“Agreed,” Dakota added. “She’s happy here. She wouldn’t be able to hide if she wasn’t and she wouldn’t overlook the opportunity to leave with us if she didn’t want to stay here.”

“Okay, fine,” Cooper huffed. “I’m just a little traumatized from her almost dying.”

“We’ll keep her safe,” I promised. “She’s the most important person in the world to everyone here.”

It took a few more reassurances, but soon enough they were ready to head back to where they had been staying so they could pack up and go back to their ranch.

“We’re heading out,” Cooper said as he kneeled in front of the nest.

Morgan crawled out and stood, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other in a fierce hug.

“I love you. Don’t you dare fucking almost die on me again.”

“I’ll do my best. Love you too, Coopy.” When he’d hugged her to his heart’s content, she turned to the rest of his pack, sinking into their arms too. “Thanks for not giving up on me. I love you guys.”

She let out a squeak through the force of their group hug and Pumpkin pawed impatiently at Cash’s leg until the hug opened up so she could be included.

“You take care of our sister,” Cash ordered Pumpkin, receiving a lick up his nostril for his efforts. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

We already had the flatbed hitched to one of the trucks, and they drove their snowmobiles up onto it so we could take everything into town in one easy trip. They were about an hour away, which would give me plenty of time to think on the drive.

Cooper sat up front with me, the other three crammed into the back. It wasn’t so bad with two alphas and an omega, but three alphas was pushing the limits of space.

“She won’t have to do a thing,” I told them as we drove down the mountain road. “If she doesn’t like the study as her room, we’ll build an extension that she can design herself so it has everything she could possibly want.”

“You never put in an omega suite?” Levi asked.

“In our defense, I don’t think any of us ever expected we would have an omega.”

“And how do you feel now that you do?” Dakota asked.

“Fucking blessed. We’ll make sure she’s happy. She deserves some peace in her life.”

“She really fucking does.” Cooper’s hands curled into fists. “I did what I could for her growing up, but it was never enough.”

“We’ve been trying to keep her off chores,” I told them. “First while she was healing, but now I don’t really want her to lift a finger to take care of anyone ever again. She’s stubborn about it.”

“Idleness was punished on the family ranch. It’ll take her a while to unlearn it.”

“It’s still wild as hell to see her around you guys,” said Cash. “Good to see, but weird all the same. Morgan is probably the least cuddly omega I’ve ever encountered and I don’t know what changed, but it’s nice for her to be able to relax.”

“The scent match probably helps,” I pointed out.

“She still has to trust you, though,” said Dakota. “She’s usually really slow to do that.”

“Do you love her?” Cash asked and Cooper reached around to whack him in the leg. “Ow! Hey, don’t pretend you don’t wanna know the answer too.”

“Little early to be dropping a word like that,” I replied, “but I like her a hell of a lot and anyone who hurts her is asking to be put in the ground.”

“I’ll accept that for now,” Cash announced.

I laughed. “Happy to gain temporary approval.”

They asked a lot of questions about me, my pack, and how we planned to move forward with Morgan. I didn’t have all the answers they wanted, but I told them what I could. They liked that she had photography in common with Ryder and that he had already taken her out, and that she and Bear had blogging and survival interests in common too.

“She only just started to find her shine,” said Cooper softly. “I couldn’t stand her being in another situation that dims it.”

“None of us want that for her,” I promised. “We’re not perfect, but we all know she deserves to have that light nurtured. We want her to shine as bright as the sun.”