Page 17 of Knot Shattered
It felt like healing. It felt like hope.
“So... this is my job,” I said, waving awkwardly at the chaotic beauty around me, hoping, praying, to steer the conversation onto something lighter. Something that didn’t feel like a weight pressing against my ribs.
Henry snorted from behind me, loud and thoroughly unimpressed. “Real smooth, kid.”
I shot him a look over my shoulder, sighing dramatically. “I tried, okay? It’s just…” I waved vaguely at the air between us, “Too depressing to keep wallowing in.”
A low chuckle rumbled out of Haze, warm and unbothered, as he stepped forward, hands half-lifted like he wanted to reach for me. Instinct flared too fast in my chest, panic tightening my throat. Before I could stop myself, I flinched back a little, gritting my teeth against the reaction.
Haze froze instantly, his playful expression collapsing into something raw and heartbroken. He dropped his hands back to his sides, stepping slower, gentler, giving me space.
“Sorry,” I blurted, wrapping my arms around myself. “Maybe... just slower? For a little while?”
For a heartbeat, he just stood there, looking like I’d gutted him without lifting a finger. But then, carefully, so carefully, he moved forward again. Slow enough that I could see every breath he took, slow enough that I could say no if I needed to.
When I didn’t move away, he slipped his arms around me and drew me gently against his chest.
I breathed him in, mint, cedar, and that crisp bite of frosted pine, and it slammed into me like a memory of wintermornings. Of snow crunching under boots and the unshakable feeling of home.
A soft, rumbling purr stuttered to life beneath my ear, shaky at first, then steadier, vibrating through his chest and into mine. His hand slid slowly up and down my back, careful and comforting, like he was memorizing the shape of me with every pass.
I let myself sag into him for a moment, my forehead pressing lightly to his shoulder, the tightness in my chest unwinding one slow beat at a time. The warmth of him, the steady rhythm of his heart, the sound of that broken, hopeful purr. It stitched pieces of me together in ways I didn’t know I still needed.
After a few breaths, guilt prickled at the edges of my mind. I pushed back slightly, hands landing against his chest. “Oh no! I’m getting dust all over you.” I was covered in it. Hell, the whole room was covered in it. I really needed to blow some of this out.
Haze just tightened his arms a little more, purring louder now, smiling down at me with a softness so bright it nearly undid me. “I don’t care, my sun,” he murmured, voice rough with feeling. “I only care that you’re here. In my arms. Right where you belong.”
My throat ached, the edges of my vision blurring for half a second with emotions I wasn’t ready to name. I didn’t know if I belonged anywhere yet. I knew damn well I deserved it though. I wouldn’t let those bastards win.
I barely had time to catch my breath before Haze gave a mischievous little grin—one I was quickly learning meant trouble.
Still holding me against his chest, he turned slightly, casting a look over his shoulder at the others. “Well?” he drawled. “You just gonna stand there looking pretty, or are you gonna get in here?”
I blinked up at him, confused, and everything happened simultaneously.
Ravik was the first to move. I wasn't sure with a low rumble of something that might have been a laugh or a threat directed at Haze. He stepped forward and wrapped a solid, careful arm around my back, enclosing me between them like a living shield. He smelled like smoke and worn leather, grounding and steady.
Salem followed more cautiously, one eyebrow arched like he wasn’t entirely sure this was a good idea, but unwilling to be left out. He slipped into the embrace with a soft chuckle, tucking himself into the side with a kind of casual grace that somehow made it less overwhelming.
Micha was last, and his approach was slower, more deliberate. His hand brushed lightly against my lower back first, almost asking permission before he fully closed the circle. When I didn’t pull away, he added his solid warmth to the growing, chaotic knot of bodies.
I was completely surrounded.
And I didn't feel trapped for the first time in what felt like forever. I felt... safe. Wrapped up in a human fortress made entirely of strong arms, steady heartbeats, and the faint, mingled scents of cedar, mint, smoke, and something uniquely Micha—like rain and earth after a storm.
Of course, the moment of tender perfection lasted exactly three seconds before Haze, unable to leave anything seriousalone for too long, shifted his grip and accidentally elbowed Salem squarely in the ribs.
“Watch it, you menace,” Salem grunted, pushing back just hard enough to jostle all of us like dominoes.
Ravik growled low in his throat, giving Haze a warning shove that sent him stumbling half a step, but because Haze still had an arm around me, I went with him.
“Ah! Odette’s going down!” Haze yelped dramatically.
I squealed, laughing despite myself as I flailed for balance, grabbing wildly at Salem’s jacket. He caught me easily, pulling me upright with a muttered, “You’re all children.”
Micha just shook his head, his lips twitching with barely contained laughter. “We really need to work on our group hugs.”
Still leaning against the workbench, Henry crossed his arms and grinned like he was thoroughly entertained. “This is why omegas live longer than alphas. No dumbass herd instincts.”
