Page 17 of Nesting With My Three Alphas (Hollow Haven #1)

"Laura. We were together for two years before she left.

" The familiar ache was still there, but it no longer felt like it would crush me.

"She walked out in the middle of the night because she decided I wasn't enough.

That I wasn't ambitious enough, that I couldn't offer her the kind of life she wanted. "

Kit's expression softened with understanding. "I'm sorry. That must have been devastating."

"It was. But it also taught me that healing isn't just emotional. It's chemical, biological, instinctual. Traditional therapy helped with some of the psychological aspects, but I needed something that addressed the alpha parts of my grief. The parts that felt like failure."

"And scent-based teas help with that?"

"Among other things. The right combinations can help regulate stress hormones, promote restful sleep, even ease the transition into heat cycles." I watched her face carefully. "I think I could blend something that would help with the anxiety you've been carrying."

Kit was quiet for a moment, considering. "What would go into it?"

"For you? Probably chamomile for calming, lavender for emotional balance, maybe some vanilla to enhance your natural scent profile." I was already mentally cataloging my supplies. "A little bergamot for mood lifting, and perhaps some cedar."

"Cedar?"

"It's Jonah's scent signature. If you're comfortable with the idea, incorporating complementary alpha scents can help promote feelings of safety and pack bonding."

Kit's cheeks flushed pink. "You'd include all three of your scents?"

"Only if you want me to. This is about your comfort, not our desires."

"What are Reed's and your scent signatures?"

"Reed's is leather and warm spice, cardamom, mainly. Mine is vanilla and sandalwood." I smiled slightly. "Though apparently I also smell like 'cinnamon and happiness' according to Charlie."

That made Kit laugh. "Charlie's scent descriptions are the best."

"She's not wrong. I do my best thinking when I'm baking, and I tend to be happiest when I'm feeding people I care about."

"Like now?"

"Especially now." I squeezed her hand gently. "So what do you think? Want to try some experimental tea therapy?"

Kit nodded slowly. "Yes. I think I'd like that."

"Excellent. Fair warning, my blending station is upstairs in my apartment. If you're not comfortable with that..."

"It's okay," Kit said, standing up. "I trust you."

I trust you. Three words that meant everything.

I led her through the back of the bakery to the narrow stairs that climbed to my living space above the shop. The apartment was small but cozy, decorated in warm colors and filled with the lingering scents of countless baking experiments.

"This is lovely," Kit said, looking around with genuine appreciation. "It feels like you."

"Good or bad?"

"Very good. It's warm. Welcoming." She paused by the kitchen window, which overlooked Main Street. "You can see everything from up here."

"One of the perks of living above the bakery. I always know what's happening in town." I moved to the cabinet where I kept my tea supplies, pulling out jars of dried herbs and flowers. "Though lately, the most interesting thing happening is watching Reed find excuses to drive past your duplex."

Kit turned from the window with a startled laugh. "He does not."

"Three times yesterday alone. I keep track." I began measuring herbs into a small mixing bowl. "Jonah's not much better. He's found at least four things that 'urgently' need to be repaired on your side of the duplex."

"They're just being neighborly."

"They're being territorial alphas who are completely gone on their omega," I said matter-of-factly. "There's a difference."

Kit was quiet while I worked, but I could feel her watching me. The careful way I measured each herb, the attention I paid to proportions and combinations. This was my meditation, my art form. Creating blends that could heal and comfort and restore.

"How did you learn to do this?" she asked.

"Trial and error, mostly. Online courses.

A few workshops with omega wellness practitioners.

Hollis has been a massive help. I might bug him a bit too much about all this stuff," I said with a laugh.

I added a careful pinch of dried lavender.

"Laura used to tease me about my 'mad scientist' phase, but she was also my first test subject until. .."

I trailed off, realizing what I'd almost said.

"Until she decided you weren't enough," Kit finished quietly.

"Yeah." I focused on the blend, not wanting to see pity in her eyes. "She said I was wasting my time with 'hippie nonsense' when I could be expanding the business, opening more locations, making real money."

"She sounds like she didn't understand what actually mattered to you."

The gentle observation, free of judgment, made something tight in my chest loosen. "No, she didn't. She wanted me to be someone I wasn't. More aggressive, more ambitious, more... alpha, I guess."

"You're plenty alpha," Kit said firmly. "You're just not the kind of alpha who needs to dominate everything around you to feel secure."

I looked up at her then, seeing the sincerity in her expression, the way she was looking at me like Laura's opinion had been wrong about everything that mattered.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For saying that."

"It's just the truth." Kit moved closer, drawn by the scent of the blend I was creating. "She lost something incredible when she walked away from you."

"Her loss became my gain," I said, holding the bowl out for her to smell. "Because it led me here, to this moment, to you. What do you think?"

Kit breathed in deeply, her eyes fluttering closed. "Oh. That's... that's lovely. It smells like safety."

Safety. The most important scent profile I could have achieved.

"Let's brew some and see how it tastes." I put water on to boil, then turned to face her fully. "Kit, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What does your perfect day look like? Not what you think it should look like, or what someone else would want. What would make you genuinely happy?"

Kit considered the question seriously. "I think.

.. I think it would be quiet. Peaceful. I'd wake up slowly, without any anxiety about what the day might bring.

I'd have good coffee and maybe sketch for a while.

Spend time with people who actually wanted my company, not because I was useful to them but because they enjoyed who I am. "

She paused, lost in the vision she was creating.

"I'd cook something from scratch, something that smells like love. Maybe tend a garden. Read a good book. End the day feeling like I'd been exactly who I was meant to be, instead of performing some version of myself for other people's approval."

"That sounds perfect," I said softly.

"Simple, right? But it feels impossible sometimes."

"Not impossible. Just... not what you're used to." I poured hot water over the tea blend, watching the herbs swirl and release their essence. "Kit, what if I told you that you could have that perfect day today? Right here?"

"Today?"

"Why not? You've already had good coffee and sketched for a while. We could spend the afternoon cooking something delicious, maybe work in Jonah's garden with Charlie when she gets home from school. End the day reading in your nest while we handle the dinner cleanup."

Kit stared at me like I was offering her something too precious to accept. "You'd want to do that? Just... spend a quiet day together?"

"I can't think of anything else I'd rather do."

The tea finished steeping, and I poured it into two mugs, handing one to Kit. She took a tentative sip, her expression shifting to wonder.

"This is incredible. I can actually feel my shoulders relaxing."

"Good. That's the goal." I settled into the chair beside her, close enough to catch the subtle changes in her scent as the tea worked its magic. "So what do you say? Want to have a perfect day?"

Kit took another sip of tea, her entire posture softening as the blend did its work. When she looked at me, her eyes were bright with something that looked like hope.

"Yes," she said simply. "I'd love that."

And as we sat in my sun-warmed kitchen, sharing tea and quiet conversation while the world went about its business below, I realized that I was already living my own perfect day.