Page 99 of Claimed By My Exiled Alphas
The lunch rush finally ended around three PM. We’d served over sixty people, run out of several menu items, and received nothing but positive feedback. My feet ached and my back was sore and I’d never been happier in my entire life.
“That was amazing,” Peyton said, collapsing against the prep counter. “Exhausting, but amazing.”
“You were perfect,” I told her honestly. “All of you were perfect. Thank you for making this work.”
After the staff left, it was just pack again. The four of us in the empty bistro, cleaning up the remnants of opening day and processing what had just happened.
“You did it,” Cassian said, pulling me close. “You actually did it.”
“We did it,” I corrected. “This was a pack effort. I couldn’t have made this happen alone.”
“But it was your dream,” Hollis said gently. “Your vision and your talent. We just helped make it possible.”
“That’s what pack does,” Jace added. “We help each other’s dreams become real.”
Through the bonds I felt their love, their pride, their absolute certainty that this was just the beginning. The bistro would grow. Our pack would deepen. The life we were building together would continue to unfold in ways we couldn’t yet imagine.
“I have an announcement,” I said, sudden courage pushing the words out before I could second-guess myself.
All three of them turned to look at me with curious attention.
“I’m thinking about the future,” I said carefully. “About what comes next for us. And I realized I want to know if you’re all open to the possibility of children. Eventually. Not immediately, but someday.”
Through the bonds I felt their immediate emotional responses. Jace’s enthusiastic joy. Hollis’s warm approval. Cassian’s careful consideration that quickly resolved into certainty.
“Yes,” all three said in slight variations.
“You’re sure?” I asked. “It’s a huge commitment. Kids would change everything.”
“Everything’s already changed,” Cassian said. “We’re bonded, we’re building a life together. Children would be the natural evolution of what we’re creating.”
“I’ve always wanted kids,” Jace admitted. “Just never found the right person or the right situation. This is both.”
“My grandmother always said the house was meant for family,” Hollis added softly. “For children running through the garden, for noise and chaos and life. I’d love to give her that.”
Relief and joy flooded through me. “Not right away,” I clarified. “I want the bistro established first, want us to be settled in the house. But knowing it’s something we’re all working toward makes everything feel more real.”
“We have time,” Cassian said. “Time to build the business, renovate the house properly, prepare for that next step. But yes, eventually, I’d very much like pups with you.”
We stood in the empty bistro, four people who’d chosen each other despite how unconventional it looked, dreaming about the future we’d create together. A successful business. A home filled with pack and eventually with pups. A life built on trust and communication and genuine love.
“Group hug?” Jace suggested with a grin.
“Absolutely not,” Cassian said automatically, but I felt his amusement through the bond.
“Too late,” Jace said, pulling all of us into a tight circle. “We’re doing this. Pack hug to celebrate Talia’s success.”
We stood there in the middle of The Hearthstone Bistro, tangled together, and through the bonds I felt what each of them was feeling. Jace’s uncomplicated joy at our success. Hollis’s quiet satisfaction at seeing me achieve my dream. Cassian’s fierce pride mixed with his careful planning for future growth.
And my own overwhelming gratitude for these three men who’d given me back more than just professional success. They’d given me family. Home. The courage to dream bigger than survival.
“I love you,” I said, the words coming easily now after months of practice. “All three of you. Thank you for making this possible.”
“We love you too,” they said in variations, and through the bonds I felt the truth of it echoing back to me threefold.
The bistro was just the beginning. We had a house to finish renovating, a business to grow, a life to build together. Eventually we’d have children running through Hollis’s grandmother’s garden, teaching them about cooking and books and forests and the value of choosing family carefully.
But for now, we had this moment. Opening day success, pack unity, and the absolute certainty that we were exactly where we were supposed to be.
