Page 23 of Nesting With My Three Alphas (Hollow Haven #1)

Reed

I 'd been trying to focus on refinishing Mrs. Thatcher's kitchen cabinets all afternoon, but my mind kept drifting to Kit.

There was something about her scent lately, subtle changes that suggested her heat was approaching faster than any of us had anticipated.

The protective instincts that had been simmering under the surface for weeks were getting harder to ignore.

After Sunday night's dinner, it was impossible to pretend what we were building wasn't real. The way Kit had looked at all of us, the easy intimacy that had settled over our evening together, we'd crossed a line, and there was no going back.

It's about Kit. That simple addition made my stomach clench with worry.

On my way, I typed back, already cleaning my brushes and packing up my tools.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting at Jonah's kitchen table with a cup of coffee that was hopefully strong enough for whatever serious conversation Jonah's expression suggested we were about to have. Micah looked equally concerned, having clearly received the same urgent summons.

"Alright," I said without preamble, "what's going on? Your text made it sound like an emergency."

Jonah's expression was grim as he settled into his chair. "Marcus escalated today. Big time."

"How's Kit handling it?" Micah asked immediately.

"Better than I expected," Jonah replied.

"This isn't just harassment anymore. He's trying to establish some kind of legal claim.

He filed some bullshit claim saying they have a legally binding contract.

She has to see Sheriff Rowe tomorrow morning to give a statement, and I'm going with her for support.

Thankfully the Sheriff has already spotted that the documents don't look legitimate. "

"Bastard," I muttered, my hands clenching around my coffee mug. "Good thing Sheriff Rowe spotted the forgeries immediately. That's not a fight we needed Kit worrying about."

This was worse than the box of photographs. He was escalating beyond mere intimidation now. I looked at Jonah and Micah wanted to tell them what I knew but knowing I’d promised Kit that it would stay between us. Surely this changed things though.

"Yeah, but it shows how desperate Marcus is getting," Jonah said grimly. "And desperate people do dangerous things."

I could smell the shift in our collective scents, three alphas responding to a threat against someone we'd all come to care about deeply. The air in the kitchen was charged with protective energy that was becoming impossible to ignore.

"I could smell the fear on her after art class," Jonah said quietly. "She was trying to be brave, but she's terrified. And now she's going home to that duplex alone, processing all of this by herself."

Alone. The word hit me like a punch to the gut, because it was exactly what Kit shouldn't be right now.

Not with her heat approaching, not with a dangerous ex circling, not when every instinct we possessed was telling us to gather her close and keep her safe.

It wasn't just alpha instinct. It was the thought of her facing all of this alone that had me ready to tear down walls.

"We need to talk about security," I said, forcing myself to focus on practical matters. "Enhanced locks, community watch, law enforcement coordination. She already has good security at the duplex now but locks can only do so much."

"Already coordinated with Sheriff Rowe," Jonah said. "He's promised increased patrols, and Mrs. Carrington is organizing a neighborhood watch schedule. And everyone at art class spread the word to keep an eye out for strangers asking questions about Kit."

The whole town. It said something about how quickly Kit had been claimed by this community that people who'd known her for three weeks were ready to stand between her and her past.

"But there's something else we need to discuss," I said, setting down my coffee cup. "Something we've all been dancing around for weeks."

The silence that followed was loaded with understanding. We all knew what I was talking about.

"While we're being honest about threats," I continued, "we need to be honest about feelings too." My wording made my jaw clench because I wasn’t being entirely honest about the threats Kit had received and I was regretting that promise to keep it between the two of us now.

Micah's scent shifted slightly, and Jonah's jaw tightened in a way that suggested he'd been thinking the same thing.

"I'm falling for her," I said bluntly. "Hard. And I think we all are."

The words hung in the air between us, honest and terrifying and completely accurate.

"Yeah," Jonah said quietly. "I haven't felt this way since Sarah. Charlie already looks at Kit like her mom, and I think of her as so much more than that."

"I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before," Micah added softly.

"Laura and I ended a long time ago, but I still remember what it feels like to want a future with someone.

This feels like so much more than that though.

I want to build a life with her. I want to wake up every morning knowing she's safe and loved. "

We sat in the weight of our mutual confession, three men who'd been friends for years admitting we'd all fallen for the same woman.

"So what does that mean?" Micah asked. "For us, for her, for this whole situation?"

"It means we've been functioning as a pack for years, we were just waiting for our omega," I said simply. "And it means that when her heat comes, probably in the next couple of days, we're all going to want to be there for her."

"All of us," Jonah said, and there was something in his voice that suggested he'd already thought this through. "Not competing with each other, but working together."

"We work better together anyway," I agreed. "Always have. Whether it's community projects, helping neighbors, or raising Charlie, we're stronger as a unit."

"But what if Kit doesn't want all of us?" Micah asked, voicing the fear we'd all been carrying. "What if she thinks it's too much, too complicated?"

"Then we respect her choice," Jonah said immediately. "But we also make sure she knows what her options are. That she doesn't have to choose between us."

"Her heat's coming soon," I said, bringing up the practical reality we couldn't ignore. "I can smell the changes in her scent already. Two, maybe three more days. And with Marcus circling, she's going to be vulnerable in ways that go beyond the physical."

"Charlie needs to be somewhere safe during that time," Jonah said. "Emma has been wanting her to visit for longer anyway. I’ll give her a call this evening. This conversation stays between us though. Charlie doesn't need to know the details about any of this until we've talked to Kit."

"And Kit needs to be somewhere secure," Micah added. "That duplex isn't going to cut it, especially if she's in heat and there's a threat."

"She should be here," Jonah said firmly. "Where we can protect her properly."

"Think she'll agree to that?" I asked.

"I think she'll agree to whatever keeps her safe once she processes how serious this Marcus situation is," Jonah replied. "She's not the same woman who ran from Chicago. She's stronger now, more willing to accept help."

"And more willing to trust us," Micah said hopefully.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the promise I’d made to Kit crack inside me. I couldn’t keep this from them. Marcus had gone too far now. This was more than just I could handle and Jonah needed all the facts when he had Charlie to consider as well.

“There’s something else,” I said, the guilt of what I was about to say hitting me hard.

“The day of the storm, Kit came home to a box on her doorstep. It was full of photographs of her. Someone’s been following her.

Everywhere. Watching her when she’s been at home, out in the town.

It’s why she was so shook up during the storm. ”

When I looked up I couldn’t take the look on their faces. Jonah and Micah had gone deadly still. I could practically see the thoughts flashing through their minds, the betrayal, the worry, the anger. I’d fucked up.

“I know I should have…”

“No,” Micah said softly. “If you didn’t tell us before, it was because Kit asked you not to.”

I nodded slowly. “She was worried about you. I told her the only way I’d keep it between us was if she promised to come to me with absolutely anything else that happened, no matter how small.”

“You did the right thing,” Jonah said, reaching out and clasping my shoulder. “Kit’s safety is everything, but so is her trust. I’d have done exactly the same thing in your position.”

We spent the next hour working through logistics, security measures, Charlie's arrangements, work schedules that would ensure Kit was never alone. But underneath all the practical planning was the deeper truth we'd finally acknowledged.

We were in love with Kit. All of us. And instead of seeing that as a complication, we were beginning to recognize it as the solution.

I found myself thinking about how long I'd known this moment would come. Maybe not the specifics, but the certainty that when Kit finally let her guard down, when she finally trusted us enough to be vulnerable, we'd all be there to catch her. It felt like destiny finally catching up with reality.

"So what's the timeline?" Micah asked as we began to wrap up our planning session.

"Tomorrow, I go with Kit to give her statement," Jonah said. "Make sure she feels supported through the legal process."

"I'll start putting together a plan to upgrade the security here," I added. "And coordinate with Sheriff Rowe about the increased patrols."

"And I'll make sure she has comfort food waiting when she gets back," Micah said. "Today was hard on her. Tomorrow might be harder."

"When do we talk to her about moving, and how we feel?" I asked.

"Soon," Jonah said. "After the legal stuff is handled, we need to talk about living arrangements, even if it's just temporarily until the Marcus situation is resolved.

After she's feeling more secure, but before her heat hits, we all need to sit down and talk about everything, feelings included.

She deserves to know where we stand so she can make an informed choice about what she wants while she has a clear head to do it. "

"And if she wants all of us?" Micah asked.

"Then we show her what it means to be loved by a real pack," I said simply. "And if she doesn't want the pack, we make sure she still knows she's safe. Always."

The silence that followed was comfortable, settled. We'd finally said out loud what we'd all been feeling, and instead of creating awkwardness or competition, it had brought us closer together.

Three alphas united in purpose instead of divided by jealousy.