“I’m sure he is, at least intellectually.”

“So we should get to know him and make sure we’re all suited as a pack?” Eduardo asked.

“I think that would be for the best, yeah.”

Charlotte liked him enough to live with him already, and that meant she felt safe with him. That was good enough for me. Beau was pack whether or not he realized he was ready for it. I knew we couldn’t erase the pain he was running from, but Charlotte would be happier if he stayed, and I wanted to make sure we made him feel welcome. I could only imagine how intimidating it was to face an already formed pack and not know how you fit into it. Charlotte living next door would be a good opportunity for both of them to learn that.

“Speak of the devil.” A grin broke over my face as Charlotte and Beau arrived. “How are you feeling, duchess?”

She went straight into my arms, her lemon meringue scent washing over me. “Overwhelmed.”

“That makes sense. It’s a big change.” I cupped the back of her head, stroking my thumb over her hair until she was purring. “Do you want to come into our place for a rest and cuddle while they work next door?”

She melted further against me. “I was going to make sure everything was unpacked properly, but now that I’m here I don’t want to move from this spot.”

The movers were like a little army, each box labeled and packed to perfection. I angled her so we were out of their way but could still see into the apartment. Everything was handled with fresh gloves and tucked away into drawers and cupboards.

“Anything that’s not where you want, we can fix later,” I assured her. “I couldn’t help but notice that you ordered a pack bed.”

Her scent got sweeter, thicker. “Is that bad?”

“Absolutely fucking not,” Dylan interjected. “I’m going to sleep over as often as you let me.”

Eduardo passed a bundle of keys to her and Beau. “We won’t ask for one for your place until you’re ready, but you’re welcome in ours. There’s one for the boys to share, too. Our home is their home.”

Charlotte looked up at him with misty eyes, squeezing the keys in her hand. “That’s really sweet. Thank you.”

Beau carefully added the key to his keychain and returned it to his pocket. “I’ll have copies made for our place as soon as Charlotte gives the go ahead.”

She shifted in my arms, tucking impossibly closer. “You can have an emergency key now. I don’t anticipate a repeat of what happened before, but you never know.”

It was another small step, and I would happily take each one.

Huge pieces of a purple sectional couch marched past us, movers dismantling the boxes and plastic and putting it all together in the living room.

Thank god Beau had money. I’d have given her every dollar I had to make this place a reality for her, but it was still a relief that she could get everything she needed without that. If Beau wanted to use his wealth to make her comfortable, I wasn’t going to stand in the way of it.

“Your place is turning out so ritzy, princess.” Dylan peered around the space, everything brand-new and gleaming. “It barely looks like the same apartment.”

“Beau insisted. I must’ve looked at a hundred online catalogues after I agreed to the move.” She yawned, burrowing deeper against me.

“Let’s get you some coffee. The pot is still pretty fresh.”

We retreated into our apartment and I selfishly grabbed the blanket off my bed to wrap around Charlotte while she curled up on the couch with the coffee Eduardo brought her. Beau fetched his own coffee and we all sat down together, keeping the door open so we could watch the progress.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

She let out a little omega huff of protest and I raised an eyebrow in question. “I’m not being cuddled.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” I scooped her up, sat down, and settled her on my lap again.

“How did you do that without spilling any coffee?” She purred, taking tiny sips as she tucked herself into a tighter ball.

“Pure skill,” I said with a laugh.

Dylan wedged himself next to us as close as he could possibly get. His elbow was digging into me, but Charlotte purred harder so I didn’t mind.

While we cuddled, Beau worked on his phone, and Eduardo set up some tray tables in the hallway with a flat of water bottles and packaged treats for the movers.