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The air tightens, thick with something I don’t quite understand.

I swallow hard, my arms tightening around myself as they stop just a few steps away from the front door. None of them speak. None of them move.

Silent, I rush closer to the window, my heart hammering, but this time I don’t hesitate. I listen, standing just behind the door, straining to catch the faintest sound.

I hold my breath as they near.

The doorbell rings, sharp and sudden, and I feel an inexplicable jolt of panic.

“…she deserves to know who we are. We don’t leave things unresolved.”

“I know, I know, but if she throws that rolling pin at your head again, I’m staying out of it.” One of them chuckles.

“You’re lucky you’re charming,” the third voice says, quieter, but there’s an edge to it. “I don’t think she trusts us, and I don’t blame her.”

I freeze. This is the moment – the one I’ve been dreading since I opened the door yesterday. I want to hide, to shut myself away from them. But something stops me…

I take a slow, deep breath.

This is ridiculous.

I’m just a woman standing in a hallway. They’re just…men. Alphas, yes. But men nonetheless. How bad can it be? There’s neutraliser being pumped through the house, I’m slathered in descenting products after yesterday, and with my suppressants too, I know everything together will prevent us from smelling one another.

I can pretend to be a beta. Maybe I’m freaking out for no reason.

The doorbell rings again, and I open the door before I can talk myself out of it.

They stand there in front of me, looking a little more serious than yesterday, though their previous playfulness still lingers in the air like a shadow. The blond one steps forward, his presence immediately commanding, even though he’s not doing anything other than standing there. His long hair frames his face in messy waves, and there’s something about his sharp jawline and intense eyes that makes my breath catch.

The scruffy ginger one grins again, like he’s already won something. His hair is a little wet from the rain, but it only addsto the dishevelled charm. He crosses his arms, leaning casually against the doorframe. “We forgot to introduce ourselves properly yesterday. I’m Blaise,” he says with a glimmering emerald wink. “This is Xar,” he gestures to the blond one, “and that brooding big fucker back there is Dane.”

Dane barely looks at me, his black eyes flicking briefly in my direction before he looks away, his features guarded, but I catch the way his lips twitch ever so slightly. He’s absolutely huge. I mean, all of them tower over my tiny four nine frame, butDaneis easily six eight, almost half a foot taller than the other two. Andsobroad.Built like a brick shit-house, I remember Grams once saying about a large alpha on TV, andthatguy had nothing on this one.

“Why are you here again?” I demand, sounding more brave and hostile than I’m feeling.

“Think we’re gonna be neighbours for a while so it makes sense to introduce ourselves. And we…uh…we left something behind.” The ginger mischievous one – Blaise – grins at me.

I raise an eyebrow, sceptical. “What did you leave?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing, actually. Some equipment we thought we brought with us, but now we’ve realised we must’ve left it behind. Couldn’t find it in the car.” He shrugs, like it’s no big deal.

I’m not buying it. “No. You didn’t leave anything here because you didn’tunpackanything. I didn’t let you in yesterday.”

And I won’t today either.

He glances at the other two, then back at me, his grin not fading. I get the feeling that his smile usually gets him anything he wants, but it isn’t going to work on me.

“Well, we’re here now, so if there’s anything we can do for you, you know, like help with the porch or the lock…”

I try not to roll my eyes but my annoyance still bleeds out through the way my nostrils flare. “You think I’m going to let you fix things after you were the ones responsible for making the damage in the first place?”

They all look slightly taken aback. I can tell they were expecting me to cave, or at least be a bit more accommodating. But I’m not. Just because I’m an omega, doesn’t mean I have to be a pushover. My nature dictates that I’ll want to make my alphas happy, and these arenotmy alphas.

Stay strong Evie. Stand your ground.

The voice in my head sounds so much like my missing sister, Everly, that my heart pangs. God, I miss her.

“I don’t need your help,” I add, folding my arms tighter across my chest. “The house is fine. And I don’t want you coming back.”