24. Marcus
MARCUS
T he storm outside is beginning to calm, but none of us seem eager to leave the underground shelter.
There's something about being intimate, and removed from the outside world that feels perfect for the conversation we're having.
Belle is sitting on the edge of Seraphina's bed, her rose gold dress spread around her like flower petals, and even with the champagne stains and the exhaustion written across her face, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"So," she says, looking between the three of us, "if we're going to do this then I need to know more about you. About all of you."
"What do you want to know?" Felix asks, settling more comfortably in his chair. The formal mask is gone now, literally and figuratively, and I can see the genuine interest in his expression.
"Everything," Belle says simply. "Your lives, your work, your histories. How you became a pack. What you want for the future. If I'm supposed to trust you with my life, my body, my heart, then I need to understand who you really are."
The honesty in her voice, the straightforward way she's approaching this, reminds me why she's perfect for us. No games, no manipulation, just direct communication about what she needs to feel safe.
"I'll start," I say, leaning forward in my chair. "You know I'm in development and construction. What you probably don't know is that I started the company when I was twenty-five with nothing but a business degree and more ambition than sense."
"How did you manage that?" Belle asks, genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Eighteen-hour days, sleeping in my truck on job sites, learning every aspect of construction from the ground up because I couldn't afford to hire experts.
" I run a hand through my hair, remembering those early years.
"I wanted to prove that an alpha could build something meaningful, something lasting, without relying on intimidation or old boys' networks. "
"And you succeeded," Belle observes.
"Eventually. But success came at a cost. I worked so much that I forgot how to have relationships, how to connect with people outside of business contexts. I was successful and miserable and didn't even realize it until I met these two."
"How did you meet?" Belle asks, looking between Felix and Theo.
"College," Felix says with a slight smile. "Marcus was the business student who actually understood what architects were trying to accomplish. Most business majors looked at our designs and saw dollar signs or impracticalities. Marcus saw possibilities."
"He helped me get my first major commission," Felix continues, his expression growing warmer as he remembers.
"A community center that no one else wanted to touch because the budget was tight and the neighborhood was considered 'difficult.
' Marcus figured out how to make the numbers work, and I designed something that actually served the people who would use it. "
"And Theo?" Belle asks.
"Came later," Theo says, his voice carrying that quiet intensity that's purely him.
"I was fresh out of the military, trying to figure out what civilian life looked like.
Marcus needed security consulting for some of his projects, and developments in areas where construction crews were getting harassed or threatened. "
"What kind of military service?" Belle asks, and I can see her trying to piece together the picture of who Theo really is.
"Special forces," Theo says simply. "Eight years of deployments, tactical operations, the kind of work that teaches you how to function under extreme stress but doesn't prepare you for things like grocery shopping or small talk at dinner parties."
Belle's scent shifts slightly, becoming warmer with what might be understanding. "That must have been a difficult transition."
"It was," Theo admits. "Until I started working with Marcus and Felix. They gave me purpose that wasn't about destruction or combat. I could use my skills to protect people, to keep construction workers safe, to make sure communities could develop without fear."
"When did you realize you were a pack?" Belle asks, and there's something almost wistful in her voice.
"Gradually," I say. "It wasn't some dramatic moment of recognition. It was more like slowly realizing that we functioned better together than apart. That we balanced each other's strengths and weaknesses."
"Marcus handles the business and big picture strategy," Felix explains. "I focus on design and creative problem-solving. Theo manages security and logistics. We each have our areas of expertise, but we trust each other completely."
"More than trust," Theo corrects quietly. "We're family. The kind of family you choose, not the kind you're born into."
Belle is quiet for a moment, processing this information. "And you've been together how long?"
"Seven years," I tell her. "Seven years of building something together, creating a life that works for all of us."
"What's your life like? Day to day, I mean."
Felix and I exchange glances, and I can see him fighting not to smile. "Probably more boring than you'd expect," Felix says. "We work, we come home, we argue about whose turn it is to cook dinner."
"Felix always wins because he actually enjoys cooking," I add. "Theo and I can manage basic survival food, but Felix turns meals into art."
"I like taking care of people," Felix says with a slight shrug. "It's satisfying to create something that nourishes the people I love."
"The people you love," Belle repeats softly, and I can smell the way her scent shifts with something that might be longing.
"Each other," Theo confirms. "And hopefully, eventually, you."
The direct honesty of it makes Belle's breath catch, and I can see her struggling with the magnitude of what we're offering. She shifts in her seat, clearly looking for safer ground.
"Okay, but your lives have to be more interesting than cooking and working," she says. "What do you do for fun? Sports?"
"Which ones?" she asks when we all nod.
I feel heat creep up my neck. "Boxing, mostly. For me, anyway." I clear my throat. "We love watching two alphas beat the shit out of each other."
"Football too," Theo jumps in, probably sensing my embarrassment. "And sometimes soccer."
"Nothing beats baseball though," Felix adds with conviction.
Belle stares at us for a moment. "What, just sports?"
The three of us look at each other with completely blank faces.
"Yeah," we say in unison.
Belle laughs, and the sound makes something warm unfurl in my chest. "What about your families?" she asks, still smiling but clearly trying to steer the conversation into safer territory. "Do they know about your... arrangement?"
"My parents know," I say. "They've met Felix and Theo multiple times, and while they don't entirely understand the dynamics, they accept that this is my life and these are the people I've chosen."
"Mine are similar," Felix adds. "My mother keeps asking when we're going to 'find a nice omega and settle down,' not realizing that the settling down part already happened and we're just waiting for the omega part."
"Your parents know you're looking for an omega to complete your pack?" Belle asks, and there's surprise in her voice.
"They know we want a family," Theo says. "They know we're not complete as we are. My parents died when I was young, but Marcus and Felix's families have essentially adopted me. They want us to be happy."
"And you think an omega would make you happy?"
"We think you already do," I say simply. "Belle, watching you light up when you talk about books, seeing the way you care about your community, experiencing the way you challenge us to be better than we are hat's actual happiness, right now."
Her scent spikes with pleasure, fear, and want all tangled together. "This is terrifying," she whispers.
"What specifically terrifies you?" Felix asks gently. "Maybe if we understand what you're afraid of, we can address it."
Belle is quiet for a long moment, her hands fidgeting with the fabric of her dress. "I'm afraid of losing myself," she finally says. "I'm afraid of becoming someone whose entire identity revolves around making three alphas happy instead of pursuing my own goals and dreams."
"What are your goals and dreams?" Theo asks, and there's genuine curiosity in his voice.
"I want to finish the library expansion project," Belle says immediately. "I want to see the literacy programs we've developed reach more people, and write a book someday about community-based education initiatives."
"Those are beautiful goals," Felix says softly. "And they're completely compatible with being part of a pack."
"Are they? Because every omega I've known who's mated has essentially disappeared into domestic life. Children and household management and supporting their alphas' careers instead of pursuing their own interests."
"Is that what you think we want from you?" I ask, and I can't keep the hurt out of my voice.
"I don't know what you want from me," Belle admits. "That's part of what scares me."
"We want you to be yourself," Theo says firmly. "We want you to pursue your goals, and passions, and we want to support you in achieving them."
"We want to add to your life, not replace it," Felix adds. "Belle, the last thing we want is for you to become smaller or less ambitious or less yourself. We fell in love with who you are, not who we think you could become."
"Fell in love?" Belle repeats, and her voice is barely above a whisper.
The words hung in the air between us, more honest than I'd intended to be this soon. But it's too late to take them back, and honestly, I don't want to.
"Yes," I say simply. "We're in love with you, Belle. Maybe that's too much too soon, but it's the truth."
"How can you be in love with me? You barely know me."