Page 29 of Nesting With My Three Alphas (Hollow Haven #1)

Marcus lunged at Micah, apparently deciding the baker looked like the easier target. It was the last mistake he would make as a free man.

Micah moved like water, sidestepping the clumsy attack and using Marcus's momentum against him. The knife went flying as Micah's hand connected with Marcus's wrist in a strike that was precise, controlled, and devastating.

I was on Marcus before he hit the ground, my hands fisting in his expensive shirt as I hauled him upright and slammed him against the kitchen counter with enough force to rattle dishes.

"You came into my home," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "You threatened my family. You brought a weapon to use against a defenseless omega in heat."

"She's not defenseless," Marcus gasped, blood trickling from his nose where it had connected with the counter. "And she's mine. I have papers, legal claim..."

"You have nothing," Micah said, pulling out his phone to call 911. "Sheriff Rowe is going to be very interested in your little break-in. Assault with a weapon, attempted kidnapping, violating a restraining order."

"Plus whatever was in that syringe," I added, nodding toward where the injector had fallen. "Possession of controlled substances, intent to commit assault with a chemical weapon."

Marcus's face went white as he realized how thoroughly he'd destroyed his position. "You don't understand. I love her. Everything I did was for her own good."

"Love doesn't break down doors," Micah said simply. "Love doesn't bring syringes and knives. Love doesn't try to force someone into submission."

The sound of sirens in the distance made Marcus struggle against my hold with renewed desperation.

"This isn't over," he snarled. "I'll find a way. I'll get her back."

"No," I said with absolute certainty. "You won't. Because Kit isn't the same woman who left Chicago. She's found her strength, her pack, her real family. And we will do whatever it takes to protect what's ours."

Sheriff Rowe arrived with two deputies, taking in the scene with the kind of grim satisfaction that suggested he'd been hoping for exactly this opportunity.

"Marcus Blackwood," Sheriff Rowe said, producing handcuffs with obvious pleasure. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering, assault with a weapon, possession of controlled substances, and violation of a restraining order."

As they led Marcus away, as his threats and protests faded into the distance, I finally allowed myself to breathe. The immediate threat was over. Kit was safe.

But she was still upstairs, alone and frightened during the most vulnerable time of her cycle.

"Go to her," Micah said quietly, reading my thoughts. "I'll handle the cleanup and paperwork."

"Are you sure?"

"Jonah." Micah's smile was gentle but firm. "Our omega needs her pack alpha. Everything else can wait."

I took the stairs three at a time, my heart racing with the need to see Kit, to confirm with my own eyes that she was safe and unharmed.

The door was locked. She'd obeyed, not out of fear, but because she trusted me to handle the threat.

That trust was sacred. I could hear soft crying from the other side.

"Kit, sweetheart, it's me," I called softly. "It's over. You're safe."

The lock clicked, and then Kit was in my arms, her heat scent spiking with relief and residual fear. She was trembling, her face streaked with tears, but she was whole and unharmed.

"I could smell him," she whispered against my chest. "Even through the door, I could smell him. I thought, I was so afraid he would..."

"Shh," I soothed, carrying her back to the nest and settling her gently among the blankets that smelled like safety and pack. "He's gone. He's been arrested. He can't hurt you anymore."

"But my heat," Kit said, her voice small and afraid. "He came here because of it, didn't he? What if..."

"Kit." I cupped her face gently, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Look at me. He can't hurt you. You are protected. You have three alphas who would die before letting anyone hurt you."

"Marcus had a syringe," Kit said, her scent spiking with new fear. "I saw it when I looked down the stairs. He was going to..."

"He was going to try," I corrected firmly. "But he failed. We stopped him. Your pack protected you, just like we always will."

Kit's breathing began to slow, her scent gradually settling back toward the warm honey notes of natural heat rather than the sharp spikes of panic.

"Is it really over?" she asked quietly.

"It's really over," I confirmed. "Marcus will be going to prison for a very long time. He'll never be able to threaten you again."

"Then why do I still feel scared?"

"Because fear takes time to heal," I said gently. "But you don't have to heal alone. Your pack is here, and we're not going anywhere."

Kit nestled closer, her body beginning to relax as the reality of her safety sank in. "I want you to claim me," she said suddenly, her voice stronger than it had been since the confrontation. "Tonight. All of you. I want to be yours completely, so there's never any question about where I belong."

She wanted to be claimed. Not from heat desperation, but from conscious choice. From the need to belong somewhere safe, with people who would protect her not because they owned her, but because they loved her.

"Are you sure?" I asked gently. "After what just happened, you might need time to process..."

"I'm sure," Kit said firmly. "Marcus tried to take my choice away again, tried to force me back into being his victim. But I'm not his victim anymore. I'm your omega, and I want the whole world to know it."

As Micah's footsteps sounded on the stairs, as Reed's truck pulled into the driveway, I felt the rightness of the moment settle around us. Marcus's attack had been meant to steal Kit's agency, to drag her back into a life of fear and control.

Instead, it had given her the final push she needed to claim her place in our pack completely.

"Then let's show you exactly where you belong," I said, pressing a gentle kiss to each of her claiming bite locations. "Let's make you ours forever."

The threat was over. The future was beginning.

And Kit was finally ready to embrace everything love was supposed to be.