The Flavor of Us (Beta Accepted)

19. ASHTON

Chapter nineteen

ASHTON

She wasn’t kidding when she said “nest.”

I glance over at Ryder, and he’s frozen behind me, his sharp blue eyes flicking over the scene, taking everything in. I lean back slightly into him, my shoulder meeting his chest, and his arms instinctively slide around my waist.

It’s grounding, the way he holds me—firm and steady, like he’s anchoring me in place.

Tati stands a few feet away, still tucked against Carleen’s side, her tear-stained hazel eyes wide as she glances between us and the closet. She looks so small, so fragile , and all I want to do is pull her into my arms and keep her there forever.

Carleen clears her throat softly, her lips twitching upward in that soft smirk of hers. “We’re not all going to fit in the closet, sunshine,” she says gently, her voice warm and teasing. “The pillows are going to have to come out.”

Tati blinks, her brows knitting together slightly, and for a second, she looks so unsure—so lost . But then she nods slowly, her fingers trembling as she starts pulling the pillows out of the closet and arranging them on the floor. It’s a slow process—careful, deliberate—but there’s something calming about watching her work. Each pillow is placed with purpose, each blanket smoothed out until the nest spreads out into a large, inviting space in the middle of the bedroom floor.

I swallow hard. I never thought about having an Omega before. Ryder and I have always been enough for each other even if we thought about having another one or two people in our pack. Ryder always thought we’d end up with an Omega. I wasn’t so sure.

But now, standing here, watching Tati arrange this little sanctuary, something in my chest clicks .

I want this.

I want her.

And not just her—but this. The nest, the safety, the quiet intimacy of it all.

I want to sprawl out with my mates and just exist .

Tati finally stops, sitting back on her heels as she surveys her work. Her tear-streaked face is soft now, her hazel eyes glistening as she glances up at us. She looks beautiful. Vulnerable and strong and so herself .

I kick off my shoes and step forward, my chest aching with something I can’t put into words. Tati watches me, her lips parting slightly as I kneel down at the edge of the nest. Her small hand reaches out toward me, her fingers trembling and I don’t even hesitate—I slide into the nest beside her, letting her pull me close. She curls into my side immediately, her face pressing against my chest, her sweet scent filling my senses.

“Hey, little doe,” I murmur softly, my fingers brushing through her short dark hair.

She doesn’t say anything, just takes a deep, shuddering breath, her small body relaxing against mine as if she’s finally letting go of something heavy. I feel movement behind me, and then Ryder slides in, his broad chest pressing against my back, his arm draping over both me and Tati. For a moment, it’s just the three of us—tangled together in the center of Tati’s carefully built sanctuary.

And then Carleen kneels at the edge of the nest, her brown eyes flickering over us before settling on Tati. “Is there room for me in there, sunshine?” she asks softly.

Tati nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “Always.”

Carleen smiles—a soft, genuine smile that makes something warm bloom in my chest—before she slides into the nest on Tati’s other side. Her strong arms wrap around Tati from behind, her face nuzzling into the crook of Tati’s neck as she lets out a slow breath. And just like that, the four of us are settled.

Tangled limbs, warm bodies, soft breaths filling the air.

No one speaks. No one moves.

I want to make her feel better. I want to take away every single bad thing that happened tonight, erase the fear from her hazel eyes, and replace it with something warm, something soft .

But I don’t know how.

I don’t know if I can .

Because as much as I want to touch her, kiss her, hold her—I know this isn’t just about me. It’s not even just about Tati. It’s about Carleen too. And that? That’s a whole other tangled mess I don’t know how to unravel.

Because I want her .

God, do I want her.

Carleen—the sharp-eyed Alpha with a spine of steel and a heart so big she tries to lock it away. The woman who watches over Tati like she’s the most precious thing in the world, who stepped in and punched a guy square in the face for hurting her Beta without a second thought.

She’s everything .

And what kills me is that I don’t just want her in some fleeting, surface-level way. I want to worship her.

I want to lay her down on soft sheets, kiss every inch of her skin, and make her feel like the most cherished, adored creature on the planet. I want to hear her voice crack when she moans my name, see her head fall back, and know that I’m the one who put that look on her face.

But she’s guarded—so, so guarded.

And the last thing I want to do is cross a line.

I twist to look at Ryder. He’s watching me, those sharp blue eyes locking onto mine like he can see straight into my soul. He raises one brow, his lips twitching slightly at the corners, and I know what that look means. Breathe, Ash. Slow down.

He’s always been the calm to my chaos, the steady hand on my shoulder when I start to spiral. And at some point, he’ll probably drag me into our room, push me face-down into the mattress, and remind me exactly who’s in charge when things get too loud in my head.

It’s always been the two of us—perfectly balanced, perfectly in sync. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being enough. Not because I don’t love him—because God , do I love him—but because we were both missing something.

And now I’m sure, with every fiber of my being, that something is Carleen and Tati.

Even if it’s only been one day, even if it feels insane to admit—it’s true.

They fit with us. Perfectly. Seamlessly.

It’s like the four of us were carved out of the same stone, and it just took this moment, this night, to realize it.

Tati shifts slightly in her sleep, her small hand curling into the fabric of my shirt, and my heart squeezes so tight I have to close my eyes for a second.

How the hell did we get here?

How is it possible to feel so much after so little time?

Ryder’s hand squeezes my hip gently, his thumb brushing slow, deliberate circles against the fabric of my pants. It’s such a simple touch, but it’s grounding. “Stop overthinking,” he mutters softly, his deep voice vibrating against my back.

Tati flops over and smushes her face against Carleen’s chest, her breath coming in soft, even puffs as she finally drifts into a deep sleep. Her small hand curls in Carleen’s shirt, like she’s afraid letting go will make everything fall apart. I watch her for a moment, my head resting against Ryder’s chest, his slow breaths brushing against the back of my neck. The nest is warm, and despite the chaos of the night, despite the storm still lingering in my chest, this feels right.

I glance up at Carleen across the nest. She’s stroking Tati’s hair, her brown eyes softer than I’ve ever seen them. There’s something achingly tender in the way she holds her Beta, something fiercely protective, and I feel it like a weight in my chest.

“She’s precious,” I murmur softly, careful not to break the fragile peace hanging over us.

Carleen looks up, her lips twitching into the smallest smile. “She is. I fought it for so long—these feelings, this… thing between us. But it’s been so much easier now that I stopped running from it.”

“Is it wrong,” I start, hesitating just a little, “to say that this feels… perfect? That it’s been, what, a day? Less than a day and it feels like it’s supposed to be like this?”

Carleen’s smile widens just a little, her head tilting as she looks at me, really looks at me. “No, Ashton,” she says softly. “It’s not wrong. The heart wants what it wants and we can overthink it all we want, but it doesn’t change anything.” She pauses, her gaze flicking briefly to Ryder before landing back on me. “Biology might tell us we’re compatible, but this?” She gestures lightly to the nest, to the four of us tangled together in this fragile moment of peace. “This only happens because we want it to. Because we’re choosing it.”

Carleen leans down slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Tati’s forehead, her lips lingering for a moment before she pulls back. But her gaze catches something, and her face tightens. Her eyes drop to Tati’s wrist—the faint, angry bruise starting to bloom against her soft skin. Carleen’s nostrils flare slightly and I see her shoulders tense.

“It’s not going to be easy,” she says softly, her voice tight with emotion. “There are going to be bumps in the road—nights like tonight. Times when we’re scared, or hurt, or unsure. But…” She looks back up at me, her brown eyes fierce and unwavering. “But this can work. We can work. If we want it badly enough, if we’re willing to fight for it, it can work.” For some reason, I feel like those words are more for her than for me.

“This is worth fighting for,” I respond.

The bruise on her wrist seems to mock us, a reminder of how close tonight came to being something so much worse. I hate it. I hate that someone touched her like that but as I look at her now—safe, warm, surrounded by people who care about her—I remind myself that she’s here. She’s with us.

“She deserves this,” Carleen says, her voice cracking slightly before she clears her throat. “She deserves us. ”

Ryder hums low behind me, his voice deep and steady. “And she’s going to have us. Both of you will.”