Page 112 of Knotting With A Stranger

“I’ve actually been looking into starting my own event catering and wedding planning business,” she continues. “I’ve already made some connections in the industry. Maybe I can order baked goods from you...” She pauses, an idea clearly forming. “If you want, I can sell you the bakery. You’d be amazing running it yourself.”

“Yes,” Hunter states immediately, rising to his feet. “She will buy it from you, and we can set up there in town but expand it. Make it something truly special.” He turns to me. “If that’s okay with you?”

My head spins with how rapidly everything is changing, possibilities unfolding before me that I never dared imagine. “This is moving so fast,” I say, feeling slightly overwhelmed. “Okay, one bit at a time, please. I haven’t even officially agreed to stay with you yet, and we’re already planning business ventures.”

They laugh, the sound warm and real.

“She’s right,” Hunter acknowledges. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves.” He turns to Hannah. “Please, come in properly. We were just about to have coffee. Join us, and we can get to know each other better.”

Hannah glances at me questioningly, and when I nod, she smiles. “I’d like that a lot.” She walks over to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “You’re so lucky, girl,” she whispers in my ear.

The words catch me off guard, bringing fresh tears to my eyes. Hannah has always been the successful one—perfect grades, perfect appearance, everything meticulously planned and executed. To hear pride in her voice, directed at me, feels like a gift I didn’t know I needed.

“Thanks,” I whisper back, hugging her tightly.

“So,” Archer says, clapping his hands together. “Coffee for everyone? Or something stronger, considering we’re apparently planning both romantic and business mergers simultaneously?”

“Coffee is fine,” Hannah laughs. “I’m driving back later.”

“I’ll make it,” James volunteers, heading toward the kitchen. “Lily, show your sister around while I get that started.”

“You’re going to tell me everything,” Hannah whispers to me, linking her arm through mine. Her gaze travels meaningfully to the men moving around the cabin.

“Later,” I promise. “When I’m not in danger of being overheard and thoroughly embarrassed.”

As I show Hannah around the main floor of the cabin, I’m struck by how naturally the men adjust their movements around us.

We settle in the living room, Thor moving between us, accepting pets from everyone but eventually settling at my feet with a contented sigh.

“So,” Hannah says. “How exactly is this going to work? The four of you, I mean.” She gestures between the men andme. “Not judging, just thinking for my sister. I have a friend who recently found three Alpha mates, and now, with Lily, I’m starting to feel left out.” She laughs, and I nudge her with my shoulder.

“We’re going to figure it out as we go, as it’s all new to us,” Hunter answers honestly. “But the important thing is that we all want the same thing—Lily’s happiness. We’re a pack,” James says quietly, his eyes meeting mine across the room.

The word resonates through me, feeling right in a way I can’t fully explain. It’s not just about the Alpha-Omega dynamic, though that’s certainly part of it. It’s about belonging, about finding people who complement and complete each other.

Hunter’s hand brushes casually against my shoulder, sending a wave of tingles down my spine. Across from us, Archer winks at me over his steaming mug of coffee, that mischievous glint in his amber eyes making the butterflies in my stomach take flight.

“Is living out here always this peaceful?” Hannah asks, curled up in the armchair adjacent to the sofa. My sister has been watching the three men fuss over me all afternoon with equal parts amusement and astonishment—bringing me tea, adjusting pillows behind my back, and making sure I was comfortable.

“Most days,” Hunter replies, his fingers absently playing with a strand of my hair, leaning on the couch behind me. “Though it’s never been quite like this before.”

“The isolation must be nice,” Hannah continues.

James shifts closer to my other side on the couch, his hand coming to rest on my thigh with a casual possessiveness that sends warmth spreading through me. Archer moves from his chair to squeeze onto the sofa on my other side, the three of them forming a protective circle that should feel overwhelming but instead feels like sanctuary.

Is this really my life? I wonder, looking at each of them in turn. Three Alphas want me?

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face, probably making me appear ridiculous, but I don’t care.

“I believe,” Hunter says, “we were confirming whether Lily wants to be ours.”

Three pairs of eyes turn to me, filled with hope, desire, and something deeper that makes my heart race. Even Hannah has gone quiet, her expression soft as she watches this moment unfold.

“Yes,” I say simply, the word feeling like coming home. “Yes to all of it. To all of you.”

The next few moments are a blur of movement and sensation—Hunter lifting me off my feet in a spinning hug, Archer pressing jubilant kisses to my face, James holding me so tightly, I can feel his heart hammering against mine.

“I still can’t believe this is real,” I admit. “That you all want this. Want me.”

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