Page 41 of Dual Nature

Before Zander could speak, Elias cut in from where he had been pacing behind the couch. "Isn't anyone worried that the Senate now knows about Finley? Didn't we just say that people shouldn't know about her being an elf? Hell, her being an omega makes her enough of a target," he snarled.

It was becoming exponentially clear to me why Elias had become one of my Sentinels; my safety was always his first thought no matter how it might affect the alphas.

"Do you think my mother would cause harm to my mate? I’m her only child, so the chance of having any grandchildren or carrying on our family line rests with me!" Zander snapped as he leaped to his feet. "There is no way that I would allow anyone to take Finley from me no matter who they are. You aren’t the only one who’s concerned about her safety!"

"Really, if that were true, why didn't you tell us about your mother from the start? Seems like you don't trust us enough to share when it involves our mate!" Elias challenged.

Zander growled in warning. "She isn't your mate yet, beta."

Shoving out of Mason's arms, I shot to my feet. "Stop it!" The room stilled, and they all turned to look at me, taken aback at my outburst. "All of you in this room are mine—regardless of whether I bear your mark. I refuse to let you fight over your place beside me when I need all of you. Elias is one of my Sentinels. It's his job to always think of the worst case and voice his concerns, just like Noah will always be the first to pick up on what I need without having to ask me. Each of you has a role to play in my life as well as a spot in my heart. We’re new to each other and this dynamic, but I already know that I won't be able to survive this new life and the supernatural world without all of you. As for Zander's mother, I trust my mate to look after me and all of us, so if he trusts her, I’m supporting his decision."

Looking thoroughly chastised, Zander and Elias calmed down and backed off each other. I was glad even though I knew it wouldn't be the last battle between these two men. They were too similar for friction not to happen every so often.

"Snuggles is right," Mason spoke up. "I’m still not sure what role I fill in this group, but I do know that I trust each of you to watch her back if I'm not there. If the Senate comes for Finley, we’ll deal with that together, but I choose to believe that Zander reached out to his mother, not the Senate, who wants the best for her son and his new mate."

I smiled at Mason, pleased that he’d spoken up on this matter and saw my logic. "I think it's best if we all head to bed; it's been a crazy day. If I could impose a request, I would love to have us all sleep together like we did in my nest." Everyone nodded or murmured their agreement, making me smile even bigger.

"Like we could ever say no when it makes you that excited." Noah snorted as he stood and held out his hand to me. "Come on, love, let's turn in for the night."

Between the stocked closet and the bathroom, I found everything I might need for daily life. Zander wasn't kidding when he said that he wanted this to be my home as well. Curling up in the middle of the bed, the others joined, finding whatever space they could to get close to me or at least touch some part of my body. It might not be the most comfortable for them in the long run, but now that I knew what this felt like, I wasn't sure I could sleep any other way.

Soft kisses along my skin woke me up with a smile. I rolled into the body behind me, breathing in the bright evergreen scent. "Good morning," I murmured.

"Good morning, little one, did you sleep well?" Colt asked as he kissed his mate mark on my neck.

I stretched out and rubbed my eyes before opening them, not feeling ready to start my day just yet. "Mmm, I slept like the dead."

The scent of something sweet drifted its way over to me from somewhere in the house, making my stomach announce its desire to enjoy whatever it might be.

"Little one, I know that it's going to take some time to adjust, but you need to eat more and more often. If you've reached the point that your stomach is begging for food, you've gone too long," Colt scolded me.

Sitting up, I scowled down at him. "What, you want me to set a timer and eat every two hours or something?"

Colt nodded. "That's actually a really good idea."

"I was joking, you know."

Colt grinned and booped me on the nose with a finger. "I figured, but that doesn't make it any less of a good idea. Come on, smells like whatever Lane and Zander were cooking up for breakfast is done. Time to fatten you up a bit."

"Are you saying I'm too skinny?" I demanded.

The look of panic on Colt's face as he tried to find a way to answer me was priceless. Leaning forward, I gave him a quick peck on the lips before I slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom. "Kidding!" I called over my shoulders.

"Looks like someone woke up with a little extra pep in their step," Colt chuckled. "Come down when you're ready. We need to make some plans for today."

I piled my hair up and hopped into the shower, scrubbed my body, and called it good. Starting off the day fresh and clean was the best feeling as well as a necessity for starting the day off right. I wandered through the options that Zander had bought me, quickly discovering that our idea of buying a few things was vastly different. I had a full wardrobe of everyday clothes, workout gear, business professional, and dresses for something more formal. Feeling the need to get a workout in, I slipped on leggings, a sports bra, and a workout tank with a sweatshirt. Along the bottom of the closet, I found a shoe rack full of options that were exactly my size. How Zander had managed to learn all this information was something I would love to know.

Ready for the day, I headed downstairs and found another feast of breakfast items laid out on the kitchen counter. What I'd been smelling was the giant icing-drowned cinnamon rolls that were making my mouth water at the sight.

"Snugg-le-s!" Mason called out from his spot at the table, mouth stuffed full of food, which he promptly started to choke on.

Noah slapped him on the back with a loud thump, sending whatever he'd been choking on out of his mouth and onto the plate. "Don't fucking talk with your mouth full, you barbarian."

"Holy shit, you saved my life, twin!" Mason gasped in between coughing fits.

"Isn't the first time and definitely won't be the last," Noah muttered. "Good morning, love, fill up a plate. We've all gotten ours."

Looking over the table, I saw that all of them had full plates in front of them even if they weren't really eating yet. They were doing this for me, that way I could easily grab my own meal without needing one of them to serve me. I grabbed the plate left for me and started with the cinnamon roll, working from there until the plate matched theirs in size. I took an open seat at the head of the table so I could see them all as they talked.