I couldn't sleep. Not because of discomfort — the nest was warm, soft, filled with the mingled scents of my pack and our omega. Not because of worry — for the first time in almost two weeks, there was nothing to fear, nothing to protect against, nothing threatening to tear us apart.
I couldn't sleep because I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, I'd wake up and discover this was all a dream.
Pack,my alpha rumbled, the voice in my head deep and satisfied in a way I'd never heard it.Complete. Ours. Finally ours.
I lay at the head of the nest, my hand resting on the back of Keira's neck, my thumb tracing idle patterns over the bite mark I'd left on her primary gland. The skin was still slightly raised, tender to the touch, and every time my fingers brushed over it, I felt her bond pulse warm in my chest.
Mine,my alpha growled softly. Claimed her. Marked her. OURS.
The possessiveness should have concerned me. Before Keira, I'd prided myself on control — on keeping my alpha instincts leashed, on being the steady leader my pack needed rather than the territorial beast that lurked beneath the surface. But now, with her scent wrapped around me and her bond humming in my chest, I couldn't bring myself to care about control.
She was ours. That was all that mattered.
I let my gaze drift over the nest, taking in the tangle of bodies surrounding our omega. Hwan was pressed against her front, his platinum blonde hair a mess, one hand possessively gripping her hip even in sleep. His golden thread pulsed with contentment through the pack bond — warm and bright, like sunshine after a storm.
Sunshine,my alpha acknowledged, something almost fond in the mental voice.Good pack. Happy. Keeps her smiling.
He did. Hwan's relentless optimism had annoyed me once — I'd seen it as a mask, a performance, a way of avoiding deeper emotions. But I understood now that his sunshine was real, just... guarded. He saved the genuine warmth for the people he loved. For us. For her.
My gaze shifted to Jin-ho, curled against Keira's back, his silver-grey hair disheveled against the pillows. Even in sleep, his face was intense — brows slightly furrowed, jaw set with quiet determination. His violet thread hummed with devotion so steady it felt like a heartbeat.
Composer,my alpha rumbled. Quiet strength. Protects with words, with music. Good pack.
Jin-ho had been the hardest to read when I'd first formed the pack. Silent, intense, always watching from the edges. I'd worried he wouldn't integrate, wouldn't bond, wouldn't let anyone past his walls. But he'd let Keira in. He'd let all of us in. Now his music would tell the story of what we'd built together.
Tae-min was sprawled near Keira's feet, one hand wrapped around her ankle, his cherry-red hair sticking up in every direction. Even in sleep, he looked young — the maknae, the baby of the pack, the one we'd all instinctively moved to protect. But his crimson thread blazed with fierce pride, with a desperate need to prove himself worthy.
Youngest,my alpha acknowledged, and I felt something protective stir in my chest. Strong. Eager. Will be great alpha. Already is.
I'd worried about Tae-min the most during the heat. He was the least experienced, the most likely to be overwhelmed. He'd risen to the challenge, had claimed his place in the pack with a ferocity that had surprised us all. Keira had seen him as an equal, had trusted him with her body and her bond, and that trust had transformed him.
Min-jun — soft, gentle Min-jun — was curled against Hwan's back, one arm stretched across to rest on Keira's waist. His brown hair was mussed, his face peaceful in sleep, and his rose-pink thread radiated tender protectiveness even now.
Caretaker, my alpha rumbled approvingly.Nurtures. Heals.
Min-jun had been the one to keep us all sane during the three days of Keira's heat. While the rest of us had been consumed by need, by the desperate drive to claim and mate and bond, Min-jun had remembered the practical things — water, food, rest. He'd been the one to draw cool baths and change sweat-soaked sheets, to coax Keira to eat between waves, to make sure we were all taking care of ourselves as well as her.
We would have fallen apart without him. At the center of it all — Keira. Our omega. Our mate. Our home.
OURS,my alpha growled, the possessiveness surging through me like a tidal wave.Omega. Pack heart. Protect. Cherish. KEEP.
I looked down at her sleeping face, memorizing every detail. The sweep of her dark lashes against her cheeks. The slight part of her lips as she breathed. The way her brow smoothed in sleep, free from the worry and fear that had plagued her for so long. She looked peaceful. Content.
She looked like she belonged.
The bond between us thrummed warm and steady, and I could feel her emotions even in sleep — a deep, settled peace that made my chest ache with its sweetness. She'd spent so long running from this, from bonds, from soulmates, from the very idea of belonging to someone. But she wasn't running anymore.
She'd chosen us. Chosen me.
Good omega,my alpha purred, the sound rumbling through my chest.Strong. Fierce. Perfect match. Ours now. Forever ours.
I traced the line of her soulmate mark with my eyes — the branch of flowers curving from behind her ear down toward her heart. Five blooms, all complete now, all bearing the intricate details that proved our bonds were sealed. I found mine easily — the deep indigo flower, rich and dark, positioned at a place of prominence on the branch.
Pack alpha's flower,my alpha noted with satisfaction. Anchoring. Protecting. As it should be.
It wasn't just my flower. It was all of ours — Hwan's golden amber, Jin-ho's violet, Tae-min's crimson, Min-jun's rose-pink. All of them woven together on her skin, a permanent testament to what we'd built.
A family. A pack. A home.
