Page 60 of Stalked By the Alphas

59

HAZEL

I take my time building my nest. I want it to be perfect. First, I grab the usual pillows and blankets from the cupboard and then the duvet from the bed to spread out. Carefully, I arrange the pillows and blankets, creating a cosy cocoon in the corner of my bedroom. The bear Carter gave me sits in the centre, its soft fur still carrying his scent. I inhale deeply, letting the familiar alpha musk wash over me.

Next, I place Noah’s journal beside the bear. The scent of the ocean lingers on it, soothing me. My fingers trace over the embossed letters of my name, remembering the raw honesty in his words. Despite everything, a part of me aches to believe him, to trust in the love he professed.

Finally, I add the dress I was wearing the other day and haven’t got around to washing. The scent of summer rain clings to it from my encounter with Zach, and I smile as I crawl in and pull the items around me, surrounded by pieces of the three alphas who have turned my world upside down; I feel a confusing mess of emotions. Anger, fear, longing, hope - they all swirl together, leaving me dizzy and uncertain.

I pick up Noah’s journal again, flipping through the pages. His neat handwriting fills the first few sheets, pouring out his heart in a way I’ve never seen from him before. It’s tempting to lose myself in his words, to let them soothe the jagged edges of my pain.

Dear Hazel,

This is probably going to be the most honest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I’m laying my soul bare for you to see, raw, unfiltered.

I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, Hazel. From the moment we met as children, you captivated me in a way no one else has. Your kindness, your intelligence, your fierce independence—everything about you drew me in.

But that love terrified me. I’ve always prided myself on being in control and on understanding the human mind. With you, I felt completely out of my depth. I didn’t know how to handle these intense feelings, so I retreated behind the mask. I tried to analyse you, to understand you through psychology, because it was safer than admitting how vulnerable you made me feel.

I’m ashamed to admit that my fear led me to make terrible choices. I convinced myself that if I could control certain aspects of your life, I could keep you safe - keep you mine. But all I did was betray your trust and push you away.

I see now how wrong I was. How much I’ve hurt you. There’s no excuse for my actions, and I won’t try to justify them. All I can say is that I’m sorry - more sorry than I’ve ever been for anything in my life.

I love you, Hazel. Not as my friend, my best friend, but as an omega I know is destined to be mine, ours. As a woman so independent, beautiful, and wonderfully complex, I want to be worthy of your love and trust. I want to stand beside you as an equal partner, support your dreams, and share your joys and sorrows. I want to wake up to your smile every morning and fall asleep holding you every night .

I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know I have a long way to go to earn back your trust. But I promise you, Hazel, if you give me - give us - another chance, I will spend every day of my life trying to be worthy of you. No more manipulations, no more secrets. Just honesty, love, and a commitment to being the best version of myself I can be.

Whatever you decide, please know that my love for you is unconditional. Even if you choose to walk away, I will always be here if you need me. Your happiness is what matters most.

All my love,

Noah

I close the journal with a steady hand. Noah’s words stir something profound within me, a longing I’ve tried so hard to suppress. But can I trust them after everything that’s happened?

I pick up Carter’s bear, burying my face in its soft fur. His scent wraps around me, comforting and familiar. I remember the vulnerability in his eyes as he handed it to me, the raw emotion in his voice as he promised to earn my trust back .

Then there’s Zach. My fingers brush over the dress. His vulnerability and pain aren’t something I can walk away from and live with myself. But is it enough? Is any of it enough?

I said I would give Carter a chance to make it up to me, and I want to. But they are a package deal. They are a pack. Zach needs me, and part of me needs him, too. I need to help him through his bad times. And then there is Noah. The most reserved of the three, he has always been the one to be cooler and more distant. Carter and Zach made grand sweeping gestures, while Noah’s is more subtle. It’s more his style, but no less potent. If I accept one into my life, I accept them all. If I can’t do that, then I accept none.

A light knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. Cautiously, I crawl out of my nest and get to my feet, scampering downstairs to peer through the peephole. Part of me wishes it was the alphas. But to my surprise, it is someone else—someone I never expected to see again.

Unblocking the door, I open it. “Mrs Richmond. What are you doing here?”

“Hello, dear,” Carter’s mum says in that posh tone of hers. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” I murmur and step back, feeling awkward standing here in my shortie pyjamas while she sweeps in with her scent that smells exactly like Chanel No. 5 and her expensive navy dress, wrap and shoes. I close the front door and lead her into the office, needing the formality of the space to get through whatever it is she has to say to me.

She purses her lips and looks around. “Such a cute little home you’ve made for yourself,” she comments.

“Thank you,” I say, even though it’s as far from a compliment as you can get.

She raises a perfect eyebrow slightly and dips her hand into her tote, which probably cost more than the entire house and its furnishings. She pulls out a brown envelope and holds it out. I stare at it, and my blood runs cooler. Something tells me that it isn’t a stuffed bear.

With a steady hand, I reach out and take it. “What is it?”

She gestures for me to open it.

I flip the top open and nod slowly, somehow not at all surprised to see the neatly stacked fifty pound notes.

“That is twenty thousand pounds, Hazel. Take it and tell Carter there is no future for you. Tell him to stop being silly coming up here and chasing you and to come back to his career, his home, and his family. Tell him to start a life with a suitable omega and to forget all about you.”

I meet her sharp, blue-eyed stare. “You really hate me that much?”

“I don’t hate you, Hazel,” she scoffs. “But this, whatever it is, has never been appropriate. It has never had a future. Surely you can see that?”

“So you are offering me twenty thousand pounds to tell Carter to forget about me? ”

“I will do everything I can to ensure that my son has the life he deserves. Your parents agreed with me, by the way. I gave them the money to send you away to Mrs Schwarz’s Omega Finishing School in Switzerland. Money, I presume you then used to buy your little bookshop after they died.”

And… Just. Like. That… the mental box flips open, and the lies fly away like butterflies in a summer breeze. The mask comes down, and I smile.

It gives her pause. She tenses.

“You think you tell me something I don’t already know?” I ask casually, folding the top of the envelope back over and holding it out to her. “Too bad they died before they had a chance to ruin my life.”

She lets out a soft gasp, but she holds my gaze. If I didn’t know better, I’d say a fleeting moment of approval flashes in her eyes, but it’s gone before I can be sure.

“So, you can take your money back, Nancy. I don’t need it. I will tell Carter exactly where we stand the next time I see him. Rest assured.”

“Be sure that you do.” Nancy Richmond turns on her heel and marches out of the house, opening the door and closing it quietly.

I let out a slow breath and turn to the desk to throw the envelope down. It lands with a thump, and I stare at it for a moment, letting the memories wash over me. The intense fight with my parents after I found out they were planning to send me to omega finishing school. How furious I was, how enraged. It is everything I never wanted, and it would’ve been torture for me, and they knew that. They knew I would’ve been cowed and miserable and a shell of myself if they sent me there. But they were planning it anyway. They wanted to get me away from Carter, Zach, and Noah, so they went to Nancy and Brett Richmond to do it. I will never forgive them for that. I’ve played the dutifully grieving daughter for so long now it’s second nature.

“Fake it til you make it,” I murmur and turn my back on the envelope to head upstairs with a smile curving my lips that, for the first time in years, feels right. It feels natural. As I crawl into my nest and pick up the bear, drawing in the scent, I giggle, and I remember something so fundamentally crucial, like a baptism, it burns everything else away. I’ve spent the last few months being afraid of everything and everyone around me, but that was wrong.

Because they should be afraid of me.