Nested
Lyra
Iwake slowly, my cheek pressed to a pillow that smells like Nico, leather and amber.
One of my legs is tangled in the heavy blanket I sleep buried under, and it takes me a second to realize Adrian is curled around my back.
The alpha is big and solid, his bare chest warm against me and his breath blowing out slowly in my hair.
Reaching behind me, my hand lands on his big thigh. He's in his sweatpants and nothing else.
I don't remember crawling into my nest last night.
He must have carried me.
The last memory I have is sitting on the couch after dinner.
Nico pulled me into his lap while the guys talked and watched football on the TV.
I vaguely remember the low rumble of their voices talking over my head.
Something about field goals, moving trucks, and what we can fit in the back of the company pickup.
I must have passed out in the middle of it.
A soft thud comes through the wall, and my whole body goes tight.
No one is here to snatch you, I silently tell myself, but it doesn’t help.
I can still imagine my father moving through the house, going room to room. Opening all the doors and cupboards. I bite down on the inside of my cheek and just listen.
Two seconds later, Owen's voice catches my ears, and the fear drains out of me all at once.
I let out a breath, feeling silly.
"That man would never come here," I whisper to myself. "He’d send some lackey, and never once leave his study."
Adrian makes a low sound, and his arm tightens around me. I go quiet, not wanting to wake the alpha. Once he settles again, I turn in his hold and press my lips to the rough stubble along his jaw. He smells like pine and cut grass and sleep. So good.
Then I ease out from under his arm and tuck my pillow against his chest, folding his hands around it so he has something to hold. He pulls it in without waking.
I stand and pull down the hem of the t-shirt I slept in. It’s one of Adrian’s, falling all the way down to my knees. He must have changed my clothes before bed.
The bed catches my eye when I step into the actual bedroom. There are blankets shoved to the foot of it, and one pillow on the floor. Somebody slept there. When I lean close, the sheets smell like Mack.
I like that he slept here.
The rest of the house is full of morning light, especially the kitchen.
It comes through the window over the sink and lays gold across the yellow counters and the little pots of herbs on the sill. The room smells like coffee and frying eggs. And there, at the counter, is Mack with his arms wrapped around Owen from behind.
Mack has the beta pushed against the edge of the counter, his bare chest to Owen's spine and his face buried in the side of Owen's neck. The alpha kisses a slow line up toward his ear while Owen tries like hell to pour two cups of coffee.
"You're going to make me spill," Owen says. But he tips his head, giving Mack more room.
"Then spill," Mack growls softly as he drags his mouth up to Owen's ear. "I'll lap it up."
I lean against the doorway and let myself admire them.
Growing up, affection wasn’t something my parents ever showed. Not to me or each other.
Mack lifts his head, and his green eyes find me over Owen's shoulder.
"Well. Look who finally crawled out of her nest." He doesn't let go of Owen. He lifts one heavy arm and holds it open, waiting.
I cross the kitchen and let him fold me in against the both of them. Owen turns and presses a kiss into my hair, and for a moment the three of us stand there in the gold light.
The front door opens, and I hear Nico’s familiar feet.
The pack alpha’s scent comes in ahead of him, dark amber and leather, and threaded through it is something very familiar.
"I brought company," Nico says as he steps into the kitchen.
Renata comes in behind him with a paper sack of groceries on one hip and her sunglasses shoved up into her dark hair. The red streak underneath catches the light. Her bangs fall into her eyes, and she blows them out of the way with a huff.
Her face opens up when she sees me.
"Hey there, shortie." She dumps the groceries on the counter and pulls me into a hug that lifts me onto my toes. She smells like smoked cedar, orange peel, and a thread of cigarette smoke.
"Thank you for the clothes," I say into her shoulder.
"Of course." She sets me down, then catches sight of Mack over my head and levels a finger at him. "I’ve got an insane piece you have to see. This guy was desperate to have a hotdog tattooed on his upper thigh. You’ll love it."
"Can’t wait." Mack moves toward Renata as she pulls out her phone.
"Do all the clothes fit?" Renata asks me as she taps the screen of her phone.
"Yes, ma’am." I smooth my hand down the front of my oversized t-shirt, wishing I was wearing one of the nightgowns she bought me so she could see.
"Well, I kept the receipt for the shoes, just in case." She smiles at me, before turning her phone toward Mack. The alpha lets out a howl of a laugh as he takes it from her.
"Christ almighty." He angles the phone so Nico can see. The pack alpha smiles, then shakes his head. "Now every gal he brings home has gotta decide which wiener she's putting in her mouth first."
"Stop it." Owen smacks Mack’s arm, and I quickly cover my mouth, trying to hide my smile.
"Well, we finally have our truck back." Nico sets the keys on the counter. "It cost a fortune, but I don’t like using the company truck for grocery runs." He looks around the kitchen. "Where's Adrian?"
"Still asleep," I say.
"Coffee, Ren?" Owen holds out a fresh cup to her as he reaches into the cabinet, grabbing another mug. "It's black."
"God, yes." She takes the mug, then drinks half of it in one go. "Fuck, you make strong coffee."
Two seconds later, Adrian shuffles into the room with his sweatpants riding low on his hips. I bite my bottom lip, taking in every dip and groove.
Adrian doesn't have Mack's bulk or the heavy muscle Nico carries through the chest and arms. Adrian’s leaner than them, with long lines, a trim waist, and broad shoulders. And I absolutely can’t wait to feel him on top of me.
Adrian’s eyes go wide as he looks around the small kitchen. "Is there a party in here nobody invited me to?"
"You snooze, you lose, sleepin' beauty." Mack tips his coffee at him. "And we already voted you out. Ren's got your spot now."
"Damn right I do," Renata says into her mug.
I smile as I look around at my new little family. They’re all so easy to be around, so loving and fun. And then my stomach pulls into a knot.
My father could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard for with one phone call.
Nico's hand finds my cheek, immediately pulling me out of the dark thought.
I tip my face up, and his dark eyes search mine. Our bond draws tight, and I instantly know he felt my brief pang of fear.
"Hey." He brushes my skin with the pad of his thumb. "You okay?"
"I'm good." I cover his hand with mine, then I take a breath. "But I want to talk to you about something."
"Of course." His brows pull together. "Are you sure everything’s okay?"
"Yeah, uh, can we move into the living room?" I need to sit while I say this.
Renata hooks her arm through mine before anyone can say anything. "You heard her, boys." She steers me out of the kitchen, and the rest of my pack shuffles after us with their coffee.
We settle in, and Renata pulls me down beside her on the gray couch.
Owen perches on the arm of it on my other side.
And all three alphas fold themselves onto whatever will hold them.
Mack sinks into the middle of the loveseat with his coffee balanced on his stomach, Nico stays on his feet by the wall, and Adrian drags a folding chair next to the couch.
I press my palms flat against my thighs.
"So I've been thinking about what you said last night." I look at Nico. "That my parents might already know where I am, and that my father could walk in here and burn your lives down."
"I shouldn't have put it like that," Nico immediately says. "I was much harsher than I should have been."
"No. You were right." I hold his eyes, making sure he knows I mean it. "So…I think it would help…if…I…called them."
Mack cuts me a pained look, and says, "Darlin'."
"Let her finish." Adrian tips his chin at me. "Go on, omega."
I take a breath and make myself lay it all out. The way my father would. Because that's the only way any of them will hear this as a plan and not panic.
"I've been thinking about why my parents are still looking for me," I say, keeping my voice even. "And the fact is, as long as there's a chance I can come home unmated, I'm still worth something to them."
A thread of heat slips through my bond with Nico before he reins it back in. The alpha is clearly not happy with me being seen as someone else’s property.
Why does that make me feel good?
I swallow down some of my nerves, then keep going.
"They know that they can still trade me to a wealthy alpha if I’m still…
pure." My face warms, very aware that my new sister-in-law is pressed against my side. "But if I’m mated, then they’re outside the thirty days and I’m a lost investment, but their fortune is safe.
I think that's all this is," I say simply.
"They just want to know if I'm still worth something to them. "
Owen leans forward, elbows on his knees. "Okay," he says like he's waiting for me to get to my point.
I take a deep breath, then throw it out there. "I think I should call and tell them I'm safe. Tell them I'm already mated and I’m not coming back, so there's no need to keep looking for me."
Nico goes completely still, and Adrian’s been shaking his head since the word call.
"Hell no." Mack's out of the loveseat, practically dropping his mug on the coffee table. The black liquid sloshes, running down the side and onto the wood. "Not a chance in hell you’re talking to those assholes."
"I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lyra," Adrian says.