Page 65 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
As the evening progressed and everyone relaxed, the conversation grew more personal. Willa's photography from her hike with Wes, complete with stories about patient ravens and perfect light. Rhett's latest restoration project, a 1967 Mustang that was proving more challenging than expected. My work with the community garden, and how satisfying it was to see things grow.
But underneath the pleasant dinner conversation, I could sense something building. The way Willa kept glancing at each of us in turn. The way her scent was shifting, becoming more complex. The way all three of us alphas were responding to those changes, our own scents sharpening with attention.
"I've been thinking about what you said," Willa told us as we moved on to dessert, her voice carrying a new weight. "About not having to choose between you. About some omegas preferring multiple alphas."
The statement hung in the air, loaded with possibility. I felt Wes go still beside me, his wine glass stopping halfway to his lips. Saw Rhett's fork pause halfway to his mouth, his eyes sharpening with attention.
"Have you?" Rhett said carefully, setting down his utensils.
"I've been thinking about a lot of things lately." Willa looked around the table, meeting each of our eyes in turn. "About what I want, what I'm ready for, what I'm afraid of."
I'd been waiting for this moment, sensing it building all evening like pressure before a storm. The way she'd accepted my invitation, the care she'd taken with her appearance, the nervous energy that had been following her for days. All of it pointed to someone preparing to take a significant step.
"Would you like to share those thoughts with us?" I asked gently.
She took a breath that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside her, the kind of breath that preceded important truths.
"There's something I need to tell you all," she said, her voice steady but carrying an undertone of nervousness. "Something important."
I reached over and touched her hand gently. "Take your time. We're here to listen."
She nodded, gathering herself, and I could see the moment she made her decision. The way her shoulders straightened, her chin lifted slightly. Whatever she was about to tell us, she'd found her courage.
"I think," she said, then stopped, shook her head, and started again with more conviction. "I know I have something important to share with all of you. But I want to make sure this is the right time and place."
"This is exactly the right time and place," Wes said softly. "Whatever you need to tell us, we're ready to hear it."
"Absolutely," Rhett confirmed, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it.
The room fell quiet except for the soft classical music, all of us focused completely on her. She looked around the table once more, meeting each of our eyes, and I could see her drawing strength from what she found there.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Okay."
But I could tell she needed just a moment more to gather herself. The atmosphere in the room was perfect for truth-telling, warm and safe and full of love, but what she was about to share was clearly something that required all of her courage.
I squeezed her hand gently and waited, knowing that when she was ready, she would speak her truth, and everything would change.
Chapter 25
Willa
My hands were shaking under the table.
I'd been gathering courage all evening, through Elias's perfectly prepared dinner and the gentle conversation that felt like a warm embrace. The atmosphere he'd created was exactly what I needed,but that didn't make what I was about to say any easier.
The three men sitting around this table had become everything to me over the past few weeks. Each of them had seen pieces of who I really was, who I wanted to become, and had loved those pieces instead of trying to change them. But what I was about to ask of them was bigger than individual dates or stolen kisses or quiet conversations about art and conservation and the healing power of honest work.
I was about to ask them to be my pack.
"There's something I need to tell you all," I said, the words coming out steadier than I felt. "Something important."
Elias reached over and touched my hand gently, his healer's instincts recognizing my nervousness. "Take your time. We're here to listen."
The simple kindness of that gesture, the way all three of them were looking at me with complete attention and acceptance, gave me the courage to continue.
"I think," I started, then stopped myself. No. I was done thinking and analyzing and being afraid. Time for truth. "IknowI have something important to share with all of you. But I want to make sure this is the right time and place."
"This is exactly the right time and place," Wes said softly. "Whatever you need to tell us, we're ready to hear it."
