Page 22

EPILOGUE

brYNN

ONE MONTH LATER

I waited a full ten minutes after my mates left for work before I got up from where I was sitting at the counter and drinking my tea. Sometimes they came back in, either because they forgot something or even once because Riven got the uncontrollable need to scent me more before he left for work. So I learned to wait before I did what I did next.

I was being kinda ridiculous. I couldn’t tell you why I was keeping this from my mates, only that it felt so personal that I wanted it for myself. At least for a little while. They’d be part of it eventually, but for now it was mine. Only mine. And it didn't matter that deep in my brain I knew they’d understand and respect my wishes on this and not intrude without permission, I still hid it from them.

That was why I always felt a little guilty when I finally snuck into my nest after they left for work. As far as the twins knew, I still hadn’t gone into the nest room. They asked me about it a couple times when we first got here, and I always brushed them off, so they stopped asking.

The first time I went in was about a week after Laurent gave us our new identities. I was fucking terrified. It might have only been a room, but it meant so much more than that. Omegas on TV or in books always acted like their nest was part of their personality. It was supposed to be an innate part of being an omega, and I had been denied that my whole life. It was hard to accept it was real.

But after weeks of stopping in front of the closed door, not quite daring to open it, I finally got the courage to do so. I waited until Reeve and Riven left for their job, mainly because I was afraid I’d panic, and then I opened the door.

Their uncle’s letter was right. It was fairly generic. A pit was built into the middle of the room with a comfortable looking mattress inside. The pit itself wasn’t dug in, but instead sides were built around it, giving the illusion of it being lower than the floor. A pile of soft looking sheets and blankets were folded neatly in the corner and next to it was an array of pillows of different sizes and shapes. I walked over to the pillows and picked them up. They smelled like fabric softener.

Over the next month, I had been slowly making the nest mine. It started by me scenting all the pillows and blankets, finding my favorites and discarding the rest. They didn’t smell like my alphas though, so I brought them into our room, one at a time and snuck them in bed with us. If they noticed, they didn’t say anything.

It still wasn’t enough, so one day when I was doing laundry, I picked up one of Reeve’s construction hoodies from the hamper, and instead of washing it, I brought it to my nest. I needed something that was Riv’s too, so his long sleeve shirt he did yard work in ended up in the nest. They did notice those were missing, but I played innocent.

Other things somehow found their way into my nest; one of Reeve’s belts, Riven’s favorite book that bought for me because he thought I’d like it. There was also a painting that had been on the walls of the coffee shop I worked at. I managed to sweet talk my boss into giving it to me after a lot of fake grumbling. Even the original burner phone Laurent had given us was buried under all the pillows and blankets. In fact, all the original clothes that were in the duffel found their place in the organized chaos. I acquired some other stuff, too. A really soft fleece blanket I found at the store across from the coffee shop. Two oversized black wolf plushies with blue eyes and a much smaller gray rabbit one. The small dresser that had been in the room was painted a dark hunter green, and the walls a softer slightly lighter version of the color. I covered up the paint fumes by also painting the backsplash in the kitchen the same day.

It was a lot of work, a lot of sneaking and a lot of guilt, but finally it was done. Finally, the nest was mine . It was time to tell my mates. I looked around the room, making sure it was perfect. It smelled like us, and still faintly like paint, but I couldn’t wait for my mates to really make their mark in here.

Before nerves got the better of me, I pulled out my phone. I had already taken the day off work to prepare for this. My fingers shook as I typed the text in our group chat.

Brynn:

Hey, what time are y’all working till today?

I didn’t expect them to answer right away; they were busy. But it only took a few minutes before Reeve is typing showed up on the bottom of the chat.

Reeve:

The job is almost done so we should be home around 1. Why, what’s wrong, sweetness? Do you need us to come back?

I smiled, even as I rolled my eyes. My mates were so overdramatic.

Brynn:

Everything’s fine. I have a surprise for you both. But it can wait. Have a good day at work and be safe. I’ll see you when you get back.

I swallowed and waited, wondering what they would say to that. Would they question why I wasn’t at work?

Finally Riven started typing.

Riven:

I look forward to our surprise. Love you and miss you already.

My stomach fluttered with butterflies. Riven loved to say that Reeve was the more sentimental one of them, but he sure had plenty of moments of sweetness. My cheeks were burning as I responded. Even after a month of them constantly expressing their love to me, it was still something I struggled to get used to. I still couldn’t believe it was real.

Brynn:

Love you, too.

I threw my phone down on the mattress, face down before I ended up spending the rest of the day staring at it. I still had plenty to do before they got home. I ran out of my nest and to the bedroom so I could shower. I had more planned than them seeing the nest, and I wanted to be clean inside and out when it happened.