"Build your nest." He cut me off gently, his amber eyes fierce with emotion, burning bright in the hallway light. "Let yourself feel safe. Let us take care of you."
He was gone before I could respond, his footsteps fading down the hall, and I stood in the doorway clutching his shirt to my chest, overwhelmed by everything I was feeling.
That night, I built my nest.
I pushed the bed fully into the corner—walls on two sides. Piled the pillows high, creating barriers, building walls of softness around me. Layered the blankets, soft and warm, Nolan's green one on top. Draped the flannels across the headboard where I could reach them easily—Reid's, Sawyer's, Kol's falling-apart t-shirt that smelled like everything good in the world. Set Sawyer's stone on the nightstand, smooth beneath my fingers when I reached for it.
Then I crawled into the center of it all, surrounded by soft things, wrapped in their combined scents, and felt something I'd never felt before.
Safe. Truly, completely safe.
Not because I had an escape route planned. Not because I was ready to run.
Because I didn't want to run anymore. I fell asleep breathing them in, and for the first time in my life, I didn't dream of running.
I dreamed of staying.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
ASTER
Days after I built my nest, Reid found me in the kitchen. I was helping Nolan with dinner—or trying to, anyway. Mostly I was watching him work while Kol sat on the counter eating raw vegetables meant for the salad and Sawyer leaned against the doorframe with a glass of water, his pale eyes soft as he watched the chaos unfold.
"Stop eating the carrots." Nolan swatted at Kol's hand without looking, his green eyes focused on the sauce he was stirring, his freckled face pinched with fond exasperation. "Those are for everyone."
"I'm everyone." Kol grinned around a mouthful of carrot, his amber eyes bright with mischief, his honey-blond hair flopping across his forehead as he reached for another one. "I'm at least one-fifth of everyone. Maybe more, depending on how you calculate it."
"That's not how math works." I found myself smiling, something warm unfurling in my chest at the easy banter, at the way I'd started to feel like part of it instead of just an observer.
"Math is subjective." Kol crunched loudly on the carrot, his grin widening when Nolan sighed in exasperation, orange blossoms and warmth radiating from him with every movement.
"It really isn't." Sawyer's voice was dry, rough with amusement, his pale eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as he watched the exchange from his post by the door.
"See, this is why I don't cook." Kol hopped off the counter, landing lightly on his bare feet, his cartoon-planet pajama pants swishing around his ankles. "Too many rules. Too much judgment."
"The judgment is because you set fire to the stove twice last month." Nolan's voice was fond despite the words, his freckled face soft with affection even as he shook his head.
"That was an accident." Kol pressed a hand to his chest, mock-offended, his amber eyes going wide with theatrical innocence. "Both times."
"Both times you were trying to make the same thing." I pointed out, surprising myself with the teasing tone in my voice, my cheeks heating slightly when everyone turned to look at me. Kol's face lit up like the sun coming out from behind clouds, his amber eyes going bright with delight, his whole body practically vibrating with joy.
"She's sassing me." He turned to the others, gesturing at me with his half-eaten carrot, his voice climbing with excitement. "Did you hear that? Our Omega is sassing me. This is the best day of my life."
Our Omega.The words hit me somewhere deep, making my breath catch, my heart stuttering against my ribs. Before I could respond, Reid appeared in the doorway behind Sawyer, his broad shoulders filling the frame, his dark eyes finding mine across the kitchen with an intensity that made my pulse quicken.
"Aster." His voice was low, warm, and there was something underneath it—anticipation, maybe, or nerves. His weatheredface was carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands hung slightly stiff at his sides. "Can I show you something?"
The kitchen went quiet. Nolan's stirring slowed, Kol stopped mid-chew, and Sawyer straightened slightly from his lean against the doorframe. They all exchanged glances—quick, meaningful looks that told me they knew something I didn't.
"Okay." I wiped my hands on the towel Nolan had given me, my heart starting to beat faster, uncertainty and curiosity warring in my chest. "What is it?"
"Come with me." Reid held out his hand, his calloused palm facing up, an invitation rather than a demand. His dark eyes were soft, his scent reaching me across the space between us—whiskey and woodsmoke, warm and grounding.
I took his hand, his fingers closing around mine warm and steady, calluses rough against my skin, and let him lead me out of the kitchen. I could feel the others falling in behind us—Kol's excited energy practically buzzing at my back, Nolan's gentle presence like a warm blanket, Sawyer's quiet steadiness bringing up the rear—but Reid didn't stop, didn't turn around. He led me down the hallway past the living room, past the office, to a door at the end that I'd never seen open.
I'd noticed it before, of course. Had wondered what was behind it. But it had always been closed, and I'd learned long ago not to pry into spaces that weren't offered to me. Reid stopped in front of the door, his hand still wrapped around mine, and turned to face me. His dark eyes searched my face, something vulnerable flickering in their depths, his jaw tight with emotion he was trying to contain.
"We've been working on this for a while." His voice was rough, low, like the words were costing him something. His thumb traced absent circles on the back of my hand, betraying nervousness that didn't show on his face. "Since before youmoved into the main house. We wanted to wait until you were ready, until your instincts—" He stopped, cleared his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. "Until you started nesting."
