Page 38 of Knot Now Knot Ever

Shaking my head, I shifted my hold on Lyra so my hand rested on her back instead of holding her. I didn’t want her to think I planned to hold her against her will now that she wasn’t in flight or fight mode. She willingly let me guide her out of Fawn’s room and paused in the hall so I could close the door.

“Lyra, I’m sorry I barked at you. I was afraid you’d hurt yourself running off in such a fright,” I explained. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like I walked in on a tense moment between you and the others. Tanner gave us the highlights of your meeting today, and I understand if you might be upset about how that went down. Would you be willing to give us a little time to talk things through? I’d hate for you to leave on this note.”

She lifted her cobalt gaze to meet mine, and I had to hold myself back from marching back into that room to slug whoever put that look of despair on her face. “I don’t know that talking will fix this, but it’s something you all should know.”

Unable to ignore her pain, I cupped her cheek. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can figure something out.” I wrapped her up in a hug, knowing it helped Fawn to be held whenever he was upset. Dropping a kiss on her head, I kept her close as I led her down the hall. “Come on, sweetheart, let me make you some tea while we wait for those two.”

“Tea sounds perfect,” Lyra said, melting against my side.

Fawn’s room was on the top floor of our house because he liked the view of the river, and I couldn’t blame him. It was one of the best views in the house. However, it also meant it was a pain in the ass to go up and down four flights of stairs in our five-story home, which is why we had an elevator installed, making it much more convenient. We’d also renovated the top floor so there was a second living room to hang out in that had access to the rooftop patio. During the summers, it was the perfect getaway and where we tended to grill and eat most nights.

“Just how big is your house that you need an elevator?” Lyra asked as I hit the button.

I chuckled, expecting her reaction. “We’re on the fifth floor,” I explained. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking to climb a mountain whenever I want to snuggle with my little cub.”

The elevator wasn’t huge. It holds two people at most, but it fits our needs and keeps us from going up five flights of stairs multiple times a day. I hit the button for the main floor, where the typical home environment was. The elevator could also take us down one more level to the garage, which was under street level but worked out for the best since we had to store three cars. Pascal didn’t drive much since he worked from home, but we all agreed if something happened, he needed wheels.

When we bought this place, it had been set up to rent out as three different apartments, but we remodeled it to become a single home. One perk of that setup was Pascal got a whole floor that was set up as his own apartment, meaning he could have his bedroom and office along with a simple kitchen for lunch breaks. Of course, we always tried to eat together as a family most days, but having that option for Pascal guaranteed he’d eat three meals a day. The man was known for getting lost in his work and forgetting time existed.

“Wow, your home is beautiful,” Lyra gasped as the doors revealed the main floor.

With so many personalities, it was a struggle to agree on the style of our house. We ultimately decided to keep the common spaces neutral, but we could do whatever we wanted in our rooms or personal space. Our designer had asked us to pick two things that were important to us to enjoy our home and designed their plan based on that information, and we were amazed at how perfect it turned out. They called it modern luxury with a dash of cozy cottage.

I brought Lyra over to what Fawn liked to call the cuddle couch. It was an extra-wide chaise so two or three people could fit if they cuddled nice and close. It was overstuffed, and when you stretched out, it felt like a warm hug. Without even thinking, I grabbed the chunky knit blanket Fawn loved to cuddle up with, tucked it around Lyra’s legs, and kissed her forehead. She blushed and dropped her gaze to stroke the soft material, making her seem so fragile.

“What kind of tea do you like?” I asked. “I’m pretty sure we’ve got almost every kind you can think of.”

“Ah… white tea is my favorite, but that’s not something people tend to buy, so whatever you want to choose is fine with me,” Lyra answered.

“I just might have some. Let me go look,” I commented, heading for the kitchen. “My doctor told me a few years back I was drinking too much coffee, and it might be the cause of my insomnia. He encouraged me to find other things I enjoyed drinking and suggested tea. I didn’t know anything about tea or even where to start, so I joined one of those tea-of-the-month subscriptions,” I shared and pulled open the drawer where I kept all my tea.

One year for Christmas, Pascal got me a custom-made organizer that would fit perfectly in this awkward drawer that was too wide and rather shallow. At first, I didn’t see the thoughtfulness behind the gift, knowing he hated the overflowing basket I’d been keeping my tea in. Now I don’t know how I would function or ever know what I had or didn’t. Like in this situation, I knew to look in the section where I kept unique blends.

“Ha, would you look at that,” I cheered, pulling three packets out of the drawer and waving them. “Let’s see… I have peach white tea, silver needle, and rose white tea.”

Lyra smiled at my excitement, and I was momentarily stunned at just how radiant she looked. This was the first time we’d really been alone and had her attention focused on me.

“The peach sounds delicious,” Lyra answered.

I smiled back and nearly crashed into the open drawer when I turned to start the kettle. Letting out a nervous laugh, I shut the damn thing and successfully flipped the lever on the kettle. Normally, I wasn’t a shy guy, and even if I had been, my job wouldn’t allow me to stay that way. Part of being in the beauty industry was you sold yourself as much as your services. If you could master the skill of making any client who sat in your chair comfortable, you’d build a loyal following even if you were shit at cutting hair. People wanted to feel safe with the person they entrusted their image to, and that’s the hardest skill to learn in this business.

I’d always been a heftier guy and the friend with a great personality, but not the one you’d see yourself dating. I knew I wasn’t the ideal Alpha image, which made getting to where I am harder, but I never questioned whether I earned my place. No one gave me a pass simply because I was handsome and would bring in customers just so they could say that hunk Zachary did my hair.

It was an understatement to say my family was shocked when it turned out I was an Alpha and not a Beta like everyone thought. My mother then started to pressure me to lose weight, exercise, and force me to fit the ideal looks of an Alpha. I don’t blame her. She truly wanted to give me the best chance in a society where certain designations should all meet some insane standard of image and status.

Once I found my passion for cutting hair and how I could help people on their journey to love themselves, it taught me to do the same for myself. My parents had been worried since I told them I didn’t want to attend college, but I knew it wasn’t the right environment for me. One of my teachers had us all take a test before our major exams to see how we learned best. I could have told anyone who asked that sitting in a room listening to a person drone on and on wasn’t it for me. However, I was surprised to see I’d scored the highest in hands-on learning. When I stopped to think about it, I realized how true that test was. Anytime I could have someone show me what to do and walk me through doing it myself, I’d never have to be shown again.

The kettle chimed, letting me know the water was ready. I grabbed a mug, got the tea brewing, pulled the sugar and honey from the cupboard, and filled a small cream pitcher. The mug was one I’d gotten for Fawn and looked like a little bear holding a heart. The heart was actually a little slot to place a cookie for the person to dunk in their drink. My favorite thing was to have a gingersnap with my tea, as did Fawn, so I figured I’d offer the same thing to Lyra.

Arms slid around my waist and under my shirt, telling me it was Fawn. He always preferred skin-to-skin contact when he could get away with it. “My sexy papa bear,” Fawn murmured, pressing himself against me. “I’ve been such a good boy today waiting for you like you asked.”

My chest rumbled with a purr, loving the breathy sound of my needy Omega’s voice. Twisting to face Fawn, I slipped a hand between us and cupped his cock, checking to see if he was telling the truth. Sure enough, his little cocklet was still in the cage I’d put on him after I made him come from my fingers in his tight little ass. He’d been worried that being around Eli and Lyra might cause him to lose control over his hypersexual nature. The last time he struggled, we found that putting him in a physical chastity cage helped his brain to understand now was not the time.

I slid my hand under his skirt and pulled aside the underwear so I could run a finger over his asshole. “What a good little cub,” I murmured, kissing his neck. “You just have to wait a little longer. Then I’ll thrust my knot nice and deep in this needy hole of yours.”

Fawn’s whole buddy shuddered as I teased the entrance, feeling how wet he was getting. “Will you promise to knot my needy womb? You know how badly I want to give you a baby and make you a real papa bear.”

A possessive growl burst out of me as I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck as my finger felt for the opening to his boy pussy. When I felt the secondary opening, I thrust my finger as deep as I could, causing Fawn to cry out in pleasure.