Page 93 of Knot Gonna Lie
“Pre-heat,” I confirmed unnecessarily. “You have time still. Hours. Maybe days.”
“Don’t want hours.” She hauled me down, foreheads pressed. Her breath ghosted across my mouth. “Want my pack. Wantskin and scent and—” She made a frustrated sound. “Want to memorize you all before biology steals my memory.”
The vulnerability in that admission broke something in me. I kissed her, soft and careful, trying to pour reassurance through the contact. She sighed into it, body melting against mine.
“Then we memorize each other,” Jaxom said, steady as ever. “No rush. No pressure. Just us.”
We undressed slowly, each reveal deliberate. Luca’s scarred chest, testament to years of conflict before finding purpose. My own leaner frame, marked now by her claim. Jaxom’s careful movements, still believing himself less than despite the possessive pride in her eyes when she looked at him.
She traced each imperfection like cartography, mapping the geography of our bodies with fingertips and lips. The bruises from our combat training had faded to yellow-green shadows. She kissed each one with reverent attention, reclaiming damaged skin as hers.
“Tomorrow changes everything.” Her observation came quiet, almost lost against the sound of our breathing. “Eli. The planet. My heat coming closer.”
“Nothing changes this.” Luca pulled her between us, surrounding her with pack presence. “We’re yours. However tomorrow unfolds.”
“Mine.” Her smile curved, fierce and tender both. “My alpha. My beta. My anchor.”
We lay tangled, skin to skin but chaste, her fever climbing by degrees. I pressed against her back, Jaxom steady at her front, Luca curved protective around us all.
“Seth?” Her voice drowsy, heat-drunk but aware.
“Yes?”
“What happens? Truly happens in heat?”
I considered how to answer. Medical texts described biological imperatives, hormonal cascades, reproductive drives.They didn’t capture the reality—the loss of self, the desperate need, the complete surrender to instinct.
The way instinct erased control.
“You’ll need us.” The simple truth seemed safest. “Your body will demand things your mind might not remember asking for. We’ll be here for all of it.”
“Will I remember?”
“Fragments,” Jaxom answered when I hesitated. “Impressions more than memories. The feeling of safety, of being cared for, loved.”
“Protected,” Luca added, his arm tightening around us.
She made a satisfied sound, already drifting toward sleep. The heat would wake her—soon, by my estimation—but for now, exhaustion won.
The ship hummed around us, carrying us toward tomorrow’s uncertainty. But in the nest, surrounded by pack, time suspended. Just the four of us, breathing together, hearts finding synchronization as sleep took us.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
ELARA
The ramp descended with mechanical precision, unveiling a canvas of impossible beauty—white sun bleeding against purple sky, a watercolor dream made real.
Oceanic winds caught my robe, silk threatening rebellion against skin still tender from all my claiming and my nearby heat. Every brush of fabric whispered memory—hands, mouths, promises etched in bruises that still throbbed with satisfaction.
Three alabaster domes rose before me, architectural prayers tilting away from the landing pad like supplicants bowing to an unseen deity. Windows caught sunlight and transformed it into liquid gold, while second-story balconies wrapped each structure in elegant embrace.
The center dome commanded attention, largest and closest, its walkway stretching toward us like an invitation written in stone. Sister domes flanked it on opposite sides, covered walkways threading them together—a trinity of sanctuary.
Rainbow grass shimmered beneath alien sun, each blade a prism splitting light into colors that had no names in anylanguage I knew. Exotic ferns and trees that might have been palms in another life created living walls between properties, privacy dressed in botanical splendor.
“It’s beautiful.” The words escaped before thought could cage them, my hand rising to cover lips that still remembered last night’s kisses. “Like nothing I’ve seen before.”
“All of Tera looks like this.” He stepped beside me, shading eyes against violet sky. “This planet is a private resort-like retreat for the wealthy. Every development has neatly gridded layouts to allow every property a gorgeous view, privacy, and easy access to the trade hub. Most of the residents here are trying to relax with their omega as they ride their heat. The beta who owns this particular resort is the brother of the planet’s lord.”
