Page 60 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
"Dad, I'm seven, not two," Charlie said with exaggerated patience. "I can remember to pack underwear."
"And your..."
"And my inhaler, and my allergy medicine, and the emergency contact list, and enough books to read to a small army," Charlie finished. "I've got everything."
Kit knelt down to Charlie's level, her expression tender. "You're going to have such a wonderful time. I want to hear about every single dinosaur you see."
"I'll take pictures," Charlie promised, throwing her arms around Kit's neck. "And I'll bring you back something special."
"Just bring yourself back safely," Kit said, hugging her tightly. "That's all I need."
After Emma's car disappeared down the driveway, the house fell into an unusual quiet. Without Charlie's bright chatter, the space felt larger, more adult, charged with the unspoken awareness of what was coming.
Kit was standing in the living room, staring out the window with an expression that mixed anticipation with nervousness.Her scent had intensified in just the past hour, the warm honey notes becoming more prominent, more compelling.
"How are you feeling?" I asked gently, approaching slowly so as not to startle her.
"Different," she said honestly. "Not bad different, just... aware. Like my body knows something's about to happen."
"It's like tuning into a frequency you can't hear yet," I said. "That's just your hormones adjusting."
She turned to face me, her eyes bright with curiosity rather than fear. "Is it always like this? The anticipation?"
"It depends on the circumstances," I said carefully. "If you're with alphas you trust, in a space where you feel safe, anticipation can be part of the pleasure. If you're not..." I let the sentence hang, not wanting to bring up her past experiences with Marcus unless she did.
"I've never felt safe during a heat before," Kit said quietly. "Marcus always made it feel like something to be managed, controlled. Not something to be enjoyed."
The casual mention of her ex made my jaw clench with suppressed anger, but I kept my voice gentle. "Heat is supposed to be about pleasure and bonding and the deepest kind of intimacy. What Marcus put you through wasn't real heat. It was just biology he used to control you."
Kit's scent shifted slightly, warming with something that might have been relief. "I'm trying to unlearn a lot of things he taught me."
"And we're going to help you learn what it's supposed to feel like," I said, meaning it completely. "No pressure, no expectations except that you feel cherished and safe."
The back door opened, and Reed's voice called out, "Property's secure. All systems go."
He appeared in the living room, his hair slightly mussed from whatever outdoor work he'd been doing, his scent carrying notesof satisfaction and readiness that made the air between us feel more charged.
When Reed stepped closer, her breath caught. Not in fear, but in some primal recognition she didn't fight.
"How's our omega?" he asked, his eyes immediately finding Kit and cataloging her state with the focused attention of an alpha approaching his mate's heat.
"Getting close," I said. "I'd guess we have maybe twelve hours before it really starts."
"Good," Reed said, settling into the chair across from where Kit and I stood. "Gives us time to get everything perfect."
"Everything?" Kit asked.
"Your nest," Jonah said, appearing from the direction of the kitchen. "The most important part of heat preparation is making sure your nesting space is exactly what you need."
Kit's eyes lit up with interest rather than anxiety. "I thought we'd use the nest Charlie and I built in the bonus room."
"That was practice," Reed said with a grin. "This is the real thing. Master bedroom, proper space for all of us, everything you could possibly need for comfort and safety."
All of us. The casual mention of our shared participation in her heat made Kit's cheeks flush, but she didn't look away.
"Will you help me?" she asked, the question directed at all three of us. "I'm still learning what I actually like versus what I was told I should like."
"It would be our honor," I said simply.
