

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