Page 82 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
Tomorrow, Charlie would come home to a family that was whole. Tomorrow, we would begin the beautiful, messy, wonderful work of building a life together. Tomorrow, I would officially become the mother I'd always dreamed of being.
But tonight, I was exactly where I belonged. Wrapped in the arms of my three alphas, surrounded by the scents of home and safety and unconditional love, feeling their hearts beat in rhythm with mine through bonds that would last forever.
This was what happily ever after looked like. Not perfect, not without challenges, but real and honest and built on a foundation of love that could weather anything life threw at us.
I was home. I was claimed. I was exactly who I was meant to be.
And tomorrow, we would wake up and build our forever, one day at a time.
Chapter 27
Jonah
Iwoke to sunlight streaming through the bedroom windows and breathed in deeply of the changed scent of our home now. It gave me the deepest scent of peace that I hadn't felt in a very long time.
Kit was still sleeping, curled between Reed and me with Micah's arm draped protectively over all of us. Her neck bore three claiming bites that had settled into something permanent, each one a testament to the bond we'd forged over the past four days. She looked different. Not just the physical glow that came from being thoroughly claimed, but something deeper. A settledness, a confidence, like she'd finally stepped fully into who she was meant to be.
Our omega. Our mate. Charlie's mother.
Sarah would have liked this path for her family. She would have loved Kit, and how much she loved her daughter when she wasn’t able to be here to do it herself.
The thought of my daughter made me smile. Charlie would be home this afternoon, returning to a family that was finally, officially whole. Emma had texted last night that they were having such a wonderful time she'd extended the trip by one day, but Charlie was getting antsy to come home to "see how everything worked out with Kit and the alphas."
That kid had been orchestrating this outcome since the day Kit moved in next door.
I eased out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Kit but needing to start preparing for Charlie's homecoming. Coffee first, then the morning routine that had become second nature over the past few days. Checking on Kit's recovery, coordinating with Reed and Micah, making sure our newly bonded pack was settling properly.
The kitchen smelled like us now too. Not just the individual scents we'd carried before, but something unified, something that said pack lives here. It was subtle but unmistakable. The olfactory signature of a family unit.
"Morning," Reed's voice came from behind me, rough with sleep but carrying the bone-deep satisfaction that had been radiating from all of us since Kit's heat ended. "Kit's still sleeping," he said.
I started the coffee maker. "She needs the rest. Her body's been through a lot."
"Worth every second," Reed said with a grin, settling at the kitchen table. "Have you seen how she looks at us now? Like she finally believes she belongs here."
That was exactly it. The careful walls Kit had maintained, the constant readiness to run if things went wrong, all of it was gone, replaced by the deep security that came from being claimed by alphas who would die before letting harm come to her.
"She glows," Micah said, appearing in the doorway with his hair mussed and his expression soft with contentment. "I've never seen an omega settle into bonds so completely."
"She was ready," I said simply. "We all were."
The morning passed in the comfortable rhythm we'd developed. Taking turns checking on Kit, ensuring she stayed hydrated and fed while her body finished processing the intensity of being claimed by three alphas. She was healing beautifully, the claiming bites already becoming part of her scent and skin, unmistakably ours.
"I need to do something before Charlie gets home," Kit said when she finally emerged from the bedroom around noon, wearing one of my flannel shirts and looking radiant despite the tender way she moved.
"What do you need?" I asked immediately, moving to her side in case she needed support.
"I want to set up something special for Charlie," Kit said, her scent shifting with determination and something that might have been nervous hope. "Something to honor Sarah's memory. I've been thinking about it since yesterday."
My chest tightened at the mention of Sarah's name, but not with the sharp pain it used to bring. There was a time when hearing Sarah's name would have gutted me. Now it felt like something warm and quiet, a memory rather than a wound. Instead, I felt a complex mix of gratitude and love for the woman who'd given me Charlie, and for the woman who was now ready to help me raise her.
"What did you have in mind?" Micah asked gently.
"A memory garden," Kit said, her words coming faster as her idea took shape. "In that corner of the backyard where the light is perfect. We could plant Sarah's favorite flowers, maybe add a small bench where Charlie can go to feel close to her mom. And I thought..." Kit's voice grew softer, more uncertain. "I thoughtmaybe we could frame some of her artwork, create a special space in Charlie's room where her mom's creativity can inspire hers."
The thoughtfulness of it, the way Kit was already thinking about Charlie's emotional needs and Sarah's legacy, made my throat tight with emotion.
"Sarah would love that," I said quietly. "She always said gardens were about hope and continuity."
