The thought makes me sick, but I can’t stop thinking about it.
I shake my head and gather the paperwork on my desk. I have a handover to do today, a major one. A beautiful ranch property on the edge of town that I just sold to a new family moving to the area. It’s one of the biggest sales I’ve ever closed, the kind of deal that should have me celebrating.
Instead, I just feel tired.
The drive to the ranch takes about twenty minutes, winding through the outskirts of Honeyspur Meadow where the houses thin out and the land opens up into rolling hills and pastures. The afternoon sun is warm through my windshield, casting everything in golden light, but my mind stays loud with worry.
The ranch being sold appears around a bend in the road, and despite everything, my breath catches. It’s stunning. A sprawling property with white fencing stretching as far as I can see, an oversized main house with a wraparound porch, several outbuildings, including what appears to be a stable complex, and acres of green pasture dotted with old oak trees. The kind of place that belongs in a magazine.
I pull up the long gravel driveway, feeling professional and prepared.
Until I see the familiar vehicles already parked near the house.
My pulse jumps. Confusion first, then a quick spike of anger, because why are they here, and why do I feel like I’m about to get blindsided again?
I park my car and climb out, file folder tucked under my arm, trying to compose myself. All three of my Alphas are standing on the porch, watching me approach. Seth has his arms crossed, jaw set. Carter is leaning against a post, that easy smile playing at his lips. Kai is practically grinning.
“What are you doing here?” I demand, and I hate how my voice wavers. “This is a client meeting. I’m supposed to be handing over paperwork to the new owners.”
Seth pushes off the porch railing and walks toward me. His blue eyes are intense, locked on mine.
“We’re here to take our ranch,” he says simply. “Our home.”
The words don’t register at first, and my brain tries to correct them.Did I mishearhim?
I blink, staring between the three Alphas as though I’m waiting for the punch line.
“What do you mean,our—” My voice cracks on the last word because something in my chest is already softening into hope despite my best efforts to protect myself.
It takes a few beats for the pieces to click into place. The paperwork in my hands. The address. The fact that I’m here to do a handover for a sale. And they’re standing on the porch like they own the place.
Because they must be the new owners.
My eyes sting, and I hate that my first instinct is still panic.
“Is this why you’ve been avoiding the conversation?” The words come out shaky. “I thought… I thought you were going to skip town on me.”
I try to laugh it off, but the sound is too honest. Too raw.
They just watch me.
“I thought maybe you were waiting,” I continue, and now I can’t stop, can’t keep the fear locked away where it belongs. “Maybe because I haven’t hit my heat yet. Perhaps you needed to see if I’m really… if I can really…” I can’t finish the sentence.
Seth’s face hardens with emotion, something fierce and protective flashing across his features. Carter’s eyes go sharp, all the easy humor draining away. And Kai is staring at me with so much love.
They close in on me immediately, all three of them. I’m wrapped in arms and warmth and the scent of them, and it’s impossible to pretend I’m fine.
“Listen to me.” Seth’s voice is low against my hair, steady in a way that doesn’t leave room for doubt. “We’re not waiting for anything or testing you. Or keeping our options open in case you don’t measure up to some bullshit biological standard.”
“You’re our Omega,” Kai adds, arms tight around my waist. His mouth brushes my temple, a touch that feels both soothing and possessive. “Heat or no heat. Now or never. We chose you, June. We’re already all in.”
Carter’s hand cups the back of my neck, warm and grounding. “Your heat will come when it comes,” he says. “And if it doesn’t, that’s okay too.”
That’s when I break. Proper, ugly crying, my face pressed into Seth’s shirt while everything I’ve been holding inside finally comes loose. All the fear. All the shame. All the stupid thoughts I’ve let fester in the dark.
“I thought…” I try to speak, and it comes out wrecked. “I thought you were going to leave.”
“If you ever think we’re leaving again,” Kai cuts in, pulling back just enough to look me in the eye, “I’m handcuffing myself to you. Permanently. We’ll sort out the logistics later.”
