Page 63 of Knot Forever

I pick up on the shift in the room, and my head swivels between them. Unease makes my stomach twist. “What is it? Just tell me.”

“Nova…” Seth sighs, taking my hand. “Your parents owed money to the Williams pack, sweetheart. That’s why your mother was so set on you mating with them. They were pushing her to give you to them as repayment.”

I wait for shock to fill me, indignation, but instead, there’s only a sad sort of resignation. “I feel like I should be horrified by that, but it makes a weird kind of sense.”

And strangely, I almost feel glad that that’s the reason, even if it makes it worse that my mother tried to sell me to them when she knew how they treated me.

“At least I know why now,” I murmur. “Closure is a funny thing.”

“Closure is right,” Asher rumbles. “You never have to think about any of that again, Nova, unless you want to.”

Some of his earlier words finally penetrate, and I give him a small smile. “So. Nova King, huh? Sounds pretty perfect to me.”

Chapter twenty-eight – Nova

AnewmessagefromMarcus pops up as I’m fiddling and moving things around in my nest, and my heart flips inside my chest as I open it. He’s been teasing me with progressively filthier messages over the last few days, and I can’t take another—

I stop, staring at the screen.

It’s a date.

Today’s date, in fact.

And a reminder of what’s left on his list.

Clean, soft bedding for Nova

Showers

Massage

Foreplay

Sex

Warmth spreads through my body, and I press my hands to my cheeks. They feel hot, just from a few words on a screen.

It’s late afternoon, so I wait not-so-impatiently, rearranging things in the nest and checking the clock every five minutes until I think I might go crazy.

Seth coaxes me out for pasta at dinnertime, but Asher is held up at work and there’s still no sign of Marcus. Seth refuses to answer when I push him, his eyes twinkling as he shakes his head.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he says cheerfully, kissing the top of my head as he moves past. “Marcus is running this show. He’ll show up soon.”

“But this is his routine.” I twirl some pasta around my fork. I don’t want Marcus to feel like he has to change things around for me.

“Well,” Seth suggests softly. “Maybe he thinks you’re worth changing things for.”

An hour later, I’m starfishing grumpily on my bed in full omega pouting mode when there’s a knock on the door and I scramble to answer it.

Marcus looks nervous as he turns to look at me. “Nova. Did you get my message?”

Nodding, I swallow back my own unexpected surge of nerves. “Are you sure about this, Marcus?”

“Absolutely,” he says instantly. His certainty helps to settle the fluttering in my stomach as we head to his room, my hand clasped tightly in his.

When he pushes the door open, I lose all the breath in my lungs. “Oh, Marcus.”

“I did some research,” he admits. “I hope this is alright.”

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