Safe.
My alpha rumbles with satisfaction at the thought. We did that. We kept her safe through something that could have been frightening and painful, and now she’s resting peacefully in our arms.
In her nest that smells like all of us combined.
The scent of the nest has changed over the past days. It started as just Sierra’s honeycomb and cherry syrup. Then our scents layered in, one by one. Each one weaving together until the whole nest smells like pack.
Like us.
I’ve never had that before. Never had my scent so thoroughly mixed with an omega’s that it’s created something new altogether. It does something to me. Makes my alpha settle in a way I didn’t know was possible. Makes me want to keep her, to make this permanent, to never let her leave this nest or this house or this pack.
Dangerous thoughts for a situation that was supposed to be temporary.
Malik shifts slightly behind me, his arm reaching over to rest against her waist. Even unconscious, he’s protective of her. We all are. None of us has left the nest for more than a few minutes at a time. Quick trips to the bathroom, grabbing food or water, checking that the house is still secure. But we always come back.
Because Sierra wanted us here.
And because none of us can bear to be away from her.
Cole mutters something in his sleep and rolls closer, his hand tightening on hers. She makes a small sound and shifts to accommodate him without waking.
My chest tightens watching them. Watching all of them. This tangle of limbs and blankets and pack that shouldn’t work but somehow does.
Movement catches my eye. Jalen’s awake too, I realize. He props himself up on one elbow, and when our eyes meet across her sleeping form, I see my own wonder reflected back at me.
We’re in her nest, his expression says.She let us stay in her nest.
I nod slightly.I know.
We stay like that for a moment, just looking at each other over Sierra’s sleeping form. No words needed. We both understand what this means. What it could mean, if we don’t fuck it up.
Then Jalen’s gaze drops back to Sierra, his hand moving to gently brush a strand of hair from her face. The gesture is so tender it makes my throat tight.
When did this happen? When did Sierra Smith, the omega who accused us of corporate espionage, who glared at us across networking events, who made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with us, become someone we can’t imagine being without?
Was it when she came out during her heat to check on Jalen’s cut hand? Or when she trusted us enough to rebuild her nest? When she looked at us with those big light-brown eyes and asked us to stay?
Or was it earlier? All those times I noticed things about her at industry events. The way she gestured when she was passionate about something. How her whole face lit up when talking about her work. The fierce independence that I both admired and wanted to protect.
Maybe I’ve been falling for her longer than I want to admit. Maybe we all have.
The thought should terrify me. Instead, it just feels... inevitable.
Sierra stirs against me, and I freeze. Her face scrunches up slightly, like she’s fighting against waking, and she makes this small protesting sound that’s unreasonably adorable.
Then her eyes flutter open.
For a moment, she just blinks slowly, her gaze unfocused and confused. Then awareness sharpens. Her eyes track across the nest, taking in Cole’s hand gripping hers, Jalen watching her with that gentle expression, Malik’s arm around her waist, and finally landing on me.
I hold my breath, waiting. This is it. This is where reality crashes back in. But instead, her lips curve into a smile. Soft and genuine and directed right at me.
“Morning,” she says, her voice rough with sleep but warm.
The relief that floods through me is so intense it’s almost painful. She’s not pulling away.
“Morning,” I manage, and my voice comes out a bit rough. “How are you feeling?”
She considers the question, her brow furrowing slightly.
