Mason and Lennon had to cover their faces when they went outside. We couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped.
The team hired us security while we moved, and they quickly put the hockey house on the market. It wouldn’t be safe for any of the team now. They couldn’t risk someone harming the players by getting too close.
We still had no idea who had leaked the story, and no one seemed to be consistently following us. The best guess was a disgruntled super fan that thought I was disrespecting my pack by leaving, though this was hurting them just as much as it was hurting me.
In truth, it felt as if our entire world was falling apart, and we didn’t know how to keep up with it.
But now the last moving truck was loaded with the rest of our things. We were finally leaving this home behind for good. It stopped feeling safe to me days ago. It took a few days for us to get the proper inspections and paperwork passed, and then we had the final go-ahead.
A knock on my empty bedroom door had me turning around. Wilder was waiting, with Kieran by his side.
“Do we have everything of yours downstairs?” Wilder asked.
I nodded, giving one last glance at the room. It wasn’t that I was attached to this house. I was far more attached to them. They were the ones who put me back together, even Lennon, who I didn’t get along with at first.
“Come on, princess. The crowd’s getting bigger outside,” Kieran urged, holding a hand out for me. With one last glance around, I put my hand in his and let him lead me outside.
Not wanting anyone to follow us, he drove the moving truck in circles through town, cutting through places that were obscure until we were sure we didn’t have a tail.
Who knew hockey drama could get this big?
By the time we pulled up in front of the house, the others were already nearly done unloading. Cade, Lennon, and Mason waved us forward. Even they glanced behind us to make sure we weren’t followed.
“Come on, princess,” Kieran said. “Let’s get you inside. I can help unload.”
“You know I am capable of lifting things.”
“But why would you when you have muscles like ours around?” Wilder argued.
“I’d much rather you start building your nest,” Kieran said. “After all this stress, I feel like you’ll need somewhere to wind down tonight. We all will.”
“My first goal, once we get the boxes inside, is to get our library set up. Why not start with our cozy spaces? We all know Cade’s already started on the functional ones,” Wilder pointed out.
That did sound like our fearless leader. He’d make sure we had everything we needed to start living before focusing on his own things.
The guys hopped out, Wilder helping me out of my seat and sending me upstairs to the nest.
We’d spent the last week ordering furniture and anything else we might need. I’d done the same for my nesting materials.
The deltas had also picked out stuff for their dens. I couldn’t wait to break them in as much as my nest.
We’d also collectively picked out decor for the common rooms. My favorite was the new dining room table. I could see us having family dinners here, my brother and one day his pack sharing the table with us, our kids running around like crazy. This was the kind of packhouse we could build a life around.
The best part of all of it was that the house itself was cozy. It felt like this home had character. With a fire roaring in the fireplace, it only made it more inviting.
The nest was still empty. Someone had put the bags outside of the nest door so I could handle the decorating.
I took my time, slowly opening each new package before placing everything meticulously where it belonged. My nesting instincts were thriving.
The nest mattress was soon covered in beautiful silk sheets. They were a deep emerald, so soft and buttery to the touch that I couldn’t help but rub my cheek against them. The pillows were an array of greens, matching the sheer fabric I wanted to drape along the walls. The pack would handle that later.
I even planned to have them hang some of the fabric over the lights so it would cast the room in a greenish hue.
Once I added the vines I’d picked out to wind around the room, it would be even better.
This nest was the perfect mix of whimsy and cozy, and I could see myself reading in here for hours, nuzzled under my covers, feeling safe and secure.
When I was finished with everything I could do for now, I went off in search of my pack.
