"Reid." Sawyer's voice was gruff but certain, his pale eyes meeting Reid's dark ones with something like respect, his scarred arms uncrossing to rest at his sides. "He's the pack Alpha. It's right that he goes first."
Reid's hand tightened on mine, his jaw working with emotion he was struggling to contain, his chest expanding with a deep breath. "Are you sure? I don't want to presume?—"
"It's decided." Nolan's voice was soft but firm, leaving no room for argument, his hazel eyes warm with certainty. "You first, then me. Then Kol, then Sawyer."
"Why am I last?" Sawyer asked, though there was no real complaint in his tone, his lips twitching with the ghost of a smile.
"Because you'll leave the biggest mark." Kol's voice was matter-of-fact, a hint of his usual humor breaking through the emotion, his golden eyes dancing with mischief. "And she'll need time to recover after your bite before she can walk again."
Sawyer's lips twitched into something that might have been a smile, his pale eyes warming with amusement. "Fair point."
I laughed, the sound shaky but real, and felt some of the nervous tension drain from my shoulders. This was my pack. These were the men who loved me, who had fought for me, who were about to claim me as their own.
"The pack room." Reid's voice was certain, his dark eyes warm with meaning, his thumb still stroking slow circles on my hand. "The nest. Where we've all been sleeping together. Where you feel safest." He lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a kissto my palm that made my breath catch, his eyes never leaving mine. "Where you belong."
The pack room. Where I'd woken surrounded by their scents every morning for weeks. Where I'd felt truly safe for the first time in my life.
I nodded, my heart full to bursting, and let them lead me inside.
Someone had been busy. The pack room had been transformed — more candles than I could count lined the windowsills and dresser, their soft flames casting warm golden light across the walls. The nest had been freshened with clean blankets and pillows in soft creams and warm browns, plush and inviting. Fresh flowers sat in a vase on the nightstand, filling the air with sweetness that mingled with the scents of my pack. There, spread across the center of the nest, was a space clearly meant for me.
"It's beautiful." I breathed, turning in a slow circle, taking in every detail — the way the candlelight danced across the ceiling, the softness of the blankets, the care that had gone into every inch of this space. "When did you have time to do all this?"
"We've been preparing for days." Kol was practically glowing with pride, his sunshine scent bright and happy, his golden eyes drinking in my reaction like it was the greatest gift he could receive. "Nolan made sure we had everything we might need. Sawyer reinforced the bed frame." He grinned at Sawyer, who rolled his eyes but couldn't quite hide his smirk. "Reid threatened to fire anyone who interrupted us for the next three days."
"It's perfect." Tears were pricking at my eyes again, but I blinked them back, my voice thick with emotion. "It's absolutely perfect."
I crossed to the nest and carefully spread the new quilt across the blankets, smoothing out the fabric, positioning it so thefour embroidered squares were visible. Antlers. Mountains. Pine trees. Sunflowers. Pack. Family. Home.
Reid stepped forward, his large hands finding my waist, pulling me gently against him until I could feel the heat of his body through the thin cotton of my dress. His cedar scent washed over me, familiar and grounding, and I felt my body relax into his touch like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"We don't have to rush." His voice was low, intimate, meant just for me even though the others could hear, his breath warm against my hair. "We have all night. All day tomorrow. As long as you need."
"I don't want to wait anymore." I tilted my face up to meet his eyes, letting him see everything I was feeling — the want, the need, the love that had been building since the first moment I saw him across the yard, all authority and Alpha presence and unexpected kindness. "I've been waiting my whole life for this. For you. For all of you."
He kissed me then, slow and deep, his hands tightening on my waist as his tongue swept into my mouth, tasting me like I was something precious. I melted into him, my arms winding around his neck, my body pressing against his until I could feel every hard line of him against my softer curves.
When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard, and the air around us was thick with want.
"The others will wait in the hall." Reid's voice was rough, his pupils blown wide with desire, his chest heaving against mine. "Until it's their turn….that way we each get our time with you separate."
I looked past him to where Sawyer, Nolan, and Kol stood watching us with hunger in their eyes and love on their faces.
"Not too far." I said, the words surprising me, my voice breathless. "I want to know you're close. I want to smell you, even if I can't see you."
Kol made a soft sound, something between a whimper and a groan, his golden eyes going dark with want. "We'll be right outside the door, wildflower. We won't go anywhere."
"We'll hear everything." Sawyer's voice was gravel and heat, his pale eyes burning with an intensity that made my skin flush, his hands clenched at his sides like he was fighting to keep them there. "Every sound you make. Every time you call his name."
A shiver ran through me — anticipation, arousal, the strange intimacy of knowing they would be listening, waiting, wanting.
"Good." The word came out more confident than I felt, heat pooling low in my belly. "I want you to hear."
Nolan crossed to me, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin, his pine scent wrapping around me like a promise. "We'll be here when you're ready for us." He murmured against my hair, his voice rough with barely contained need. "Take your time. Let Reid take care of you."
Then they were gone, the door closing behind them with a soft click, and I was alone with Reid in the golden light of a hundred candles, the weight of forever settling over us like a blessing.
"Aster." He said my name like a prayer, his hands framing my face, his dark eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "My Aster. My Omega."
