Page 62 of Knot Forever

“Um.” I rub the back of my hand across my cheek to get rid of an itch. “I don’t know, really.”

I frown down into the dish. I enjoy looking after them. It’s easier now that I understand more about Marcus and his routines, and I’m learning more every day. But what do I want to do outside of that?

Plenty of omegas have jobs. It’s not something my mother ever permitted, telling me it was unbecoming, but once I reach my majority, I could work.

“I think… I’d like to help people,” I test the words and they sound right. Marcus carefully lifts the glass, carrying it to the oven and sliding it inside as I set the timer. He grabs a cloth, starting to clean up the mess we’ve left behind.

“You would be excellent at helping people,” he says so quietly that I nearly miss the words. “You help me, Nova. Every day.”

My eyes fill. I’m far too close to my heat for these kinds of conversations. “I do, huh?”

“Mm.” Marcus scrubs a particularly stubborn patch of flour. “You make the world make more sense. And sometimes you push me when I need it.”

“Like cherry bakewells,” I tease him softly, but my heart feels lighter at his words.

He grins. “Just like that. Speaking of which…”

“No!” I’m laughing as Seth and Asher walk in. Seth grabs me for a kiss, ignoring my protests and staring down at the splodges of flour on his dark green shirt.

“I did try to warn you,” I say lightly. Asher is a little more reserved as he presses a kiss to my cheek and sits at the table.

“Come and sit down,” Seth says, tugging on my hand. “We have something for you.”

He looks at Marcus, and I turn to him with a raised eyebrow. “Keeping secrets, Marcus?”

He’s unrepentant as he moves to sit next to Asher in his spot. “This isn’t a secret. We just wanted to tell you together.”

They don’t look concerned, but nerves still twist in my stomach as I sit down. “What is it? Is it the Williams pack?”

Seth taps his fingers on the table, drumming a pattern and raising his eyebrows at me. “You need to accept that sometimes, good things happen, sweetness.”

I blink as Marcus pushes a folder across to me from the center of the table. “What’s this?”

“A gift,” Asher says softly. “For you.”

“I told you,” Seth adds with a crooked grin, “you deserve your happy ending, Nova Chevnik.”

Even Marcus is beaming. “And we got it for you.”

I open the folder and my heart stops, juddering back to life in crooked beats as I stare down at the text in front of me. It’s an emancipation agreement, giving me full control and autonomy over my decision-making. It’s dated from yesterday, and it’s been signed. By my mother.

I’m…free.

My throat burns as I cover my mouth with my hand. The tears come quickly, and there’s a scrambling as I’m surrounded by the three men who just handed me the best gift they possibly could have.

My freedom.

“We want you, Nova,” Asher says firmly. “We want you to be Nova King. Ours.”

“But only because you want to,” Seth jumps in.

A hand slips into my free hand, and I stare up at Marcus through blurry eyes. “Choices are important,” he whispers, and I let out a watery laugh.

“I don’t… I don’t know what to say.”

Seth squeezes my shoulder. “You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart. This changes nothing, as far as we’re concerned. But we wanted you to feel you could make a choice without any more threats hanging over your head.”

Nodding, I wipe my eyes and scan the text. “I can’t believe – how did you get my mother to sign this?”

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