Page 48 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
It was the question I'd been dreading and expecting in equal measure. How did you explain that you'd picked Hollow Haven because it was small enough to disappear in, but had stayed because it was the first place that had ever felt like home?
"I needed a fresh start," I said carefully. "Somewhere quiet, where I could figure out what I wanted my life to look like."
"Must be nice to have options," Anna said, not unkindly. "There's not much here for people our age. Town council cut funding for the youth center last year. Now all us teenagers do is hang out at the gas station and get dirty looks."
"That's a shame," I said, meaning it. "Young people need creative outlets."
"Exactly!" Anna's eyes lit up. "But try telling that to the town council."
I guess every place had its troubles, and for the first time in a long time, a need to try and fix something in a community that was fast becoming important to me started to settle inside me. Omegas weren’t the only people who needed art and creativity. It was an important part of us all in so many different ways.
"And have you? Figured it out?" Mrs. P asked gently, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked down at my painting. The garden that Charlie and I had planted together, the house where Jonah made me feel safe, the community that was slowly but surely claiming me as their own.
"I think so," I said, surprising myself with how certain I sounded. "I think I want it to look like this."
"Like what?" Lily prompted.
"Like belonging somewhere. Like being part of something bigger than myself." I started to add a small figure to the garden. Charlie, arms full of flowers, face bright with joy. "Like having people who care if I come home at night."
"You have that," Mrs. P said simply. "You've had it since the day you arrived, whether you realized it or not."
Since the day I arrived. The idea that this community had been ready to claim me before I'd even known I wanted to be claimed was almost overwhelming.
"Sometimes it doesn't feel real," I admitted. "Like I'm waiting for someone to realize they made a mistake."
"Honey," Anna said, setting down her own brush, "the only mistake would be letting that fear convince you to leave."
The conversation was interrupted by my phone ringing. Sheriff Rowe's name appeared on the screen, and my stomach immediately clenched with worry.
"Excuse me," I said to the group, stepping away from the easel. "Sheriff Rowe? Is everything okay?"
"Kit, I need to speak with you about a legal matter," his voice was serious but kind. "Someone claiming to be your former partner has filed some paperwork with the county courthouse. Documents suggesting you have a prior binding agreement with him."
My knees went weak. "What kind of documents?"
This was what Marcus’s email had been talking about. Things were moving quicker than I’d anticipated. Involving people I didn’t want to get the wrong impression of me when I was trying to build a future here.
"Pre-bonding contract, cohabitation agreement, some other papers I'm not entirely convinced are legitimate. I've seen my share of forged documents, and these have some red flags. But I wanted to make you aware and get your statement on record."
"Sheriff Rowe, I never signed anything binding with Marcus. Nothing. Whatever those papers are, they're fake."
"That's what I suspected. Can you come in tomorrow morning to give an official statement? We'll want to document this properly in case we need to pursue charges for falsifying legal documents."
"Of course," I said, though my voice sounded shaky even to my own ears. "Thank you for calling."
"Kit? You're not alone in this. This man is making a lot of noise, but he's got no legal standing here. We'll handle this."
After I hung up, I stood there for a moment, my hands shaking as the weight of Marcus's latest manipulation attempt settledover me. My vision blurred at the edges, panic trying to claw its way up my throat. But for the first time in a long time, I wasn't spiraling alone. I could feel their scents still grounded in the room. Soft, steady, safe. The harmonic energy Mrs. P had described wrapping around me like a shield.
I belonged here. Even now, even with Marcus trying to drag me back into his web of control.
When I returned to the easel, three pairs of concerned eyes immediately focused on me.
"Everything okay, dear?" Mrs. P asked gently.
"Marcus has filed fake legal papers claiming I'm bound to him somehow," I said quietly. "Sheriff Rowe wants to see me tomorrow to give a statement."
