Page 102 of Claimed By My Exiled Alphas
“Of course you did,” Cassian said with fond amusement.
We settled in the living room, me tucked between Jace and Hollis on the couch, Cassian in the armchair he’d claimed as his own months ago. Through the bonds I felt contentment fromall of them, the deep satisfaction of being exactly where we belonged.
Halfway through the documentary, my phone buzzed with a text from Vincent.
My entire body tensed before I could stop the reaction. Through the bonds I felt all three of my alphas immediately alert to my distress.
“What’s wrong?” Cassian asked, already moving toward me.
I stared at the message preview on my lock screen.Heard about your restaurant. Congratulations. We should talk.
“It’s Vincent,” I said quietly. “He wants to talk.”
The temperature in the room dropped as all three of my alphas reacted to the name of the man who’d emotionally abused me, destroyed my confidence, and made me believe I wasn’t capable of success without him.
“Block him,” Jace said immediately.
“You don’t owe him anything,” Hollis added, his usual gentle tone gone hard. “Not a conversation, not an explanation, nothing.”
“Do you want to respond?” Cassian asked, ever practical even when I could feel protective fury through our bond. “Or should we handle it?”
I looked at the message for a long moment, thinking about the woman I’d been a year ago. Broken and scared, convinced that Vincent had been right about me, that I’d never amount to anything without his help. That version of myself might have felt obligated to respond, to prove she’d succeeded despite him, to seek some form of validation or closure.
But I wasn’t that woman anymore.
“No,” I said firmly, deleting the message. “I don’t need to talk to him. I don’t need his approval or his congratulations. I have everything I need right here.”
Through the bonds I felt their fierce pride, their satisfaction at my certainty.
“That’s my girl,” Jace said, pulling me closer.
“Our girl,” Hollis corrected with a smile.
“Our omega,” Cassian added. “Who knows exactly what she’s worth and doesn’t need validation from anyone who failed to see it.”
I leaned back into Jace’s warmth, Hollis’s hand finding mine, Cassian’s eyes holding mine from across the room. These three men had given me back something Vincent had tried to take. Not just confidence in my professional abilities, but fundamental trust in my own judgment. Trust that I deserved good things. Trust that love didn’t have to come with conditions or expectations or the constant fear of failure.
“I have something to tell you,” I said, the words I’d been holding for two weeks finally ready to be shared. “I’m pregnant.”
The room went completely silent. Through the bonds I felt shock, joy, wonder, and overwhelming love crash through all three of them simultaneously.
“You’re sure?” Hollis asked, voice trembling slightly.
“I took three tests to be certain,” I said. “I’m about six weeks along. Due date is late June.”
Jace let out a whoop of joy and picked me up, spinning me around despite my protest that I was pregnant and he needed to be careful. Hollis pulled me into a hug that shook with emotion. Cassian crossed the room in three strides and gathered all of us close, his usual control completely shattered by happiness.
“We’re having a baby,” he said, wonder clear in his voice. “An actual baby.”
“We talked about this,” I reminded them, laughing through happy tears. “At the bistro opening, remember? I asked if you’d be open to it eventually.”
“Eventually seemed theoretical,” Hollis said, wiping his eyes. “This is real. This is happening.”
“This is perfect,” Jace corrected. “You’re perfect, and we’re going to be the best pack parents this kid has ever seen.”
“The only pack parents this kid will ever see,” I pointed out.
“Even better,” he said, grinning.
