25. Sadie
Sadie
S aturday evening, and I’m sitting on my couch trying to process that today actually happened.
The festival exceeded every wild expectation I had.
The tourism board practically gushed about our “authentic Montana charm.” Mountain Living’s photographer captured shots that will showcase Honeyridge Falls to thousands of potential visitors.
My business cards vanished so fast Reid had to make an emergency run to Pine Valley for reprints.
But more than the professional success, it’s the memory of the day itself that fills me with warmth. Watching families enjoy the decorations we created. Kids running between vendor booths with cotton candy-sticky fingers, their parents actually relaxed for once.
We created something magical for our community.
But as the last vendors packed up and cleanup crews finished their work, my body decided that professional success was the signal to completely overwhelm my failing suppressants.
“You created something incredible today,” Levi says softly from his spot beside me, close enough that his cedar scent wraps around me like comfort itself. “The whole town’s still talking about it.”
“Regional reputation officially established,” Reid adds with satisfaction, though his bergamot carries an undertone of concern. “You’ll be booking events from this for months.”
“Tessa confirmed the state campaign inclusion,” Caleb reports, though even his steady presence can’t quite hide the way his sandalwood makes my core pulse with need. “Everything we worked for.”
Everything we worked for. The casual way he includes himself in my success makes my throat tight with emotion that has nothing to do with the biology currently hijacking my system.
Every breath floods me with their combined presence. Every tiny movement sends lightning across my hypersensitive skin. The heat building low in my belly has moved beyond uncomfortable to actively distracting, and I can feel myself getting slicker by the minute.
“I should be celebrating,” I manage, though my voice sounds breathy and affected. “This was everything I dreamed of.”
“You are celebrating,” Caleb says, voice dropping to that tone that makes my nipples peak against my bra. “This is what success looks like when you don’t have to handle it alone.”
Before I can respond, there’s a soft knock at my door. Lila’s voice carries through the wood.
“Sadie? It’s me. Just wanted to check on you before we head home.”
I start to get up, but Levi places a gentle hand on my arm. “I’ll get it.”
He goes down the stairs and opens the door for them.
Lila steps inside my apartment with Dean and Callum flanking her protectively, Julian bringing up the rear with that careful attention he brings to everything.
Her belly is round and proud under her jacket, and she moves with the graceful caution of someone precious being watched over.
“How are you holding up, honey?” she asks, then stops mid-step as her expression shifts. I watch her nostrils flare slightly, taking in my scent, the three alphas arranged around me, the obvious tension crackling in the air.
“Oh, sweetie,” she says softly, understanding flooding her features. “You’re starting your heat, aren’t you?”
The word hangs in the air like a bell being rung. Heat. No more dancing around it, no more pretending this is just stress or attraction or anything other than what it is.
“I think so,” I whisper, admitting it out loud for the first time. “I’ve been fighting it, but...”
“But fighting biology is exhausting,” Lila finishes gently, settling carefully into the chair across from me. “Trust me, I remember.”
“What happened?” I ask, genuinely curious despite my current state.
“Callum found me in my nest, basically unconscious from fighting what my body needed,” she explains with a rueful smile. “I knew my heat was coming but I was too stubborn to admit it.”
“Sounds familiar,” Dean observes with gentle humor, his hand finding Lila’s shoulder in an automatic gesture of comfort.
“The point is,” Lila continues, “once I stopped fighting and let them take care of me, everything got so much easier. Your body knows what it needs, honey. And you’ve got three incredible alphas here who are clearly ready to give it to you.”
She glances meaningfully at my three men, taking in how they’ve positioned themselves around me—close enough to provide comfort, far enough apart that they’re not overwhelming me with their combined scents.
“The festival was absolutely beautiful, by the way,” Callum adds quietly. “You should be proud of what you accomplished today.”
“We should let you all get some rest,” Julian says with characteristic directness, though his tone is gentle. “Congratulations on today, Sadie. You did something remarkable.”
After they leave, the silence feels different. Charged with acknowledgment and possibility.
“So,” Reid says quietly. “Heat.”
“Heat,” I confirm, surprised by how steady my voice sounds. “Which explains why I’ve been losing my mind for the past week.”
“You haven’t been losing your mind,” Levi says firmly. “You’ve been incredible. Managing the festival, handling all that pressure, while fighting what your body needed. That’s not losing your mind—that’s strength.”
“I don’t feel strong,” I admit, slumping back against the couch cushions. “I feel like I’m falling apart.”
“Then let us catch you,” Caleb says simply, moving to sit on my coffee table so he can face me directly. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Looking at him—at all three of them—I realize this moment has been building since the first time Levi brought me coffee. Since Caleb fixed my roof. Since Reid started inventing reasons to buy flowers.
This isn’t just about heat. It’s about choosing my pack. My family. My future.
“I want all of you,” I say, the words spilling out with surprising certainty. “Not just for heat. For everything.”
The way their scents deepen with satisfaction and possessive approval tells me I’ve just crossed a line we can’t uncross.
But as the reality of what I just said settles over me, panic flutters in my chest. “Wait. What does this actually mean? I’ve spent three years proving I could handle everything alone, and now I’m just..
. giving that up? What if I’m terrible at being part of a pack?
What if I don’t know how to share decisions or space or?—”
“Sadie.” Caleb’s voice is gentle but firm, cutting through my spiral. “Breathe.”
“You’re not giving up anything,” Reid says, moving closer until his bergamot warmth wraps around me. “You’re adding to what you’ve already built. We’re not here to take over your life—we’re here to support it.”
“But what if I’m too set in my ways? What if I can’t adjust to having people around all the time?” The words tumble out, three years of fierce independence warring with the want flooding my system. “I’ve never lived with anyone long-term. I don’t know the rules.”
“There are no rules,” Levi says softly, his cedar scent mixing with Reid’s bergamot to create something soothing. “Just us, figuring it out together as we go.”
“What if I mess it up?” I whisper, the vulnerability in my voice surprising even me.
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” Caleb repeats, sitting on the coffee table so he can face me directly. “That’s what pack means, Sadie. Not perfection—partnership. Not having all the answers—having people who’ll help you find them.”
“You’ve been taking care of this whole town for years,” Reid adds, his hand finding mine. “Let us take care of you for once. Let us help carry what you’ve been carrying alone.”
The simple certainty in their voices, the way they’re not trying to rush me through this moment of doubt, makes something settle in my chest. This is what I want. Not just the heat relief, not just the attraction—this feeling of being caught and supported and understood.
“Forever,” I whisper, meaning it completely now. “I want you forever.”
“Forever it is,” Levi says softly, reaching over to take my other hand. “Starting right now.”
Reid moves closer, his bergamot mixing with Levi’s cedar and Caleb’s sandalwood until I’m surrounded by the scents that have come to mean home. “Are you sure about this, Sadie? Once we start, there’s no going back.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I tell him honestly. “I love you. All of you. And I want to build something beautiful together.”
“We love you too,” Caleb says, his voice rough with emotion. “More than you know.”
When he leans forward to kiss me, it’s soft and sweet and full of promise. But when I part my lips to deepen it, something shifts. The careful restraint they’ve all been maintaining starts to fray.
Levi’s hand finds my other one, fingers intertwining as his cedar scent grows richer. Reid moves closer, his presence warm and steady beside me.
“Let us take care of you,” Caleb murmurs against my lips. “The way we’ve been wanting to for weeks.”
“Please,” I breathe, and feel my body responding to their proximity with a rush of heat and want that no suppressant could ever manage.
The festival was about proving I could build something beautiful in this community.
This is about building something beautiful with the people who matter most.
And as my heat finally breaks free of my failing control, surrounded by the three alphas who’ve claimed my heart completely, I know I’m exactly where I belong.