He dropped his hands, and I held my breath.
Presley opened her eyes.
A cottage sat in the corner of the garden, tucked against the stone wall. It was small, perfect, with cream-colored stone and wide blue-painted window frames. A Dutch door stood open, revealing a glimpse of warm wood floors and built-in bookshelves.
"It's a little house," Presley murmured, her hand going to her mouth.
"A cottage, Princesse," I corrected, stepping close to nuzzle the scent gland at her neck. "Your sanctuary."
"It's what you wanted," Hastings added, moving to her other side. "A cottage and a cat. You said that was all you needed."
She turned to look at us, and for a heart-stopping second, I thought we'd made a terrible mistake.
Her eyes were swimming with tears, her chin trembling.
"Do you not want me in your house anymore?" Her voice broke. "Is this where you're putting me now that the babies are coming? Am I being—"
"Non," I said firmly, cupping her face. "Non, Princesse. Never."
Fritz stepped forward, taking her hands. "Presley, no. We want you everywhere. In our bed, in our kitchen, in every room of that big house. But we know you. We know you need a place where the air is quiet and the world doesn't demand anything from you. This is your nest. Yours alone." He paused. "We only come here if we're invited."
"Oh." She wiped her eyes, laughing wetly. "Okay. That's—okay."
She walked toward the cottage, her steps slow and hesitant. We waited at the door, giving her space to explore.
She ran her hand over the bookshelves that lined the back wall, empty and waiting for the special editions she'd always wanted. She peeked into the bedroom at the mountain of soft linens and pillows piled on the bed. She looked out the window at the main house, visible through the garden.
Then she turned back to us, her face flushed and beautiful.
"Come in," she said. "Please."
We crossed the threshold together.
The cottage smelled of new wood and fresh paint. There was a small kitchen area with a kettle and a tiny fridge. A reading nook by the window with cushions and a blanket. Everything was what we knew shewanted.
Presley stood in the center of the main room, slowly turning to take it all in.
I glanced at Hastings and Fritz, nodded. We moved together.
We'd planned this moment, but now that it was here, it felt natural. Inevitable.
We dropped to our knees on the thick rug, surrounding her.
Three alphas, reduced to nothing by the woman standing in the center of the room.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes flicked from me to Hastings to Fritz before she stepped back and took us all in.
“I love you,” Hastings said, without warning.
“I love you,” Fritz added.
"I’ve loved you from the very first day I met you. And I’ve been given the privilege to make this move.”
She smiled. “I love you all.”
“We know you do, and that makes the decision so easy. Presley, we've been a pack without an omega for a long time, and then you came along and lightened our world," I said, looking up at her, watching a tear track down her cheek. "Fritz, Henry, and I. Well, while we’re proud of our own names, we realize this family needs a single thread to bind us. Something that says we belong together."
"We always knew that one day, we would be Pack Hastings, not three individual pack members who share the same pack. Now you’re here, and Fritz and I are readyto become Hastings, but we want you to formally be our omega. For us to legally register as a complete pack. Pack Hastings," Fritz said.
