Page 84 of Knot Broken

“You need me to stay in control. You need this.”

I let out a low hiss as Grey moved forward, his movements strange. His hands cradled her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks, right before he moved to press his body against hers. It was like a circuit had been completed and energy thrummed around the circle. The only sound was everyone’s breathing as we experienced something I couldn’t quite put into words. One long sigh, then all the tension leaving Nadia’s body meant we could finally step backwards.

“Yeah, I really needed that.” She looked impossibly tired as she scrubbed at her face. “More group hugs are definitely on the agenda going forward.”

That had me smiling, right before the reality of our situation came crashing back in.

“You’ll need them to get through your first shift,” I said. “Because I think there’s something blocking you. For me, it was the pain of shifting.” I took a shuddering breath, the memories of my first attempts to shift still able to be conjured with little effort. “More pain than I’d ever been in before and so I fought it. People kept telling me that if I just let it happen, everything would get better.” I shook my head. “Try getting a teenager to understand that.”

“I’m not scared of the pain.” Nadia said that confidently, then frowned. “Other than some brief flashes, I don’t remember what it felt like.”

My eyes met those of the other guys over the top of her head. How could Nadia have blacked out what happened? She was screaming in agony.

We needed to find out, because I was pretty sure this was what was stopping her from shifting.

“Maybe I’m just too much of a latent.” She looked up at the three of us. “Riley said that might be an issue. If you want another mate⁠—”

I pressed a finger to her mouth, because I couldn’t bear to hear the end of that sentence.

“Pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say we have everything we need right here.”

The small smile of hers helped lighten the pressure in my chest.

“We’re all communicating like grown ups.” Tex tilted her face his way. “Being clear on what we want. Now we need to go and get it.”

For once his boundless optimism was a benefit, not a burden, because in this moment, I could believe what he was saying was true.

“Tomorrow, I need to go out for a while,” Grey said and if I felt Nadia stiffen, so did he. “I’ve gotta go and see my foster mother for a bit. She’s the one that helped me get in control of the wolf in the first place, so I need to talk to her, find out how that happened, but right now…” She let out a little yelp as he swept her into his arms. “You need some rest.”

The bedroom door was kicked open and as Grey carried her in, we followed.

“Did you want your nesting materials?” I asked, looking at the mass of blankets with a critical eye. “There’s some softer looking blankets on the couch.”

“Nope.” She plopped down on the bed, then patted the mattress beside her. “I think…” Nadia swallowed, then smiled. “I think I need you guys. Something inside me settles when you’re touching me.”

“The wolf knows who she belongs to,” Tex said, staring down at her with a heated smile.

“But not for sex.” Those words came out a little too fast. “I know I’m not up for that right now.” Her hands raked down her forearms. “I’m still a bit⁠—”

“No need to explain.” I pulled my shirt up and over my head, then slipped my shoes off before sitting down on the bed beside her. “We’re here in whatever capacity you need.” Picking her up and laying her down on the massive bed, I curled up beside her, almost close enough to touch. “How’s this?”

“Good.” The sparkle was back in her eyes. “It’s good.”

“You heard the omega,” I said, eyeing the others.

Tex was like a kid on Christmas day, ripping his shirt and shoes off, ready to throw himself down beside Nadia, but somehow Grey got there first. A sly smile at Tex and then my pack mate was settling down behind Nadia. The smile faded as he got closer. Nostrils flaring, Grey’s eyes were everywhere, trying to get a read on our mate, before he cleared his throat.

“Is this OK?”

“Mm… good.”

Her eyes closed as she nestled into my chest, so she missed the look of awe on Grey’s face, right before he snuggled in close.

“So I’m supposed to cuddle up to Grey?” Tex looked at the bed in horror. “Or Ethan? We need to draw straws or something, because this scenario sucks.”

“Shut up.” Grey and I smiled at each other over Nadia’s head because we’d said that at the exact same time. “Lie down and let our mate rest.”

We’d managed to fuck up everything today, but tomorrow? I’d work out what the fuck I could do to make this situation easier for Nadia and then I’d move heaven and earth to make that happen. With that vow, I closed my own eyes and let sleep take me.