Knot the One They Want (Claimverse Book 1)

Fuck, I hate these meetings.

I loathe them with every fiber of my being, but unfortunately, they’re a necessary evil in my line of work. My agent has been hounding me for weeks about this tour, and I’ve been putting her off, citing Evie’s recovery and our pack’s need to focus on our omega right now. But she’s relentless, and I knew I couldn’t avoid her forever.

So here I am, sitting in this sterile conference room, my leg bouncing with impatience as Diane drones on about ticket sales and venue capacities. I try to focus, to at least pretend I’m paying attention.

But my mind keeps drifting back to Evie.

To the way she looked when we brought her home from the hospital, all soft and vulnerable in my arms. To the hesitant hope in her eyes as she took in the nest we’d built for her, the way her scent bloomed with something like happiness. Even though it’s been a few weeks, those memories are still branded on my very soul as if it all just happened.

She’s been holing herself up in her nest since she came home, and we’ve barely seen her. Just a few rare glimpses here and there, glimpses of light in our collective darkness. But we’re all giving her space even though it’s torture that she still hasn’t invited any of us to share the nest with her.

She didn’t throw out the pillows we had sewn together with our clothes, so I’ll take that as a sign that not all is lost. I have to admit, Damien has a surprisingly good idea every once in a while.

It’s a start. A fragile, tentative start, but a start nonetheless. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to fuck it up by jetting off on some world tour, leaving her alone with the pack.

She needs me.

Needs all of us, now more than ever.

‘Asher, are you even listening to me?’ Diane’s sharp voice cuts through my thoughts, her brow furrowed with indignant annoyance.

I sigh, dragging a hand through my hair. ‘Sorry, Diane. I know this tour is important, but I can’t commit to anything right now.’

Her eyes narrow, her lips pressing into a thin line. ‘Asher, I understand that you have personal obligations. But this is your career we’re talking about. You can’t just put everything on hold indefinitely. That’s as good as giving up.’

Anger flares in my chest, hot and bright.

She doesn’t get it. None of them do.

The music, the fame, the adoration of the crowds… it all pales in comparison to Evie. None of it matters anymore. Not enough to make a damn difference.

‘I’m not giving anything up,’ I grit out, my jaw clenching. ‘But right now, Evie is my priority. She’s been through hell, Diane. Because of us. Because of me. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to abandon her again.’

Something flickers in Diane’s eyes, a hint of understanding. She’s known me for years, seen the way I’ve thrown myself into my music, into my career. She knows I wouldn’t put it on the back burner for just anything.

Or just anyone.

She sighs, leaning back in her chair. ‘Fine. I’ll push the tour back a few months. But Asher, you can’t keep putting your life on hold forever. At some point, you’re going to have to find a balance.’

I nod, relief washing through me. ‘I know. And I will. But Evie comes first. That’s just the way it’s going to be.’

She gives me a long, measuring look, then nods. ‘Okay. Keep me updated on how she’s doing, and let me know if anything changes.’

I promise I will, then beat a hasty retreat. I know she’s not thrilled with my decision, but tough shit. Evie is more important than any tour, any album, any fucking thing in my life. And it’s time I started acting like it.

The drive back to the estate feels like an eternity, my mind spinning with thoughts of Evie. It’s only been a few hours since I left her, curled up in her new nest with a book and a cup of tea, but it feels like days. I hate being away from her, hate not being able to see with my own eyes that she’s safe and cared for.

But I have to trust that my pack has her back. That they’re just as committed to her well-being as I am.

As I pull up to the house, I can already hear the commotion inside. I roll my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips. Fucking twins. They’ve been in rare form since Evie came home, each of them trying to outdo the other in the attentiveness department.

It would be annoying if it wasn’t so damn endearing.

I stride into the kitchen, taking in the scene before me. Cole and Lake are bickering over a tray laden with snacks and a steaming pot of tea, their voices overlapping in a familiar, good-natured argument.

‘You brought her lunch. It’s my turn to take the tray up,’ Lake insists, trying to pull the tray out of Cole’s hands.

Cole scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘Yeah, well, you’re the one who got to keep watch outside her door last night.’

I lean against the door frame, amusement sparking through me. ‘Well, well. What do we have here?’

They both freeze, their heads swiveling toward me with identical expressions of guilt. I can’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. ‘You two are something else, you know that?’

Lake flushes, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘We just want to make sure Evie has everything she needs,’ he mumbles.

‘Yes,’ Cole chimes in, his tone defensive. ‘I don’t care if she’s still pretending like we don’t exist. She’s been through hell. The least we can do is make sure she’s comfortable.’

Something warm and bright blooms in my chest, a fierce sort of pride. They’re trying. They’re really, truly trying to be the kind of alphas Evie deserves. The kind of mates she needs. We all are.

‘I know,’ I say, pushing off the door frame and crossing over to them. ‘And you’re both doing a great job. But I’ll settle this one.’ With that, I snatch the tray from their unsuspecting hands and whisk it toward the stairs.

They both open their mouths to protest, but it’s too late. I can feel their glares boring into my back, but I just smirk, taking the steps two at a time.

But as I reach the top of the stairs, I freeze, the tray nearly slipping from my suddenly numb fingers. The scent hits me like a freight train, sweet and spicy and so fucking enticing it makes my head spin.

I know that scent.

I’ve dreamed about that scent.

Evie.

She’s in heat. Full, glorious heat, her pheromones saturating the air and making every alpha instinct in my body sit up and take notice. I groan, my cock hardening in my jeans, my skin feeling too tight. Fuck, I want her. Want to bury myself in her slick heat and never come out.

I hear twins inhaling behind me. Cole and Lake must have caught her scent too. We exchange a loaded glance, heat and hunger swirling between us.

Lake swallows hard, then steps forward, rapping his knuckles gently against her door. ‘Evie? We brought you some snacks and tea. Can we come in?’

Silence.

My heart pounds against my ribs, my breath catching in my throat. Fuck, what if she doesn’t want us? What if she’s still too hurt, too wary to let us close?

But then Lake’s eyes widen, his nostrils flaring. ‘I think… I think I hear her moaning,’ he says, his voice strangled.

Cole and I both freeze, our gazes snapping to the door. And sure enough, I can hear it too. The soft, breathy sounds of whimpering muffled by the thick wood. I have a flashback to that awful night I found her on the floor, feverish and helpless.

Then, another, far more logical possibility occurs to me.

But before I can say anything, Lake is already moving, ramming into the locked door with his shoulder. It explodes inward with a bang.

The scene that greets us makes my blood run hot and cold all at once. Evie is sprawled out on the bed, her new nest in disarray around her. Her skin is flushed and dewy with sweat, her hair a wild tangle of golden curls on the pillow. And between her milky thighs, buried in the slick, swollen pink of her pussy, is a thick purple dildo with a knot she’s trying desperately to work inside her tight entrance.

I’ve never been more jealous of an inanimate object in my entire fucking life.

For a moment, we all just stare, frozen in shock and lust and sheer fucking awe. But then Evie’s eyes fly open, meeting ours with a mix of horror and mortification. She shrieks, grabbing the nearest toy—a pink vibrator that clearly wasn’t up to snuff—and hurling it at us with surprising accuracy.

It hits Cole square in the face and he staggers back with a surprised shout. Lake is babbling apologies, his face beet red as he backs out of the room, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste.

‘We’re so sorry, Evie. We didn’t mean to intrude. We just… we smelled your heat and we thought…’

‘Get out!’ she yells, her voice high and thin with embarrassment. ‘Get the fuck out, all of you!’

We don’t need to be told twice. Not when our usually prim, proper and composed omega is screaming obscenities at us. We scramble out of the room, the door slamming shut behind us. For a moment, we just stand there in the hallway, staring at each other with shell-shocked expressions.

‘You fucking idiot,’ I hiss at Lake, smacking him upside the head. ‘What were you thinking, barging in there like that?’

He cringes, rubbing his head. ‘I thought she was hurt! I heard her moaning and I just… panicked.’

Cole snorts, shaking his head. ‘Yeah, I bet you did. Probably creamed your pants at the thought of her needing you to kiss it better.’

Lake glares at him, but there’s no real heat behind it. We’re all too keyed up, too on edge from the scent of Evie’s arousal still hanging heavy in the air.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the riot of my pulse. ‘I’m going to go put the tray in the fridge,’ I mutter. ‘You two… just try not to do anything else stupid for five minutes.’

I head back downstairs, my mind reeling. Fuck, the image of Evie pleasuring herself is seared into my brain, a torment and a temptation all at once. I want her so badly I can barely think straight. My alpha instincts are raging and clawing at me, demanding I go back there and show her what a real alpha can do better than any toy.

But I can’t. I won’t.

Not until she’s ready, until she wants us as much as we want her. I won’t make the same mistake twice.

By the time I get back upstairs, Cole and Lake are still lurking outside Evie’s door, wearing matching expressions of desperate hope. I open my mouth to tell them to give her some space, to let her come to us when she’s ready.

But then the door cracks open, and Evie peeks out, her face flushed and her eyes wary. She’s wrapped in a silk robe, the material straining over her lush curves, and the sight makes my mouth go dry. Her nipples are still pebbled from arousal—or maybe embarrassment—and peeking through the thin fabric.

‘What do you want?’ she asks, her voice tight with embarrassment.

Lake steps forward, his hands held up in supplication. ‘Evie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in like that. I just… I heard you moaning and I thought you were hurt. I would never intentionally invade your privacy like that.’

Evie flushes even deeper, but there’s a hint of softness in her eyes now, a flicker of understanding. ‘It’s okay, Lake. I know you were just worried.’

He sags with relief, a tentative smile touching his lips. ‘Still, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.’

Cole clears his throat, shifting awkwardly. ‘We were bringing you some snacks and tea,’ he says gruffly. ‘Thought you might be hungry.’

Evie’s gaze darts to me, and I feel the weight of it like a physical touch. ‘That was thoughtful of you,’ she murmurs. ‘Thank you.’

I step closer, my instincts straining against the leash of my control. Her scent is even stronger now, a siren song luring me in. ‘Evie,’ I say, my voice low and rough. ‘We know your heat is starting. And we want you to know that we’re here for you, in whatever way you need us.’

Her eyes widen. I can see the conflict in her gaze, the war between her desire and her fear. I ache to reach out, to pull her into my arms and soothe away all her doubts.

‘We don’t expect anything,’ I continue, holding her gaze. ‘But if you want us… if you need us… we’re yours. Completely. No pressure, no expectations. Just three alphas who want to worship you the way you deserve.’

Evie flushes, her eyes darkening with hunger. For a moment, I think she’s going to turn us away, to retreat back into her room and shut us out. And as much as it would kill me, I would respect that. I would give her all the time and space she needs.

Even if I have to spend the rest of her heat in an icy cold shower.

But then she takes a deep breath, her shoulders squaring with resolve. ‘Come in,’ she says softly, stepping back to let us pass. ‘Just… just this once. To help me through my heat. And then we’ll see where we stand.’

It’s more than I could have hoped for. More than I deserve. I nod, my heart thundering in my chest as I step over the threshold, Lake and Cole close behind me.

This is our chance to prove ourselves, to show Evie that we can be everything she needs. Everything she should have had from the beginning.

And I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste it.