Instead, I had found a community. A pack. A home.
"Can we go?" I asked, my voice small. "I don't... I don't want to be here anymore."
"Of course." Oliver helped me to my feet, keeping an arm around my waist. "We'll get your things packed up."
"Already done." Eleanor appeared at my elbow, pressing a bag into my hands—my remaining inventory, neatly packed. "Mrs. Chen and I took care of it. You go home, dear. Rest. Let those boys spoil you."
"Thank you," I managed. "For everything. For standing up for me. For what you said about... about the pack."
Eleanor pulled me into a fierce hug. "I meant every word," she said firmly. "Four alphas loving one omega isn't shameful, it's a blessing. Don't you ever let anyone make you feel otherwise."
I gave her a nod and was led to my truck. The drive to the pack's house was quiet. Oliver drove my truck while Garrett followed with the others, and I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing trees without really seeing them. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion and a trembling that I couldn't seem to stop. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Trinity's face, twisted with rage. I heard her voice spitting poison about my past, my worth, my relationship with the pack.
Greedy. Desperate. Collecting them like trophies.
"Hey." Oliver's hand found mine across the console, warm and steady. "Where'd you go just now?"
"Nowhere good," I admitted, glancing down at my hands. "Just... replaying it. What she said."
"She said what she thought would hurt you most. That's all it was—a weapon, designed to wound." His grip tightened on my hand. "It doesn't make it true."
"I know." But knowing and believing were two different things. "It's just... some of it hit close to home. The foster care stuff, obviously. But also..." I hesitated.
"Also?" Oliver prompted gently.
"I've wondered sometimes. If it's selfish. Wanting all four of you." The confession came out barely above a whisper. "Most people get one person. One partner….here I am with four men who want me, and I want all of them back, and sometimes I think... what if she's right? What if I am greedy? What if there's something wrong with me for not being able to choose just one?"
Oliver was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled the truck to the side of the road and turned to face me fully.
"Daphne. Look at me." He waited until I met his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with you. Pack dynamics exist because that's how some people are wired. Some omegas thrive with one alpha. Some need more. Neither is right or wrong…it's just different."
"But—" I started, but I knew what he said was true.
"No buts." His voice was firm but gentle. "We're not competing for you. We're not fighting over scraps of your attention. We chose this, all four of us, because we want it. Because the idea of sharing you with each other isn't a sacrifice, it's a gift." He lifted my hand to his lips. "You're not taking anything from us by letting us love you. You're giving us everything we've been looking for."
The tears came again, but these felt different. Cleaner somehow.
"Trinity wanted to make you doubt yourself," Oliver continued. "To make you feel like what we have is wrong or shameful. But look at what actually happened today, the whole town defended you. Defendedus. Because they know the truth, even if she can't see it."
"Eleanor said it was beautiful," I repeated, the words settling into me differently this time. "Four alphas loving one omega."
"It is." Oliver smiled, soft and sure. "It will be. If you let it."
By the time we reached the house, some of the trembling had subsided. The others were already there, waiting on the porch like a welcoming committee. Levi bounded down the steps the moment I climbed out of the truck, wrapping me in a hug that lifted me off my feet.
"I'm so mad," he mumbled into my hair. "I'm so mad at her for making you feel like this."
"I'm okay," I said, and this time it felt a little more true.
"You don't have to be okay." Garrett's voice came from behind Levi. "You're allowed to be shaken. You're allowed to need time."
"What he said," Micah added. "Today was traumatic. Your response is entirely valid."
Levi finally set me down, but kept an arm around my shoulders as they guided me inside. The house smelledlike something delicious, dinner preparations that had been interrupted, I realized and the living room was warm and inviting.
"Sit," Oliver commanded gently, guiding me to the couch. "I'll get you some tea."
"I can—" I started but the look he gave me, made me pause.
