Page 33

Seraphina

A soft breeze carries the scent of blooming lilacs; the sunset painting the sky in hues of peach and lavender. It’s been a month of fun and chaos, a month in which we have figured out how to live together, my Alphas now synchronized with my own chaos, their love a constant and calm force that keeps me anchored.

My new favorite place is here, in front of a coffee table that is now constantly cluttered with my laptop and a half-eaten bowl of fruit, usually strawberries. The horizon no longer feels like a threat to my personal space anymore. It's a promise, I think, as I breathe and rest my hands on my belly.

I didn’t plan for babies and especially not twins but it just adds to the perfect little life we’ve been building here. The word twins still sends a flutter of awe and fear through me, but their support has quieted the doubts, making motherhood feel possible, even beautiful.

I seek them out more now, my Omega craving their touch, their scent, wondering when I’ll be truly theirs, bites and all, but for now, this everything I’ve wanted. My nest has expanded beyond Ambrose’s room, indigo pillows scattered in Callum’s study, Lyle’s bedroom, and here, in the living room’s corner where I work, answering station calls, my headset a lifeline to the world I’m not ready to rejoin.

Ambrose keeps trying to slip his garish gray pillow into my nests, and when I find it, I chuck it back at him. It doesn’t match. And it doesn’t, not at all, clashing with the soft blues and creams he chose for the new theme of all my nests. I find it tucked into his bed most days, my heart warming at the thought that it means so much to him.

The investigation is till open but I’ve tried to move on and not worry about the implications of what all that cold mean. No one has bothered me since, no strange calls, no one at the door I don’t recognize.

I hang up a call after directing them to one of the detectives on a missing person’s case, leaning back against my pillows as I caress the swell of my belly. Victoria mentioned that I’d start showing early and that I might only carry five or six months rather than the usual seven. Which would be fine but I already feel like I’m waddling and I’m always in need of attention.

All normal things but things that make it hard to focus.

A knock at the door steals my attention and I grab my phone to check the doorbell camera, frowning when I see Jonah just outside. I haven’t heard from him in over a month, not since he called before the fire. I didn’t think I’d hear from him again. I quickly pull up my calendar to check which of my Alphas is supposed to be home from lunch. Lyle.

He answers just after the first ring, my words already tumbling out. “Jonah’s at the door. He’s just… standing there.”

Lyle growls, the sound vibrating through the earpiece. “Fuck, yeah, I know. He’s been hounding us to talk to you, and I thought it was a joke when he said he was going to show up at our house. I’m two minutes out. Don’t open the door if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to,” I whisper, my free hand tightening on my belly. My Omega doesn’t like Jonah at all and I’m skeptical about his intentions.

“Stay put, baby girl,” Lyle purrs. “I’ll deal with him.”

I move toward the kitchen, hoping that Lyle takes care of it quickly so he can come snuggle me. The steady hum of his truck comes to a stop, Lyle remaining on the call as he stalks toward the front door, their heated voices bleeding through the speaker.

Jonah snorts as a loud sound thuds against the door. “Keeping her locked up because you want an Omega is not the way to go.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think, Jonah. She’s not yours.”

Jonah pushes back anyway, my heart in my throat. “I just want to see her. She’s my best friend’s baby sister, and all I want is to know she’s okay. All three of you keeping her hidden from me and why? What’s the point?”

Lyle snorts, his next words for me. “She’s perfectly fine. Aren’t you, baby girl?”

I clear my throat, wanting all of this to be over but knowing that I need to keep my voice steady. “Yes, I’m fine. Hi, Jonah. I’m glad you’re back in town, but I’m just not ready to see anyone.”

Jonah laughs, the sound forced and it makes me feel uneasy. “They keeping you fed in there? Let me see you, Fifi. Just gotta check on you. I’m beginning to think something is wrong.”

I can’t argue with that especially since there’s some part of me that knows he’ll try and come back when my Alphas aren’t here. “You can open the door, Lyle.” I hope he hears the wariness in my voice and how unsettled I am. I move away from the door completely, stepping closer to the living room.

“You sure, Fi?”

I manage a small yes as the door creaks open, Jonah’s wild grin spreading across his face. I hold my breath as he steps inside, his sudden movement making me gasp but Lyle’s got me. He drags Jonah back by the collar. “Fuck that bullshit, Jonah. You wanted to see that she’s okay but that doesn’t give you the right to touch.”

He lets out a low whistle, his gaze dipping to my belly.. “Oh, they got you pregnant. Who’s the daddy? Can’t be sweet Lyle over here.”

Something tickles my nose, steadily growing stronger until I realize it’s Jonah’s scent that I’m having a problem with. I place protective hands over my belly, stepping back further. “You’ve seen me. Please leave.” When he doesn’t immediately listen to me, I glance over at Lyle who’s still got Jonah by the scruff of his neck.

My Alpha catches the panic and terror in my expression, dragging Jonah back outside without another word. The door slams behind him, jiggling on the hinges before cracking back open, letting me hear the full brunt of Lyle’s anger. “I was going to tell you to get lost, you asshole, like we have been doing for weeks. But Seraphina gave you a chance. What the fuck were you going to do? Charge at her?”

“Get off me, you big lug!” From what I can see, Jonah shoves Lyle off. “I don’t see a mark on her neck. Where did you claim her or did you forget to do that part?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lyle draws back a fist before letting it connect with Jonah’s face. “She invited you in as a courtesy, not as a guarantee. Stop asking about her, calling her, texting her. You’ve lost any privilege at all that you thought you had.”

There’s some other muffled disagreement that I don’t catch, Lyle stepping back through the door a second later. He immediately apologizes, my flight or flight response triggered until his scent hits me and I remember that this is my Alpha, the one that just protected me. I wait until he locks the door and then step up into his chest, needing his warmth.

“I’m so sorry, baby, I had no idea he would do that.”

“It’s… it’s not that.” I’m trying to stay present, to keep from sinking into the nightmare that happened over three years ago but I can’t. And I’m not sure how I didn’t pick it up before. “His scent… that’s him. He… that’s him.” A sob tears through me as I sag against Lyle unable to believe that one of the Alphas who attacked had been so close to me.

Lyle strings his arms around me, pulling me closer. “What do you mean, Fi?”

“From that night. It was him. ” I bury my face in my Alpha’s chest as he picks me up and carries me to the bedroom, into my nest. How could you? I whisper to myself, wanting to throw those words at Jonah. My brother had trusted him, loved him, brought him over at times. And this is how Jonah repaid him? By trying to steal my first heat?

And for what?

I don’t even know that I’m crying until I hear Lyle whispering in my ear that he’s got me and that Jonah won’t ever get close again. I curl up tighter to my Alpha, trying to block the memories of that night. The soft rumble of Lyle’s purr guides me into a peaceful sleep, allowing me to give into my Omega and just rest. However, I know that beneath his purr is rage, a feeling spreading through me, vibrating like it’s my own emotion.

I should be terrified and yet, I’m grateful. Grateful that someone else can fight this battle for me. That I’ll no longer have to deal with this nightmare alone.

When Lyle presses a kiss to my forehead and tells me to let go, this time, I do.