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VIC

S imon places our last cardboard box on the moving truck as I sign the final agreement with our moving company.

My eyes can’t help but be drawn to him. He’s got all the Alpha swagger and confidence but none of the arrogance.

He and I have been dancing around each other for a while now when it comes to full commitment.

There’s no Match between us, and we’re acquainted with each other’s bodies enough to have ruled that out.

We don’t want to separate either, though.

Pretty sure we have a Pack Pull, but it’s a subject we haven’t brought up yet.

I hand the clipboard back to the driver, and he nods before making sure his associate locks the back door of the truck.

It’s reassuring to know that our stuff won’t fly out of the back and scatter everywhere.

I’ve heard some moving nightmares, so I appreciate the detail these guys display.

The truck leaves our driveway, and I look at our rental house with nostalgia.

“We had some good times here,” I say to Simon.

He places an arm on my shoulder, leaning against me lightly. “Yeah, it was a good place. Especially the sofa.”

“Good thing we’re bringing it with us,” I tell him, eyebrow arched.

Simon grins, “Are you excited about the new house?”

“I’m looking forward to trying somewhere new. Having Josie there helps.”

“Ah, the elusive Josie,” Simon chuckles, “I’ll finally get to meet her.”

“She’ll like you, don’t worry,” I reassure him.

“Who doesn’t like me? I’m very likable.”

I turn and give him a skeptical look. He acts impervious to everyone’s opinions, but he struggles to feel like he’s enough.

Add on that he’s an Alpha, and it creates more pressure for him to be a certain way, increasing his insecurities.

He’s never a disappointment to me, and, if I’m being honest with myself, I’m pretty sure I love him.

I need to talk to him soon about the Pack Pull, maybe once we’re settled in Blackford.

“Let’s go,” he says, but before he can take a step, I pull him close and kiss him softly.

“Anywhere with you,” I tell him.

He flushes, and a small smile comes to his face, but that’s all the reaction I get from him.

His nerves are riding him too hard. We hop in our cars and start the twenty-hour drive to our new city.

Thankfully, the drive is smooth without any problems. We even stopped at the same hotel as the movers, so I know they didn’t get lost. Having all our stuff in just one truck makes me nervous because if it goes wrong, then we have nothing.

Next time, maybe I’ll split things up so we have two trucks.

Maybe we just won’t move again for a long time. I’m okay with that.

The next day, Simon pulls into our new digs ahead of me, parking his car on the street.

I pull up behind him so the moving truck can park in the driveway, and we walk to the door of the rental house.

It’s nice, quite spacious, and even comes with a small Omega Suite.

Nothing like what you find in the rich people districts, but still cozy and separate from the other rooms. I walk through the first few rooms, finding a note from the rental agency on the kitchen counter.

“Hey, look, we have a welcome note!”

Simon ambles over and steps up behind me, looking over my shoulder at the paper.

There’s nothing exciting about the note, just a standard “welcome” message with some directions on where to find local restaurants if needed.

A spare key sits with it, and I grab it for my own key ring.

They mailed us one to our old space, so Simon got us in with that one.

“That’s nice of them,” Simon comments. His head snaps up when the rumbling of the large moving truck fills the air. “I’ll go direct them. Can you grab our clothes from the cars?”

“Sure thing!” I tell him.

I go to my car and grab my first box, taking it up the stairs to the bedrooms. I find the master bedroom, which is next to the Omega Suite, and dump the box in there.

It’s got plenty of room, the king-size bed will be perfect here.

We have a full-size bed as well, which Simon uses most of the time, but I’m hoping he’ll use the king-size more and more.

I want to spend every night with him, like an official Pack.

I survey the room across the hall and decide it will be perfect for the full-size bed, so when I pass the movers, I tell them which rooms to put the beds in. After two hours of hauling things into the house, we finally wave to our movers as they pull out of the driveway.

“Home sweet home,” I say, hands on my hips.

“Do we want to unpack more or get a late pizza dinner? I vote pizza and more unpacking tomorrow.”

“Sounds good, how about you order and I’ll make sure the beds are made up at least so we can sleep tonight.”

“Just do the king size, less work and big enough for both of us,” Simon suggests.

I try to contain my grin, but based on Simon’s smirk, he sees right through me as I huff it up the stairs.

Digging through a few boxes, it takes me a minute to find the bedding and shake out a set of sheets.

I’m about to throw the blankets and pillows on when my phone rings, and when I see the Caller ID, I pause what I’m doing.

“Hey Josie Girl!”

“Hey, Vic, are you in town yet? Or did you get distracted on the way and decide to settle somewhere else?”

I give her a slight chuckle, “No, we just got here. Movers left about twenty minutes ago, so Simon and I are ordering a pizza now.”

“Simon?”

“Yeah, you remember my roommate, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I just didn’t realize he was coming too,” she says, sounding nervous.

“Oh, sorry, I thought I told you. I didn’t mean to spring that on you.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I know you’ve lived with him a long time, so it’s logical he would come with you.”

“You’re still my Josie Girl, don’t forget that,” I tease her, hoping to reassure her that this changes nothing for me.

“Such a charmer,” she teases back.

I look up as she says that and see Simon leaning in the doorframe, looking a little lost. My hand reaches out for him, wanting him to be part of things, and he takes it for a moment, giving it a soft squeeze before mouthing “pizza” to me.

“Well, this charmer has some pizza to devour. Can we make plans soon? Once Simon and I are a little more settled? I’m excited to introduce you guys to each other.” My eyes are glued to Simon as I ask.

“Definitely, go eat and we’ll make plans later,” she tells me.

“See you soon, Josie Girl.”

“See you soon, Charmer.”

I follow Simon down the stairs and we dig out some paper towels before settling in on the floor of the kitchen, pizza boxes sitting open in front of us.

We each grab a slice of pizza and eat in silence.

It’s nice to take in the ambiance of the house, but we’re also both starving.

Long trips will do that to a person. Especially an Alpha like Simon. He looks over at me and quirks a brow.

“You’re drooling.”

Startled, I wipe my hand across my chin, but it’s perfectly dry. Asshole. I narrow my eyes at him, but Simon just laughs at me.

“I couldn’t help it, you’ve been staring for a good minute.” He laughs.

“Well played, Simon, well played. I’ll have you know that I wasn’t staring. I was admiring.”

He laughs harder, and we settle back into a comfortable silence. When we’re done eating, we pack up the leftovers and settle in on the couch. The sight of boxes all around feels like possibility, like the future is just waiting for us to step into it. Simon clears his throat.

“So, you start in a couple of days, right?”

I nod, “Yeah, I’ll have tomorrow and the weekend to get us fully settled in.”

“You mean we will get settled in.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know you’ll be helping. Just wandering along behind me and fixing what I’ve done,” I tease with a smile.

“If you did it right the first time, I wouldn’t have to,” he smiles back.

“I’m just trying to include you in my creative process.”

He nudges my knee with his, “Sure, whatever you say.”

I flush with pleasure, savoring the flirtation.

Simon isn’t overly affectionate when he’s unsure about something, so this display warms my heart.

I know he can be affectionate, between the two of us, and in his interactions with his family.

He’s sure of them, so he openly hugs and teases them.

Normally it’s the same with us, but something’s been riding him, has been for the last week or so.

It’s probably the big move. Everything feels uncertain and up in the air.

I know we’ll land in the right spot, though. I have faith in that.

“Are you doing okay?” I blurt out.

Simon raises his eyebrows, “Yeah, why?”

“It feels like you’ve been a little distant,” I shrug, “I figured you’d feel more settled after the move, but you’re still distant. Like you won’t let yourself relax.”

“We only finished the trip today,” he says, a soft smile on his face.

Needing the connection with him, I turn my body and make sure I can see him fully. I meet his brown eyes that remind me so much of Josie, and that pull hits me again. We’re Pack, I just know it. Simon’s been hard to convince of that, so I don’t bring it up much.

“Please don’t hold back from me, Simon. You’re one of the most important people to me, and I don’t want to say or do anything to lose you.”

“Oh, Vic, you won’t, but I promise I’ll talk to you. You’re special to me,” he reaches out and grabs my hand, “You know that, right?”

“I might need reminding,” I smirk at him.

He chuckles and pulls me close, gently taking my lips with his.

His lips caress mine, our tongues languidly stroking each other.

Slowly, my pants get tighter and I groan at the building pressure between my fly and my dick.

Simon rumbles in that way only an Alpha can, and I swear I melt like an Omega.

I’m a confirmed Beta, but this man makes me melt.

Guilt eats at me, so I end our kiss gently.

He likes to play around, and yeah, we’re special to each other, but I think my feelings go deeper than that.

Of course, I’m too scared to confess that and scare him away.

So I’ll keep my feelings close, and if we ever get the chance, maybe I’ll tell him. I stand and hold out my hand.

“We should head upstairs, and an early bedtime is definitely called for after all that work.”

Simon quirks a brow, “Is it now? Are you ready to sleep already?”

“I said bed time, not sleep time.”

He grins and follows me to the bedroom, hands touching me wherever he can. Some teasing, some to spur me on faster, and when I finally turn to look at him in the bedroom, his eyes sparkle with anticipation and joy. I grin at him. It’s going to be a good night.