Chapter 49 #2
I’ve known Lyle, Silas, and Easton for so long, it’s always been normal for them to call to see how I’m doing. There were very low days for a while, and they never once judged me for it. I’m tired of letting life pass me by. I’m not shoving aside what happened to me.
Rather, I’m going to enjoy my life in spite of it.
“Your thoughts seem to flow best when you aren’t forcing yourself to organize it all,” I explain.
“Raw, uncensored Alisa is the fucking best. ‘What if pigs could fly and how would that work’ really made me think about it. Baby, what if you talked into a recording app to work through things? Whether it’s for your book or not, it might be helpful. ”
Her cheeks redden as I put my wallet away, and I grin as I stand and hold my hand out to her.
“I’ll take that into consideration,” she giggles. “Pigs flying, ugh.”
Yes, we did in fact have a twenty minute conversation about this today and it was very fun.
Niall joins us as we leave, and Alisa watches people on our walk back to the car.
“That’s where the cafe Carter was telling you about is,” Niall murmurs, pointing it out. It’s a cute place, and there are people reading as they eat. “I think he mentioned they do yoga with baby goats on the back patio during the week too.”
“That’s amazing,” she says, smiling. “I want to cuddle a goat now.”
“I’ll find you the dates,” Niall says easily.
In Alisa’s mind, she thinks she’s difficult to be around when I don’t believe that at all.
Me
We’re headed back.
I text the alpha pack group chat that Alisa isn’t in once we’re driving, and she zones out a bit as she looks out the window.
She’s holding my hand and doesn’t seem anxious.
Sometimes, she winds down by reliving the day in her mind.
I can see flashes of it if I concentrate on her thoughts, but I don’t because it’s none of my business.
Dots pop up on my screen before messages begin to come through.
Easton
I never thought I would need to learn so much about fabric.
Silas
We’re hanging the canopy now. I think Niall told everyone we were doing this, and we have had a lot of help.
Lyle
Disappear for a few days, and never live it down, I swear.
My cheeks hurt as I attempt to hold back a laugh. That’s really not funny, but dark humor rarely is.
Silas
Lyle, could you not? Go hang the chandelier!
“They miss us,” I tell Alisa, chuckling.
“You’re plotting,” she replies.
“I take the fifth.”
“That’s something Lyle would say,” she smiles. I shrug because it’s impossible for us not to rub off on each other.
Alisa’s eyes widen as she sees more cars on the street, and Niall’s face goes blank of any expression. It’s definitely a tell for him, but only because I’ve been around him more today. He walks us inside once we’re parked, and Alisa breathes in deeply as if that’ll help her figure out who is here.
Silas isn’t an amateur by any means. The air is scent free because he sprayed a neutralizing spray to eradicate any clues.
“This is so weird,” she mumbles.
“I’ll send you the cafe event schedule,” Niall says. “Text me when you want to go.”
I didn’t know she had his number, but I’m glad for it. Friends in any form are important. I get the feeling that if Niall didn’t want to be Alisa’s guard, he wouldn't have insisted on it.
“Hello!” I call out, waving to Niall as he lets himself out. Alisa locks the door behind him, and we begin moving through the house to look for our pack.
“In here,” Easton calls out.
“Where?” Alisa asks, huffing in disbelief. “There are parts of this house I haven’t seen.”
Same, baby girl. Basements sketch me out. I haven’t been down there or seen the attic. Pulling her arm through mine until her hand sits on my bicep, I walk her through the house and down a wide set of stairs. Before we get to the stairs, I murmur, “Trust me?”
“Of course.” She says it as if it’s the most ridiculous thing in the world for her not to. Yeah, we’ve come a long fucking way since we first met.
“Close your eyes for me. Your feet won’t touch the ground, so you won’t need to see.”
“I’m going to need to make myself a t-shirt that says Backpack Princess.”
“If the shoe fits,” I tease her, lifting her into my arms.
“You’re not supposed to be picking me up,” she murmurs as an afterthought, shutting her eyes and wrapping her arms around my neck.
I’m sure I’ll catch shit later for it but oh well.
“We’re coming in,” I tell them as I walk around the corner. “Oh fuck me.”
“That bad, huh?” Alisa asks, her eyes still closed.
“The opposite actually.”
I walk down the short set of stairs into the room, gazing at the floor to ceiling canopy my pack built. It’s at the opposite of where I’m standing, done in a mixture of cream, purples, and black. It’s whimsical goth meets Alisa and it’s gorgeous.
A large chandelier full of twinkle lights sits over the nest and reminds me of a dark fairy’s dream.
The new windows have linen floor to ceiling curtains that’ll allow light through even when they’re closed, and give a view of the garden Silas works so hard on.
Two large doors will allow Alisa to walk outside from here, as the backyard is sloped.
It’s a quiet hideaway from the world for our omega to enjoy.
Low couches are covered in soft blankets, and all the fabric looks like something she’ll love. Our alphas also hung a set of swings from the ceiling in front of the windows, and another aerial swing where Alisa can hide from the world when she needs a sensory break.
Goddamn, it must have taken an army to get this all done.
“Open your eyes,” I murmur. “I swear it’s a really good surprise.”
Alisa blinks as she looks up, and our alphas simply grin at her.
“Welcome to your nest, Little Fighter,” Silas says. “An unconventional one made for our omega.”
“Is that a canopy?” she whispers.
“When you have your heat, we can close them and take care of you. It’ll mimic a smaller space for you,” Easton explains “We added more windows too and while we had a crew here, hung up the swings.”
“You can add windows to a room?” Alisa asks, dumbfounded.
“Mmhmm. No one can see in either. If you feel like having a dance party, go for it,” Silas chuckles. “We also soundproofed the room.”
“There’s a panel I can close that’s hidden in the hallway. Once it’s closed, no one can hear anything in the house either,” Lyle says. “It’s probably a bit of overkill, but I don’t care.”
“We’ve added on to this house over the years, but never used the room we’re standing in. Troy had some really good ideas for your nest because we kept coming up blank,” Easton adds.
“I was just the diversion,” I smirk, putting her down to explore.
“Why are there so many cars in the street?” Alisa asks, wandering through the room in wonder.
“I don’t know how they found out, but our friends started dropping by to help,” Lyle chuckles. “Before I knew it, they were helping with blanket placement and bringing in furniture. They all snuck out the back gate as you were coming in.”
“Alisa kept smelling the air to see if she could figure it out,” I explain.
“Oh, I know better than that,” Silas snorts. “I have a light lilac scented diffuser in this room, but before that I sprayed a neutralizer. What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.” Her voice cracks as she looks out the window, her lips trembling. “I can’t believe you did this!”
“You need a nest, but you also enjoy our company. This gives us the space to hang out with you, snuggle in the cooler months, and access for a walk without having to walk through the house to get to the door.”
“Thank you.” Alisa turns and runs toward the first person she sees, which is Lyle. He catches her and hugs her tightly, kissing her hair when she bursts into tears.
She may have stuffed down how much she needed this, but it doesn’t change her instincts. Alisa holds her arms up, and we surround her for a group hug. My sweet little omega is overwhelmed, but that’s how much we love her.