Page 143 of Daisy

"Yes," the beta agrees carefully. His scent is gentle—cedarwood and books. Not a threat. "She's yours. And you're ours too. We're pack."

A low growl rumbles from my chest at the word. Pack. Only mine. My omega.

"Shh," my omega whispers to me when I tense at the word. "It's okay, love. They're not threats. But you keep protecting me anyway. You're such a good alpha."

My omega. Safe. She's watching me with love and satisfaction.

Then suddenly—warmth.Love.It floods through a different connection, cutting through the chaos of fear like sunlight through storm clouds. Steady, patient love from the sandy-haired alpha. The mountain. My pack brother.

Something starts to crack in the overwhelming need to protect and fight.

My vision blurs, confusion washing over me as pieces start clicking back into place. The love feels familiar. Safe. Like home.

What the hell is happening to me?

I can feel my knot starting to soften inside my omega. The physical connection loosening, though the emotional intensity remains. I shift carefully, gently withdrawing from her with a soft sound from both of us.

Free to move now, but still lost in the protective haze, I gather my omega more carefully in my arms. She's so small, so precious. I arrange her against my chest, making sure she's comfortable, wrapping the softest blankets around her.

I continue scent marking her, my nose trailing along her hairline, behind her ear, down her neck. Gentle touches. My omega. She smells like me now, like us, like belonging.

"So perfect," I murmur against her skin, barely aware I'm speaking. "My omega."

She melts into my touch, making soft sounds of contentment that make my chest rumble with satisfaction. I can hear voices around us—the alphas and beta talking—but I'm not really listening. Just watching them out of the corner of my eyes while I focus on caring for what's mine.

I blink, trying to focus on the massive alpha sitting on the edge of the nest. Something about him, the way his love feels like...

"Gunner?" The name slips out, uncertain. My voice is still rough, still affected, but there's a flicker of recognition.

He nods slowly. "I'm here, brother."

Brother. The word hits something deep in my chest. Pack brother. My pack brother.

But the other two alphas... I bare my teeth at them again. The one with ash-brown hair and authority rolling off him. The massive scarred one who tried to reach for what's mine.

"Still mine," I growl, pulling my omega closer. The recognition of Gunner doesn't extend to them. They're still threats in my confused mind.

The beta moves closer—the one with dark curls and gentle eyes. Not a threat. His scent is safe, calming. "The pack bond," he says quietly, understanding in his voice. "That's what happened. When you bit her, it completed everything."

Pack bond. Those words try to make sense through the fog. Something snapped into place when I claimed her. Something that connected me to more than just her.

I look at the short haired alpha again. Authority. Dominance. But something else trying to push through the confusion.

The scarred alpha—the massive one—he's still sitting small, still making himself non-threatening. And there's something in his scent that's familiar too. Something that doesn't match the threat my instincts are screaming about.

But the words don't fully register yet. I'm still too scattered, still operating on instinct more than thought. I make a low sound in my throat, pulling my omega closer. I can feel connections now. Threads of emotion that were there, the fear, the terror. It was them.

"I can feel everyone," my omega—Daisy—whispers, wonder in her voice. "All of you. My pack."

"Mine," I growl possessively, nuzzling into her hair. The word is softer now but no less claiming. Through whatever bonds are forming, I can sense emotions—relief, contentment, love. It's overwhelming and confusing all at once.

"The bond's complete," the scarred alpha says, reaching out again carefully. His voice is rougher than the others, more careful. "We're all connected now."

I eye his approaching hand warily but don't snap this time. Something deep inside recognizes something, but I'm still not sure what.

The honey and clove alpha moves closer slowly, hands visible. "Easy, brother. We're pack now. All of us."

That word again. Pack. Brother. It triggers something deeper than the confusion, some fundamental truth I can almost grasp but can't quite reach.