Page 76 of Knot Her Beta

“It matters to a lot of people.” I tap my fingers on the wheel. “Either way, when I said no, that was it. I was making a spectacle of myself, wanting to find a true bondmate. Embarrassing the family name. So, here I am, also hoping that love was worth giving up a stable life.”

I clear my throat. “What I mean to say is that you’re not alone. And you’re not foolish for chasing happiness. It’s better than living with the alternative.”

“Is Emily your true bondmate?” Grady asks.

My hand moves to my sternum, flattening over the spot where the flutter lives. “Yeah. She is.”

“What does it feel like?”

“The bond... it’s this thing behind your ribs, like a second heartbeat. It flutters when your bondmate is near, or when you think about them, or when they’re hurting and you can feel it even when you’re miles apart.”

I swallow and return my hand to the steering wheel. “I nearly destroyed it through my own distrust of Alphas, and then by hurting Emily, but it survived, and now I want to complete it.”

Grady stares out the windshield. “Betas don’t get flutters.”

“No,” I agree, feeling both sad and envious of that fact. There are so many people I would have given more of a chance if I hadn’t been chasing that connection.

“There’s no way for us to know if someone’s right,” Grady continues. “You just... guess. Hope.”

I laugh, but it’s gentle. “Flutters aren’t love, Grady. They’re about compatibility. Not even romantic compatibility. The Wright Alphas were bondmates for years before Chloe came along and completed the family. The bond told them they could work as a pack. It didn’t tell them they’d fall in love with a pink-haired Omega who writes monster porn.”

That draws a laugh from him.

“Love is different.” I ease off the gas as the road curves. “It’s the yearning to be with someone regardless of whether it fits into other people’s expectations. It’s the longing for home, not as a place, but as the people who quiet that restless urge to keep searching.”

The words hang between us. I mean every one.

“I joined the Wright Pack for safety, and because I care about Quinn. That kid...” I shake my head. “But Quinn will grow up. She’ll find her own path someday. Quinn isn’t my home.”

I take a breath. “Emily is home. Wherever she is, that’s where I want to be. With her. With Jared. With...” I trail off and glance at Grady.

He’s watching me, his hazel eyes clear and steady.

“Isn’t that true for you, too?” I ask.

Grady doesn’t answer right away. The road descends toward the coast, and the first hint of salt reaches me through the vents, clean enough to cut through the lingering scent of asphalt and exhaust. Pinecrest is close now. The harbor. The cottage.

Emily.

“Yeah,” he says at last. “Maybe it is.”

I nod, and we drive the rest of the way in silence.

Chapter Twenty

Emily

The third pizza slides onto the cooling rack with a hiss of steam. I wipe flour from my hands onto my jeans and glare at the oven timer. One more pizza to go. I should’ve gone to the airport.

“Leif will be fine,” Jared says from his perch on the counter, legs swinging, a slice of pepperoni pinched between his fingers.

He pops it into his mouth and chews with the smug satisfaction of a man who’s been stealing toppings all afternoon.

“That’s not the point.” I drop the pizza cutter into the sink with a clatter. “Those two haven’t spoken properly in months. What if they spend the entire drive not talking?”

“Then it’ll be one long, awkward trip back to Pinecrest.” Jared steals another pepperoni. “But I have faith in our Omega. Leif’s been doing a good job of earning forgiveness. One could even say he’s been eager.” He punctuates the sentence with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Heat flushes my cheeks. “Shut up.”