He's not exaggerating. Carlos's snoring is on a different spectrum at times.
Nacho's voice is flat. "We have two queens pushed together. For five people. That's not a big bed, especially when you get stuck in the middle gap."
Or in my case, rolling off the edge. But I don't say anything. The brothers will just blame Pedro for sleeping like he's kickboxing an invisible opponent, and he'll get defensive about it.
I shove Carlos off my legs. "We should go furniture shopping."
Sergio cracks one eye open. "Now?"
"Not right this second. But today. Before we all develop permanent spine damage."
Carlos rolls off the bed, nearly tripping over Nacho's leg on his way out. "I'll make pancakes first. Fuel for furniture shopping."
By the time we're all fed and caffeinated, Stacey and Harmony emerge from Carlos's room. Stacey looks refreshed and smug. Harmony looks exhausted, her scent sharper than yesterday. Almost bitter, like burnt sugar.
"Sleep okay?" I ask Harmony.
She wraps both hands around her coffee mug. "Not really. The bed was fine. I just couldn't settle."
"Suppressants okay?"
"Running low." Harmony doesn't meet my eyes. "I should probably head home soon. Today or tomorrow."
"You just got here."
"I know." Her scent spikes with something like regret. "But being around this many alphas is hard. My body's getting confused."
I squeeze her hand. "We'll figure it out. But first, furniture shopping. You're coming."
"Why am I furniture shopping?"
"Because Stacey needs supervision and I need moral support."
Stacey grabs her coat. "I don't need supervision. I'm extremely responsible."
"You took two hundred dollars off my pack last night."
"Exactly. Responsible financial planning." Stacey heads for the door. "Let's go spend some of it on a bed big enough for your chaos pile."
The mattress store smells like new foam and the salesman's visible panic.
He spots us the moment we walk in. Four massive alphas, one omega, and my two friends trailing behind. His face goes through several emotions in rapid succession: confusion, calculation, more confusion, then what looks like mild terror.
He approaches slowly, like we might bolt. "Welcome to Sleep Solutions. How can I help you today?"
"We need a bed." I gesture at my pack. "Big enough for five people."
The salesman, David’s eyes dart between all of us. Count once. Count again. His face goes red. "Five. People."
"Yes,” I say flatly. "In one bed."
David adjusts his glasses. Swallows. Adjusts them again. "Ma'am, the largest bed we carry is a California King. That's 72 by 84 inches. For five adults, you'd need something custom."
"Right. Custom. Can you do that?" Nacho asks.
David taps his calculator like it might save him. "We can special order, but the lead time is six to eight weeks, and the cost would be roughly twelve thousand dollars."
Stacey chokes on her coffee. "Twelve thousand? For a mattress?"
