Page 55 of Believe It or Knot: Part Two

“And we’d be lying if we said we don’t have some trauma from our first attempt. Gods, Demi.” Knox swallowed, running a hand over his platinum beard before continuing roughly, “We almost lost you. I mean—fuck!Wedid. For weeks. And it killed every single one of us inside.”

“So yeah,” Thane jumped in. “We’re gun shy. Scratch that. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m fuckingterrified.Putting your name back on the registry before we’ve dealt with the threat of your old pack seems counterintuitive. I need you safe more than I long to give in to my desire to sink my teeth so far into your throat they’ll be able to see my mark from space.”

I snort-laughed, and my tension broke. “I don’t know whether that image is sweet or its own brand of terrifying.”

“Sweet. We’re going to go with sweet.” Thane grinned, and the brightness of it eased more of the stress that had a chokehold on my heart.

Jamison murmured, “Never doubt our devotion to you, Demi Leigh.”

I winced at his use of my full name.

Gazing into his gruff face, I cupped his cheek and scratched my fingers through his dark beard. “Are you mad?”

He arched a questioning brow, but his fingers played against the skin of my side. “Do I sound mad?”

“I don’t know,” I hedged.

“Demi, look at me,” he ordered. “I may be slightly cross that you didn’t come to us with your concerns, but I’m not mad, Sweetness.Nevermad. I do, however, hate the idea of you worrying about our intentions. I thought we made it abundantly clear that you’re ours, Little Omega. Body, heart, and fucking soul. You own each of us. There’s not anything on this earth that could keep us from you. Not your old pack or the OMA’s rules.”

Mr. Hurst coughed, then cleared his throat, hiding a smile. “Sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m an Alpha with his own Omega, so I understand exactly where they’re coming from.”

“Does that mean you’ll help us?” I asked with an edge of pleading. I needed this one thing in my life to work out.

“The rules we have set in place are there for a reason,” he said evasively. “They ensure every Omega is afforded the very best match possible.”

“So I’d have to go through the whole process of matching with a pack?” Distress and concern wormed their way in, making me question everything I thought I wanted. “If there’s a chance I’ll end up with a different pack, I don’t want to do this.”

Growls tore from my men. They echoed in my chest.

“These are my mates, and I won’t be separated from them again.”

“A lovely sentiment, and one I will not contest as long as they remain your choice at the conclusion of the matching process.”

Thane shoved a hand through his golden hair, appearing troubled. “We’re scent-matched. You know that, right?”

“I thought that may be the case,” Mr. Hurst murmured, more to himself than to us. “But it only augments my point. You should have no problem letting her explore her options, knowing she’ll come back to you in the end,” he challenged.

Hades crossed his arms, and Eli looked pained. Jamison narrowed his eyes resolutely while Thane tipped his face to the heavens, praying quietly to the Fates. Leo’s head dropped into his hands and he dug his fingers into his messy brown hair while Knox’s jaw ticked and he blew out a bolstering breath.

It was Knox who broke the silence. “What about her safety?”

“Obviously, we need to earn your trust, given recent events, but with the help of the FBI, Pack Jacobs, and your own pack,”—he nodded toward the rest of the guys—“we’re well on our way toward containing the breach. Now that we know the mastermind behind the abductions, we’re monitoring his every move along with those of his packmates. I feel as though I can confidently say we at the OMA can andwillensure Demi’s safety as we figure out this unprecedented situation together.”

As nicely stated as it was, I couldn’t quite tame the undulating anxiety in the pit of my stomach.

Putting myself out there with OMA was risky.

Then again, so was remaining unbonded and living my life in hiding.

There were no perfect choices, and the stakes were high.

You wanted control over your own life, Demi Leigh. So, take it.

Standing from Jamison’s lap, I turned to face them all. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I took a deep, steadying breath. “I‘d like to go to the OMA and make our relationship official. I’ve spent too much time hiding, and I’m done. I want your bites on my skin, and I’m desperate to claim you all in return. What do you think?”

Six purrs rumbled to life, creating a soothing vibration that beckoned to me. The thunder of it sank into my veins and set me on fire. Those sounds were a declaration—a promise that preceded the crescent-shaped marks that would soon decorate my body like natural tattoos.

These men? They only purred forme.

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