Page 93 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
The morning light filtering through the cabin windows had a different quality than it had three days ago. Softer somehow, warmer, like even the sun understood that something fundamental had shifted in this space. I stood in the kitchen doorway, watching my pack navigate their first real morning as a completely bonded unit, and felt the deep satisfaction of a healer whose most important patients had not just survived but thrived.
The bonds between all four of us hummed with contentment and connection, stable and strong in a way that made my chest tight with emotion. This was what successful pack bonding looked like. Not just individual connections, but a network of love and support that made all of us stronger than we could ever be alone.
Willa sat curled in the window seat with a cup of the post-heat recovery tea I’d blended specifically for her, her camera resting forgotten in her lap as she watched the morning light playacross the forest. She looked different now. Not just the obvious physical markers of successful bonding, the claiming marks that decorated her neck like badges of belonging, but something deeper. A settling, a contentment that radiated from her very core.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked, settling beside her with my own coffee.
“Like I’m exactly where I belong,” she said, turning to smile at me with eyes that were clearer and more peaceful than I’d ever seen them. “Like everything that came before was just preparation for this.”
Through our bond, I could feel the truth of her words. The deep satisfaction of an omega who had been properly claimed and cared for, whose vulnerability had been rewarded with love instead of exploitation. It was exactly what I’d hoped to achieve, but experiencing it firsthand was more powerful than I’d expected.
“Any discomfort? Physically or emotionally?” I asked, slipping into healer mode automatically.
“Just the good kind,” she said with a soft laugh. “Sore in all the right places, overwhelmed by how much I can feel all of you in my mind. It’s incredible.”
The pack bonds were still settling, I knew. For the first few days after complete bonding, the emotional connections could feel overwhelming. But Willa seemed to be adapting beautifully, learning to distinguish between her own feelings and the emotions bleeding through from her mates.
“It’ll stabilize as you get used to it,” I assured her. “The intensity will settle into something more manageable.”
“I don’t want it to be less intense,” she said quickly. “I love being able to feel how happy you all are. How content and satisfied and… complete.”
Complete. That was exactly the right word. For the first time in my life, I felt like all the pieces of myself were in the right places. Not just my role as a healer or my individual relationships, but my place in this family we’d built together.
Rhett appeared from the direction of the workshop, his hair still damp from a shower and his scent carrying the satisfied contentment of an alpha whose omega was safe and happy. He moved differently now, I noticed. Less restless energy, more purposeful calm.
“Morning,” he said, dropping a kiss on top of Willa’s head before settling into the chair across from us. “Sleep well?”
“Better than I have in years,” she said honestly. “Waking up surrounded by pack is… there aren’t words for how safe it feels.”
“There are words,” he said with a grin. “But they’re all variations of ‘home.’”
Home. The word sent warmth through all our bonds, the shared recognition that we’d created something precious and permanent together.
Wes emerged from his office, laptop in hand but attention focused entirely on our little family gathering. His scent carried the same deep satisfaction as the rest of us, along with something that felt like wonder. Like he still couldn’t quite believe this was real.
“How’s the water quality report coming?” I asked, noting the environmental documents scattered around his workspace.
“Submitted,” he said with satisfaction. “Three weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to having uninterrupted time to focus.”
“Uninterrupted except for the bonding,” Rhett pointed out with amusement.
“Especially because of the bonding,” Wes corrected. “Hard to concentrate on work when you’re distracted by wondering if your omega is happy. Now I know she’s happy. I can feel it.”
The casual way he said ‘your omega’ sent a wave of happiness through me. Not possessive in a controlling way, but acknowledging the reality of what we’d built. She was ours, and we were hers, in every way that mattered.
“What’s on the agenda today?” Willa asked, stretching languidly in a way that made all three alphas track the movement with appreciative eyes.
“Recovery,” I said firmly. “Rest, hydration, gentle movement if you feel up to it. Your body needs time to fully integrate the bonding process.”
“I feel fine,” she protested, though I could sense through our bond that she was more tired than she wanted to admit.
“You feel bonded,” I corrected gently. “Which includes a cocktail of hormones that can mask fatigue. Trust me on this one.”
“What he’s trying to say,” Rhett added with a grin, “is that you’re not allowed to overdo it. Doctor’s orders.”
“I’m not a doctor,” I said automatically.
“You are to us,” Willa said softly, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “You took care of all of us through the most important experience of our lives. If that doesn’t make you our doctor, I don’t know what does.”
