By six PM, the bed frame is taking shape. Twelve feet wide. Eight feet long. Cedar posts thick enough to support a house. Maple slats spaced perfectly.
Tom wipes sweat from his forehead. "Mattress problem. You can't buy one this size."
Sergio says. "We'll pile smaller ones together temporarily. Order custom later."
"You're going to bond on a mattress fort."
"Yes."
Tom laughs. "Your omega is lucky. Brothers who'll build a bed in eight hours? That's rare."
"She's worth it."
By eight PM, the bed is assembled. We load it into Tom's truck, securing it with straps and blankets. The brothers are covered in sawdust, smelling like sweat and cedar and accomplishment.
Tom waves us off. "Go bond. Send me the mattress specs when you order. I know a guy in California."
I hug him. He smells like kindness and wood shavings. "Thank you. For everything."
"My pleasure. Been a while since I built something impossible."
The drive home is quiet. Stacey dozes against my shoulder. The brothers are tired but satisfied, anticipation building in the truck.
When we pull up, lights are on inside.
I start. "What..."
Carlos grins. "Backup plan. We might have prepared. Just in case."
Inside, the living room looks normal. But as we climb the stairs, I smell candles. Roses. Something sweet and warm.
My room.
The guest room that became mine when I first arrived. The space they gave me without question, without expectation. The door is open.
Inside, everything has been transformed. Candles everywhere, casting warm light across the walls. The massive bed frame fills the center of the room, already assembled, surrounded by every mattress and pillow in the house piled together. Fresh roses in vases on the dresser. The Persian rug from downstairs centered on the floor.
My room. My space. Made beautiful for this moment.
I step into my room, and everything about it feels right.
"Yes. We're doing this."
Stacey settles into the armchair by the window. "Don't mind me. I'm just here to witness a beautiful moment."
The candles flicker. Rose petals are scattered across the massive bed. The scent of four alphas mixing with candlelight and anticipation.
We're already bonded. The pack bond settled during my heat, permanent and absolute. But this? This is different. This is us choosing to stand together and say it out loud. To make promises. To witness each other.
Sergio steps forward first, taking my hands in his. His dark eyes are steady in the candlelight.
"Jessica Maria Delacroix." His voice drops, formal and grounding. "I stand before you as alpha of this pack, and I make you this promise: I will lead with wisdom when you need guidance, and stand beside you as an equal in all things. Your battles are ours to fight together."
My throat tightens.
"Sergio Negrorio. I choose you as my alpha. I trust your leadership, your heart, your steady presence. You are my foundation."
Pedro is next. His grey eyes are bright with unshed tears.
