18. Hazel
Chapter 18
Hazel
I was going insane.
There was no other explanation.
Why else would I be agreeing to move in with three alphas I hardly knew?
Yet, the reality of my situation was unavoidable. Twice now, I’d become seriously sick with this pregnancy, and I wanted to do anything I could to prevent feeling that way again. I was going to have a baby soon, and ensuring they were healthy had to be my priority.
And, if I was brutally honest with myself, I had never slept as well as I had on Cormac’s chest.
I waved shyly at Oliver as we walked through the lobby, making a beeline for the stairs. I could only imagine what he was thinking, seeing me enter my dorm with three random alphas.
Then again, he had seen Roman and Phillip before.
“I’ve got a lot of nesting supplies,” I admitted as the guys followed me up to my room. “Also, I am not the cleanest of people. Clutter seems to find me.”
Cormac bounded up the stairs with a grin on his face. “So what if you have a lot of nesting supplies? I’ll happily make several trips back and forth to get all your stuff back to the pack house. It’ll be worth it so you’re comfortable.”
My chest warmed at his consideration.
“Well, this is me,” I said awkwardly as we reached my door, reaching for the handle and walking straight in. Not that this was news to Phillip or Roman. But the idea of having all three of them in my space was daunting.
“You didn’t lock it?” Phillip frowned, crossing his arms like a stern school teacher.
“I wasn’t exactly lucid when I left here, and if memory serves, I was in the arms of a particular alpha who didn’t bother to lock the door.” I looked pointedly at Roman.
He shrugged. “You could hardly keep your eyes open. I was more concerned with getting you to the doctor than asking where your keys were.”
“It’s not that big a deal. We have good security here,” I assured Phillip as I wandered over to my nest. “So, I guess we should bring everything?”
I was waiting for them to tell me it was too much as they took in the mountain of pillows and sheets in my nest.
“How do you want to do this, sweetness?” Cormac asked. “Do you want to pack it for us to take? Or are you okay with us taking items out of your nest?” He spoke with such ease, completely unfazed by the sheer plethora of bedding.
“I’ve got storage boxes in the closet, if you don’t mind packing it into them.”
Phillip nodded. “That’s a good idea,” he told me as he and Cormac walked over to the closet I pointed to. My inner omega preened at his praise, even though it wasn’t really warranted.
Pulling out the multiple clear plastic storage bins, they lined them up on the floor for me, lids open.
“Is it okay if we dismantle the nest? You look a little weak on your feet,” Phillip said, walking over to me and resting his hand on my lower back.
He wasn’t wrong. I still felt somewhat lightheaded. My nest was personal, and the idea of them touching it should have been horrifying to me… But as the idea of them dismantling it came to mind, I realized I didn’t mind at all.
“How about I sit over there and watch you do it?” I asked, jerking my head toward the armchair in the corner of the room.
Phillip beamed at me, a white, dazzling smile that I wasn’t used to from him. “That sounds perfect… Actually, it would be even better if you had some water while you sat there.”
“Already on it!” Roman declared, handing me a bottle of water that was cold to the touch. He must have gone to my fridge and grabbed it while I was talking to Phillip. I hadn’t even noticed.
My mouth opened and closed a few times as Roman nudged me toward the chair. These alphas were so in sync, it was eerie at times.
“Now, you sit your perfect, pretty, short butt on that chair and tell us what to do, okay?” Roman said, taking the bottle of water he had just placed in my hand and opening it for me.
I nodded dumbly, accepting the bottle back and absentmindedly taking a sip.
“Okay, what shall we do first?” Phillip asked as he stood at the edge of my nest.
“The… uh…” I cleared my throat. “All the stuffed clouds can go in one box because they’re all made of the same fabric.”
With a nod, they got to work, carefully packing every item according to my instructions. They took care with each item, folding and storing it neatly. Between the three of them, it was packed up in no time, and part of me wanted to whimper at the sight of the bare mattress.
“Cormac got your bath stuff,” Phillip said as he stacked the boxes of nesting supplies. “All we need is some clothing, I think, unless there’s anything else?”
“Just my laptop and handbag,” I said, before talking him through what items of clothing to pack.
When it came to packing my underwear, I insisted on doing that myself. While I got the impression that Phillip would have been the most respectful of the pack, I felt the urge to complete that task myself.
Once everything was packed, Roman and Cormac piled the boxes up by the door while Phillip checked my mini fridge for any foods that would spoil over the next few days—something I hadn’t even considered.
“Your nest stuff is so pretty,” Cormac said, meandering over to me, leaning down and planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“Thank you.” I smiled at the praise. My nest was pretty awesome.
“Okay, do you want to follow us out to the car, so we can get all the boxes packed up?” Phillip asked. I nodded. “Where are the keys?”
“In my purse,” I told him, slowly getting up. He strode over to the side and grabbed them before I could, giving me a dazzling smile.
Everyone, other than me, grabbed a box—I was surprised they let me carry my handbag with how overprotective they were being—and headed out the door.
And straight into Sebastian.
He stood in the hallway, his hand raised, as if he was about to knock. His eyes bulged out of his head at the sight of Roman.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he said, his eyes firmly on Roman as his face warped into anger.
Roman didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, Sebby! How’ve you been?” he asked cheerfully.
My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear my blood rushing through my ears as my vision spun.
Of all the times for Seb to visit me, he had to pick the one hour the entirety of Pack Kingswood was packing up my nest?
Just my fucking luck.
“Seb!” I cried, infusing my voice with false happiness, desperately hoping to defuse the situation before it blew up. I pushed past Roman, standing between the pair of them.
Sebastian looked between Roman and me, his mouth agape. I could practically see the cogs turning in his mind.
“What are they doing here?” he asked, his voice strangled.
Before I could reply, Roman decided to butt in. “Oh, we are just packing up Duchess’s things. We all agreed it would be nice if she had her nest stuff at the pack house.”
“What?!” Sebastian’s cry was hardly audible as his head whipped between us. “Hazelnut, tell me this is a joke!”
“It’s not,” I said, keeping my tone level and firm as hurt flashed across his face.
“What the hell are you doing with these assholes?”
“Well, we are going to be a family in a few short months, and considering how Hazel’s been unwell, we’re going to be looking after her.” Roman shrugged. “Now, we need to get moving. We have plenty of boxes to pack up in the car.”
Seb choked on thin air, his body convulsing with shock. “ They’re the fathers?”
Looking at the ground, I nodded. The last thing I wanted was Seb’s anger and judgment.
“Why the fuck did you go after her? You’ve done some pretty shitty things, Kingswood, but this is a low fucking blow.”
My head whipped up just in time to see Roman’s fist making contact with Seb’s face. One quick, sharp hit to his eye, sending him reeling back.
“Roman!” I cried, going to take a step forward, only to be stopped by an arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me back into a chest. Phillip.
“Don’t get in the middle of those two,” he said.
“He’s still my friend,” I told Phillip, turning to look at him with a frown.
“ Never assume what my intentions with Hazel were. How fucking dare you.” Roman’s voice was a low and dangerous snarl. It was the angriest I had ever seen him, and had I not been locked into Phillip’s embrace, I would have shrunk back.
Seb righted himself, his cheek already darkening, his eye swelling. He let out a rueful laugh. “Oh? And what else am I supposed to assume when I find out that out of all the women in fucking California, you chose to fuck and impregnate my best friend?” he growled.
“We had zero idea who Hazel was to you,” Cormac said casually. “We just thought she was an amazing woman. Now, do you agree with that, or do you think she would only attract the attention of men like us… because of another man?”
My eyebrows raised at that statement. Cormac had a point.
Maybe I snagged these guys because I was hot…
Who was I kidding? It was a one-night stand, turned one-heat stand… turned pregnancy.
“I know she’s amazing!” Seb snarled, before turning to me. “Hazelnut, surely you can’t be moving in with them?”
I took a deep breath. “I am.”
“She’s been sick,” Phillip said, his voice rumbling in his chest pressed against my back. “The baby. She needs to be with people who will look after her.”
“ I’ll look after her!” Seb cried.
“Well… where the fuck have you been?” Roman asked, cocking his head to the side.
That shut Seb up for a moment.
“Look, it’s what’s best for me and the baby right now, Seb,” I assured him, keeping my voice soft. “Living with the guys will be good. I can’t really be on my own right now. I’ve been so sick.”
He nodded silently, looking at the floor, deep in thought, before looking back at me. The hurt in his eyes was a gut punch.
“In that case… I’m coming with you guys.”
I cocked my head as Cormac audibly scoffed. “Dude, like we would let you.”
He glared at each member of the Kingswood pack individually. “You will, because while I’ve been a shitty friend lately, there is no fucking way in hell I am letting Hazel move in with three strange alphas just because they knocked her up.”