Chapter 22
22
EMMA
T he evening air out on the watchtower balcony is absolute perfection.
Warm enough that I’m comfortable in just my sundress but with that mountain coolness that makes me want to curl up against someone.
Lucky for me, I have three someones who are more than happy to oblige.
I’m sitting in a lounge outdoor seat with Levi sitting behind me, my back pressed against his solid chest while his arms circle my waist. Every time I shift even slightly, I sense his heart racing, the hardness against my lower back throbbing.
“Stop squirming,” he murmurs against my ear, his voice rough in the way that curls my toes.
“Unless you want me to drag you inside right now.”
“Maybe I do,” I tease, deliberately wiggling my ass against him and grinning when he groans softly.
“Behave,” he warns, but his hands tighten on my waist in a way that suggests he doesn’t really want me to behave at all.
The deck around us looks like a food bomb went off.
Paper plates smeared with barbecue sauce from River’s perfectly grilled ribs, empty containers that once held Atlas’s potato salad, and the completely demolished remains of what used to be an entire watermelon.
My homemade apple pie sits mostly destroyed on the side table, with only two stubborn slices left after River declared it better than his mother’s and proceeded to have four pieces.
“I still can’t believe you ate four slices of pie,” I say, shaking my head at him where he’s sprawled in one of the Adirondack chairs like some sort of golden god, beer in hand and feet propped up on the railing.
“What can I say? I’m a growing boy,” he grins, patting his perfectly flat stomach.
“Besides, when a woman makes me a pie, I show proper appreciation.”
“Proper appreciation would have been leaving some for the rest of us,” Atlas grumbles, though he’s fighting a smile as he settles into the chair beside River with a fresh beer.
“You snooze, you lose, Chief,” River shoots back.
“Should’ve moved faster.”
“I was cleaning up your mess from the grill,” Atlas points out.
“Someone left barbecue sauce on literally every surface within a ten-foot radius.”
“That’s called flavor enhancement,” River says with completely fake dignity.
“I’m an artist.”
“You’re a disaster,” I laugh .
River clutches his chest like I’ve wounded him.
“Emma, baby, you’re breaking my heart here.”
“Your heart will survive,” Levi says dryly, his chin resting on top of my head.
“Your ego, on the other hand...”
“My ego is bulletproof. Nice try, though.” River preens under the attention while Atlas snorts with amusement.
“He is irresistible,” I say.
“Don’t feed his ego, sweetheart,” Atlas warns.
“We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Too late,” River announces.
“Emma thinks I’m irresistible. It’s official.”
“We all think you’re irresistible,” I point out.
“That’s why we’re together.”
“Fair point,” Levi concedes, pressing a kiss to my temple that makes me shiver.
“Though some of us are more irresistible than others.”
“Are you starting a competition?” River asks, eyebrow arched.
“Because I will destroy you all in any contest of irresistibility.”
“Really?” Atlas leans forward, clearly ready to rise to the challenge.
“Because I seem to remember being the one who could bench press you both at the same time last week.”
“Only because River was distracted by Emma in those tiny yoga shorts,” Levi points out dryly.
River smirks sinfully.
“I was... loving the view. There’s a difference.”
I’m laughing at the banter, which I’m convinced can continue for hours without pause.
“Sure there is,” Atlas states with a smug grin.
“Actually,” River counters.
“I’m pretty sure I won the last three poker games, so technically, I’m the superior Alpha here.”
“You cheated,” Levi accuses.
“I used strategy,” River corrects.
“Not my fault you can’t read my poker face.”
“Your poker face is terrible,” Atlas snorts.
“You were doing that thing where you bite your lip when you’re trying not to laugh,” Levi says, his arms tightening around me.
“Dead giveaway.”
“Okay, okay,” I laugh, holding up my hands.
“Before this turns into some sort of Alpha pissing contest about who’s the most competitive, can we agree that you’re all equally ridiculous?”
“Diplomatic,” Levi murmurs approvingly.
“Though we all know I’m the most irresistible.”
River nearly chokes on his beer.
“You? Mr. Silent-and-Brooding?”
“I prefer mysterious and sophisticated,” Levi corrects.
“Some women appreciate a man of depth.”
“Some women appreciate a man who can make them laugh,” River counters.
“Others prefer a man who can protect them,” Atlas adds.
“And some women,” I interrupt.
“They appreciate having all three in one convenient package deal.”
The silence that follows is filled with the kind of heat that tingles my skin.
“Best seat in the house up here,” River breaks the sudden quiet, gesturing toward the valley below with his beer.
“I still can’t believe people fight for parking spaces in town when we’ve got front-row seats to the whole show.”
He’s absolutely right.
The watchtower’s elevation gives us an unobstructed view of the valley, where Whispering Grove spreads out like something from a postcard.
“Five minutes to showtime,” Atlas announces, checking his watch.
“Speaking of shows,” River says with a wicked grin that immediately puts me on alert.
“Remember last year’s Fourth of July disaster?”
Atlas groans and covers his face with his hands.
“We swore we’d never speak of that again.”
“What happened last year?” I ask, settling back against Levi’s chest. His arms tighten around me, and he kisses the top of my head.
“Oh, this is good,” Levi chuckles.
“These two geniuses decided to throw a barbecue for half the fire station.”
“It was Atlas’s brilliant idea,” River says, pointing an accusing finger.
“He said, and I quote, ‘How hard can it be to grill for fifty people?’”
“I still maintain that the grilling wasn’t the problem,” Atlas says defensively.
“The grilling was perfect.”
“It was fine,” Levi agrees.
“Everything else went to absolute shit.”
“Details,” I demand, getting comfortable.
“I want the full story.”
“Well, it started when our fearless leader decided we needed not one, not two, but three different grills going simultaneously.”
“For efficiency,” Atlas interjects, as if this explains everything.
“Right. Except Captain Organized over there set them up too close to the house, and when the wind picked up?—”
“The awning caught fire,” Levi finishes.
“Small fire, easily contained, but enough to send fifty people into full panic mode.”
“Wait, you guys started a fire at your own Fourth of July party?” I’m laughing so hard, I can barely get the words out.
“You’re firefighters!”
“The irony was not lost on us,” Atlas says dryly.
“But that wasn’t even the best part.”
“That’s when our uninvited guests showed up,” River continues, taking a dramatic pause to sip his beer.
“Who?”
“Mama bear and two cubs,” Atlas confirms. “Apparently, the smell of grilled meat carried far into the woods.”
I sit up straighter in Levi’s arms. “Oh my God, seriously?”
“Picture this,” River gestures wildly, nearly spilling his beer.
“Fifty grown adults screaming and running for the house while a three-hundred-pound black bear and her adorable little babies help themselves to our entire buffet spread.”
“We all ended up crammed inside like sardines,” Levi adds.
“We were watching through the windows while the bears systematically demolished everything we’d spent hours preparing.”
“Everything?” I ask, though I’m laughing so hard, I can barely breathe.
“Potato salad, corn on the cob, an entire sheet cake that spelled out Happy Fourth of July,” Atlas lists.
“The cubs were actually pretty cute, though,” River admits.
“One of them got its head completely stuck in the watermelon. We were all pressed against the windows taking pictures while it stumbled around blind.”
“So, what did you do? Just... wait for them to leave?”
“We watched through the windows for about two hours,” River says, gesturing wildly.
“Fifty people crammed into the house like sardines, trying to stay quiet while mama bear and her cubs had the feast of their lives.”
“Two hours?” I gasp.
“They were very thorough,” Atlas says dryly.
“Ate everything, then took naps on our lawn furniture.”
“The cubs curled up in our hammock,” Levi adds with reluctant fondness.
“It was actually pretty adorable.”
“Finally, around sunset, they wandered back into the woods,” River continues.
“But by then, everyone was starving, and we had zero food left.”
“That’s when we ordered twenty-seven pizzas,” all three of them say in unison, which sends me into another fit of giggles.
“Twenty-seven?” I gasp.
“We had a lot of hungry, disappointed people to feed,” Atlas explains.
“Plus, by that point, we were all pretty drunk from stress-drinking while watching bears destroy our barbecue.”
“The pizza delivery guy was not happy about driving all the way out here with that many boxes,” River adds.
“Did you tip him well?” I ask.
“We gave him a fifty percent tip and a beer,” Levi says.
“He earned it.”
“We spent the rest of the night in the basement playing pool and darts,” River continues.
“We occasionally checked to see if our furry party crashers had returned.”
“Hey, wait,” I say, suddenly remembering something.
“You have a game room downstairs? I haven’t seen it yet.”
“Had,” Atlas corrects.
“We’re converting it into a home gym now.”
“Though we’ll probably turn it back into a family room eventually,” Levi says, his voice casual but his arms tightening around me.
“You know, for when we need space for the baby. ”
“Babies, plural,” River clarifies with a grin that’s pure mischief.
“At least five.”
I nearly choke on my own laughter.
“Five? You guys are getting way ahead of yourselves here. I’m in no rush for babies. I want to enjoy being thoroughly corrupted by you three for a while first. Besides, I’m on Depo—the birth control shot. Good for three months at a time.”
River nearly spits out his beer.
“Sweetheart, you do realize that sometimes an Alpha’s seed is potent enough to override even the strongest birth control, right?”
“That’s not actually true,” Levi murmurs near my ear.
“Though there have been documented cases in medical literature.”
My eyes widen.
“Are you guys serious?”
“Dead serious,” Atlas confirms. “My cousin’s mate was on the pill, had an IUD, and was using spermicide when she got pregnant with their first.”
“Holy shit,” I breathe.
“Well, maybe we should invest in some condoms, then.”
The suggestion sends all three of them into hysterics.
“That’s adorable,” River manages between fits of laughter.
“You think condoms would survive us and our knots?”
“Okay, okay,” I say, though I’m still giggling.
“Let’s just take things one step at a time. No need to plan the entire nursery just yet.”
Before anyone can respond, the first firework explodes across the sky in a brilliant cascade of gold and red that makes me gasp in pure delight.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, craning my neck to get a better view.
“It’s incredible from up here.”
The fireworks bloom directly in front of us, so close it feels like I could reach out and touch the trailing sparks.
The sounds are crisp and clear—the whistle of rockets launching, the deep boom of the larger shells, the crackling hiss as sparklers scatter across the night sky in showers of light.
Atlas scoots his chair closer, and River does the same until I’m completely surrounded by warm, solid Alpha bodies.
Levi nuzzles my neck, and I can feel his chin resting on top of my head as we all tilt back to watch the show.
“This is perfect,” I murmur, letting myself sink completely into the moment.
“I’ve never had a view like this for fireworks.”
“Wait until you see the grand July fourth finale,” River states.
“They always save the best for last.”
A particularly spectacular firework explodes in a shower of blue and white, and I tip my head back against Levi’s shoulder with a contented sigh.
His lips brush against my temple, and I shiver at the contact.
“You know,” I say softly, “I never really felt like I had a home after my parents died. Even living with my grandmother, as much as I loved her, it always felt temporary. Like I was just waiting for real life to start.”
The words slip out, riding on the magic of the moment and the safety of being held by these three incredible men.
Atlas reaches over to take my hand.
“Here,” I continue, my voice barely audible over the fireworks, “with you three, for the first time in so long... I actually feel like I’m home.”
The silence that follows is heavy with emotion.
“For the first time in years,” I whisper.
“I feel completely loved.”
“That’s because you are loved,” River murmurs.
“So fucking loved, it’s not even funny.”
“I fell in love with your smart mouth first,” Atlas admits, his thumb stroking over my knuckles.
“I fell in love with your laugh first,” River says, setting down his beer to give me his full attention.
“But it was your courage that sealed the deal. The way you trusted us even when you were terrified, the way you let us see all your broken pieces.”
Levi kisses my cheek.
“I fell in love with every inch of you,” he says quietly.
“The way you create entire worlds with words, the way you see beauty in everything. But mostly, I fell in love with your strength.”
Tears stream down my face, but they’re good tears, filled with gratitude.
“I love you, too,” I manage through my tears.
“All of you. I know it’s crazy fast, but it feels like this is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.”
Another massive firework explodes overhead, bathing our faces in golden light.
And I’m awed. The entire sky explodes in cascades of every color imaginable.
I’m surrounded by warmth and love and the absolute certainty that this is exactly where I belong.
“My parents would have loved you three,” I say, the words carrying a wistfulness that sends a sharp ache in my chest. “They always worried I was too stubborn to let anyone take care of me, but they would have seen how happy you make me.”
“They’d be proud of you,” Atlas says firmly.
“At everything you’ve accomplished, everything you’ve survived. You’re incredible, Emma.”
“My grandmother used to say that love finds you when you need it most, not when you’re searching for it,” I continue.
“I wasn’t looking for this… for you three. I was just trying to survive. But somehow, you found me, anyway.”
The grand finale begins, and the sky becomes a canvas of light, color, and sound.
I gasp in wonder as burst after burst illuminates the night, each one more spectacular than the last.
“Have you ever been skinny dipping?” River asks suddenly, completely out of nowhere.
I nearly fall off Levi’s lap.
“What? No! Why would you…”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Atlas grins, already standing up.
“Wait, what? Now?” I sputter as River jumps to his feet with far too much enthusiasm .
“Perfect night for it,” Levi says.
“Warm air, secluded spot...”
“Are you guys insane?” I protest as they start hauling me toward the stairs.
“You just told me about bears! Literal bears that crashed your party!”
“The fireworks will keep them away,” River assures me, though he’s grinning like a maniac.
“They don’t like loud noises.”
“This is madness,” I laugh, but I’m not really fighting as Levi guides me down the stairs with his hands on my waist. “Complete and utter madness.”
“The best kind,” Atlas agrees, already grabbing keys and towels.
Twenty minutes later, we’re at our secret spot by the river, and I’m having serious second thoughts as I watch all three of them strip out of their clothes with zero hesitation or modesty.
“Holy shit,” I breathe.
Even after all these weeks together, seeing them naked in the moonlight never gets old.
Atlas’s broad shoulders and powerful chest, River’s lean muscle and golden skin, Levi’s tall frame and those abs, they’re like something out of a fantasy.
“Your turn, gorgeous,” River calls from where he’s already waist-deep in the water.
“Don’t leave us hanging.”
“The water’s perfect,” Atlas adds, though the way his gaze is devouring me suggests the water temperature is the last thing on his mind.
“Come on,” Levi coaxes, though he hasn’t moved from where he’s standing on the shore, clearly content to watch the show.
With a deep breath and a muttered prayer to any deity who might be listening, I reach for the hem of my sundress.
The wolf whistles and appreciative sounds that follow as I strip make my cheeks burn but also send heat shooting straight through me.
There’s something incredibly powerful about being looked at the way these three men check me out, as though I’m the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen.
“Fucking gorgeous,” River groans from the water.
“Perfect,” Atlas agrees, his voice rough with want.
“Get in here,” Levi calls.
The water is shockingly cold against my feet, but I force myself to wade in quickly, knowing that hesitation will only make it worse.
The moment I’m deep enough, I dive under completely, letting the cool water envelop me.
When I surface, gasping and laughing, all three of them are surrounding me like sharks who’ve scented blood.
“Better?” Atlas asks, his hands sliding around my waist.
“Much,” I gasp.
I’m very aware of how close they all are, how the water makes everything more intimate somehow.
River moves behind me, his chest pressed against my back, while Levi positions himself at my side.
I can feel all of them, hard and wanting cocks .
“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” I accuse, though I’m laughing.
“Get me naked and defenseless.”
“Defenseless?” River murmurs against my ear, his hands skimming over my sides underwater.
“Baby, you’re the most dangerous thing in this river.”
“Definitely,” Levi agrees, his lips finding my shoulder.
“You have no idea what you do to us.”
Suddenly, Atlas leans in and kisses me.
I melt into him completely.
When we break apart, I’m breathless and wanting and completely surrounded by everything I never knew I needed.
“I love my life,” I whisper against Atlas’s lips.
“Our life,” Levi says, and the words sound like a vow.
I find myself glancing up at the stars with a smile I can’t contain.
The fireworks are over, but the magic of the night lingers, wrapping around us like a warm blanket.
“Thank you,” I whisper to the night sky.
I know my parents and grandmother would be so happy to see me loved, protected, and completely, utterly home.
As they begin kissing me all over, hands exploring my body, I curl against my three Alphas and think about how, sometimes, the best things in life happen when you’re not looking for them.
I came to Whispering Grove broken and alone, just trying to survive.
Now, I’m staying as their mate, their family, their forever .
And for the first time in longer than I can remember, everything feels exactly as it should be.