When I pulled back, his dark eyes were blazing, his pupils blown wide, his breath coming faster than before.
"Thank you." My voice was wrecked, scraped raw. "For seeing me. For doing this. For all of it."
"Always." His thumb traced my jaw, feather-light, reverent. "For as long as you'll let us." I sat up, wiping at my eyes with trembling hands, looking at the others—Kol practically bouncing on his heels, his amber eyes bright; Nolan wiping discreetly at his eyes with the back of his hand; Sawyer standing with his arms crossed and his pale eyes soft, his whole posture radiating quiet emotion.
"Come here." I held out my hands to them, my voice rough but sure. "All of you. Please."
They came without hesitation—Kol climbing onto the platform first, settling beside me with his warmth pressing against my side; Nolan following more slowly, his hand finding mine and squeezing; Sawyer last, hovering at the edge until I reached for him and pulled him down with gentle insistence.
We ended up in a pile—not quite a cuddle, not quite separate, just five people tangled together on a nest platform that smelled like all of them. I was in the center, surrounded by their warmth, their scents, their steady heartbeats. Reid at my back, solid and grounding. Kol pressed against my side, warm and sweet. Nolan's hand in mine, gentle and sure. Sawyer close enough that I could feel his heat, his presence a quiet anchor.
"I want to stay here tonight." My voice was soft, drowsy despite the emotion still thrumming through me. "Alone. Is that—is that okay?"
"It's yours." Reid's voice was fierce against my hair, his breath warm on my scalp. "You never have to ask permission."
"We'll be right down the hall." Nolan squeezed my hand, his voice gentle. "If you need anything. Anything at all."
"Even if you just want company." Kol's voice was soft, his usual energy muted into something gentler, his amber eyes warm. "You can come get any of us. We'd never say no."
"Or just knock." Sawyer's voice was rough, his pale eyes holding mine with fierce tenderness. "We'll hear you."
They left slowly, reluctantly, each of them touching me one last time as they went—Kol pressing a kiss to my forehead, his lips soft and warm; Nolan squeezing my hand one final time; Sawyer brushing his fingers against my shoulder in a touch so gentle it made my chest ache. Reid was last, lingering at the door with his dark eyes soft, his hand on the frame like he was having trouble making himself leave.
"Goodnight, Aster." His voice was rough with emotion, his dark eyes burning.
"Goodnight, Reid." I managed a watery smile, my chest aching with everything I was feeling. "Thank you. For everything."
He nodded once, his jaw tight, and pulled the door closed behind him. I sat in the center of my pack room—my room, my space, my nest—and looked around at everything they'd given me. The shelves Sawyer built with his scarred, capable hands. The blankets Nolan chose after hours of research. The fabrics Kol picked because he thought I deserved velvet. The room Reid designed and dreamed into existence.
For me. All of it, for me.
I got up slowly and walked to the door, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet with every step. The lock was there, just like Sawyer had said—a simple bolt that I could slide into place from the inside. I touched it with trembling fingers, marveling at the reality of it, at the cool metal under my fingertips.
They'd given me a room I could lock them out of. Given me complete control over a space, knowing they might never be allowed inside.
That, more than anything, broke something open in me that I hadn't even known was sealed shut.
I slid the lock into place—not because I needed to keep them out, but because I needed to know I could. Needed to feel the weight of the bolt sliding home, the physical reality of a space that was entirely, completely mine.
Then I turned back to the room and began to explore.
I touched everything. Every blanket, every pillow, every fabric on the shelves. I buried my face in the velvet and cried at how soft it was, tears soaking into the luxurious fabric. I ran my hands over Sawyer's shelves and marveled at the smoothness, at the care in every sanded edge. I climbed onto the nest platform and arranged and rearranged the pillows until they felt right, until my instincts finally quieted.
Hours passed. I lost track of time, lost in the simple joy of having a space to make my own. I built walls of pillows around myself, creating barriers that made my Omega purr with satisfaction. I layered blankets in patterns that made sense to something deep and instinctual. I draped their scents around me until I could barely tell where one ended and another began.
When I finally settled, I was in the center of my nest—my real nest, my proper nest, the nest I'd been unconsciously trying to build in my bedroom but had never had the materials to complete. I was surrounded by their scents. Wrapped in their offerings. Safe in a room they'd built for me with their own hands and hearts.
I fell asleep with tears still drying on my cheeks and a smile on my face.
Home.
I was finally, truly home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ASTER
Kol had been planning the bonfire for days.
