Jethro rubs the back of his neck. “I shut the bar and sent everyone home. No one’s going out in this weather, not in Willowside.”
He stops beside the bed and places a hand on Sandra’s shoulder as he leans across Oli; his eyes search her face. “You’re safe here. I won’t let them come near you.”
Her scent returns to the sweetness of the sage and jasmine I’m becoming used to. My own instincts settle. Snow might keep them out, but it also means she stays. I want that; we all do. But, does she?
Jethro glances between Sandra and Oli, then shifts his attention to the trays at the foot of the bed. His gaze shifts toward Caleb and me. He nods, the message clear. “We should clean this up before someone spills something.”
Caleb and I move, collecting dishes. Jethro joins us. Sandra moves to help as well, but Oli stays close to her, keeping her in the nest.
“We’ll be back,” I tell her while balancing a tray.
Caleb and I carry the trays out, Jethro following with the rest. We carry everything into the kitchen and unload it onto the counter. Jethro puts food in the trash or containers, while Caleb and I wash and dry the plates.
Caleb rinses the soap from a plate and passes it to me. “She’s terrified.”
I nod, drying it on autopilot. “Can you blame her?”
Jethro leans against the counter after he finishes clearing the food and plates. “We need a real plan. We can’t just wait.”
I glance at him. “What kind of plan?”
He exhales. “Something to protect her, that keeps them from touching her again.”
That edge returns to his voice. It’s the same tone I imagine he used when giving orders during his time as a commander in the military. It reminds me he’s the one most prepared to keep us safe from threats like the mafia.
He drags his fingers through the scruff on his jaw. “If they come, I’ll call in Alpha Law. But for it to matter, we have to be bonded. All of us. If the bond takes, the law holds.”
It’s an old law, from a time when hierarchy governed our society and wasn’t just an option. If a scent-matched Omega bonds and the bond takes, the Omega becomes part of that pack. No other Alpha can contest it without facing consequences. Sandra rejected Nero and Emilio. That leaves her unclaimed.
Caleb pushes up his glasses. “What about her father? The debt?”
“We pay it.” Jethro pins him with a stare. “Whatever it takes. We erase it. No more excuses for them to chase her. The bar makes us a surplus at this point. We can afford it.”
I look toward the stairs that lead up to the nest. It’s a lot. But the choice feels simple. “Let’s do it.”
Caleb nods.
Jethro nods again. “Alright, we won’t bring it up right this second, but we will soon. Let’s watch a movie and help her relax.”
With all of us on the same page, we return to the nest room. Sandra and Oli remain curled together. Jethro eases into the nest and positions himself to her right, leaving space. Oli shifts, staying close on the other side. Jethro extends his arm, welcoming them in. Sandra hesitates, then leans into him. Oli presses closer, and Jethro wraps his arm around both of them.
I climb in on Oli’s other side and reach over him, brushing his side as I take her hand. There’s a deep need inside me to touch them both.
Her hazel and brown eyes meet mine, questioning. She’s searching, not just for answers, but for assurance. I offer her a smile, and she returns it as she places her fingers into mine.Her grip tightens. I brush my thumb along hers in a steady motion.
I keep her hand in mine and lean back to grab the remote from the windowsill behind the bed. The television flickers to life and fills the room with a soft glow. I flip through the options and settle on a light comedy, something easy. The five of us settle into the nest. The room fills with quiet laughter and the sounds of the movie. Bit by bit, Sandra relaxes. Her breathing evens out, and the tension leaves her frame. For now, she feels safe.
My inner Alpha settles, knowing both my Omegas are here beside me.
The snow continues to come down hard. It might be worse than the blizzard we had around Christmas. A fire crackles in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the living room. We’re sprawled around the coffee table, the Monopoly board set up between us.
Jethro stretches out on the rug, his head propped on a pillow, pretending he’s bored. He’s taken the role of ‘banker.’ Which, for him, mostly involves snide comments about our financial decisions. Oli perches on the edge of the sofa, focused on his properties, a deep line between his eyebrows. Caleb sits cross-legged on the floor, his money organized into meticulous piles.
Sandra curls up beside Oli, laughing at how seriously he’s taking whether to buy Kentucky Avenue.
The sound is beautiful, bright and real, stirring something deep in me. My inner Alpha responds with a buzz of warmth,protective and proud, like I’ve found something worth guarding for life, even though Oli also makes me feel that.
I want to make her laugh again. It’s strange to feel like this, less than twenty-four hours, and I’m acting like a teenager. All of us are. I can’t help it. Something about her pulls me in. Makes me want to protect her, keep her safe, make her smile. It’s like she’s always belonged here, a missing piece we didn’t know was missing.
