Page 94 of Claimed By My Exiled Alphas
“I had backup,” she pointed out. “I felt all three of you ready to defend me through the bonds. That made it easier.”
“That’s what pack is for,” Hollis said. “We stand together.”
Cassian’s meeting was at the bistro site with the contractor. We all went in together, and I watched the contractor’s eyes track to Talia’s bite marks before returning to Cassian’s face with professional neutrality.
“So you’re all involved in this project?” the contractor asked.
“We’re all involved in everything,” Cassian said smoothly. “Pack formations mean shared goals. This bistro is Talia’s dream, which makes it our dream too.”
Cassian’s meeting was at the house site with the contractor. We all went in together, and I watched the contractor’s eyes track to Talia’s bite marks before returning to Cassian’s face with professional neutrality.
“So you’re all involved in this project?” the contractor asked.
“We’re all involved in everything,” Cassian said smoothly. “Pack formations mean shared goals. This house renovation is for all of us.”
The contractor nodded like this made perfect sense. “Then let’s talk about timeline and budget. With four of you coordinating and able to help with some of the labor, we might be able to move faster than I initially projected.”
The meeting was productive, professional, and completely free of judgment. By the time we left, we had a renovation schedule that would have us moved into the house in six to eight weeks.
“Four for five,” I said as we walked back toward where we’d parked. “Four positive interactions, one negative. That’s a pretty good ratio.”
“Gerald Whitmore doesn’t speak for everyone,” Hollis added. “He’s just loud about his opinions.”
“There will be others like him,” Cassian warned. “People who think what we’re doing is wrong or inappropriate. We need to be prepared for that.”
“We are prepared,” Talia said firmly. “Because we’re pack. We stand together.”
Through the bonds I felt her certainty, her growing confidence that this could work. And I felt Hollis and Cassian’s agreement, their commitment to protecting what we’d built.
We were pack now. Visible, public, permanent.
And we weren’t hiding anymore.
As we drove back to Talia’s cottage, I thought about how far we’d come in just a few weeks. From three orbiting alphas competing for attention to a coordinated unit that functioned as one. From Talia’s fear of vulnerability to her standing up to judgment with her head held high.
We’d face more challenges. More people like Gerald who thought they knew better how we should structure our relationships. More logistics to coordinate as we moved into thehouse and opened the bistro. More moments of doubt and fear and uncertainty.
But we’d face them together.
Through the bonds I felt what each of them was feeling. Talia’s cautious hope mixing with lingering anxiety. Hollis’s quiet satisfaction at how the day had gone. Cassian’s strategic planning already working through potential problems and solutions.
And my own contentment, warm and uncomplicated. This was right. This was home.
We were pack. We were family. We were exactly where we were supposed to be.
And let the town stare. We knew what we had.
Chapter 27
Cassian
The town council meeting wasn’t scheduled until seven PM, but I’d been rehearsing what I might say since dawn. Through the pack bonds I could feel Talia’s anxiety about tonight, Jace’s protective energy, and Hollis’s quiet support. They knew what I was planning, knew that tonight might finally allow me to speak my truth publicly after eighteen months of silence.
We’d been bonded for three weeks now, and in that time I’d come to understand something fundamental about pack. It wasn’t just about romantic connection or heat cycles or coordinating logistics. It was about being seen completely, including all your flaws and failures and complicated history, and being accepted anyway.
Talia had asked me last night if I was sure about speaking publicly. “Wes already told everyone what you did,” she’d said, curled against my chest in the nest we’d built together at hercottage. “The town knows you’re not the villain. You don’t have to put yourself through a public statement.”
But I did. Not for them, but for her. For the pack. Because while Wes had revealed the truth at the last council meeting, I hadn’t been there to own it myself. And I was tired of letting others speak for me while I hid from the community I’d helped save.
