Knot Happening Again (Claimverse Book 2)

‘You’re not thinking clearly,’ Leon says, his voice low and urgent.

Oh, hell, no.

He did not just say that.

I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms. ‘Don’t tell me what I’m thinking,’ I snap, my energy rallying now that he’s managed to piss me off again. ‘You have no idea what I’ve been through because of this half-mark.’

His eyes widen, a flash of guilt crossing his face.

Good.

He should feel guilty.

‘Ophelia, I⁠—’

“No,” I cut him off. My voice is coming back to me in a rush. “Don’t say another word. You want to know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking about the years I’ve spent in agony because of this… this fucking half mark. The nights I’ve writhed in pain, begging for relief that never came. You have no idea what you’ve put me through, and you’re not about to make yet another decision for me.”

Leon flinches at that, his jaw clenching.

But I can’t stop now.

The words pour out of me like venom.

‘I’ve already dealt with the pain of being tethered to a man who doesn’t want me. I’ve lived it every day for years. So tell me, Leon, how could completing the mark possibly make it worse?’

He opens his mouth, then closes it again, at a loss for words.

‘That’s what I thought,’ I say, my voice bitter. ‘But let’s get one thing straight. If we do this, it doesn’t mean anything changes. Not for me. You’re the one who’d finally be bound by the mark. So if you don’t want that…’

‘Of course I do,’ Leon says quickly, almost desperately. ‘Ophelia, I want⁠—’

‘Fine,’ I cut him off again. ‘Then we’re agreed. It’s just a mark. Nothing more, nothing less.’

Leon seems to want to argue, holding my gaze, but instead, he sighs in resignation. ‘Alright. If this is truly what you want.’

‘It is,’ I say, my voice sounding more certain than I feel.

Than I need to be.

Rhys clears his throat. ‘We can give you two some privacy if⁠—’

‘No,’ I say, turning to face him. ‘I want you to stay.’ I glance at the others. ‘Maybe… just Rhys. If that’s okay.”

Maddox gives me a reassuring smile. ‘Of course it is, darling. You’re the one who calls the shots here.’

I sigh shakily in relief.

I’m glad I don’t have to worry about the rest of the pack jockeying with each other at a time like this. As protective as they are, they’ve always put my needs first.

At least… all but the one I’m about to let mark me.

And this time, it’s for real.

But I meant what I said before. The half-mark was torture. It can’t be any worse to finally have it completed. If anything, maybe it’ll clear my head not to have this incomplete thing always begging in the back of my mind for resolution.

Leon is already in my life.

We’re already bound as a pack.

Maybe completing the mating bond will make it easier to keep him at the emotional distance I need him to be at, as counterintuitive as that seems.

Surprise flickers across Rhys’s face, followed by something else.

Interest?

Desire?

It’d better not be desire.

And I’m sure it is, but now isn’t the time to ream him about it.

‘We’ll be close, if you need us,’ Troy says, and even though I can tell he’s not thrilled about leaving me with Leon, it means a lot that he’s willing to support my decision.

‘Are you sure?’ Leon asks once the three of us are alone, his voice strained.

I nod. “I’m sure. But don’t ask me again.”

The tension in the room is thick enough to choke on. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s about to happen. Part of me still can’t believe I’m going through with this, but I’m tired.

Tired of the pain.

Tired of fighting my own body.

Tired of not knowing when this bonding sickness is going to come out of nowhere and slam into me like a freight train.

Leon approaches me slowly, like I’m a wild animal he’s afraid of spooking. He should probably be more afraid I’ll kick him in the balls. His scent washes over me—pine and smoke and something uniquely him—and my body responds instantly.

But my heart remains frozen.

He reaches out, his hand hovering near my face. ‘May I?’

I nod, not trusting my voice. His fingers brush my cheek, and I hate how good it feels. How right. I close my eyes, trying to block out the conflicting emotions warring inside me.

‘Look at me,’ Leon murmurs.

I open my eyes, meeting his gaze.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers. ‘For everything.’

Before I can respond, he leans in and kisses me.

It’s soft at first, almost hesitant, but then something inside me snaps. I grab the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss, putting everything that’s been pent up for so many years into it.

My longing.

My heartache.

My hatred.

He groans, his hands moving to my waist. I lose myself in the sensation, in the taste of him, in the way our bodies fit together like they were made for each other. It’s infuriating how good it feels, how easily my body remembers his touch.

We break apart, both breathing heavily.

I glance over at Rhys, who’s watching us with undisguised hunger in his eyes. The sight sends a jolt of heat through me.

‘Come here,’ I say to him, holding out my hand.

Rhys doesn’t hesitate. He takes my hand, and I pull him close, kissing him with the same intensity I kissed Leon with. He tastes different—honey and sandalwood—but it’s just as intoxicating.

I feel Leon press against my back, his lips finding the sensitive spot where my neck meets my shoulder. Right where the half-mark is.

I gasp into Rhys’s mouth, my body trembling.

Clothes are shed hastily, falling to the floor in a forgotten heap. It’s a relief with the fever, even if I’m not in heat. I find myself on my back, Leon hovering over me while Rhys kisses a trail down my neck.

It’s overwhelming, the sensations, the scents, the heat building inside me. I arch my back, seeking more contact, more friction, more everything.

Leon’s strong hands grip my hips, lifting me effortlessly. He turns me to face him, pulling me onto his lap. His eyes lock with mine, dark with desire.

‘Use me,’ he says, voice rough. ‘Take what you need. Set the pace.’

His words unfurl something deep within me. Something I didn’t know was still even there. I crush my lips to his, desperate for more contact. Slowly, I lower myself onto him, gasping as he fills me. It feels too good. I have to fight back the emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

I pause, adjusting to the stretch. Leon’s buried deep inside me, everything but his knot. He starts to move, driving up into me with slow, deep thrusts. His lips find mine again, then trail down my neck.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he whispers against my skin, worshiping me with every touch.

His mouth brushes over the bandage covering my half-mark. I brace for pain, but instead, a wave of relief washes over me.

‘I’m sorry,’ Leon murmurs, starting to pull away.

‘No,’ I breathe. ‘It… it feels good.’

An ache I’ve grown numb to is soothed by it. A part of me I usually keep locked away in a rusty cage surges, and I let it.

For now.

Only for now.

Only for this.

I start to ride him, rolling my hips in a steady, relentless rhythm. Rhys moves behind me, his fingers finding my clit. He kisses the other side of my neck, and I moan at the dual sensation.

They work in perfect sync, Leon thrusting up as Rhys circles my clit. I try to relax, to take more of Leon, but it’s not enough.

I need more.

Rhys’s hand slides lower, and I feel a finger probing at my other entrance. ‘Is this okay?’ he asks, his breath hot against my ear.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

I nod frantically. ‘Yes, please.’

He works one finger in slowly, then two, using the slick pooling between my thighs and stretching me carefully. The fullness is incredible, but still not enough to satisfy the desperate need clawing at me.

‘Do you want to take us both?’ Rhys asks, his voice strained with barely contained desire.

The question sends a jolt of heat through me. It should be too much. But when they touch me, the sickness that’s plagued me for years fades away. My body recognizes what it’s been craving all this time—Leon’s touch, completed by the pack bond we all share.

‘Yes,’ I gasp. ‘I want you both.’

Rhys lets out a low growl of approval. He positions himself behind me, the blunt head of his cock pressing against my entrance.

Slowly, he pushes in.

The stretch burns, but in the best way. I cry out, overwhelmed by the fullness, the pleasure bordering on pain. They give me time to adjust, peppering my skin with kisses and gentle caresses.

When I start to move again, they match my rhythm. It’s too much and not enough all at once. I’m drowning in sensation, in their scents mingling with mine.

My orgasm builds quickly, coiling tight in my core.

‘I’m close,’ I pant.

‘Come for us,’ Leon urges huskily.

Rhys’s fingers find my clit again, and that’s all it takes. I come with a cry, my body clenching around them both. They fuck me through it, drawing out every last tremor of pleasure.

But it’s not enough.

I need more.

No… I want more.

‘Mark me,’ I gasp. ‘Both of you. At the same time.’

Rhys stills behind me. ‘Are you sure?’ he asks, sounding desperate for it.

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘Please.’

Leon’s knot starts to swell, catching on my entrance with each thrust. ‘Ready?’ he asks.

I nod, bracing myself. With one final push, his knot slips inside, locking us together. The stretch is intense, bordering on painful, but it feels right.

Complete.

‘Now,’ I gasp.

They move in perfect unison. Leon’s teeth sink into the half-mark on one side of my neck as Rhys bites down on the other. At the same moment, Rhys’s knot pushes past the tight ring of muscle, locking him inside me as well.

Pain and pleasure explode through me, so intense I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. I feel the mating bond snap into place, first with Leon—completing what was started years ago—and then with Rhys, forming a new connection that’s just as strong.

I always knew I carried the scars of rejection and abandonment within me, but it’s only at that moment I realize that I am the wound. Only at that moment, caught between them both, that I finally begin to heal.

And for the first time in years, I get a taste of what it is to exist without this heavy weight on me. Even as their marks seal us together forever, that weight lifts off me.

No longer mine to carry.

At least, not all alone.

Not the way it has been.

And I realize something else.

I feel it.

The rush of Leon’s emotions.

Of all the pain and regret and guilt.

Everything he’s carried all these years.

It rushes into me, alongside more adoration and desperate, obsessive longing than I thought possible. Than I wanted to believe. It comes from Rhys in equal measure, and I realize that everything they’ve both been saying all this time is true.

They want me.

Need me.

And that makes this all a little less terrifying to bear.

My vision whites out as another orgasm rips through me, more powerful than anything I’ve ever felt before. I’m vaguely aware of them coming too, filling me with their release.

As the intensity fades, I slump against Leon’s chest, utterly spent. They lick at the fresh marks on my neck, soothing the sting.

My eyes meet Leon’s once I can finally hold them open. For a moment, neither of us says a word. We just stare at each other, into each other’s souls, and it’s like all those years don’t exist.

They will, outside this room.

I’m not going to give in that easily.

Not going to let down the walls that have protected me this long without a fight.

But I… do understand him a little more.

The fear that held him back. The guilt that’s haunted him all these years, just like the pain that bound me. We were both suffering in different ways, in different places, living lives so parallel and yet… separate.

And for the first time, I wonder if maybe there’s a possibility of something else beyond the pain.

‘Are you okay?’ Leon asks softly.

I nod, not trusting my voice just yet.

I feel… different.

Whole, in a way I haven’t in years.

The constant ache that’s been my companion for so long is gone, replaced by a warm contentment that spreads through my entire body.

But there’s one question, one realization that came with the surge of his emotions, that I need answers to.

‘All this time,’ I murmur, searching his face for the truth I so desperately need. ‘There was no one else?’

Surprise flickers in his gaze, and he shakes his head. ‘No,’ he says, his voice low and rough. ‘Of course not. Never.’

He says the words so simply, and with such sincerity that my heart longs to believe them, even if my head tells me no.

But the mark… the bond that now exists as an open channel between us rather than the one-way drain it was before, acts as an impartial tie breaker.

It’s the truth.

I just assumed that he’d moved on.

That after all these years, surely…

Rhys nuzzles against my shoulder. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Good,’ I manage to say. ‘Really good.’

And it’s true.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel at peace. The anger and resentment that have been my constant companions are still there, but muted now.

Quieter.

Just a little bit, but they are.

We stay like that for a while, locked together, hands roaming gently over sweat-slicked skin. I know we’ll have to talk about this eventually, figure out what it means for all of us. But for now, I let myself enjoy the moment, basking in the afterglow and the newfound connection humming between us.

And I realize my neck isn’t hurting anymore.

The fever raging through my veins has died down to a low simmer.

In fact, I feel better than I have in years.