Page 59 of Knot Gonna Lie
I leaned into my alpha’s chest, letting his warmth settle over me. Tilting my head back, I caught the look on his face—relaxed, content, affection written in every line as he watched his clan bicker and laugh. Peace radiated off him, the kind that came from knowing your people were safe, happy, whole—but behind those icy blue eyes, I saw how tired and worried he was.
We had been through a lot in these last few days.
“Are they always like this?” I whispered to him.
His half-lidded gaze snapped to full attention when he realized I’d caught him mid-lick, tongue extended like a guilty child caught stealing sweets. He huffed and leaned back, his purr intensifying until I felt it in my bones.
“Always.” His smile carried years of shared chaos and unconditional loyalty. “You’ll learn to love it.”
“There’s nothing to learn,” I said, shifting to face the clan fully. The only absent member was Xavier, piloting us toward our uncertain future while the rest of us found our footing as a newly expanded family. “I already do. This is how I always dreamed my clan would be—messy and loud and full of love despite everyone’s quirks.”
“I wouldn’t trade them for the universe,” Luca agreed.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Seth approached with a soft smile and a steaming mug cradled in his hands. “But would either of you like some tea? It’s an old recipe filled with vitamins and mineralsto help omegas through their cycles. It actually helps with alpha ruts too, and even betas who want to assist them.”
“I’d love some.” The eagerness in my voice made his face light up, and something fluttered in my stomach at how unexpectedly bashful he looked—genuine and a little shy, like he wasn’t used to others being interested.
I’d give him all the attention he craved—just to see him thrive.
We weren’t official yet, but he’d accepted my offer. Soon, I’d give him my mark, claim him as mine.
The sooner the better. Betas like him always carried that doubt—quiet, buried deep—wondering if they were ever enough. If they deserved to be chosen by their omega.
I would silence that doubt.
He wasn’t bound to anyone else. And he smelled safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
LUCA
Coco Pharmaceuticals’ emblem flashed brilliantly on the primary panel, rotating slowly against the blackness of space. The corporate emblem pulsated with warm white light, casting swirling shadows on the curving walls of my private office.
Strips of flickering blue illumination where the ceiling met the walls acted as a continual reminder that Eli was waiting while I stalled.
I sank deeper into the high-backed command chair, which had withstood countless difficult conversations, its adaptable surface molding, accommodating the stress in my shoulders.
Three holographic displays bathed my office space with its ambient light—our trajectory through the void, business contracts awaiting signatures, galactic news feeds scrolling with their endless parade of distant conflicts and political maneuvering.
Beyond the reinforced bulkhead separating my office from Elara’s nest chamber, I could sense rather than hear the warm pulse of her contentment bleeding through our nascent bond.The connection was still too new, too raw, to carry actual thoughts or words—but emotion flowed between us like a gentle current, her happiness threading through my consciousness like sunlight through crystal.
She was settling in with our clan, carving out her place with the same fierce determination she’d shown when she chose me.
The sensation was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
I lifted the crystal tumbler to my lips, letting the amber fire of aged whiskey trace molten paths down my throat. The alcohol did nothing to ease the weight pressing against my chest—guilt and anticipation twisted into a knot that no amount of liquid courage could untangle.
The logo pulsed brighter, Eli’s growing impatience manifesting as increased transmission priority. I couldn’t delay any longer.
I touched the accept key with fingers that trembled slightly despite my efforts at control.
“Brother.” Eli’s familiar features dissolvedfrom pixels into sharp reality, his dark hair perfectly styled despite the late hour, ice-blue eyes that mirrored my own studying me with casual interest that would soon transform into something far more penetrating.
“Eli.” The name felt heavy on my tongue, weighted with secrets and the bitter taste of necessary deception.
“You’ve been notably absent from our usual communication schedule.” His tone carried the mild reproach of a business partner accustomed to predictable patterns, not yet the suspicion that would surely follow. “And according to our tracking systems, you’ve just departed Syzygy Station. I was under the impression your delivery run was completed two days ago.”
Heat bloomed along the neural pathways of my bond, sudden and overwhelming—Elara’s contentment washing through me like summer rain on parched earth. The sensation was so pure, so unexpected, that my eyes slammed shut without conscious command. My fingers gripped the chair’s armrests until the synthetic leather creaked in protest, and before I could stop it, a purr rumbled from deep in my chest.
