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"Besides," Theo adds with a grin, "I've seen you when you're passionate about library science. Trust me, we don't want to do anything that might dim that light."

"And your terrible jokes about the Dewey Decimal System," Felix adds fondly. "Those are definitely staying."

I laugh, despite everything. "My jokes aren't terrible."

"They're awful," all three of them say simultaneously, which makes me laugh harder.

"Fine," I concede. "But you're stuck with them now. Forever."

"Forever," Marcus agrees, pressing a kiss to my temple. "We can live with terrible library humor if it means keeping you."

As Theo finally slips free from my body, as all three alphas settle around me in the nest I created, I take inventory of how I feel. The heat is truly settled now, a gentle warmth rather than driving need. The marks on my throat throb with pleasant ache, reminders of my claiming. Most importantly, I can feel all three bonds in my mind, steady and strong and absolutely permanent.

"I love you," I tell them, the words easier now that I can feel their love flowing back to me through the bonds. "All of you. More than I ever thought possible."

"We love you too," Theo says quietly. "More than we ever dreamed we could love anyone."

"So what do you want to do first?" Felix asks, settling more comfortably in the nest. "As our officially bonded omega?"

I consider the question, thinking about all the possibilities stretching out ahead of us. A future where I'm loved and protected and cherished, where I can pursue my passions while being supported by the most incredible men I've ever known, where I never again have to face the world alone.

"First," I say decisively, "I want to take a shower. Then I want to eat something that isn't breakfast food. Then I want to start planning how we're going to save that courthouse, because if we're going to be a pack, we might as well be a pack that fights for the things that matter."

"Practical and passionate," Marcus observes with obvious fondness. "That's our omega."

"Your omega," I agree, settling back against the pillows with a sense of contentment so profound it makes me want to purr. "Now and always."

As we make plans for the rest of the day, for the rest of our lives, I marvel at how much has changed in just a few short hours. I went to sleep as Belle Hartwell, single librarian managing her life alone. I'm going to leave this nest as Belle Hartwell, omega of the most incredible pack I could have imagined.

The heat is over, but the love is just beginning. And I can't wait to see what we'll build together.

"One more thing," I say as Marcus helps me to my feet for that promised shower.

"What's that?" he asks.

"When we save the courthouse, when we prove that preservation and community matter more than cutting costs, I want Lady Inkwell to write about it. I want the whole town to know that the omega and her pack don't just create romance—we create positive change."

"You want to be a power couple," Felix observes with amusement.

"I want to be a power pack," I correct. "Four people working together to make our community better."

"I like that," Theo says with obvious approval. "A pack with a mission beyond just loving each other."

"Though loving each other is definitely the foundation," Marcus adds, pulling me close for a kiss that tastes like forever.

"Definitely the foundation," I agree against his lips. "Everything else is just details."

As we make our way toward the bathroom, toward the shower where we'll wash away the intensity of the heat and bonding, toward the rest of our lives together, I know with absolute certainty that I've found my home.

Not just a place to live, but a family to belong to. Not just alphas to satisfy my biological needs, but partners to share my dreams and goals and terrible library humor.

The pack bond is complete, permanent, unbreakable. And I've never been happier about anything in my life.

The future starts now, and we're going to make it extraordinary.

37

EPILOGUE