Dakota blinks, then smiles a little too fast. “It was very real. Tadeo was looking for something to help him pump up, and my uncle told him to check out the shop I worked at.”
I nod again, still trying to pretend like everything’s perfectly normal.
But I still have the biggest question to ask.
“And… Brayden.” The name catches in my throat, and suddenly my pulse stumbles, a low thrum of panic pressing at my ribs. “He’s dead. Right?”
Knox nods slowly, his voice so soft, almost apologetic. “Yes, sweetheart. He’s dead.”
And just like that, my pack alpha’s words fill the air like a slow-moving echo.
He’s dead.
Dead.
Dead.
It’s really over.
I just stand there, staring at Knox. Waiting for the guilt to hit, or the panic, or the grief—anything. But instead, something loosens deep inside me. A knot I didn’t even realize I’d been holding unravels all at once.
My chest expands, and the first real breath I’ve taken in what feels like years shudders out of me. It’s dizzying. Wrong and right all at the same time.
I shouldn’t feel this light. I shouldn’t feelfree.
But I do.
“Sky.” Knox shifts, tension rippling through the bond,his breath catching like he’s afraid to say the wrong thing. “Sweetheart. I?—”
“Thank you.” I cut him off.
Knox blinks, a little shocked.
“Thank you,” I repeat, softer this time, turning my gaze to each of them—Alex, Tadeo, Dakota. “Thank you for saving me.” My throat feels tight, words barely scraping out. “I should probably say or do something more, but I don’t know what.” My fingers twist in my shirt, grounding myself as I look at them—these men who’ve fought and bled and held me.
“I’ve never had someone love me the way you four did last night,” I whisper. “It was horrible. Violent. Terrifying.” My voice cracks, shame flooding hot across my cheeks. “And it was…beautiful.”
The last word is barely audible, trembling and unsure.
The silence that follows feels heavy, not judgmental—just full. Full of everything I don’t know how to say, and everything they already understand.
For a heartbeat, no one moves.
Then something shifts in the air—soft, unspoken, and somehow heavy with affection.
Alex steps forward first, then Tadeo, and before I can react, I’m wrapped up in them. Their big bodies close in around me, solid and warm, pressing me between them in a safe, snuggly hug.
I suddenly feel Knox’s hand slide to the back of my head, Dakota’s palm flattens against my spine as Alex wraps one arm around the beta. Their scents surround me—smoke, citrus, coconut, lilac—all twining together.
My chest aches with something fierce and tender. For once, I don’t fight it. I let myselfmelt into them.
We all hold each other, snuggling deep into each other's arms, until….
A sharp scent cuts through the air.
“Shit!” Tadeo jerks back so fast he nearly elbows Alex in the face as he darts toward the stove. He snatches the pan off the burner, grimacing. “It’s ruined,” he mutters, waving the smoke away.
Alex tries for a smile, but his voice cracks when he says, “Don’t worry about it, alpha. We’ve got cereal.”
