Page 82 of Knot Your Karma
The weight of their absolute faith in my abilities settles around me like pack scent—protective but not suffocating, supportive without diminishing my agency.
“We should order room service,” Adrian suggests with practical efficiency. “Research Sterling’s collection online, plan approach.”
“Good thinking,” I agree, then pause as something occurs to me. “You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“Six months ago, Blake’s phone call would have sent me into an anxiety spiral that lasted for weeks. I would have spent hours analyzing every word, wondering what I did wrong, trying to figure out how to fix things,” I say, uncurling from the chair. “Today I told him exactly what he deserved to hear and immediately started planning how to handle our next challenge.”
The silence that follows feels different from our usual pack processing.
“That’s what pack does,” Adrian says simply. “Makes you brave enough to be yourself.”
“It’s more than that,” I say, moving to the window whereBoston Harbor spreads out below us like scattered stars. “It’s not just that you make me feel safe enough to speak up. It’s that you make me feel valuable enough to fight for what I want.”
When I turn back, all three are watching me with expressions I can’t quite name—part pride, part wonder, part something that makes my chest tight with emotion.
“Come here,” Declan says, his voice drops into that tone that makes me want to do whatever he suggests, which should probably concern me but doesn’t.
I cross the room slowly, and when I reach the bed, Declan’s hands find my waist, pulling me to stand between his knees.
“You know what I kept thinking during that phone call?” he asks, blue eyes holding mine with alpha intensity.
“What?”
“I kept thinking that’s my omega. Standing up for herself, choosing herself, refusing to be diminished,” his hands spread against my ribcage, warm through expensive fabric. “Strong and confident and absolutely gorgeous when she knows her worth.”
“Our omega,” Reed corrects, rising from his chair . “And definitely worth celebrating. Though I have to say, watching you hang up on Blake was incredibly satisfying. Like justice served with a side of perfect timing.”
“Celebrating what?” I ask, though my pulse is already picking up as pack scent begins to shift around us.
“Everything,” Adrian says, moving to stand beside the bed. “Blake’s call proved something important—you’re not the same omega who let herself be diminished for months. You’re someone who hangs up on manipulation and immediately starts planning the next victory.”
“That feels worth acknowledging,” Reed agrees, something different threading through his voice. “Worth doing properly. And by properly, I mean I think I want to coordinatethis celebration. Make sure you get exactly what you deserve.”
The air in the room shifts into something that’s definitely going to lead to clothing removal, which should probably make me nervous but instead makes me think about how good the thread count is on these hotel sheets.
“How do you want to celebrate?” I ask, stepping closer until I’m surrounded by pack scent and pack attention.
“However you want,” Declan says, hands sliding up to frame my face. “This is about you, about recognizing how far you’ve come.”
“Then I want...” I pause, processing what I actually want instead of what I think I should want. “I want to feel cherished. Not just protected or cared for, but genuinely cherished for who I am instead of who I might become.”
The response is immediate—three bodies going still with the kind of attention that means pack is reading omega signals and very much approving of the direction this is taking.
“We can absolutely do that,” Reed says softly, ocean breeze carrying genuine tenderness. “Actually, I think I want to watch this one. Want to see exactly how beautiful you look when Declan and Adrian show you what celebrating feels like.”
“Want to direct them?” I ask, surprising myself with how breathless I sound.
“Think of me as your personal pleasure coordinator,” Reed settles back into the wingback chair like he’s conducting a very exclusive orchestra, except instead of violins we have alpha territorial instincts and honestly, watching him coordinate this is probably the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. “It’s like diplomatic relations, but with significantly better benefits and a much more interesting outcome.”
The way he talks about me makes something clench lowin my belly that has nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with how much I want this.
“Show her what protection feels like when it’s worship,” Reed addresses Declan. “Make sure she understands exactly how precious she is.”
Reed’s coordination is both incredibly hot and slightly unfair, because watching him direct Declan and Adrian like he’s got a PhD in pack dynamics is doing things to my arousal levels that probably violate several laws of biology.
Declan’s mouth finds mine with renewed purpose, kissing with the kind of reverent intensity that tastes like admiration rather than possession. “So proud of you,” he murmurs against my lips, blue eyes flicking to Reed for approval before returning to me. “So proud of your strength, your intelligence, your absolute refusal to settle for less than you deserve.”
