Page 94 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
The trust in her voice made my chest tight with emotion. This incredible woman, who had every reason to be wary of anyone claiming medical authority over her, was choosing to see my care as healing rather than control.
“Speaking of taking care of each other,” Wes said, settling on the floor beside the window seat, “we should talk about how this changes our daily routines.”
“Changes them how?” Willa asked.
“We’re pack now,” he said simply. “Officially, completely, permanently. That means we need to figure out how to navigatethings like work schedules, household responsibilities, decision making.”
“And boundaries,” I added, because it was important to address this early. “How much time together versus apart, how we handle conflicts, what happens when one of us needs space.”
“Do any of you want space?” she asked, something vulnerable creeping into her voice.
“Not want,” Rhett said quickly. “But need, sometimes. Everyone needs alone time occasionally, even in the best relationships.”
“The key is making sure space feels like self-care rather than rejection,” I said gently. “Which means communicating clearly about what we need and why.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever want to be apart from you for long,” she admitted. “Is that normal?”
“It’s normal for newly bonded packs,” I assured her. “The urge to stay close is biological for the first few weeks. It’ll settle into something more sustainable.”
“What if I don’t want it to settle?” she asked quietly.
“Then we adapt,” Wes said simply. “We figure out work arrangements and social commitments that keep us together as much as possible.”
“Just like that?” she asked, like she couldn’t quite believe it could be so simple.
“Just like that,” Rhett confirmed. “Your comfort and happiness come first. Everything else is negotiable.”
I watched her process this, saw the moment when she truly understood that her needs would be centered in every decision we made going forward. It was beautiful and heartbreaking to witness, this incredible woman learning to believe she deserved to be cherished.
“What about your businesses?” she asked. “Your careers?”
“What about them?” I replied. “I can run the apothecary with more flexible hours. Take on fewer clients if it means more time with pack.”
“I’ve been thinking about transitioning to more custom work anyway,” Rhett added. “Projects I can be selective about, that don’t require me to be away from home for long periods.”
“And my work is already here,” Wes said. “Wildlife management and conservation work keeps me local most of the time anyway.”
“You’d all do that?” she asked, wonder clear in her voice. “Restructure your entire lives around staying close to me?”
“We’d restructure our entire lives around being the family we want to be,” I corrected gently. “Which includes staying close to each other, not just you.”
“Pack isn’t about individual sacrifice,” Wes added. “It’s about collective prioritization. We all want the same thing, a life that keeps us together and happy.”
“Besides,” Rhett said with a grin, “it’s not sacrifice when it’s what we want anyway. I’d rather do interesting work that lets me come home to you every night than chase money and grinding at the garage for all hours that would keep us apart.”
The afternoon settled into the kind of domestic routine that felt both new and completely natural. Willa napped in the nest room while Rhett worked on sketches for cabin modifications. Wes caught up on email and work reports while I prepared herbal supplements for all of us, different blends for each person’s specific needs.
When Willa woke, we gravitated naturally toward the living room, all four of us ending up in a comfortable pile on the couch. Not sexual, just the need to be close and touching and connected.
“This is nice,” she said softly, her head resting on my shoulder while Rhett’s arm encircled all of us and Wes’s hand traced patterns on her ankle.
“This is everything,” Wes corrected, and I felt his contentment echo through our bonds.
“Can I ask you something?” she said, tilting her head to look at all three of us.
“Anything,” I said, speaking for all of us.
“How long have you known? That this was what you wanted?”
