"We want you." Hwan said simply, his golden eyes bright with sincerity, his grip on my hand tightening, his voice steady despite the emotion underneath. "However we can have you. Whatever you're comfortable with."
"We want the bonds to complete." Jin-ho added quietly, his usual reserve cracking slightly to reveal the emotion underneath, his arms uncrossing as he turned more fully toward me. "We want you to be ours, permanently. But only if you want it too."
"The marks..." Tae-min's voice was rough, his hand still on my knee, his touch grounding, his eyes dark with something vulnerable. "We'd be lying if we said we didn't want them. But that's not a requirement. That's not something we'd ever pressure you into."
"This isn't about what we want." Jae-won said firmly, his dark eyes intense on mine, his voice brooking no argument. "This is about what you want. What you're ready for. We've waited this long. We can wait longer if we need to."
"And if I'm never ready?" The fear slipped out, small and vulnerable, my voice barely above a whisper. "What if I can't... what if I'm too scared to?—"
"Then we figure it out." Min-jun cut in gently, his hand squeezing my shoulder, his voice warm and certain. "Together. That's what we keep telling you, Keira. Whatever you choose, we're not going anywhere."
The tears came before I could stop them, sliding down my cheeks in hot tracks. Too much. It was all too much — the intensity of the nesting, Min-jun's confession, and now this. Choices that would define the rest of my life, laid out in front of me while my body screamed for something my mind was still afraid to accept.
"I need..." I stood abruptly, my voice thick with tears, my chest heaving as I backed toward the hallway. "I need to think. I can't... I can't decide this right now."
"Of course." Jae-won stepped back, giving me space, his expression pained but understanding, his hands falling to his sides. "Take all the time you need."
I fled to the nest room, closing the door behind me and sinking into the carefully arranged blankets and pillows. Their scents surrounded me — all five of them, woven together into something that felt like safety, like home.
Want them,my omega keened. Want to stay. Want forever.
I knew what I wanted. Deep down, beneath all the fear and the doubt and my mother's warnings echoing in my head, I knew.
I wanted them. All of them. Permanently. The question was whether I was brave enough to say yes. A soft knock at the door made me look up. Hwan's voice came through the wood, muffled but warm.
"Can I come in?" Hwan asked gently, no pressure in his tone, just quiet inquiry.
"Yes." My voice came out rough with tears, barely audible even to my own ears. He slipped inside, closing the door behind him, and crossed to the nest without hesitation. He didn't try to touch me, just settled beside me, close enough that I could feel his warmth, his presence solid and grounding.
"You don't have to decide tonight." Hwan said softly, his golden eyes gentle in the dim light, his voice low and soothing. "Or tomorrow. Or even the day after that."
"My heat—" I started, my voice cracking on the word.
"Will come when it comes." Hwan cut in, his voice firm but kind, his hand hovering near mine but not quite touching, giving me the choice. "And we'll handle it. Whatever that looks like. Even if you're not sure yet."
I looked at him — this bright, beautiful alpha who hid so much behind his sunshine smile. Who was looking at me now with nothing but patience and understanding.
"I'm scared." I whispered, the confession feeling smaller each time I said it, my voice raw and broken.
"I know." Hwan reached out, brushing a tear from my cheek with gentle fingers, his touch feather-light and careful. "But you don't have to be scared alone. That's the whole point of pack." He opened his arms, an invitation, and I fell into them without thinking. He held me while I cried, while the fear and the want and the overwhelming weight of everything crashed over me in waves. He didn't try to fix it. He just held on.
One by one, the others came. Tae-min, slipping in to press against my back, his presence solid and grounding, his breath warm against my hair. Jin-ho, settling near my feet, his hand wrapping around my ankle, his grip firm and anchoring. Min-jun, finding space beside Hwan, his fingers threading through my hair, his touch soothing and gentle. And finally Jae-won, completing the circle, his hand resting on my hip, his scent wrapping around me with the others.
Five alphas. All of them surrounding me in the nest I'd built, waiting for a decision that would change everything.
Safe,my omega whispered, finally settling.
I didn't have answers yet. Didn't know if I was brave enough to say yes to forever, to marks, to a bond that could never bebroken. Surrounded by them, held by them, breathing in the mingled scents of the pack that was already mine in every way that mattered — I started to think maybe I could be.
Chapter Thirty-Three
KEIRA
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, the options played through my head on repeat. Option one. Option two. Option three. Permanent. Unbreakable. Marks. The words tangled together until they stopped making sense, until they were just sounds without meaning. The nest should have been comforting — filled with their scents, their warmth, their steady presence around me — but my mind wouldn't quiet. Questions spiraled endlessly, each one spawning three more before I could even begin to answer the first.
What if I made the wrong choice? What if I ruined everything? What if I said yes and then couldn't be what they needed? By the time pale light began filtering through the curtains, I'd given up on sleep entirely. I lay still, watching the ceiling, listening to the soft sounds of five alphas breathing around me. They'd stayed. All of them. Even after I'd fled the conversation in tears, even after I'd admitted I couldn't decide — they'd surrounded me in the nest and stayed.
I slipped out of the nest as quietly as I could, desperate for space to think. The kitchen was empty, the coffee maker sitting cold and silent. I started a pot more out of habit than actual desire, watching the dark liquid drip into the carafe while my thoughts continued their endless spiral.
