Page 75 of Knot Gonna Lie
Around the table, conversation shut down. Stella sat straighter, attention narrowing on us. Maia leaned toward Tobias, pulled in by the shift in the room’s current. Even Xavier looked up from his vidtablet, his dark eyes curious.
“I—” Seth started, then stopped, his gaze finding Luca’s over my shoulder. “Alpha?”
The question held layers. Permission. Boundaries. The careful navigation of pack politics that could either strengthen bonds or shatter them completely.
Luca’s chest rumbled against my back. “The choice is Elara’s. Always.”
I turned slightly, studying Seth. Hope hid beneath his careful composure, his fingers trembling around the mug. My sweet beta, who’d claimed me with such reverence, now asking for something as simple as a kiss.
“Come here,” I whispered. “You know you never have to ask.”
He set the mug down, rising with deliberate care. Each step carried the weight of ceremony, the clan’s eyes heavy on us. He knelt beside Luca’s chair, level with me. Silver flecks glinted in his eyes, his scent threaded with mine. His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb tracing along my jawline with reverent gentleness.
“Are you certain?” he breathed.
Instead of answering with words, I leaned forward, closing the distance between us. Our lips met in a kiss that started soft—tentative exploration, getting reacquainted with the taste of each other in front of an audience. Seth’s lips were warm, yielding yet firm, and I savored the way his breath hitched against my mouth.
Then his hand slid into my hair, fingers threading through my golden strands, tugging gently to angle my head for better access. The kiss deepened, shifting from tender to ravenous, and my toes curled in the plush nest beneath us. His tongue grazed mine, a slow, deliberate sweep that sent sparks racing down my spine.
He tasted like herbal tea—earthy chamomile and mint, laced with a hidden intensity, like secrets whispered in moonlight. Gentle and beautiful. The flavor was uniquely Seth, steady yet electric, and it pulled a soft moan from my throat, the sound muffled against his lips.
The moan drew answering growls—low and primal—from both Luca beneath me and Seth against my lips. Luca’s hands settled on my hips, not restraining but steadying, his fingers pressing into my skin with a warmth that grounded me. Hisbreath was hot against my neck, a teasing contrast to the cool air of the mess hall, and I could feel his gaze, heavy and possessive, as he watched his packmate claim my mouth with increasing desperation.
Seth’s kiss grew hungrier, his tongue exploring deeper, each stroke more desperate, like he was trying to pour every unspoken word into the press of our lips. My hands found his chest, fingers curling into his shirt, feeling the rapid thud of his heart beneath my palms.
The position—caught between them, claimed by both—sent liquid heat spiraling through my core, pooling low in my belly. I pressed closer to Seth, my body arching instinctively, my breasts brushing his chest as I angled into the kiss. His hand tightened in my hair, not painful but insistent, and his other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him.
Luca’s hands flexed on my hips, his thumbs tracing slow circles that made my skin tingle. Seth’s kisses turned fevered, his lips moving against mine with a need that matched my own, each brush and nip stoking the fire inside me.
I nipped his lower lip, tugging lightly, and he groaned, the sound vibrating against my mouth. His hand slid down my back, fingers splaying over the curve of my spine, and I shivered, the sensation amplified by Luca’s steady grip and the heat of his breath against my neck. The air was thick with our scents—my vanilla-lavender, Seth’s citrusy pine, and Luca’s tropical coconut-pineapple musk—blending into a heady haze that made my head spin. I deepened the kiss, my tongue dancing with Seth’s, chasing the taste of him, the way his intensity unraveled into something raw and unguarded.
When we finally broke apart, I was breathless, my lips swollen and tingling. Seth’s pupils were blown wide, his gray-blue eyes dark with want, his breathing unsteady. “Stars,” he breathed, his voice rough, reverent, like I’d undone him witha single kiss. I felt Luca’s chuckle rumble against my back, his hands still steady on my hips, and I knew he’d felt every moment of that kiss, just as I had.
“My turn,” Seth said, straightening slowly, his voice carrying newfound confidence. His gray-blue eyes found mine, then shifted to something more calculating as they flicked over to Jaxom with a spark of mischief. “Elara, I dare you to kiss Jaxom—but from between Luca’s legs.”
The words struck like a blow, their meaning clear to everyone. The position he’d dared me into wasn’t only about submission—it was about power, dominance, an image that would burn itself into every mind watching.
I’d admitted my interest in Jaxom, but I hadn’t had the chance to really explore it… not yet. And this was his way to give me that chance, with his blessing, in front of everyone.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, though it wasn’t embarrassment. It was something sharper—the thrill of what he’d asked. Of what it would mean to be displayed like that, before the clan.
“Seth.” Luca’s warning was low.
“It’s her choice,” Seth replied, meeting his alpha’s gaze without flinching. “Just like you said.”
Across the table, Jaxom had gone still, his dark gaze wide, his glass forgotten in his grip. The financial genius who could navigate complex trades with ease looked utterly lost at the prospect of this intimacy—of what could come of this moment.
My body moved before my mind finished deciding, instinct overriding thought.
I slipped from Luca’s lap, hearing his sharp intake of breath, and rose to stand between his legs. His hands immediately claimed my hips, fingers splaying possessively across the curve of my thighs, anchoring me with a touch that was both steady and reverent.
The air shifted, charged with the weight of the moment—Maia’s sharp gasp cut through the silence, Stella’s approving hum warmed the room, and Sylas’s muttered curse carried a grudging respect.
Standing between Luca’s legs, I felt like a prized possession displayed for his consideration, the symbolism heavy and unspoken—omega supported by her alpha, yet free to explore the bonds that could bind us all.
“Come here, Jaxom,” I called softly.
He rose from his seat, and approached with measured steps, as if a sudden movement might shatter the spell weaving through the room. When he stopped before me, close enough that his scent enveloped me, the warmth of cedar and the sharp bite of winter storms flooded my senses, making my knees weak. The space between us seemed to hum, alive. My heart thudded, caught by the pull of his nearness, stirring my omega instincts into a soft, satisfied purr.
