Page 76 of Claimed By My Exiled Alphas
“Hollis,” I said softly, remembering the day he’d taken me there. How sacred that space was to him.
“I think I’ve been saving it,” he continued. “Not consciously, but somewhere I knew I was waiting for the right reason to make it a home again. For the right people.” He smiled, slightly watery. “I think this is it. I think you three are it.”
“Are you sure?” Cassian asked. “That’s a significant emotional step. Your grandmother’s house.”
“I’m sure. She would have loved this. All of you.” Hollis looked around at us. “She always said that house was meant for family. For people who would fill it with life and laughter. I couldn’t do that alone. But with pack? With all of us? That’s exactly what it’s for.”
“Then yes,” Jace said. “If you’re offering, yes.”
“The garden alone is worth it,” I added, trying to lighten the emotional weight. “Though we’re definitely going to need to work on my gardening skills.”
“We’ll figure it out together,” Hollis said. “All of it.”
We talked for another hour, the conversation drifting between serious planning and easy banter. At some point, Cassian put on music. Hollis fell asleep on the couch, his head tipping onto my shoulder. Jace took a picture of us and sent it to the group chat with the caption “Pack nap time.”
Around eleven, we reluctantly started gathering our things to leave.
“Thank you for hosting,” I said to Cassian at the door.
“Thank you for coming. For all of this.” He pulled me into a hug, and I caught cedar and leather and something uniquely him. “I meant what I said. Yes to all of it.”
“Me too.”
I drove home through quiet streets, my mind full of the evening. The heat conversation that had been scary butnecessary. The declaration about wanting permanent bonds. The casual intimacy. The beginning of a perfect future together.
This was pack. Not perfect or simple, but real and growing stronger every day.
And somewhere deep in my body, I felt the first stirrings of heat approaching. Not yet, but soon. The biological reality that would either cement our bonds or test them beyond breaking.
But looking back at Cassian’s house, at the warm light in the windows where three men had proven themselves trustworthy in every way that mattered, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
We were ready.
Whatever came next, we’d face it together.
Chapter 21
Talia
The bistro’s remediation was nearly complete, which meant I’d been spending twelve-hour days inside supervising contractors and planning equipment layouts. Thursday afternoon found me alone with paint samples and floor plans, debating between two nearly identical shades of cream for the dining room walls.
My phone buzzed with a text from Jace.Dinner tonight? Found wild ramps near Whisper Creek.
I smiled and typed back.Can’t tonight. Contractor meeting at 6. Tomorrow?
Deal. I’ll save the best ones for you.
The group chat had become a constant presence over the past few weeks, a steady stream of coordination and connection that felt both natural and surreal. Three alphas who genuinely seemed to enjoy talking to each other, not just competing for my attention. Weekly Sunday dinners at Cassian’s house, randombowling nights, Hollis sending book recommendations to all three of us at once.
And now, the house. Hollis’s grandmother’s house with the garden and four bedrooms and enough space for all of us to build something permanent together. We’d made the decision last Sunday, still slightly wine-warm and emotional from the heat conversation. Hollis had offered it like a gift, and we’d all said yes like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The house needed work before we could move in. Updating, cleaning, making it feel like ours instead of just his grandmother’s memory. But we had a plan, a timeline, a future that extended beyond individual cottages and careful coordination.
It was working. We were actually building something sustainable.
I set my phone down and returned to comparing paint samples, trying to ignore the slight warmth creeping through my body. The bistro’s heating system was still being calibrated, probably running too hot. I’d mention it to the HVAC contractor when he arrived.
An hour later, the warmth hadn’t faded. If anything, it had intensified, spreading from my core outward in slow waves that made my skin feel too sensitive, too aware of every texture and temperature. I pulled off my cardigan, then my outer flannel, standing in just a tank top and jeans while trying to convince myself this was normal.
