Chapter 17 #3
“Then we’re in agreement?” Hollis looked around the table. “The four of us are committing to exploring pack formation, with the understanding that it requires work and communication and genuine care for each other’s wellbeing?”
“Agreed,” I said.
“Agreed,” Jace and Cassian echoed.
Something shifted in the air between us. Not the snap of a pack bond, that would come later if we made it that far. But an acknowledgment that we were choosing this, choosing each other, choosing to try something unconventional because it felt right despite being complicated.
“We should celebrate,” Jace said. “This feels like it deserves celebrating.”
“Dinner?” Hollis suggested. “All four of us?”
I looked at the three of them, these vastly different men who’d somehow all found their way into my heart, and felt something warm settle in my chest. “Dinner sounds perfect.”
We gathered our things and headed out of The Brew, Sarah giving us a knowing smile as we passed. On Main Street, I found myself walking between Jace and Hollis while Cassian fell into step beside them, the four of us moving together in a way that already felt natural.
“Where should we go?” Jace asked. “Somewhere nice or somewhere comfortable?”
“Comfortable,” I said immediately. “I’ve had enough formal for one day.”
“The diner?” Hollis suggested. “It’s nothing fancy, but the food’s good and they have big booths.”
“Perfect,” Cassian said.
We walked the three blocks to Mabel’s Diner, and I was hyperaware of the looks we got. Four people clearly together, clearly comfortable with each other. This was Hollow Haven’s first real look at what we might become.
Let them look, I decided. We weren’t doing anything wrong, and we weren’t the first pack to form in this town.
The booth Mabel led us to was in the back corner, curved seating that put us all close together. Jace slid in first, then me, then Hollis, with Cassian across from us. It felt right, being close enough to feel each of their warmth, seeing all three of them at once.
“So,” Mabel said, pulling out her order pad with a knowing expression. “You four are finally making it official?”
“Working on it,” Jace said cheerfully.
“About time. The whole town’s been watching you circle each other for weeks.” She winked at me. “You’ve got good taste, honey. These are three of the best men in Hollow Haven.”
After she took our orders and disappeared, Cassian said, “I think she just gave us her blessing.”
“Mabel’s blessing counts for a lot in this town,” Hollis said. “She’s been here forty years. If she approves, half the town will follow.”
“Is that how it works?” I asked. “Small town approval by committee?”
“More or less,” Jace grinned. “But Hollow Haven is pretty accepting of pack dynamics. We’ll get some gossip, but mostly people will be happy for us.”
The food arrived and we ate together, conversation flowing easily between topics.
They asked about the bistro timeline and I updated them on the mold remediation progress.
Cassian and Hollis discovered a shared interest in historical architecture.
Jace told a story about a confused tourist that had us all laughing.
It felt normal. Easy. Like something that could actually work.
As we were finishing, Cassian’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his expression darkened before he controlled it.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Just my father’s lawyers. Another settlement offer.” He set his phone face-down on the table. “They’re persistent.”
“You don’t owe them anything,” Hollis said quietly. “You know that, right?”
“Intellectually, yes. Emotionally, it’s more complicated.” Cassian met our eyes. “They’re my family. Even though they cut me off, even though they’ve made it clear I’m dead to them, there’s still this part of me that wants their approval.”
“That’s normal,” I said, reaching across to touch his hand. “Wanting approval from people who hurt you doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”
Jace leaned forward. “For what it’s worth, I think what you did took more courage than anything your family ever accomplished. Choosing principle over profit isn’t easy when you were raised to value the opposite.”
“Agreed,” Hollis said. “And you’re not alone anymore. Whatever happens with your family, you have us.”
Cassian looked around the table, and I saw something shift in his expression. Surprise, maybe. Or the beginning of understanding that he’d found something worth more than his family’s approval.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “That means more than you know.”
We left the diner as the sun was setting, painting Main Street in gold and orange light. Standing on the sidewalk, the four of us together, I felt the weight of what we’d agreed to. The complexity and the possibility in equal measure.
“So,” Jace said. “Same time next week? Sunday evening check-in?”
“I’ll host,” Hollis offered. “I have space above the bookstore and more books than any reasonable person needs.”
“Perfect,” Cassian said, making a note in his phone.
We stood there for another moment, none of us quite ready to separate even though the day had been long and emotionally exhausting.
“Thank you,” I said finally. “All three of you. For being willing to try this. For being mature and communicative and actually considering what it means instead of just following instinct.”
“It helps that you were honest about what you wanted,” Hollis said. “That took courage.”
“We’ve got this,” Jace added. “It’s going to be complicated and messy sometimes, but we’ve got this.”
“Yes,” Cassian agreed. “We do.”
They went their separate ways, Hollis to his apartment above the bookstore, Jace to his evening patrol shift, Cassian to whatever he did in that house on Ridge Road. And I drove home alone, processing everything that had happened.
We were really doing this. Four people who barely knew each other, choosing to build something unconventional because it felt right. Choosing trust over fear, communication over competition, possibility over playing it safe.
I had no idea if it would work. But for the first time since Vincent had destroyed my career and my confidence, I felt like I was moving toward something instead of just running away.
And that was enough for now.
Inside my cottage, I made chamomile tea and settled onto my couch with the book Hollis had given me last week.
But my mind kept drifting to the afternoon.
To three very different men sitting around a table talking honestly about feelings and logistics.
To the way they’d actually listened to each other instead of competing.
To Cassian making lists and Jace making jokes and Hollis offering quiet wisdom that seemed to settle everyone’s nerves.
My phone buzzed with three separate texts.
From Jace: That went better than I expected. Looking forward to next Sunday.
From Hollis: Thank you for today. For trusting us with this.
From Cassian: I’ve never been part of anything like this. But I want to try. We’ll make it work.
I typed back variations of thank you and goodnight to all three, then sat holding my phone and trying to process the fact that I had three alphas who were actively choosing to coordinate instead of compete.
Three men who saw my complications and wanted me anyway.
Three different kinds of strength that might actually work together instead of canceling each other out.
Tomorrow we’d wake up and this would be real. Tomorrow the town would start talking and we’d have to navigate being public in a small town where everyone knew your business. Tomorrow we’d start the actual work of building a pack.
But tonight, I let myself feel hopeful. Let myself believe that maybe, possibly, this unconventional arrangement could become something beautiful.
I fell asleep thinking about three very different men who’d all said yes to trying. Who’d all been nervous and honest and willing to do the work required to make something complicated actually function.
Thinking that maybe I’d finally found the kind of support that didn’t come with strings attached or expectations I couldn’t meet.
Thinking that maybe, just maybe, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.