Page 41 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas (Hollow Haven #2)

Elias

T he afternoon light filtering through the cabin windows had that golden quality that photographers loved, and I found myself thinking about Willa as I measured herbs for her heat support tea blend in Wes's kitchen.

She'd disappeared into the barn with Rhett an hour ago, and when they'd returned, her scent had carried the unmistakable markers of emotional breakthrough and physical intimacy.

Her heat would start tomorrow. Maybe tonight if the stress of preparation and the intimacy of being around receptive alphas accelerated her cycle, which happened more often than most people realized.

I'd seen all the signs during our consultation earlier that morning.

The restless energy, the way she kept touching her neck and wrists, the increasing intensity of her natural scent signature.

Most importantly, I'd seen the trust in her eyes when she'd asked me to explain what it would be like with pack support.

Not the biology she already knew too well, but the emotional safety we could provide.

How different heat could feel when it was anticipated with joy rather than dreaded.

The ways we could support her through vulnerability instead of exploiting it.

"I want to be ready," she'd said, curled in the window seat of what was now our shared living space. "I want to know what to expect so I can make good choices."

That level of self-awareness and preparation wasn't common among omegas who'd experienced heat trauma. Most preferred to avoid thinking about it until the last possible moment. But Willa had been different. Methodical. Determined to reclaim her own experience.

Wes appeared in the kitchen doorway with the careful expression he wore when he was trying not to let his emotions show.

"How'd it go?" he asked without preamble, though we both knew he was referring to both my consultation with Willa and whatever had happened in the barn.

"Good," I said, continuing to measure dried raspberry leaf into my mixing bowl. "She's ready. Physically and emotionally."

"And the timing?"

"Tomorrow morning, most likely. Tonight if her anxiety spikes or if she gets too much alpha attention." I looked up at him meaningfully. "How was Rhett when they came back from the barn?"

Wes's mouth quirked up at the corner. "Smug. And reeking of satisfied alpha pheromones."

"Kissing?"

"That would be my guess."

I nodded, adding that information to my mental calculations.

Physical intimacy often accelerated heat onset, especially when it was chosen rather than endured.

After last night's revelations and the emotional breakthrough with Rhett this afternoon, Willa's body was responding exactly as it should - with anticipation rather than dread.

"She ask for anything specific?" Wes asked, moving to lean against the counter in that casual way that meant he was more anxious than he wanted to admit.

"She wants me to go first," I said simply. "She trusts my medical knowledge to guide her through the initial bonding safely."

"Makes sense." Wes was quiet for a moment, watching me add dried nettle to the blend. "What about after?"

"She wants to take it one step at a time," I said, measuring chamomile flowers with extra care. "See how she feels, how her body responds. No pressure, no predetermined schedule."

The relief that crossed Wes's face told me he'd been worried about logistics and expectations. None of us had experience with pack bonding, and the uncertainty was affecting all of us differently.

"She say anything about what she needs from us?" he asked.

"Patience," I said. "And trust that she'll communicate what she wants as things progress. She's not the same omega who was afraid to voice her needs."

"No, she's not," he agreed with obvious pride. "She's incredible."

"She is," I said, feeling my own anticipation building. "And tomorrow, we get to remind her exactly how incredible we think she is."

"Think we can handle that?" Wes asked, echoing my thoughts.

"I think we have to," I said simply. "She's trusting us with something that's been weaponized against her. We don't get to fuck that up."

Wes nodded seriously, and I could see him already shifting into the methodical planning mode that made him so good at his job. "What do you need from us?"

"Help me set up the nest room," I said, gesturing toward the bag of supplies I'd gathered. "But more than that, I need you both to trust that Willa knows what she wants. She's learning not to be afraid to ask for it."

"Of course. That’s always going to be the most important thing for us," Wes said.

"That's everything ," I said firmly. "She's not the same omega who was too scared to voice her needs. She'll tell us what she wants as things progress."

We spent the next hour transforming Wes's walk-in closet from the temporary space we’d shown her into a proper nesting space ready for her heat.

It was larger than most omega heat rooms, with good ventilation and temperature control, but it still required careful arrangement to feel safe rather than claustrophobic.

Blankets here," I said, directing Wes as he hung soft fabrics from hooks I'd installed earlier. "She'll want to be able to adjust the privacy level depending on how she's feeling."

"What about scent?" Wes asked, testing the security of a blanket hook.

"She already has what she needs," I said with satisfaction. "The shirts we gave her yesterday, plus whatever comfort items she wants to add."

"She seemed happy with those," Wes said, remembering how she'd clutched the scent-marked clothing to her chest.

"More than happy. It’s probably something that she was always made to feel like she couldn’t have before," I pointed out. "She understands now that she can ask for what she needs. That we want to provide comfort, not control."

We worked in comfortable silence, both of us focused on creating a space that would feel safe and nurturing. This wasn't just about meeting biological needs. This was about proving that vulnerability could be rewarded with love instead of exploitation.

"There's something else," I said as we finished arranging the final details. "Are we ready for this? Really ready?"

Wes looked up from the nest padding he'd been adjusting. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this makes us an official pack," I said carefully. "Not just three guys who love the same omega, but family. Are we ready for that?"

"That's a lot of pressure," Wes said quietly.

"It's also a lot of trust," I said. "She's choosing to bond with all of us, which means she trusts us to work together. To support each other, not just her."

By the time Rhett arrived an hour later, the nest room was ready and Wes and I had been processing the magnitude of what was coming. Rhett took one look at our careful preparations and the serious expressions on our faces.

"This looks like a therapy session," he said. "Everything okay?"

"We were just talking about pack dynamics," I said. "About what tomorrow means for all of us."

"Ah," Rhett said, settling on the floor beside us. "The 'holy shit we're actually doing this' conversation."

"Pretty much," Wes admitted. "I keep thinking about how this changes everything. Not just with Willa, but between all of us."

"Good changes though," Rhett said. "Right?"

"The best changes," I said firmly. "But still big ones. A year ago, none of us could have imagined this."

"A year ago, I thought I was fine living alone," Wes said. "Now I can't imagine life without any of you."

"Even us?" Rhett asked with a grin, gesturing between himself and me.

"Especially you," Wes said seriously. "I never thought I'd have brothers. Didn't think I needed them."

"And now?" I asked, touched by his honesty.

"Now it feels like you were always supposed to be part of my life," he said simply. "Like we were always supposed to be family."

The words hung in the air between us, carrying the weight of truth and transformation. Pack wasn't just about romantic bonds. It was about chosen family, about men who would have each other's backs through everything life could throw at them.

"I feel the same way," I said quietly. "Like the three of us were meant to find each other."

"We just needed Willa," Rhett added. "To bring us together."

"She gave us permission to love each other," I corrected. "All of us, in all the ways that matter. To be brothers."

"So we're ready?" Wes asked. "For tomorrow, for pack bonding, for whatever comes after?"

"We're ready," Rhett said with conviction. "We're ready to be the family she deserves. The family we all deserve."

"Questions?" I asked, looking between both of them.

"Just one," Rhett said. "Are you sure we can do this? Be everything she needs?"

I looked at both of them, seeing the combination of anticipation and determination that came with approaching such an important milestone. These weren't just two alphas getting ready to help an omega through heat. These were my brothers, preparing to officially become the family we'd been building.

"I'm sure," I said firmly. "She's ready. We're ready. This is going to be beautiful."

As we finalized the last details and prepared to rejoin Willa for dinner, I found myself thinking about transformation. How sometimes the most important changes happened slowly, through careful relationship building and conscious choice, rather than dramatic revelation.

"One more thing," I said as we prepared to leave the nest room. "Remember that this isn't just about bonding with Willa. This is about proving to ourselves that we can be the pack we've always felt like we were."

"No pressure," Wes said with a smile.

"All the pressure," I corrected. "The best kind. The kind that makes you become who you were always meant to be."

As we rejoined Willa in the kitchen, where she was helping prepare dinner with the kind of restless energy that confirmed tomorrow would be the day, I felt the deep satisfaction of knowing we were ready. Not just for heat support or bonding, but for everything that came with being family.

Love wasn't just wanting someone. It was doing the work to make sure they were safe enough to want you back.