Page 81 of Ready or Knot

Carter palms my thigh, his finger tracing just under the hemmed slit of my skirt.

“I’m glad I didn’t,” I whisper, biting my lip before looking at each of them. “Because I don’t think I would have been able to imagine a scenario like this. I know you guys have been through so much waiting to be matched.”

Logan squeezes my knee. Jude’s Adam’s apple moves with his swallow.

“But it feels like the Council knew from the beginning of my designating that I was meant for you. It feels like it was always supposed to be you. And I can’t imagine being matched with anyone else. I don’t want to.”

Logan grasps my chin, turning me to him, his lips soft against mine. I sink into the kiss, letting it be another method of conversation like it has been from the beginning, from that dance at the gala.

When he pulls away, he whispers, “You’re it, Red. Always.”

Jude leans forward, palming my waist. “I’d wait another four years if that’s what it took, Fae,” he says, stoic but with a thread of emotion that has butterflies welling in my belly.

“Little Omega,” Carter murmurs against my ear. I turn to him, and he takes my face in his hands, kissing me thoroughly before pulling away. “I’m so thankful. You’re perfect.”

I’m not, but I let the words wash over me anyway.

Jude grabs the folder and pulls out an innocuous looking form before pulling a pen from his pocket.

“We’d thought about whether or not to make this part more public,” Logan admits, running his hand up my thigh as Jude hands me both items. “But we decided we wanted it to be more intimate.”

I quirk my lips, nodding as I look over the final form from the Council. All three of them have already signed it, their signatures crisp and clean. And dated to four days ago, right after my heat ended. Their confidence is a balm to my soul, and I smile fully, carefully signing my name so it’s as perfect as theirs so I can hang it in my room once the Council sends it back after we file it.

Jude’s on me the moment I’m finished, but Carter grunts, interrupting our kiss before it can really even get started. Jude sighs but sits back on the coffee table, his eyes locked on me as Carter pulls something from his pocket.

Logan kisses the crook of my shoulder, his lips warm against my pulse point. My breath catches as Carter opens a black velvet box, the lights of the living room catching on the pear shaped sapphire, the bands of gold intertwining, forming leaves that are intermixed with small white diamonds.

It’s beautiful.

It’s exactly my taste.

It’s...not what I was expecting.

I look up at Carter. “You got me an engagement ring?” I ask, wonder lacing my voice.

He tips one corner of his lips up, nodding.

One of the things the Council’s pre-gala packets had mentioned was the tradition of gifting an Omega a set of stacking rings, one for each in the pack. I was ready for those, even though I would have had to field questions from my family about what they meant. Logan’s lips are gentle against the shell of my ear, his breath ghosting across my skin, a shiver racing down my spine.

“We wanted something your family would understand, too,” he murmurs. “They matter a lot to you. We didn’t want to ostracize them. There’ll be time to give you the more traditional stacking rings in the future.”

That’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard. I smile, joy making me giggle, and hold out my hand. Carter doesn’t hesitate, pulling the ring and sliding it onto my ring finger, kissing the knuckle above it before kissing me, too.

As they lay me out on the couch, arousal blooming through me, slick coating my thighs, I can’t help but think that this is perfection incarnate.

Thirty-Two

LOGAN

Faedra’s radiant tonight, her hair pulled into one of her claw clips, a simple golden necklace draping around her neck, the small green gem nestling into the hollow of her throat. She smiles as I take her hand, helping her out of the Jeep. The airport is especially crowded tonight, and I keep Faedra close to me as we navigate the main floor, finding the arrivals information.

“Oh shoot,” she says. I squeeze her hand, and she offers me a tight smile. “There’s a lot of people here. I didn’t expect to need to deal with them for an extra half hour.”

I feather a kiss over her temple and then guide her up another level. The crowds here are fewer and significantly more organized, people standing in lines to get checked in for their flights and sort out their baggage costs. I help Faedra into one of the seats looking out over the cargo shipping bay, but the moment I’m situated beside her, she crawls into my lap, tucking her nose into the crook of my shoulder, and I run my hand up her thigh.

“You good, Red?”

“Tired,” she murmurs, grabbing my other hand and lacing her fingers with mine.

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