Page 90 of Knot in Bloom
“Sadie.” Caleb’s voice is gentle but firm, cutting through my spiral. “Breathe.”
“You’re not giving up anything,” Reid says, moving closer until his bergamot warmth wraps around me. “You’re adding to what you’ve already built. We’re not here to take over your life—we’re here to support it.”
“But what if I’m too set in my ways? What if I can’t adjust to having people around all the time?” The words tumble out, three years of fierce independence warring with the want flooding my system. “I’ve never lived with anyone long-term. I don’t know the rules.”
“There are no rules,” Levi says softly, his cedar scent mixing with Reid’s bergamot to create something soothing. “Just us, figuring it out together as we go.”
“What if I mess it up?” I whisper, the vulnerability in my voice surprising even me.
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” Caleb repeats, sitting on the coffee table so he can face me directly. “That’s what pack means, Sadie. Not perfection—partnership. Not having all the answers—having people who’ll help you find them.”
“You’ve been taking care of this whole town for years,” Reid adds, his hand finding mine. “Let us take care of you for once. Let us help carry what you’ve been carrying alone.”
The simple certainty in their voices, the way they’re not trying to rush me through this moment of doubt, makes something settle in my chest. This is what I want. Not just theheat relief, not just the attraction—this feeling of being caught and supported and understood.
“Forever,” I whisper, meaning it completely now. “I want you forever.”
“Forever it is,” Levi says softly, reaching over to take my other hand. “Starting right now.”
Reid moves closer, his bergamot mixing with Levi’s cedar and Caleb’s sandalwood until I’m surrounded by the scents that have come to mean home. “Are you sure about this, Sadie? Once we start, there’s no going back.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I tell him honestly. “I love you. All of you. And I want to build something beautiful together.”
“We love you too,” Caleb says, his voice rough with emotion. “More than you know.”
When he leans forward to kiss me, it’s soft and sweet and full of promise. But when I part my lips to deepen it, something shifts. The careful restraint they’ve all been maintaining starts to fray.
Levi’s hand finds my other one, fingers intertwining as his cedar scent grows richer. Reid moves closer, his presence warm and steady beside me.
“Let us take care of you,” Caleb murmurs against my lips. “The way we’ve been wanting to for weeks.”
“Please,” I breathe, and feel my body responding to their proximity with a rush of heat and want that no suppressant could ever manage.
The festival was about proving I could build something beautiful in this community.
This is about building something beautiful with the people who matter most.
And as my heat finally breaks free of my failing control, surrounded by the three alphas who’ve claimed my heart completely, I know I’m exactly where I belong.
Chapter 26
Sadie
The word “please” is barely out of my mouth before everything shifts.
I can smell the change in them immediately. Three alphas who’ve been holding back for weeks, suddenly done with restraint. Caleb’s sandalwood goes dark and rich. Levi’s cedar deepens with want. Reid’s bergamot carries an edge that makes my pulse race.
“You’re sure?” Caleb’s hands frame my face, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones. “Because once we start taking care of you like this, there’s no going back to pretending we’re just friends.”
I lean into his touch, my body singing at the contact. “I don’t want to go back. I want this.” The certainty in my voice surprises even me. “All of this.”
“Then let us help,” Reid says, voice carrying quiet authority. “Let us give you what you need.”
My body knows exactly what that is, even if my mind is struggling to catch up. The building ache in my core has moved beyond uncomfortable to actually painful. Every breath floodsmy system with their combined scents, making me dizzy with want.
“I can’t think straight,” I admit, reaching for whoever’s closest. My fingers find Levi’s shirt, gripping the soft fabric like an anchor. “Everything feels like too much.”
“That’s your body responding the way it’s supposed to,” Levi explains gently, his hand covering mine. “Your suppressants are completely gone now. You don’t have to fight this anymore.”
