51. Zara

Iwake up feeling like I'm wrapped in the softest, warmest blanket in the world. But it's not a blanket—it's Liam, Ben, and Henry's arms. My body feels tender and sated, and there is a gentle ache reminding me of what we've just shared. I let out a contented sigh, burrowing deeper into the cosy warmth of the nest.

Opening my eyes, I'm greeted by the sight of my alphas looking back at me with such open affection that it makes my heart feel like it might burst. The room is filled with early morning light now, and from somewhere outside comes the distant sound of birds chirping; it's a beautiful new day.

"Morning," I murmur sleepily.

"Morning, love," Henry responds. "You crashed for hours."

I giggle. "I was worn out."

"How are you feeling?" Ben asks as he strokes a stray lock of hair away from my face.

"Like I've been hit by a truck—in the best possible way."

Liam leans over and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. "We'll take care of you."

"I have no doubt about that."

The room is oddly peaceful, given the storm of emotions and activities from last night. There's no urgency or awkwardness like you might expect after such an intense encounter. It feels natural—like this is how it was always meant to be: the four of us together as one unit.

My brain is still a bit foggy with my heat, but the reality of the situation seeps through. We formed a pack, an unbreakable bond. As I glance at each of them, my heart swells with a feeling I can only describe as complete.

"So, what's for breakfast?" I ask, my stomach growling audibly to punctuate the question. The mood lightens even further.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," Henry says with a chuckle. "I'm at your service."

"Hmm, pancakes. With loads of chocolate chips and whipped cream," I answer without missing a beat. "If we have any of that."

Liam nods approvingly. "A woman after my own heart."

"I'll go and buy it if I have to," he replies with a small smile.

He gracefully slips out of the nest. As he pads out of the room, his backside catches my eye, and I grin.

Liam catches my gaze following Henry and raises an eyebrow playfully. "Enjoying the view?"

I blush but don't look away. "Absolutely."

They laugh, and there's a teasing twinkle in their eyes that tells me they don't mind one bit.

The conversation turns light and easy as we chat about nothing in particular. The mundane routine of it all solidifies our acceptance and integration into this new way of living.

Before long, Henry returns bearing a tray that smells like heaven. The pancakes are fluffy as clouds and loaded with chocolate chunks, just like I wanted. There's no whipped cream, but that was a long shot anyway.

I'm surrounded by food and love, and it's hard to think of anything better than this. I watch them eat, their eyes occasionally meeting mine with such warmth that I have to look away, overwhelmed by the emotion of it all.

Henry's pancakes are genuinely amazing, and I tell him so between bites. "You outdid yourself with these," I say earnestly.

He beams at me, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. "Only the best for my omega," he says with a mock bow.

Liam shakes his head, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "You're going to spoil her rotten."

"As she deserves," Ben murmurs.

We finish breakfast in a comfortable silence, sated and content. The dishes can wait; right now, this moment is all about us. Eventually, Liam stretches his long limbs and stands up, taking the tray with him.

"I'll take care of these," he declares, grabbing the plates.

"No, let me help," I start to say, but Henry pulls me back down beside him.

"Liam's got it. You're not moving from this spot," he insists gently but firmly.

I'm about to protest when Ben adds, "Henry's right. You need to rest after last night."

Despite my instinct to argue, I watch as, to my disappointment, Liam pulls on a pair of joggers and picks up the tray to take to the kitchen.

After a minute or so, the doorbell rings, and we stare at each other in surprise. "Are we expecting anyone?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Mum?" Ben murmurs, clearly worried about Mia, which makes me worried now. Ben is already on his feet and pulling on his discarded pants, with Henry following.

"Stay right there," he murmurs as he and Ben leave the room.

Blinking, I purse my lips, hoping it's nothing. My cheeks flush, and my heat is returning after a long rest. I need the alphas back here soon. As I wait, I hear raised voices, and one of them is definitely not Ben's mum.

"Eddie," I hiss, hearing my ex's irritating voice filter up the stairs.

I roll my eyes so hard I'm worried they might get stuck that way. What on earth is he doing here? He's supposed to be a closed chapter in my life, a blip, an error in judgment, not someone standing on my doorstep causing a ruckus.

Groaning inwardly, I listen as the voices get louder. There's the sound of a scuffle and then silence. My heart races; what if Eddie's caused trouble? He was always good at stirring the pot and making a bloody mess. In an instant, I'm up and pulling on leggings and Ben's rugby shirt, which is the closest one to me. Heading downstairs, ready to confront Eddie, I see my three alphas in the doorway arguing the toss with this idiot.

"Eddie," I snap. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you even find me?"

The alphas part like the Red Sea as they hear my sharp voice, showing me the form of my previous boyfriend. He is shorter than these three, less muscular, almost weedy.

His arrogance is out in full force as he holds up his phone. "Tracked you. You think I let you wander around London without knowing your every move?"

"Liar," I hiss, knowing that's not true. Or is it?

"You did what?" Ben snarls, gripping Eddie by his tee. "You utter fucker."

"How?" I ask again, marching up to him.

"Zara, go upstairs," Henry murmurs. "We've got this."

"No!" I snap, but I'm not angry at Henry. "How?" I turn back to Eddie. "How?"

"Find My Phone. Wasn't difficult to hack into yours. I've been worried sick about you, Zara. You've made me worry, and I find you here with these three assholes. I've had to wait to come to find you. You knew I didn't have the money to come straight away and had to wait. You made me wait and worry?—"

"Shut your fucking face before I rearrange it for you," Ben snarls, not having a single second of Eddie's gaslighting.

I step closer, anger simmering in my belly like a storm about to break. "Worried? You're the last person who should be worried about me," I spit out, disbelief and contempt colouring my words. "You never gave a shit before, so why start now?"

Eddie's gaze flickers to the alphas, a sneer twisting his lips. "Because you're mine, Zara. And you belong in London with me, not here playing house with…" He looks the alphas up and down with evident disdain.

Before he can finish, Henry steps forward, his voice low and dangerous. "She's not a possession, you cock. She's more than you'll ever deserve or understand."

Liam flanks me protectively while Ben still has a fistful of Eddie's shirt. The tension crackles in the air, but then Liam's voice cuts through it all, calm and collected. "Eddie, you need to leave. Now."

Eddie tries to shrug off Ben's grip but fails miserably. "Oh, no. This isn't over," he warns, pointing a finger at us. "Zara is mine."

"It is over," I say firmly. "It was over the moment I left you." My heart pounds with defiance as I stare him down.

"You're sadly mistaken there, pal," Liam says, stepping forward and giving Eddie a rough shove away from Ben and further down the path away from the house. He has gone feral, and I gulp. "You see, Zara is ours. She is our mate, so if you want her, you have to get through us first. Are you up for that?"

Eddie's face pales as he realises the physical difference between him and the wall of muscle that is my alphas. He takes a step back, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"No, she's—" Eddie starts, but his voice is wavering now, the cockiness seeping away with each passing second.

"Yeah, I thought not," Liam sneers. "Take your pathetic self out of here and don't ever come back. If you think tracking her was clever, just remember we will do much more than that to protect what's ours."

Eddie's scowl falters. "Fuck this," he spits out, taking a step back. "You think you can just take her away from me? You think I'll just walk away?"

"That's exactly what you're going to do," I interject, my voice steady even though my heart is hammering against my ribs. "Because if you don't, then they'll have to answer your question, won't they?"

Eddie's eyes dart between the three men, clearly reassessing his odds. For a moment, uncertainty flickers across his face. A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead as he realises that these aren't the type of men you mess with—not when it comes to their mate.

"Zara," he tries one last time, aiming for a softer tone that comes off as insincere and desperate. "Come back with me. We can sort this out."

I shake my head firmly. "There's nothing to sort out. I'm happy now and mated. You need to leave."

Eddie's defiance crumbles as he sees no leeway, no sympathy in my stance or in the eyes of the alphas. With a huff of frustration and a glare that could curdle milk, he turns on his heel and storms off down the path, his retreat a sharp contrast to his earlier bravado.

Ben releases a deep breath and rakes a hand through his hair. "What an absolute tool," he mutters, a look of pure disgust etched on his face. Liam nods in agreement, his protective stance easing now that the threat has dissipated. Henry reaches out to gently touch my arm, a silent offer of comfort.

I let out a long sigh, feeling the adrenaline start to ebb away from my body. The fear and anger that had surged through me now gives way to relief and an overwhelming sense of being loved and protected.

"You guys okay?" I ask, glancing up at each of them in turn. Their gazes soften as they look back at me.

"We're good, Zara," Henry says, his voice gentle but with an undercurrent of steel that suggests he would take on the world for me if he had to.

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters," Liam adds with a reassuring smile.

Ben wraps his arms around me in a tight hug, lifting me off my feet for a moment. "No one gets to treat you like that," he says fiercely when he puts me down. "You're our omega, our heart."

I smile up at them, feeling incredibly lucky despite the close call. "My alphas," I say softly. The words are simple, but they carry the weight of my gratitude and love.

"Do we have to worry about him coming back?" I murmur.

Henry shakes his head, his gaze firm and reassuring. "He won't be back. He knows he's outmatched, and we made it clear that there will be consequences if he tries anything again."

Liam nods in agreement, his hand finding mine and giving it a comforting squeeze. "We'll keep an eye out just in case, but I doubt he has the balls to show his face around here after today."

"And if he does, we'll kick his ass back to London before he can blink," Ben says.

The air is lighter now, the tension having dissipated with Eddie's retreat. I'm not worried. Eddie would have to be stupider than he looks to come back here now. He expected to find me weak and broken, just like he found me all those months ago. But Liam is right. He is sadly mistaken. I'm not that same woman. Not anymore. I'm more than I ever have been with my three alphas by my side. Ben shuts the door and locks it.

"The thing about bullies like him is they will always back down where there's a bigger bully. He's a coward. We don't need to worry about him."

"So, you consider yourselves big bullies now?" I giggle.

"For you, we will be anything." His dazzling smile is enough for me to leap at him. He catches me and slams me up against the wall, rattling my bones as he drags his cock out of his joggers.

"Mine," Ben growls as he thrusts into me.

"Yours," I purr, slicking up his cock instantly. The pleasure builds rapidly, threatening to consume me whole as my alpha pounds into me, bringing me to a rapid climax before he knots me hard and fierce, plastered against the wall, as my other two alphas watch with heated gazes.

I allow myself to fall into the lull of my heat and place my trust in these men who will do anything for me.