Page 23 of Knot Broken

7:42 A.M

Leaning against Violet’s omega suite doorway, I let my head fall back against the frame with a softthunk, exhaling through my nose as my eyes drink her in.

The room is bathed in the kind of soft, quiet glow that makes you want to whisper. Tiny star-shaped lights are threaded through sheer violet curtains draped lazily around her nest, casting gentle, dappled shadows across the walls. The space feels sacred—hers. Like stepping into a dream spun from dark silk and late-night secrets.

And in the center of it all, curled up like some delicate, precious thing, is my mate.

She’s on her side, tucked beneath a mess of pillows and blankets in every shade of purple and blue imaginable—deep plum, indigo, stormy gray. Her petite frame is nearly swallowed by them, but not quite. I can still see the line of her shoulder,the faint dip of her waist. Her wild, violet curls are spread across the nest like spilled ink, and her cheek is pressed into one of the oversized cushions, mouth parted just slightly.

She’s beautiful in a way that aches.

She sighs softly in her sleep—barely a whisper of sound, but it hits me like a punch to the chest. My fingers twitch at my sides. My scent spikes, heavy and possessive, sharp enough to sting the back of my throat.

Mine.

The word echoes in my head like a drumbeat. Fierce. Absolute.

She shifts slightly, the blankets rustling, and I catch the barest sliver of her thigh where the covers have slipped. The sight nearly undoes me. That curve. That skin. So soft. Sohers. My cock stirs behind the drawstring of my joggers, heat tightening low in my gut.

Down, idiot.She’s sleeping.

But fuck, she’s not just my omega. She’stheomega. The only one who’s ever stirred something deep enough in me to quiet the shadows.

I drag a hand over my face, trying to ground myself. Trying not to fall too far into the memories that always lurk at the edge of moments like this.

My childhood wasn’t the kind that makes you nostalgic. It was the kind that leaves you with scars you forget to name because they’ve always just… been there. Foster care wasn’t a picnic, but it gave me a shot. And eventually, it gave me them—Kingston, Jace, Romano… Voss. The Rosetti pack. The only people who ever made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

But there was no pull. No snap of a bond. And I thanked the fucking stars for that. Because as much as I respect them—hell, as much as I owe them—there’s only so much Voss a man can take before his sanity begins to fray. The guy is chaos with a smile. A nuclear bomb in human skin.

Still, they were my brothers in all the ways that mattered. They taught me how to build a life—taught me how to fight. How to protect.

Which is probably why standing here now, staring at Violet as she sleeps in a nestwe built for her, makes something inside me twist so violently I have to take a step back.

Because this isn’t just lust. Or pride. Or protectiveness. And gods help me, I’ve never had one before.

She sighs again, curling slightly into the blanket, and this time it’s sweeter. Sleepy. Soft. Her scent—lemon frosting, warm and intoxicating—rolls over me like a tide.

I feel it in my teeth.

One taste. Just one.

I cross the room before I can think better of it, sinking down onto the edge of the nest, careful not to jostle her. She doesn’t stir. I reach out, brushing the backs of my fingers against her hair. It’s like touching clouds.

My voice is nothing more than a breath when I speak.

“Don’t know how the fuck I ended up with someone like you,” I murmur, barely loud enough to be heard by the shadows. “But I swear to every god listening… I’m not letting you go.”

Not now. Not ever.

Without even fully realizing it, my feet carry me quietly into the room, closer to her. The massive swinging bed isabsolutely ridiculous, yet it’s so perfectly Violet. She was right about it—the way she built her nest is beautiful, thoughtful, carefully constructed with comfort and safety in mind. Just watching her create it had settled something deep inside me, calming my Alpha in a way nothing ever has.

I slowly climb onto the bed, careful not to wake her, feeling it sway gently beneath my weight. Violet’s warmth radiates outward, drawing me in like gravity. Her sweet lemon frosting scent curls around me, settling deep into my bones, easing away the lingering tension of my thoughts.

She shifts slightly, murmuring something sleepy and unintelligible, but doesn’t wake. Unable to resist, I ease down beside her, careful to maintain just enough distance so I don’t startle her awake. Her face is soft and peaceful in sleep, and the worry lines around her eyes are smooth and relaxed. Without thought, my fingers reach out, brushing a loose purple curl back from her cheek.

“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper, voice barely audible even to myself. “I don’t deserve you, Violet, but god, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to.”

She stirs gently, still half asleep, violet curls spilling across the pillow as she stretches lazily. A faint, teasing smile curves her lips upward. “You keep staring like that,” she murmurs sleepily, her voice warm and soft, carrying a hint of playful sass, “and I might just have to do something about it.”

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