Chapter 21
Iwas trying not to feel guilty about having been so intimate with some of the pack and not others.
Snuggling between Nathan and Jude on the couch while everyone watched a movie in the living room made the longing on the faces of Leo and Alve that much more noticeable.
Every time one of them looked at me, I felt the weight of it brush over my skin.
Pepper occupied my lap so I wasn’t moving, and Poppy had taken a shine to Alve, lovingly trapping him on one of the love seats.
“Hey,” Nathan whispered in my ear, sending a shiver through me. “You look like you’ve got a million thoughts tumbling around. Everything okay?”
“I don’t want anyone to feel bad about the uneven progression,” I whispered back.
“I can trade spots with someone and give them some extra time,” he offered.
“But I don’t want to lose time with you for someone else to gain it.”
Nathan slid off the couch and to the floor, hooking one of my knees over his shoulder, his hands cradling my calf on his chest. “Free spot next to our omega for whoever is faster.”
Leo popped up and Alve looked torn between disturbing Poppy and trying for the spot.
Jude kissed my cheek and slid down next to Nathan, claiming my other leg. “Two free spots now.”
The relief on Alve’s face was so prominent, it was almost comical. They each took up a seat next to me, Alve cradling Poppy like a baby. She made a few circles on his lap when he sat before curling up again.
“Successful cat transplant,” I said with a smile, reaching to stroke Poppy’s fur.
The sensation of being completely surrounded by the pack was akin to giddiness.
Apparently, it did wonders for my nervous system to be cocooned in warmth with all of their scents filling my nose.
I leaned on Leo and twined one of my hands with Alve’s so we each had one free for a cat.
Leo very tentatively angled toward me and draped an arm over the back of the couch so I could nestle in better.
My purr was louder than both of my cats combined. We spent the rest of the movie like that, and as the credits rolled, Leo cleared his throat.
“I might have arranged something for you tomorrow,” he told me.
“What kind of something?”
“Charlotte is staying at the hospital until she has the babies and I figured she would appreciate some company besides her pack.”
I’d kept everything from Charlotte to spare her the stress of my situation, but now that things were better, I needed to update her. “I’d love that. We could make a girl’s day of it.”
“If you’re doing a girl’s day,” said Nathan, “then I’m going to insist we have a pack boys day. Everyone call in sick.”
“I could spare most of the day,” Leo replied. “I have a show tomorrow night, though.”
“We’ll be sure to pack in all of the fun before dinner, then.” Nathan tipped his head back to see us. “Sound good?”
“As long as the fun doesn’t include more crimes,” Leo said with a laugh.
“Well, there goes my idea for a museum heist.”
He said it so deadpan I couldn’t help but laugh.
Nathan patted my calf. “I’m glad you think I’m hilarious because otherwise, this would be a long life.”
If I had a different sense of humor, maybe Nathan would’ve been more annoying than funny, but at least fate knew what it was doing by matching us in that sense.
“What are you guys actually going to do?” I asked.
“I’ll think of something.” Nathan shrugged. “It’ll be a surprise, though.”
We cuddled our way through another movie. I was so utterly content it had me yawning.
“Ready for bed?” Alve asked.
I covered another yawn. “Yep. I’m going to sleep in the nest. Anyone brave enough to join me is welcome for cuddles.”
Alve took care of the cats’ dinner, while the others set about a system of closing duties they had apparently decided on among themselves.
Dishes were tidied, throw blankets folded, and the litter box cleaned before they dispersed to wash up for the night.
They left nothing for me to do. I would let it slide tonight, but at some point, they would have to let me contribute.
Once I was snuggled in to sleep, Poppy and Pepper perched at the top of the nest, the pack filtered in one at a time. Part of me had expected Leo and Alve to be too nervous, but I was relieved and delighted when all four of them tucked around me wearing their matching pajamas.
I woke from a dreamless sleep, rested and relaxed. Alve and the cats were already gone, but the rest of the pack remained. I wiggled my way free to brush my teeth and go pee, then dipped out to the living room where Poppy and Pepper were swirling around Alve’s ankles, meowing for breakfast.
I watched for a few seconds, touched at how thorough he was being with them. Wet food was evenly divided into two clean bowls and topped with sprinkling of what looked like freeze-dried chicken and pumpkin. They meow-screamed as he lowered each bowl to the floor and started inhaling their food.
He caught my gaze, a blush turning his cheeks pink. “Is it too much?”
“I think it’s sweet,” I assured him. “You don’t have to do so much for them, though. Please don’t feel obligated.”
“I like doing it. I’ve never had cats before and didn’t realize how much life they add to a home.”
I crossed the distance between us, stood on my toes, and kissed his cheek. “Know that I appreciate it, and so do they.”
The others interrupted any further discussion, getting to work on breakfast after sending me off to get dressed. When I returned, it was to the scent of bacon and scrambled eggs.
Nathan nudged me toward the table with the first serving. “We can all go in one car. I’ll drop you at the hospital to see Charlotte and then I’ll inflict myself upon the rest of the pack for the day.”
Curious as I was about what they were going to get up to, I knew Nathan probably wouldn’t tell me. After breakfast, I gathered up a few girl’s day supplies—face masks, nail file and buffer, a brush and hair ties—we could make use of while Charlotte was on bedrest.
I kissed each of the pack goodbye at the hospital entrance and made my way up to the obstetrics wing.
Charlotte brightened immediately when I walked through the door. “Hi! How are you? I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”
“I have about a thousand updates, but let’s get settled first.” I refilled her water and fetched some for myself, laid out what I brought, and sat next to her so I could brush and braid her hair. It was obvious she or her alphas had made a go of it, but I could definitely do better.
“Tell me everything,” Charlotte lovingly demanded.
“Tyler and I broke up.”
I caught the look of glee on her face before she schooled her features. “I’m so sorry, I’m sure that’s upsetting for you.”
“Not as much as you would think.” While I brushed her hair, I told her about all the bullshit he had pulled leaving me on the roadside.
“Oh my god, Madison.” Charlotte grabbed my hand, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. “You should’ve told me.”
“You had baby stuff going on.”
“I still would’ve helped you.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to add to your stress levels until I had some solutions in place.”
“So what are the solutions then?”
“A pack.” My cheeks burned when her eyes widened.
“Say that again?”
“Um, so I might have found a few scent matches.”
Charlotte’s mouth dropped open, her face absolutely flabbergasted. “Who? Leo?”
“Yes.” I sucked down some water, my throat suddenly dry as the Sahara. “And Ava’s brother, and Beau’s business partner.”
“What?”
“And the beta I’ve been crushing on for a million years. We’re all living in Alve’s apartment for now.”
“Oh my god,” she said again. “That’s so much change so fast. How are you holding up? Can I tell my pack?”
“Good? I don’t know any of them particularly well except for Jude, but I like what I see so far. And sure, go ahead. I imagine they’d find out soon from their connections anyway.”
Charlotte immediately tapped out some messages on her phone before turning back to me. “How is Alve handling all of this? He doesn’t strike me as someone who’s great with change.”
I laughed and secured her braid with a hair tie, moving to open up one of the face masks for her. “He’s been very gracious. I haven’t had a full discussion with him about how he feels with all of us invading his space, but I know he at least loves having the cats there.”
“Huh, I wouldn’t have pegged him for a cat person.” Charlotte lay down with the mask smoothed to her skin. “That’s good, though. I feel like a lot more people would love pets if they gave them a chance, like that meme of dads twenty-four hours later with the pet they said they didn’t want.”
“Honestly, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what happened here.” I chattered away, telling her about our stealth mission to the house, and how things had been progressing. “I know why Jude doesn’t have his scent out, but I still want to experience it.”
“Maybe he could switch to the twelve-hour blocker dose so he could have it out overnight without compromising the merchandise at work,” Charlotte suggested.
“That’s a good point. Betas only have to take a low dose too, don’t they?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever asked, but that would make sense.”
While our skin hydrated, I gave Charlotte a little manicure, listening to her talk about how excited her boys were to become big brothers—though I already knew, since they’d talked my ear off while I decorated the nursery—and how her in-laws had stocked them up on baby clothes.
A couple hours into our visit, Beau arrived with a tray of snacks for us. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
“For the scent match or for the breakup?”
“Both.” He offered a soft smile. “Alve is a good man, based on everything I’ve seen. He’ll be a good alpha, but in case he’s ever not, you’re always welcome in our home.”
I sucked back tears, a swell of emotion clogging my throat. “Thank you.”
“Once the babies have been home for a while, we can invite everyone out,” Charlotte added.
“Does Ava know I’m scent matched to her brother?”
“I’m not sure,” replied Charlotte. “I feel like she would’ve told me if she knew.”
“Do you think she’ll be happy about it?”
“I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t be. You’ll be a lovely sister-in-law.”
“I hope so. The pack have all been so wonderful to me. I don’t want my recovery from Tyler to get in the way of giving them a good life, too.”
Beau gently cleared his throat. “Perhaps I can offer some perspective from the alpha side of this?”
“Please do.”
“Your existence is going to do that for them. You don’t have to do anything specific, you just have to be there, and be open to them loving you. That’s all it takes. They’ll have a natural urge to care for you, and if you’re comfortable with that, you’ll feed their instincts by accepting.”
“Really? That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Beau confirmed with a nod and took Charlotte’s hand. “I didn’t have trust in fate when I was pushed into a second chance. I understand being apprehensive because you can’t see the future, but if you’re willing to let it happen, it can lead to something truly beautiful.”
Could it possibly be so simple? I didn’t have to jump through hoops or bend over backward to give them what they needed?
I wanted a life like that so badly I could taste it. Now I just had to be brave enough to accept it all and everything that came with fate.