Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sierra
Their house is nothing like I expected.
I’d imagined something sleek and modern, but as we pull up to a charming craftsman-style home in a tree-lined neighborhood, I realize I’ve been projecting.
“This is gorgeous,” I breathe, taking in the wraparound porch and flower boxes beneath the windows.
“Cole insisted on the flower boxes,” Malik says, shooting him a look.
“And they look amazing,” Cole retorts. “Sierra appreciates them. Don’t you, Sierra?”
“I really do.” That earns a triumphant grin from Cole.
Dax parks in the driveway and cuts the engine. For a moment, we all just sit there, the weight of what’s happening settling over us.
“Ready?” Jalen asks softly, his hand finding mine.
Am I ready? To walk into their home, their space, and become part of their pack? To let this thing between us become real and permanent?
My omega doesn’t hesitate. She’s been ready since the moment they asked me to come home with them.
“Ready,” I confirm.
We pile out of the truck, and Cole immediately takes my overnight bag despite my protests.
Malik unlocks the door and holds it open, gesturing for me to enter first. I step inside and immediately my senses are flooded with pack scent, all layered together in a way that makes my knees weak.
This is what home smells like.
The interior is warm. Hardwood floors, comfortable furniture that actually looks lived in, photos on the walls of the four of them at various events and adventures.
There’s a reading nook by the window, a gaming setup in one corner, bookshelves overflowing with everything from business texts to sci-fi novels.
“Living room, obviously,” Malik says, gesturing around. “Kitchen’s through there. Office space upstairs along with our bedrooms. And...”
He trails off, exchanging looks with his pack brothers.
“And?” I prompt.
“There’s something we want to show you,” Jalen says, nervous energy radiating from him. “We, um. We built something. Just in case you said yes—”
“Come on,” Cole interrupts, taking my hand. “It’s easier to just show you.”
They lead me upstairs, down a hallway lined with family photos and artwork. At the end of the hall is a door that’s different from the others. Pink, with an ornate handle.
Dax pauses with his hand on the doorknob. “We’ve been working on this room for three days,” he says gruffly. “We just... we wanted to be ready. Wanted you to have a space that was yours.”
My heart is pounding as he opens the door.
The room beyond steals my breath.
It’s a nest room. A proper, dedicated nest room like I’ve only ever dreamed of having.
The space is huge, with soft carpet underfoot and walls painted in a soft pink.
But it’s the features that make my omega practically swoon with joy.
Built-in cubbies line one wall, perfect for storing blankets and pillows and nest materials.
There’s an attached bathroom with a deep soaking tub and a rainfall shower.
Climate control panels on the wall to adjust temperature and humidity.
Blackout curtains that can turn the room dark as night, even at midday.
Soft lighting options ranging from warm and dim to bright and energizing.
And in the center of the room, a massive platform bed set low to the ground, easily ten feet across, custom-built for nesting.
“Oh my God,” I whisper.
“We weren’t sure what colors you’d like,” Cole says, sounding anxious. “But we can repaint, change anything you want—”
“The cubbies were Malik’s idea,” Jalen adds. “For organization.”
“And the tub was mine,” Dax admits. “Figured after heats, you’d want somewhere comfortable to soak.”
I turn to look at them, these four alphas who built a nest room for their omega.
“You built this,” I say, my voice cracking. “For me.”
“We hoped,” Malik says softly. “We hoped you’d say yes.”
I move into the room slowly, running my hands over the smooth wood of the cubbies, testing the plush carpet, examining every thoughtful detail. There’s even a mini-fridge built into one wall. Stocked, I notice, with water and juice and snacks.
“This is the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me,” I manage through tears that are now flowing freely.
“Sierra—” Jalen starts.
But I’m already turning back to them, launching myself into their arms. They catch me easily, surrounding me with their presence and scent.
“Thank you,” I sob into the nearest chest, which turns out to be Malik’s. “Thank you, thank you—”
“Shhh,” he soothes, one hand stroking my hair. “You don’t have to thank us. This is what pack does.”
“We take care of what’s ours,” Dax adds, his voice rough with emotion.
“And you’re ours,” Cole finishes. “If you’ll have us.”
I pull back enough to look at all four of them. “I’m yours,” I confirm. “Completely.”
The energy in the room coalesces, drawing in tight around us.
“Sierra,” Malik says carefully, “we’d like to mark you. Officially claim you as our omega. But only if you want—”
“Yes,” I interrupt. “Yes, please.”
“You don’t have to decide right now—”
“I want to,” I insist, looking each of them in the eye. “I want to be yours in every way. Want everyone to know I’m pack. That I’m claimed.”
Jalen makes a low sound in his throat. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
They guide me to the massive bed platform, and I sink into it with a sigh. The mattress is perfect. Firm and yet soft enough to feel like a cloud. Exactly what a nesting omega would need.
Dax cups my face gently, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “We’re going to make this good for you,” he promises. “Make you feel so loved, so claimed, so ours.”
“I already feel that way,” I whisper.
“Then we’ll make it official.”
He leans down and captures my mouth in a kiss that’s both tender and possessive. I melt into it, into him, letting myself surrender to the feeling of being completely safe and wanted.
When he pulls back, Malik is there, his vanilla scent wrapping around me as he kisses me.
“Neck,” Dax murmurs, his lips finding the sensitive spot below my ear. “We’ll mark you here. All four of us. So everyone knows.”
The thought makes me shiver with want.
Gentle hands help me out of my clothes until I’m bare in the center of the nest. I watch, mesmerized, as ties are loosened and shirts discarded as they undress, too. Soon, I’m in their arms, skin against skin, a breath brushing through my nose as my body relaxes in their arms.
Their lips are everywhere, kissing, sucking, nipping. My nipples, my breasts, my belly, my center. Soon I’m squirming, panting, unable to believe this is actually about to happen.
Dax’s mouth finds the right side of my throat, kissing and tasting before his teeth press down in a claiming bite that makes me gasp. The sensation is overwhelming, part pain, part pleasure, all possession. My omega practically sings with joy as his mark blooms on my skin.
“Yes,” I breathe, tilting my head to give them better access.
Cole’s responding groan vibrates against my breast before he moves up to claim the space just below Dax’s mark. His bite is sharp and sure, another brand of ownership that makes my toes curl.
“That’s our omega,” he whispers.
Jalen’s hands are gentle as he tilts my head the other direction, exposing the unmarked side of my throat.
His lips trail soft kisses along my pulse point before his teeth sink in, claiming me with the same intensity as his pack brothers.
The dual sensations of his bite and Malik’s hands on my hips make me whimper.
When Malik’s mouth finally finds the remaining space on my neck, completing the set of four, I’m already trembling with need. Four marks, four alphas, branding me as theirs.
One pack.
But I’m not done. They’ve claimed me, and now I need to claim them too.
I reach for Dax first because he’s closest, pulling him down until I can access his throat. The cherry liqueur in his scent intensifies as my teeth find his pulse point and bite down. He makes a half-groan, half-growl sound that sends heat pooling low in my belly.
“Fuck, Sierra,” he grits out, his hands tightening on my hips. “Your mark—god, yes—”
Malik is next, leaning in to give me access to his neck. When my teeth sink into his skin, he shudders, his vanilla ice-cream spiking with arousal. “Omega,” he breathes reverently. “Our omega.”
Cole practically melts when I mark him. “Yes, yes, claim us,” he pants, his hands roaming my body possessively. “Make us yours the way we’re making you ours.”
Jalen’s reaction is the most intense. When my teeth press into his throat, he makes a sound I’ve never heard from him before, primal and pleased and perfectly claimed. His toasted marshmallow blooms around us all like a blanket.
We’re all marked now, all claimed, our scents mingling together in a way that speaks of pack and permanence and forever.
“How do you feel?” Malik asks, his voice rough as he examines the marks we’ve left on each other.
I touch my neck experimentally, feeling the tender spots where they’ve claimed me, then reach out to trace the marks I’ve left on them. “Complete,” I breathe. “I feel complete.”
“Good,” Dax says with satisfaction, pulling me flush against him. “Because we’re never letting you go.”
We lie there together on the nest bed, tangled up in each other, skin against skin, scents blending into something entirely new. Something that’s uniquely ours. I’ve never felt more at home. More right. More exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“We should probably talk about the other stuff,” Malik says eventually, though he makes no move to let me go. “Your apartment, your business, how we’re going to make this work professionally—”
“Merge them,” I hear myself say.
They all go still.
“You were serious?” Jalen asks, propping himself up on one elbow to look at me.
I nod. “We merge them. No more competition. We work together instead of against each other.”
“Sierra … are you sure?” Malik’s eyes move over my face, searching for doubt.
I nod. “Think about what we could do together. We could dominate the market.”
“She has a point,” Cole says slowly, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my hip. “We’ve been competing for the same clients for two years. Imagine if we pooled our talents instead.”
“We’d be unstoppable,” Dax finishes, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Malik is quiet, eyes still searching my face. Then he smiles. “Knightley & Smith Events,” he says. “Has a nice ring to it.”
“Or Smith & Knightley,” I counter with a grin.
“We can negotiate the name later,” Cole laughs, pulling me closer.
Jalen leans in, his lips finding my temple. “I can’t believe you’re really here. Really ours.”
“Believe it,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to his marked throat and smiling when he shivers. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” Dax rumbles. “Because we’ve got plans for you, omega.”
“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow. “What kind of plans?”
“The kind that involves you never leaving this nest,” Cole says with a wicked grin. “At least not for the next few days.”
“I think I can work with that.”
“We can get more nest materials tomorrow,” Dax says, running his fingers through my hair as I rest against Cole’s chest. “Whatever colors, textures, scents you want. We’ll fill those cubbies until you have everything you need.”
“Can we go shopping together?” I ask, already imagining the five of us browsing stores, picking out soft blankets and plush pillows.
“Of course,” Cole confirms. “This is your nest, but we want to help build it with you. Make it ours together.”
Ours.
The word has never sounded sweeter.