Page 34 of Dual Nature

"That's harsh, snuggles!" Mason whined, pushing out his full bottom lip in a pout. "Guess we'll just have to make it worth you changing your mind."

Mason led the way out the back door that butted right up to the forest, and I expected him to start shedding his clothes to shift, but he kept walking. I glanced down at my bare feet, but the soft grass felt so nice I decided not to worry about finding shoes. Mason led us deeper into the woods that I was sure I would soon find as a second home given enough time. My wolf was happy to be back out here in nature and particularly excited to have three of our pack members looking out for us. She liked them very much and felt safe knowing they were guarding us. Wanting to understand my own emotions better, I followed the connection I felt for them to its origin. The knowledge that they belonged to me was clear, but it wasn’t attached to my wolf; it was connected to that something else. It was almost as if that part of me was awakening but still buried deep inside me, waiting to break free. Knowing that I was something else, and might have always been, was hard to wrap my head around, but it also made so much more sense. Nothing about my first shift and how I acted as an omega, let alone a typical werewolf, seemed to be normal. Or at least according to the guys. Who was I to know what was normal or not?

I was so lost in thought that I missed when Mason stopped walking. If Noah hadn't pulled me to a stop, I would have crashed into his broad back.

"Look up," Noah whispered.

Curious, I did as he asked, and my gasp of excitement echoed in the quiet forest. "Is that a tree house!?"

When I was younger, I’d heard about them from some of the older kids the Organization had brought into the fold; they’d lived out in the normal world longer than I had, and they’d shared stories about what “normal” childhoods were like. For whatever reason, tree houses were something that had always stuck in my mind. Something about them seemed so magical, like they were a portal to another world. Never did I think I would get to experience one in my life, especially now that I was grown.

"Yup," Mason said, popping the 'P' and grinning at me proudly. "Noah and I built it with our own two hands!"

Tucked away up in a massive oak tree was a small house with a wooden spiral staircase leading to the floor entrance. Unable to stop myself, I hustled up the stairs and shoved open the trap door to reveal the inside of this charming space. It was simple, with two woven hammocks hung up side by side under a loft area, but that only added to the magical rustic vibe it gave off. A rope ladder hung from the loft, giving access to the top space filled with blankets and pillows. A soft rug covered the floor in the open space, with large windows showing off the forest and letting in natural light. Suddenly, twinkle lights blazed into existence, making the small house light up with so much warmth and magic. A low bookshelf was along one wall filled with books and a few games that didn't look to be used much. More large pillows and blankets were stacked along the edge of the wall for someone to use in this common space. I spotted a small kitchen set-up that had a camping stove, a kettle, and some mugs, because I’d been told nothing said secret hideaway like having a steaming cup of hot cocoa.

"This place is like nothing I've ever seen before." I sighed, feeling at peace for the first time since I was sent to New York.

Turning back to face the three men who took up much of the small space, I had to smirk. The ceiling was definitely tall enough to accommodate their height, but there was still an unavoidable sense of them being far too large for this space.

"Why didn't you give it to the kids? I would think it's a perfect place for them to play," I asked as I started to snoop around the place.

Immediately, I could tell that question touched on a sore subject for the twins as they shifted uncomfortably where they stood. Elias, on the other hand, walked over to a space close to the windows and lounged against a pile of pillows.

"My brother and I are born wolves, and the biggest difference between a born werewolf and bitten one is that we can change our status in the pack. Mason and I could be alphas if given the chance to fight for that rank, but it just hasn't been the right time to do that. Honestly, I like being a strong beta, but Mason doesn't feel the same way I do," Noah explained.

Mason glared at his twin then looked over at me. "I just know that I'm meant for something more than being the support beta to a strong pack. I can do more. Our pack isn't big enough to support three alphas, so I haven't made my move yet. This place gives me somewhere that's away from it all. When I get too frustrated or I butt heads with Lane or Colt, this is the place I come to cool off. Here it's just me and Noah, but we both agreed that we wanted to share it with you so you have a place to go when things are too overwhelming."

I couldn't help myself. I leaped at both of them, and they caught me easily, wrapping themselves around me. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

They held me for a few more moments, but the urge to make the space more comfortable kept nagging at me. Pulling away, I climbed up the ladder and tossed down all the blankets and pillows that were in the loft, then I shooed Elias out of the space so I could get to work. This was a good start, but it needed to be arranged right. I loved the feeling of being able to see the forest and the goings on of the wildlife around me, but it needed the right sort of set-up to experience it. Pulling the circular carpet closer to the window so it covered the wood floor was the first step, then I used the thickest blanket for the foundation. When I found that I'd used all the blankets and it still wasn't right, a frustrated growl slipped out.

"What's wrong, love?" Noah asked, coming up behind me and settling his hands on my hips.

"It's not right! There needs to be more blankets," I muttered, stepping out of his hold and kneeling in the pile. "The pillows will help, but it's missing something."

I started shoving pillows under some of the blankets, punching them to get the feel my body was pining for. Yet whatever driving force was behind this just wasn't satisfied with the outcome. The space was right, the window was perfect, and the late afternoon sun was warm, but it was still somehow empty.

"Elias, head back to the house and grab blankets from all our rooms. Do we have anything at the house that might smell like Zander?" Noah asked from somewhere behind me.

Yanking one of the pillows from the pile, I growled at it before I shoved it into another spot that worked better. The need to make this perfect was so strong I started to feel tears pricking in my eyes. Why can’t I do this right?

"Okay, snuggles, hold on. We think we know what the problem is," Mason crooned as he wrapped me up in his arms.

"It has to be right, Mason." I nuzzled into his shirt. "You made this beautiful house, and I want to make it perfect, but I can't seem to figure it out."

"Oh, my dear sweet snuggles, you're just nesting. It's perfectly normal. Didn’t you read about it in all those books?”

“Yes, but reading something and experiencing it are completely different. Who gets this upset when they can’t make the perfect pillow fort?” I grumbled.

“I should have known showing you a space like this would trigger the need to nest. Elias is off to get what you need, then it will be perfect, just like you, I promise," Mason assured me, pulling me from his chest to wipe my tears away with his thumbs before kissing me on the lips. "Who would have guessed that you would be such a stickler for details? We can take you to Zander's house, and you can curl up in that nest if we can't get this one perfect."

"NO!" I shouted, surprising us both with my vehemence. "This is important. I have to finish this one first. The other one is already set up; this one is special."

Mason grinned at me like a kid who just found out Christmas came early and he was getting double the presents. "Yeah, I'm keeping you for sure after saying something like that. You turned down a curated omega nest for our janky treehouse as your first official nest. Not gonna lie, that is a major ego boost right there."

Noah joined Mason and me, coming up from behind so I was boxed in by them, and I hummed with pleasure at feeling them so close in this space they had built.

"I grabbed what I could," Elias stated as he returned. "I also made sure to tell the alphas where we were seeing as she won't leave until this is completed."