Page 30 of Knot Forever

“Thirty-two,” he says promptly. “Seth is a year younger, and Marcus is the youngest at thirty.”

“Huh. I thought you were older.” He snaps his teeth at me, but there’s a smile hidden there somewhere, I’m sure of it.

“I’m keeping a count of your indiscretions,” he warns me softly. “I can’t wait to see what color that pretty ass turns when I spank it, Nova.”

Gaping at him, I search around for a different topic. “Um… how did your pack come together?”

If they’re different ages, they likely didn’t meet in school, the way that most packs do.

Asher’s face changes quickly, a shadow passing over it. “This might not be a story for today, little one.”

Oh. I look down, fiddling with my blanket. “That’s fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

His hand covers mine, stopping my fingers from moving. “You’re welcome to any information about our pack. But our history isn’t a particularly good one, Nova. I don’t want to cast a shadow over a lovely day.”

I shake my head. “I don’t mind, Asher.”

It’s more than that. I need to know more about them, need to reassure myself that they’re just as real as I am, with their own histories.

Asher leans back on his elbows. “I was born in Washington. Ran away from home when I was twelve.”

It’s not what I expected him to say, and my eyes widen. “You did?”

He nods. “My parents weren’t good people, little one. Quick to drink, quicker to anger, and my father was a little too fond of his belt. Not an uncommon story, really.”

My mouth dries as I imagine a barely teenage Asher trying to make his way in the world. “What did you do? How did you survive?”

He leans back. “I did what all dreamers do, and came to New York. I wanted financial security, and I found someone who would help me get it. For a favor.”

“A favor,” I say, thinking it over. “Influence.”

His brows fly up. “Exactly. It’s how we are where we are now. We have plenty of money, but it’s favors that keep us at the top of the pack chain.”

It makes sense. The slight awe I saw in Violet Maura’s face at the auction, the fear in Adam’s face as he glared at Asher, all of it is adding up.

“And Seth? Marcus?” I ask softly.

“I found Seth a few years after I arrived here. I was starting to make a name for myself, and he was doing the same. Until then, I hadn’t considered forming a pack but when we met, we realized we were stronger together than apart. Both of us came from similar situations.”

I can imagine the two of them together, sizing each other up. “And Marcus?”

“Marcus had it worse than both of us.” He sighs. “His parents never accepted him. Eventually, his grandmother took him in, and we met when he came to us for a job. It turned out he has a phenomenal knack for numbers. When his grandmother passed away, we brought him into the pack. We knew we could trust him, and he…,”

“Needed you,” I whisper. Asher shakes his head with a wry smile.

“I think we needed each other. But we’ve made our own kind of family over the years. I think we all saw ourselves in the others. A found family, if you like.”

A found family. It sounds nice.

“We don’t have a choice over the family we’re born into, Nova,” Asher murmurs. “But we have a choice about the family we join.”

The unspoken offer in his words taunts me, hope blazing dangerously in my chest.

Nodding, I clear my throat. “Thank you. For telling me, I mean.”

“You’re welcome.” Asher gets to his feet, the movement sinuously smooth as he reaches for my glass. “I’ll get you another, and then I think we should get to work.”

I watch as he saunters to the table, pouring me another glass of bubbles and topping his up with water from the jug.

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