Movement stirred in the nest, and I watched as Keira's brow furrowed slightly, her hand reaching out in her sleep. She made a soft sound — not quite distress, but searching — and I realized she was reaching for something. For someone.
"I'm here." I murmured, shifting closer, letting my hand slide from the back of her neck to cup her cheek. My voice was low, rough with emotion I couldn't quite contain. "Right here, sweetheart."
Her eyes fluttered open — grey and soft with sleep, hazy with lingering exhaustion. When they found mine, a small smile curved her lips, and I felt warmth flood through the bond.
"Jae-won." She breathed my name like a prayer, her voice hoarse and wrecked, barely above a whisper. Her hand came up to cover mine on her cheek, her fingers curling around my wrist.
"Go back to sleep." I said softly, my thumb stroking over her cheekbone in slow, soothing passes. "You need rest."
"Can't." She murmured, her eyes already starting to drift closed again. "Keep waking up. Making sure you're all still here." The admission hit me somewhere deep in my chest, cracking open something I hadn't known was still guarded. She was afraid too. Afraid this wasn't real. Afraid she'd wake up and we'd be gone.
"We're not going anywhere." I promised, my voice rough with the force of the vow. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting my lips linger there. "None of us. Ever."
"I know." She whispered, but her fingers tightened on my wrist anyway, holding on like she was afraid I'd disappear. "I know. I just..."
"I understand." I did. I was doing the same thing — staying awake, watching over them all, making sure this moment didn't slip away. "I'm not sleeping either."
Her eyes opened again, studying my face with that quiet intensity that always made me feel seen. "Pack alpha things?"
"Pack alpha things." I confirmed, a small smile tugging at my lips despite myself. She shifted, wincing slightly at what must have been considerable soreness, and I felt a pulse of guiltthrough the bond. But she just pressed closer to me, tucking herself against my chest, her head settling beneath my chin.
"Then I'll stay awake with you." She murmured against my skin, her breath warm and soft. "Pack omega things."
Omega,my alpha rumbled, the sound vibrating through my chest.Our omega. Stays with us. Chooses us. Perfect.
I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer, careful not to disturb the others. My hand settled on her lower back, fingers spread wide, anchoring her against me.
"You should rest." I said, even as I held her tighter.
"So should you." She countered, and I felt amusement flicker through the bond. "We can be stubborn together." A soft laugh escaped me — genuine, unguarded, the kind of sound I rarely made. She brought that out in me. They all did, but especially her.
"Tell me what you're thinking." Keira's voice was quiet, curious. Her fingers traced idle patterns on my chest, her touch featherlight. "I can feel so much through the bond, but I want to hear it too."
I was silent for a moment, trying to find words for the enormity of what I was feeling. How did you explain a lifetime of waiting for something you didn't know you needed? How did you describe the relief of finally, finally being complete?
"I'm thinking about how long I've been the pack alpha." I finally said, my voice low and rough in the quiet nest. "Six years. Six years of holding them together, of making decisions, of being responsible for everything. Six years of feeling like something was missing and not knowing what it was."
Keira tilted her head up to look at me, her grey eyes soft with understanding, her hand stilling on my chest.
"And now you know?" She asked quietly.
"Now I know." I confirmed, my hand coming up to brush a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear with gentlefingers. "It was you. It was always you. The pack was never complete because you weren't here yet."
Tears glistened in her eyes, catching the faint light from the fairy lights strung around the nest. "Jae-won..."
"I spent so long trying to be strong for them." I continued, the words spilling out before I could stop them, my voice cracking slightly. "Trying to be the leader they needed. Trying to hold everything together through sheer force of will. And then you walked into our lives and I realized I'd been carrying a weight I didn't need to carry alone."
Pack alpha doesn't have to be alone anymore, my alpha rumbled, something almost vulnerable in the mental voice. Has pack. Has omega. Has home.
"You're not alone." Keira whispered, her hand coming up to cup my cheek, her palm warm and soft against my jaw. Her grey eyes were fierce despite the tears. "You have us. All of us. You don't have to carry anything alone anymore."
I turned my head to press a kiss to her palm, my lips lingering against her skin, breathing in her honeysuckle scent mixed with all of ours. "I know. I'm still learning how to let go of control. How to trust that the pack — that you — will be there to catch me if I fall."
"We will." Her voice was firm, certain, brooking no argument. Her fingers stroked through my hair, gentle and soothing. "Always. That's what pack means."
Good omega,my alpha purred.Strong. Fierce. Worthy of pack alpha. Worthy of US.
I pulled her closer, burying my face in her hair, breathing her in. The bond between us hummed with emotion — love, devotion, fierce protectiveness, quiet joy. All of it flowing back and forth, hers and mine tangled together until I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
