Page 35 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas (Hollow Haven #2)

Willa

M y hands were shaking under the table.

I'd been gathering courage all evening, through Elias's perfectly prepared dinner and the gentle conversation that felt like a warm embrace. The atmosphere he'd created was exactly what I needed,but that didn't make what I was about to say any easier.

The three men sitting around this table had become everything to me over the past few weeks.

Each of them had seen pieces of who I really was, who I wanted to become, and had loved those pieces instead of trying to change them.

But what I was about to ask of them was bigger than individual dates or stolen kisses or quiet conversations about art and conservation and the healing power of honest work.

I was about to ask them to be my pack.

"There's something I need to tell you all," I said, the words coming out steadier than I felt. "Something important."

Elias reached over and touched my hand gently, his healer's instincts recognizing my nervousness. "Take your time. We're here to listen."

The simple kindness of that gesture, the way all three of them were looking at me with complete attention and acceptance, gave me the courage to continue.

"I think," I started, then stopped myself. No. I was done thinking and analyzing and being afraid. Time for truth. "I know I have something important to share with all of you. But I want to make sure this is the right time and place."

"This is exactly the right time and place," Wes said softly. "Whatever you need to tell us, we're ready to hear it."

"Absolutely," Rhett confirmed, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it.

I looked around the table, meeting each of their eyes in turn. Elias with his patient wisdom and gentle strength. Wes with his passionate dedication to protecting what mattered. Rhett with his gruff exterior hiding the most tender heart I'd ever encountered.

I loved them. All of them. In different ways, for different reasons, but with equal depth and certainty.

"Okay," I said quietly, drawing strength from what I saw in their faces. "Okay."

I took a deep breath, tasting the scents that had become so familiar and comforting over the past weeks.

Chamomile and crushed birch from Elias. Cedar smoke and earth from Wes.

Motor oil and something essentially protective from Rhett.

All of it mixing with the jasmine and summer rain of my own scent, creating something that felt like home.

"Two weeks ago," I said, my voice gaining strength as I spoke, "I made a decision that I haven't told anyone about."

Their attention sharpened, but not with judgment. With concern and curiosity and the kind of focused care that made me feel like the most important person in the world.

"I stopped taking my suppressants."

The words hung in the air between us, and I watched understanding dawn on each of their faces. Saw the moment when they realized what this meant, what I was telling them.

"My heat is going to start soon," I continued, my heart racing but my voice steady. "Within the next week, probably. Maybe sooner."

Wes leaned forward slightly, his protective instincts engaging. Rhett went very still, the way he did when processing something significant. Elias squeezed my hand gently, encouraging me to continue.

"I know this changes things," I said. "I know it's complicated and probably not what any of you were expecting before I came to Hollow Haven. But I needed to tell you because... because I have something to ask you."

My mouth felt dry, but I forced myself to keep going. This was the most important conversation of my life, and I wasn't going to let fear stop me from speaking my truth.

"I've been thinking about what you said," I continued, looking at him directly. "About not having to choose between you. About some omegas preferring multiple alphas."

Rhett’s eyes widened slightly, hope flickering in their depths.

"And I've been thinking about how I feel when I'm with each of you," I said, looking around the table again. "How complete and seen and valued you make me feel. How you each bring out different parts of who I am, who I want to be."

"Willa," Elias said softly, but I held up a hand. I needed to get this out while I still had the courage.

"I'm falling in love with all of you," I said, the words coming out in a rush. "I know that's not simple or easy, but it's true. And I want to know if... if you'd be willing to help me through my heat. All three of you. Together. If… if you want to be my pack."

The silence that followed felt eternal. I watched their faces, trying to read their expressions, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Are you sure?" Wes asked finally, his voice gentle. "About all of us?"

"I'm sure about how I feel about each of you individually," I said, honesty spilling out of me like water from a broken dam.

"I'm sure that what I feel for Rhett doesn't diminish what I feel for you, or what I feel for Elias.

I'm sure that I want to build something with all of you that none of us could build alone. "

"What aren't you sure about?" Rhett asked, his directness cutting straight to the heart of things.

"I'm not sure how it works," I admitted. "Multiple alphas, one omega. I don't know the logistics or the dynamics or whether it's even possible to love three people this much without something breaking."

"We figure it out as we go," Rhett said, his usual bluntness tempered with something that sounded like wonder. "If that's what you want."

"It is what I want," I said, and felt relief flood through me at finally speaking the truth I'd been carrying for weeks. "But I need to know that it's what you want too. All of you."

"Yes," Elias said immediately. "Absolutely yes."

"Same," Wes confirmed, reaching for my free hand. "If you'll have us."

"Definitely," Rhett said, his voice rough with emotion.

The relief was so intense it almost made me dizzy. I'd been so afraid they'd think I was being greedy or unrealistic or asking for too much. Instead, they were looking at me like I'd just offered them everything they'd ever wanted.

"Really?" I asked, needing to hear it again.

"Really," all three of them said at once, and I started laughing through the tears I hadn't realized were falling.

"But I need you to understand," I said when I could speak again, "this isn't just about heat cycles or biology or convenience. I have real feelings for all of you. I want to build a real life with all of you."

"What kind of feelings?" Wes asked softly.

The question I'd been both hoping for and dreading. Time to lay my heart completely bare.

"With you, Rhett," I said, looking at him directly, "I love your strength and your gruffness and the way you show care through action instead of words. I love that you brought me to that beautiful overlook and that you kiss me like I'm something precious you want to protect."

His expression went soft in a way I'd never seen before, and I could see him struggling with emotion.

"With you, Wes," I continued, turning to him, "I love your passion for protecting things that matter and the way you see beauty in the natural world. I love that you believe in my art and make me feel like my dreams are worth fighting for."

He squeezed my hand tighter, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"And with you, Elias," I said, meeting his gentle gaze, "I love your wisdom and your kindness and the way you create spaces where people can be their most authentic selves. I love that you understand healing and that you make me feel safe enough to be vulnerable."

"We love you too," Elias said simply, speaking for all of them. "Each of us, in our own way."

"Yeah," Rhett said, his voice rough. "We do."

"Absolutely," Wes confirmed.

And just like that, the fear I'd been carrying for weeks dissolved completely. They loved me. All of them. They wanted this just as much as I did.

"So what happens now?" I asked.

"Now we figure out the practical things," Elias said with a smile. "Living arrangements, heat care, how to make this work for everyone."

"Where would we live?" I asked. "I mean, long term. My rental is temporary, and it's not really set up for... for this."

"My cottage is too small," Elias admitted. "Comfortable for one, cozy for two, cramped for four."

"Garage apartment works for me alone," Rhett said. "But it's not exactly pack-friendly."

We all looked at Wes, who owned the largest property among us.

"My cabin," he said, and I could see him working through the idea in real time. "It's got good space, room to expand if we need to. Private but not isolated."

"Are you sure?" Elias asked. "That's a big change for someone who values solitude."

"Maybe I've been alone long enough," Wes said, and there was something in his voice that made my chest tight with emotion. "Maybe what I thought was solitude was really just loneliness."

"We could add on," Rhett said, his practical mind already working. "Expand the bedroom space, maybe add a proper nest room."

"A nest room," I said softly, wonder filling my voice. "I haven't had a proper nest room since... well, ever."

"You'll have whatever you need," Wes said firmly. "Whatever makes you feel safe and comfortable and happy."

"And what about the heat?" I asked, the practical omega in me needing to understand the logistics. "How does that work with three alphas?"

"However you want it to work," Elias said gently. "This is about your comfort and your needs. We'll follow your lead."

"We take care of you," Rhett said simply. "Whatever that looks like."

"Together," Wes added. "All of us, together."

The word hung in the air between us, full of promise and possibility.

Together.

Not three separate relationships that I had to balance and manage. Not competition between alphas for my attention. Just... together. All of us choosing each other, building something new and beautiful and ours.

"I can't believe this is real," I said, looking around the table at these three incredible men who had somehow found their way into my heart.

"It's real," Elias assured me. "We're real. This is real."

"And it's going to be amazing," Wes added.

"Different," Rhett said with a small smile, "but good different."

As we cleared the table together, moving around each other with new awareness and purpose, I felt like I was floating. Not the awkward competition I'd feared, but something warmer and more collaborative. Like we'd been doing this dance for years instead of figuring it out for the first time.

"This is going to be different," I said as we finished cleaning up. "For all of us."

"Good different," Rhett said firmly.

"Amazing different," Wes added.

"Perfect different," Elias concluded.

As we finished cleaning up, I felt like a completely different person than the one who had walked through Elias's door a few hours ago. That woman had been afraid to ask for what she wanted, scared to trust in love, convinced that wanting more than one person was somehow wrong or greedy.

This woman knew she was loved by three incredible alphas who wanted to build a life with her. This woman had spoken her truth and been met with acceptance and joy. This woman was about to start the most beautiful chapter of her life.

"Thank you," I said to Elias as we moved back toward the living room. "For creating the perfect space for this conversation. I couldn't have said what I needed to say anywhere else."

"Thank you for trusting us with your truth," he replied, but there was something in his voice, in all of their voices, that made me pause.

I looked between the three of them, seeing something pass between the alphas that I couldn't quite interpret. The air felt charged, expectant.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Everything's perfect," Wes said softly. "We just... we want to make sure you understand how serious we are about what we discussed tonight."

"All of us," Elias added, his voice gentle but carrying an undertone that made my heart race. "Together."

I felt heat climb up my neck as I realized what they were suggesting. "You mean..."

"Only if you want to," Rhett said quickly, stepping closer. "But we'd like to show you exactly what it means to be loved by all three of us. What pack unity really looks like."

The offer hung in the air between us, loaded with promise and possibility. I looked at each of their faces in turn, seeing nothing but love and desire and the kind of focused attention that made me feel like the most important person in the world.

"Yes," I whispered, the word coming out before I could second-guess myself. "Yes, I want that."

The smiles that broke across their faces were brilliant and full of heat.

"Then stay," Elias said softly, gesturing toward his comfortable living room. "Let us show you."