Page 50 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
On my way,I typed back, already cleaning my brushes and packing up my tools.
Twenty minutes later, I was sitting at Jonah's kitchen table with a cup of coffee that was hopefully strong enough for whatever serious conversation Jonah's expression suggested we were about to have. Micah looked equally concerned, having clearly received the same urgent summons.
"Alright," I said without preamble, "what's going on? Your text made it sound like an emergency."
Jonah's expression was grim as he settled into his chair. "Marcus escalated today. Big time."
"How's Kit handling it?" Micah asked immediately.
"Better than I expected," Jonah replied. "This isn't just harassment anymore. He's trying to establish some kind of legal claim. He filed some bullshit claim saying they have a legally binding contract. She has to see Sheriff Rowe tomorrow morning to give a statement, and I'm going with her for support. Thankfully the Sheriff has already spotted that the documents don't look legitimate."
"Bastard," I muttered, my hands clenching around my coffee mug. "Good thing Sheriff Rowe spotted the forgeries immediately. That's not a fight we needed Kit worrying about."
This was worse than the box of photographs. He was escalating beyond mere intimidation now. I looked at Jonah and Micah wanted to tell them what I knew but knowing I’d promised Kit that it would stay between us. Surely this changed things though.
"Yeah, but it shows how desperate Marcus is getting," Jonah said grimly. "And desperate people do dangerous things."
I could smell the shift in our collective scents, three alphas responding to a threat against someone we'd all come to care about deeply. The air in the kitchen was charged with protective energy that was becoming impossible to ignore.
"I could smell the fear on her after art class," Jonah said quietly. "She was trying to be brave, but she's terrified. And nowshe's going home to that duplex alone, processing all of this by herself."
Alone. The word hit me like a punch to the gut, because it was exactly what Kit shouldn't be right now. Not with her heat approaching, not with a dangerous ex circling, not when every instinct we possessed was telling us to gather her close and keep her safe. It wasn't just alpha instinct. It was the thought of her facing all of this alone that had me ready to tear down walls.
"We need to talk about security," I said, forcing myself to focus on practical matters. "Enhanced locks, community watch, law enforcement coordination. She already has good security at the duplex now but locks can only do so much."
"Already coordinated with Sheriff Rowe," Jonah said. "He's promised increased patrols, and Mrs. Carrington is organizing a neighborhood watch schedule. And everyone at art class spread the word to keep an eye out for strangers asking questions about Kit."
The whole town. It said something about how quickly Kit had been claimed by this community that people who'd known her for three weeks were ready to stand between her and her past.
"But there's something else we need to discuss," I said, setting down my coffee cup. "Something we've all been dancing around for weeks."
The silence that followed was loaded with understanding. We all knew what I was talking about.
"While we're being honest about threats," I continued, "we need to be honest about feelings too." My wording made my jaw clench because I wasn’t being entirely honest about the threats Kit had received and I was regretting that promise to keep it between the two of us now.
Micah's scent shifted slightly, and Jonah's jaw tightened in a way that suggested he'd been thinking the same thing.
"I'm falling for her," I said bluntly. "Hard. And I think we all are."
The words hung in the air between us, honest and terrifying and completely accurate.
"Yeah," Jonah said quietly. "I haven't felt this way since Sarah. Charlie already looks at Kit like her mom, and I think of her as so much more than that."
"I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before," Micah added softly. "Laura and I ended a long time ago, but I still remember what it feels like to want a future with someone. This feels like so much more than that though. I want to build a life with her. I want to wake up every morning knowing she's safe and loved."
We sat in the weight of our mutual confession, three men who'd been friends for years admitting we'd all fallen for the same woman.
"So what does that mean?" Micah asked. "For us, for her, for this whole situation?"
"It means we've been functioning as a pack for years, we were just waiting for our omega," I said simply. "And it means that when her heat comes, probably in the next couple of days, we're all going to want to be there for her."
"All of us," Jonah said, and there was something in his voice that suggested he'd already thought this through. "Not competing with each other, but working together."
"We work better together anyway," I agreed. "Always have. Whether it's community projects, helping neighbors, or raising Charlie, we're stronger as a unit."
"But what if Kit doesn't want all of us?" Micah asked, voicing the fear we'd all been carrying. "What if she thinks it's too much, too complicated?"
"Then we respect her choice," Jonah said immediately. "But we also make sure she knows what her options are. That she doesn't have to choose between us."
