Page 22 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
"Maybe a little."
We settled on her front steps with coffee and scones, watching Maple Crescent wake up around us. Mrs. Carrington was out in her garden. Somewhere in the distance, a lawn mower hummed, and kids' voices floated on the breeze.
"It's so peaceful here," Kit said. "I keep expecting something to interrupt it."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Sirens, traffic, the neighbor upstairs practicing violin at three in the morning." She took a bite of her scone. "It's been so long since I lived somewhere truly peaceful."
"Peace takes some getting used to," I agreed. "But once you settle into it, it's hard to imagine living any other way."
My phone buzzed. Unknown number. I glanced at the message:
Tell your new friend that some problems can't be fixed with better locks.
The blood in my veins turned to ice.
Kit's scent sharpened again in an instant, anxiety spiking as her body responded to my shift in energy.
"What is it?" she asked, tension sharpening her voice.
I showed her the screen. Her face went pale.
"How did they get your number?" she whispered.
They. Not 'he' or 'she' but they. Multiple people, or at least someone with backup. Someone she'd tangled with before.
"Small town," I said evenly, keeping my tone calm despite the adrenaline now screaming through my system. "It's not hard to find contact info if you know where to look."
But deep down, I knew better. That message came from a number with a masked origin, not even showing up in my call log properly. Whoever sent it wasn't just fishing. They had resources.
"Reed, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to involve you, or Jonah, or..."
"Hey." I reached for her hands. Cold, despite the warmth of the morning. Her scent lashed wild now, fear, guilt, the echo of flight. I gritted my teeth against the urge to scent-mark the porch just to settle her down.
"This isn't your fault. You didn't ask to be threatened."
"But I brought it here. To your town. To people who were just trying to help." Her voice cracked. "Maybe I should just go. Leave before this gets worse."
"Absolutely not."
The force in my voice startled her.
"Reed..."
"Kit, running didn't solve this before, and it won't now. They've already found you. The only question is: are you going to face them with backup, or face them alone?"
"I can't ask you to..."
"You're not asking. I'm offering." I stood and pulled her gently up with me. Her scent was still frayed around the edges, butunderneath I caught something new. Not just hope. Trust. "And I'm not the only one. This town protects its own."
Kit stared at me, and something changed behind her eyes. She straightened.
"You're right. I promised Charlie we'd build that nest today. I'm not letting some coward with a phone ruin that."
There it was. The moment she chose to stay.
"Good," I said, smiling. "Because Charlie's been planning this for days. And disappointing that kid should be a criminal offense."
