ALPHA’SWOLF:ANM/PREG

PARANORMALROMANCE

NORTHERNPINESDEN:BOOKFOUR

SUSIHAWKE

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CONTENTS

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ALSOBYSUSIHAWKE

NorthernLodgePackSeries

OmegaStolen:Book1

OmegaRemembered:Book2

NorthernPinesDenSeries

Alpha’sHeart:Book1

Alpha’sMates:Book2

Alpha’sStrength:Book3

Non-ShifterContemporaryMpreg

PumpkinSpicedOmega:TheHollydaleOmegas-Book1

CinnamonSpicedOmega:TheHollydaleOmegas-Book2

CHAPTER1

FRANKIE

“I‘mcertainofit,Peter.IcangetyourmendirectlytoYvonne.”Iblinkedowlishlyatthe
harsh glare from my monitor, suddenly realizing how tired I was. I glanced over at the
bright red display on the digital clock across from me on the desk. Crap. Was it really
11:39a.m.?Damn.ThatmeantI’dbeeninthezoneforaboutsixteenhours.Again.

“How did you do this, Frankie? And do you have a way to verify this information

beforeweproceed?Iapologizeforquestioningyou,Iamjustquitethrilledwiththisnews
thatyouhavegiveme.TheAlphawillwanttoknoweverything,yes?”

The calm beta captain’s voice was unusually animated after I’d given him the good

news.Normallyourconversationswerebriefandemotionless,sothiswasaninteresting
changeofpace.

Iyawnedsuddenlywiththefatigueofthelongnightkickinginnow.“Listen,Peter.I

don’t have a lot of information for you yet. I’m running the program now. The worm I
plantedinthattextattachmentIhadyourguysendfromheroperative’sphonewhenthey
tookoutherhubslastmonthduringourattack.Thatattachmentwasopenedbythephone
number that her operative had listed as being Yvonne’s. That’s all I can tell you at the
moment.ItwilltakehoursforittoinstalltheGPStrackerandtotransmitbackaninternal
snapshotofherphoneanditsprograms.”

“When will you have more information, Frankie? I apologize again, but this is an

urgentmatter.”Petersoundedlikehewasgettingreallywoundupnow.

“Listen,Peter.IpromisethatyouwillbethefirsttoknowwhenIhavemoredetailsfor

youtofollowupon.Thiscallwasjusttogiveyouaheadsup.I’msorry,butI’vebeenat
thissincerightafterdinnerlastnight.Ineedtocrashforafewhourswhilemycomputers
talktoeachother,toputitinsimpleterms.It’sgoingtotakeallday,butitwillberunning
while I sleep. No time will be lost, I promise. Peter, I will have all the information you
needbytonight.I’llcallyouwhenIknowmore.”

“Callatanyhour,Frankie.Iwillhavemyphoneonmeatalltimes.Andplease,get

somerest.Weneedyoufullyrechargedandwithyourheadinthegameifwearetofinally
winagainsttheAlpha’ssisterandendthiswar.”

“You got it, Peter. I’ll in touch.” I ended the call and leaned back in my chair to

stretch. After I made sure that everything was working correctly, I finally stood. After a
fewtwistingstretches,Imademywayintothebathroom.AfterI’dquicklydealtwithmy
heavy bladder, I washed my hands and scrubbed my teeth. The last thing I remembered

wasfloppingdownacrossmybedandpassingout.

WhenIcamebacktoconsciousness,theroomwasdarkexceptforthefaintglowfrom

mymonitors.Eachscreenhadgoneintosleepmode,withtheimageofalittlebouncing
marblemovingacrossthedarkenedscreens.

AfterI’dtakenaleakandgrabbedanenergydrinkfromthefridge,Isettledbackinat

my desk. Paydirt. I had the alpha-bitch’s ass! I went from screen to screen until I’d
checkedonallfourprogramsthatIhadbeenrunningconcurrently.

Grabbingmyphone,IpunchedinthenumbertoPeter’scellwhileIreadthemassof

informationthathadaccruedduringmyslumber.Therewasdiscordantbeepinginmyear.
Iheldthephoneoutafewinchesfrommyhead,asaroboticvoiceinformedmethatmy
callcouldnotbecompletedatthistime.Checkingthenumber,Itriedagain.Sameawful
beeping and robo-message happened again. I dialed the Alpha next, but got the same
message.Shit.Hadsomethinghappened?

Quickly,IdialedthenumberIhadforJules.Hewasajaguarshifterwhowasnowthe

defactoleaderofthebearden’smilitarypresence.Ratherthanpatrolmenandguards,he’d
trainedthemtobesoldiersoverthepastyearsinceI’dcomeontothescene.

Alpha Mikael had hired me based on Jules’ recommendation after his sister had

declared war on him and his den. Jules and I had been in the military together briefly,
beforeI’dbeenmovedintointelligence.

We’d maintained contact though. He was one of the few people who knew my true

identity these days, and that was only because he knew me before I became Frankie the
Fingers. Some idiot had named me that for my fast hacking abilities, and it had stuck.
Unfortunately.

For the past year, every skirmish had been an attack by Yvonne’s men on the den.

SinceYvonneandherroguepacksweren’ttiedtoalocationlikethebearsweretotheir
den,shehadthetacticaladvantage.Butthatwouldendnow.

Mywormhadtakenoverherphonetheminuteshe’dopenedthatlinkinthemessage.

IwasalsoabletotrackherbyGPSnow,andseeheremailandsocialmediaaccounts.My
keyloggergavemetheabilitytoseeherkeystrokesatthesametimethatItrackedher.It
wasreallyquiteaneatlittlescript.

ItriedringingJules’housephone,sincehiscellalsowasn’tworking.Ibreathedasigh

ofreliefwhenIheardringinginmyear.Secondslater,IheardJules’voiceontheother
endoftheline.

“Hello?” He sounded tense, and the sound of crying cubs could be heard in the

background.

“HeyJules,thisisFrankie.Ican’treachanyoneattheden,andIhavenews.”Ispoke

inarush,desperatetogetthewordsout.“Icantrackher.Thewormworked.”

Jules sucked in a breath. “Frankie. Hot damn, is that ever good to hear. Where are

you?Howsooncanyougethere?”

“Do I seriously need to come there?” I asked skeptically. I didn’t like to get face to

face with clients. But it was different with Jules involved. He would work with me and
stillprotectmyanonymity.

“Therewasabigstormthisafternoon,Frankie.Lightningtookoutthecelltowerthat

servicesthearea,aswellasafewpowerlines.Wedon’thaveanycellserviceorinternet,
anditwilllikelybeadayortwobeforeserviceisrestored.”

Mymindraced.“Well,youhaveaworkingphoneline.Holdon.”Iquicklytappeda

fewkeysandbroughtuptheMillsCreekservices.“Okay,yes.Icanmakeitwork.Doyou
haveroomatyourplace,Jules?Ireallydon’twanttobeseenaroundtown.”

“Ialwayshaveroomforyou,Frankie.Getthatnerdyassofyoursingearandgeton

theroad.HowsoonshouldIbelookingforyou?”

“I’llbethereinaboutthreehours,giveortake,”Isaidafteralittlethought.

“Sounds good, my friend. I’ll have a work area ready and waiting. A bed too, but

knowing you, you’ll probably be working more than you’ll be sleeping.” He chuckled
knowinglyinmyear.

“It’sgoingtobegoodtoseeyou,Jules.Listen,Iknowthisgoeswithoutsaying,but

nobodyknowsI’mtrackingheroutsideofyou,me,Peter,andMikael.Keepatightcircle,
right?”

“Exactly so, Frankie. Keep it tight. Drive safe, I’ll see you in a few. You have my

addressalreadyorareyougoingtogivemethecourtesyofgivingtoyou?”

“Of course, I have it. We really need to talk about cyber-security, Jules. It was

ridiculous how easy it was to find you.” I laughed, then ended the call. I had to get
moving.Thenightwasshortandthedrivewaslong.

CHAPTER2

LIAM

Ihurrieddownthestreet,tryingtogetbacktotheB&BwhereIlivedandworkedbefore
therainpickedupagain.Therainwasonlycomingdownrightnowinalightdrizzle.It
wasalmostmidnight,andmostofthehumanswerehomeinbed.

TheonlyreasonIwasoutrightnowwasthatI’dwantedtocheckonmylittlecousin

overattheden.DylanhadbeenstayingintheAlpha’smanorwitheveryoneelsesincethe
bigattackearlierthisyear.Hewasn’tacub.Infact,myomegacousinwasnineteen.No,
hewasn’ttherebecauseofbeingtooyoung.Hejustdidn’twanttocomehometotheB&B
because he was still dealing with the aftermath of the attack on our den. He felt safe
behindthelockedgatesoftheAlpha’smanor.

Dylanwasn’treadytotakeoverandassistintherunningoftheB&Banyway.He’d

beentraumatizedthedayoftheattack.Hisparentshadbeenshotdowninfrontofhimas
they’d walked out of the temple where they’d gone to light a candle to the goddess in
prayerforthesafetyofourden.Ironicanddepressingasitmightbe,thatilltimedvisitto
thetemplewasmycousin’slastmemoryofhisparents.He’donlysurvivedbecausemy
unclehadfallenontopofhim,shieldinghimevenindeath.

TheAlphaprobablywouldn’tbehappywithmesneakingbackandforthtotown,but

I’d needed to know that Dylan was okay after the storm today. The alpha bear in me
neededtolookoutformycousin.Iknewtheloudcrashesofthunderwouldtriggerbad
memoriesforhim.ItwasunfortunatethatIcouldn’tstaythenightwithhimtherebecause
Ihadworkhereintown.ButtheB&Bcamefirst.Ithadto,becauseitwasourfuture.

MyuncleshadraisedmeaftermyparentsdiedwhenIwasacub.I’dbeenlikeasonto

them, and they’d left the B&B to Dylan and me equally. I’d already been learning to
manage it when they died. After we’d lost them, I’d merely stepped up to take on the
responsibility.

Dylan wasn’t as interested in the place. His goal was to find an alpha and make a

home.Thatwasfine.Iwasmorethanhappytojustpayhimashareoftheprofitsaftermy
salarywasfirstdeducted.Myuncleshadstructureditlikethisintheirwill.They’dknown
theirsonwouldneverrunthisplace.Buthewouldstillbecaredforfinancially.Itwasa
fairsystem.

Ijustdidn’twanttolosemyfreedom.ItriedtostayundertheradarsothatIwasn’t

draftedintosoldierduty.Idon’tknowifourAlphawouldpushmelikethatwhenIhadso
manyresponsibilitieshereintown,butIdidn’twanttotaketheriskoffindingout.

Itwasn’tthatIdidn’twanttodomydutyasanalpha,Ihadsteppedupmanytimesto

help when needed. Jules called me whenever he needed someone on the down low. But
firstandforemost,Ihadaresponsibility.BothhereintowntotheB&Bandtomineand
Dylan’sfutures.

I was about two blocks from the B&B when headlights came careening around the

corner.TheoldJeepwasslidingontwowheelsasittookthecornermuchfasterthanwas
safe.Itspunaroundinafullrotationbeforeitfinallycametoasputteringstop.Itsfront
fenderwasjustinchesfrommykneecap.

With a shocked gasp, I darted out from in front of the car. The rain was barely

drizzlingagain,butitwasthecoldwindthathadmyteethchattering.Thedoorflewopen,
pouringthesweetsmellofvanillatingedwithamusky,woodsynote.Mm.Balsamwood.
Like the fragrant trees that grew a little to the north of us, I recognized that scent on
almostacellularlevel.Wait.

IjerkedmyheadupwithshockasItookinthegorgeousspecimenthatwasstepping

outoftheopendooronthedriver’ssideoftheJeep.Hehadhugemusclesforanomega
andbroadshoulders,whichseemedcompletelyoutofplaceonhistall,lankyframe.His
darkhairwascroppedclosetohisheadandcombedneatly.

Curious brown eyes peered at me through the thick black glasses that rested on his

long,regalnose.Hehadsurprisinglywide,lushlipswithaprettyredtintthatwasvisible
underthestreetlamp.Hisjawwascleanlyshaved,withacrispjawlinethatbeggedtobe
touched.Icatalogedallofthisinasweepingglance,includingthefactthathewasawolf.
Andanomegawolfatthat.Mostimportantly,hewasmyomegawolf.

Damn.Iknewscentinghimmeantthathewasmyfated-mate,butIreallywasn’tready

to unpack that little bag of knowledge just yet. First I wanted to figure out what was
happening.Mybrainwasoverpoweringmybear’sneedtoyellathimrightnowforbeing
soreckless.Myeyesmoveddowntohischiseledchest,andIsnortedasmybraincameto
screechinghalt.

“Seriously?” I said with scornful grin as I read his t-shirt out loud. “Tony Stark’s a

BossyBottom.”

Hegrinnedatmewithanadorablesmile.“What?Comeon,youcan’tpossiblythink

that Ironman isn’t a power bottom! Trust me. Captain America is back at home getting
directedonhowtoplowbythatlittlerichboybuttaftereverymission.”

Irolledmyeyes.“Please.DidyouseethelastAvengersmovie?Thewayhewaswith

Spider-Man?No.TonyStarkisPeterParker’sbigironDaddy.”

He looked at me approvingly then. I preened a bit under his intense scrutiny. He

steppedawayfromhisvehicle,thosethickglassesnowspatteredwithraindrops.Holding
outahand,hesmiledconfidently.

“Agree to disagree? Or, maybe we can compromise on Ironman being vers? At any

rate,I’mFrankie,andyou’redelicious.Imean,yousmelldelicious.Wait.Thatstillsound
creepyasfuck,right?Sorry,thishasneverhappenedtomebefore.Well,”hestoppedand
chuckled.“Ofcoursethishasn’thappenedtomebeforeorwewouldhavemetalready.”

Igrinnedandtookhishand.Ajoltofawarenessshotbetweenus,likeaphysicalspark,

whenourhandsmet.“I’mLiam,andyousmellprettygoodyourself.”

Westoodthere,handinhand,staringateachotherforafewmoments.Frankiepulled

his hand away with a start. “Oh! Shit! I just realized, I could have killed you! Are you
okay?IwasalreadyfreakingoutwhenIcouldn’tgetcontrolofthecar.ThenIsawyou
standingthere,andjustaboutshitmyself.”

Ishrugged,alreadyfeelingthelossofhishandholdingmine.“I’mfine.Youstopped

justshortofme.Myconcernisifyouareokay.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m so sorry if I scared you, though. I wasn’t even speeding! At

least,Iwouldn’tbeifitwereadryroadwithnocurve.Thecurvesurprisedme,andIthink
IhitapatchofgreasebecauseIlostcontrolthereattheend.”

Inoddedseriously.“Wewerebothlucky.Whereareyouheaded?Wedon’tgetmany

strange shifters around here. Are you staying at the B&B here in Mills Creek? That’s
whereIworkandlive.I’mpartownerandmanagerthere.”

Hiseyeslitup.“Thenyou’relocal?Youdon’tliveintheden?”

Ishookmyhead.“No,Imovedtotownhereascubwhenmyparentsdied.Myuncle

ownedtheB&BwhereIlive.Wecatertoshifters,givingthemasafeplacetostay.I’mthe
manager there now, which is why I’m rushing back in this weather instead of having
stayed at the den tonight after I visited my cousin. Hopefully I’ll get him to move into
townwithmesoonsothatIquitthesebackandforthvisits.”

Hepickeduponasingleword.“Owned?Pasttense?Whereisyourunclenow?”

Sadly,Ibitmylipandshookmyheadbeforeanswering.“Myuncleandhismatewere

killed during the attack on our den earlier this year. Have you heard of that attack? I
imaginethatourtroublesareprobablyallovertheshifterworldrightbynow.”

He looked like he was weighing something in his head, then seemed to settle on an

answerashenoddedtensely.Helookedaroundtomakesurethatwehadnospiesbefore
leaninginandspeakingalittlesofter.

“Yes.IamactuallyonmywaytomybuddyJules’houserightnow.I’mheretohelp

himandyourdenAlpha.Doyouknowhim?”

Inoddedwithasmile.“Knowhim?I’vehadmanyenjoyableeveningswithhimand

hismates.Infact,hismateColinandIwereneighborswhenIlivedintheden.”

“Good, then maybe you won’t mind showing me how to get there? My GPS isn’t

workingaswellitshould.ThisisanewdevelopmentandIdon’thavetheupdateonmy
device.I’dusemyphone,butyourtownstillhasnoserviceapparently.”

Inodded.“Yeah,whenyoulivethisfarnorth,itcantakeafewforpeopletoreachfor

repairsafterthingslikethishappen.Fortunately,wehaven’thadastormlikethisinabout
fifteen years or so.” I squinted and did the math. “Yeah, I was sixteen that year. Which
meansthatit’sbeenexactlyfifteenyears.”

Frankiegrinned.“Sothatmakesyouthirty-one.Justfouryearsolderthanme.Notthat

itreallymatterstoomuch.Comeon,”hepointedtothecar.“Let’sgetintothewarm,dry

carandheadtoJules’house.”

InoddedandwalkedaroundtothepassengersidewhileFrankiegotbackbehindthe

wheel.OnceIwasinthecar,Ilookedoverathimwithasmirk.“Isyourseatwetafteryou
leftyourdoorhangingopenlikethat?I’msorry,Ishouldhavepointeditouttoyou,butI
didn’tthinkaboutiteither.”

Frankie shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t even know. My ass is wet from standing out

thereanyway.Hey,areyouinarushtogetbacktoyourB&B?Ifyouwanttohangout
withmeforafew,I’llbehappytodriveyouhomelater.”

Isuckedinabreath.I’dalmostforgottenmydutiesforaminute,Iwassoexcitedtobe

meetingmymate.“Yeah,Icandothat.Honestly?Ihaveagoodstaffanyway.I’mjusttoo
controlling to trust them to do anything as well as I would do it. Although, I would ask
thatyouneverquotemeonhavingsaidthat.”

Ichuckledwithalittlebitofembarrassment,knowingfullwellthatIhadafullywell-

trained staff who truly could run things without me. I just hated to give over control to
anyone.

Frankieflashedmeasmirk.“Iknowexactlywhatyou’resaying.I’mabitofacontrol

freak myself. I don’t let anyone touch my computers, I should probably warn you now.
Although,whoknows?Maybeitwillbedifferentwithyou.IdoknowthatIalreadyfeel
likeIcantrustyoubetterthananyoneelseintheworld.Whichisweird,consideringthat
wejustmeteachother.”

“Isthatabigdeal?Thatyoutrustme?”Iaskedcuriously.Thereweren’tmanypeople

thatItrustedeither.Ihadalwaystrustedmyselftogetthingsdone.Therewasnothingthat
IcouldthinkofthatI’dentrustinanotherperson’shands.Iwasafirmbelieverindoing
theworkyouneededtodotoachieveyourgoals.

Frankie nodded thoughtfully. “It really is a big deal that I trust you. I was in the

military for four years, in the intelligence department. Now I work as an independent
contractorspecializingincyber-securityandintelligencegathering.”

Ilookedoverathimwithamusement.“Takethenextright.Andthenyoucantellme

whatthatcockamamiefuckingjobdescriptionyoujustspoutedoutreallymeans.”

Withagrinspreadingacrosshisface,Frankierepliedwithablush:“Layman’sterms?

Iguessyou’dprobablyconsidermetobeahacker.”

Shakingmyheadwithanamazedgrin,Iwasn’tsurewhethertobeimpressedashell

orterrifiedasfuck.“Frankie.Isn’tthatdangerousifyougetcaught?Andwhatdoesthis
havetodowithyouhelpingJulesandAlphaMikael?”

“I don’t do anything illegal. Well, nothing too illegal anyway. If the suspects that I

helptrackfoundme,orevenknewtolookforme,I’msureitwouldn’tbegoodforme.
But I live and work in the shadows. Nobody knows more than my first name. I live
completelyoffthegrid.Infact,Irarelystayinoneplacelongerthanittakestodoasingle
job.”

HeturnedleftwhenIpointedattheupcomingroad.“Lookbehindyou,alpha.Ihave

allofmyshitloadedinthisvehicle.WhenIhittheroad,Ileavereadytostaygone.My

parentspassedwhileIawayservingmycountry.I’vehadnoties,noreasontostayinany
ofthelittleplacesI’vestayedoverthepastfewyears.”

“Thatmakesmybearsad,Frankie.Don’tyouwolvesneedtohaveyourpack?Living

likealonewolfcan’tbegoodatallforyourwolf.Especiallywithyoubeinganomega.
Nooffense,I’mnottryingtobeanalphahole.I’mjustworriedaboutyou.”

Heshrugged.“I’vebeenaloneformostofmylife.Myparentsneverknewwhattodo

withanomegathatlookedlikeanalpha.Theylovedme,butIneverfitinwiththerestof
the pups growing up. The omegas thought I was too weird to be one of them, and the
alphaswerethreatenedbymysize.”

I pointed to a right hand turn and asked: “Is that why you’re good with computers?

Becauseyouspentyourchildhoodalonewiththem?”

Henodded.“Mychildhoodwasspentprimarilywithcomicbooksandcomputers.But

don’tfeelsorryforme,ImakealotofmoneydoingwhatIdo.”

“Icanonlyimagine.Istilldon’tliketheideaofyoubeingindanger.Butatleastyou’ll

havemenowtowatchyourback.Thatis,ifyou’llconsiderhavingme.”

Frankie chuckled wryly “I’m not sure that refusing you is not an option. My wolf is

pretty happy right now that we found you.” He sobered then, glancing over at me as he
drovecarefullydownthequietcountryroad.“Youknow,we’regoingtohavealottotalk
aboutifwe’regoingtothinkaboutacceptingeachotherasmates.”

Inodded.Ialreadydidn’tlikehisjob,butIalsowouldn’tkeephimfromit.Iwasn’t

thatkindofalpha.“Youneversaidwhyyou’rehere.I’mprettysureI’mgoingtohateit,
sowemightaswellstartthere.”

Withashysmile,Frankienodded.IpointedoutJules’housecomingupontheright.

Hecarefullypulledintothewide,circulardriveway.“I’mherebecauseIhaveawayfor
themtoendthiswar.”

He parked the car while I looked at him curiously. Looking at me steadily, Frankie

tookadeepbreathandsaid:“IcanleadthemtoYvonne.Youareoneofonlyfivepeople
whoknowthis,sounderstandthatI’mtellingyouthiswithcompleteconfidentiality.And
otherthanJules,onlyPeterandAlphaMikaelknowofmyinvolvement.Andnowyou,so
welcometotheinnercircle.”

CHAPTER3

FRANKIE

JulesthrewopenthedoorasIwalkedupthedrive.Ihadmylaptopinhand,whileLiam
carriedmyheavierbagwiththerestofmypreciousequipment.Aftershowingustothe
dining area where I could set up with a regular phone line, Jules cocked an eyebrow in
Liam’sdirectionwithaquestioninglooktome.

Withasigh,Iblushedandexplained.“Youknowthatwholebullshitomegabusiness

thatI’vealwaysforbiddenyoutospeakofinmypresence?”

Jules grinned. The alpha had always loved to tease me about my designation.

Seriously.I’mthelastpersonthatyou’dpegforbeingomega.“Goon,I’mlistening.”

“Yeah, well. Apparently I’m omega enough to have a fated-mate. I almost ran him

overonmywayhere.”

Thejaguarshifter’seyebrowsshotstraightuponhisforehead.“Wait,Frankie.You’ve

justfoundyourmate,andyoudraggedhimheretowatchusworkinsteadofworkingout
yourclaim?”Helookedbackandforthbetweenthetwoofus.“Yourealizethatyoutwo
couldbeinabedoveratLiam’slovelyB&Binsteadofstandinghere,right?Canyoueven
workintheseconditions,Fingers?”

Inodded.“That’swhytheinternetgodscreateddial-up,”IsaidasIheldupaphone

cord.“I’mdoingitoldschooltonight.”

Jules shook his head. “I still think that you’re nuts. Yvonne’s not going anywhere if

you’ve found a way to track her ass. I think you should go claim your mate and worry
aboutthisshittomorrow.”

Liamchuckled.“There’stimeforthat,Jules.I’mactuallyalittleexcitedtoseewhat

Frankiehasdonehere.Ican’tbelievethathehasfoundtheAlpha’ssisterwhennobody
elsecould.”

I looked over at the man that would become my mate, awed by the sheer beauty of

him. He was taller than me, but not by much. He was probably 6‘5 to my 6‘2. I had
muscles,butwhereIwasbuilt,Liamwasripped.I’mprettysurehehadaneight-packof
abssmuggledunderthetightt-shirthewore.AndhereI’dthoughtmymeresixpackwas
impressive.

Ilikedthesizeofhisarmsandlegs.Foronce,Iwasn’toneofthelargermeninthe

room.Nexttomyalpha,Ialmostfeltlikeanomega.Almost.Istilldidn’tseemyselfbeing
thelittlehomemaker.Seriously?Justno.Although,therewerealotofthingsthatImight

betalkedintodoingforatasteofthatsweetcaramelandbourbonscentofhis.

Iwaslookingforwardtosnuggletime,though.Notjustforsex.Iwantedtoplaywith

histhick,chestnutbrownhairthatwavedandcurledacrosshishead.Hishairwasmadeto
beplayedwith,andIwonderedifhehadathickpatchofhairacrosshischesttomatchthe
thickhaironhishead.

After a moment, I realized that the room was silent and both alphas were standing

therewatchingmedroolovermymate.Liamhadahintoflaughterinhiseyes,asifhe
werehappytohavecaughtmelooking.Ididn’tunderstandthatatall,becausesurelyan
alphaasbeautifulasminemustgetstaredatanawfullot.

JulesgaveapolitecoughandIwasstartledoutofmylust-filledtrance.Iquicklygot

backingearandgoteverythingsetup.OnceI’dpluggedthephonecordintothepieceof
ancientmodemcrapIkeptforsituationslikethis,weweregoodtogo.

I looked at Jules. “Do you even remember how loud dial-up internet is, man? You

mightwanttogoclosethebedroomdoorsupstairs.I’mnottakingcareofcryingcubsif
thiswakesthem.Idon’tcarehowcutetheyare.”

Withasoftchuckle,Julesreplied:“I’mnotworriedaboutthecub.I’mmoreworried

aboutSean.Myalphamateisalittlebitchwhenhe’sawakened.”Hiswinktoldusthathe
wasjoking,asheturnedandwentupstairstocheckonhisfamily.

Liam went over and started poking around the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee to

brew.Itmademefeelgoodthatmyalphawasthinkingofmyneeds.Ofcourse,assoonas
I thought that, my next thought was to be pissed at myself for such regressive omega
thinking.Imean,seriously?Likeweomegasneedanalphatobehappy.Although,Ikind
ofhadtoadmitthatwhenthoseemeraldgreeneyesturnedonme,therewasnowhereelse
thatI’dwanttobe.

“Sugar?”IshookoffmytranceandlookeduptoseeLiamholdingupthesugarbowl

with a questioning glance. Nodding my head, I focused on the task at hand while Liam
kept moving about. “Cream?” I nodded silently again, not really paying attention to the
roomaroundme.

WhenIsmelledcoffeeundermynose,Iblinkedtoseeacupofsteamingcoffeesitting

in front of me. Liam and Jules were engrossed in conversation about some other wolf
shifterthatwasstayingatLiam’sB&B.

Itookadeepdrinkofcoffee,pleasedtoseethatittastedjustthewaythatIlikedit.I

sawLiam’ssmallsmileashewatchedmeoutofthecornerofhiseye.Okay,gettingme
coffee? Sweet as hell. Taking pleasure because I was enjoying the coffee? Holy shit. I
mean,IalwayssaidthatIdidn’tneedanalpha.Butmaybeitwasn’taboutfillinganeed.
Maybe having an alpha was more about these everyday simple pleasures and having
someonetoloveyouunconditionally.

Iworked for anotherhour, then Ihad her. There itwas, blinking inthe center of the

maponmymonitor.Yvonne’slocation.Ilookeduptoseethetwoalphasplayingahand
ofcardsanddrinkingcoffee.

“Jules.Ihaveher.She’slessthantwohoursaway.”

Julesjumpedupandcameovertolook.“Sonofafuckingbitch.Thosesoullesspiece

ofshitwolves!”

“Excuse me, I don’t understand,” Liam interrupted. “Aren’t the wolves at the lodge

our friends? And isn’t Yvonne’s ex in that pack now? Surely they wouldn’t harbor her
ass.”

Jules shook his head. “No, not the guys at the lodge. Those are all good people.

There’sanotherpackalittleoveranhourpastthem.Mikaeltoldmethathedoesn’thavea
goodrelationshipwiththem.Idon’tknowwhy,butitdoesn’treallymatterallthatmuch.
Thefactisshe’sthere.ButIguessthatitwouldmakesensethatthey’dharborherifthey
don’tlikeMikael.”Juleswasabouttosaymore,whentherewasaknockatthebackdoor.
Hesteppedovertoanswer,hiswholebodyonthealert.Imean,itwasalmosttwointhe
morning,notexactlythetimeforaneighbortocomegetacupoftea.

Twonakedmenstoodthere.Thelargeronehadalphapowerswirlingaroundhimin

wavessothickyoucouldalmosttastethem.Theotheronewasasmallerman,obviouslya
beta.IsmiledasIrealizedwhotheywere.

Jules waved them in, closing the door behind them and pulling the blinds on the

windowsintheroom.Heglancedatthetwomenandgrinned.“I’mgoingtogofindyou
bothsometowelsandsomethingtoputon.Ihaveafeelingyou’regoingtobehereabit.”
Heglancedoveratmeandsaid:“I’lljustleaveyouguystogetacquainted.”

SinceIwasalonewolf,notusedtolivingamongmypeople,I’dforgottenhowcasual

shifters were with nudity. I felt more than a little awkward with the huge Alpha just
standingthereallnakedandbuffed,andwell,prettymuchhunglikeahorse.Hehadlong
hair,drippingwetandlayingoverhisshoulderinasoddencoil.

AsifheknewwhatIwasthinking,Liamsteppedoverwiththewelcomingdistraction

of offering them coffee. Although, when the Alpha turned to talk to him, I was now
treatedwiththesightofhismagnificentass.Fuck.Ifeltlikesuchacreeper!Andwithmy
matestandingrighttheretoo.Shakingmyhead,IfocusedonmycomputerscreenwhileI
spokeinasoffhandamannerasIcould.

“YoumustbePeterandAlphaMikael.I’mFrankie,althoughIwouldappreciateitif

thatbitofinformationdidn’tleavethisroom.Ihadnoideayougentlemenwerecoming,
butI’mhappytoseeyou,er,meetyou.”

Jules came bustling back in then, handing each man a towel and a bathrobe. Peter

quicklyslippedintotherobe,rubbingathisshorthairwiththetowelashecameoverand
pulled out a chair beside me. Alpha Mikael stood there rubbing his hair and talking to
Liamashemadefreshcoffee.

Peterspokequietly.“Iwascertainthatyouwouldhavearrivedherebynowandhave

furtherinformationforus,yes?Julesranoverearliertotellusthatyouweretravelinghere
tomeetwithus.Thankyouforcoming.Thisstormdidnotchoosethebesttimetocutoff
ourcommunicationabilities.”

Iquicklytappedafewkeys,thenlookedoverathimwithasmile.“Iknewthatitwas

importantformetocome.Aslongasmyidentity,whatIdo,orwhatI’veenabledyouto
dotofindYvonneneverleavesthiscircleofpeople,thenIamfinewithit.I’mjustglad

thatIcouldhelp.”

MikaelfinallypulledontherobethatJuleshadloanedhim,andcameovertositatthe

table.Julespulledupaseatbesidehim,whileLiamfussedwiththecoffee.“Andyouhave
definitelyfoundmysister?”TheAlphaspokeinagrave,almostsorrowfulvoice.

I turned the laptop to show him the map I had pulled up. “This is her. When she

moves, we’ll see it. As long as she has her phone with her. And who doesn’t keep their
phoneathand,youknow?Ifwehadbetterinternetcapabilityandclearskiesrightnow,
I’dpingoffasatelliteandseetheplacewhereshe’sstaying.”

All four men looked at me with surprise, but I shrugged. “How do you think that I

verified the safe-house locations and rogue hubs? Never mind, it’s best that you don’t
knowtoomuchanyway.”

Liambroughtovercupsofcoffeeforourguestsfirst,beforetakingmycuptorefill.

Oncehehadcupsinfrontofallfiveofus,hepulledoutthechairbesidemineandtooka
seat.AlphaMikaellookedoveratuswithasmirk.

“Ah.Thisexplainsthingsabitclearerforme.Iwaswonderingwhyoneofmyalphas

whodoesn’twanttobetooinvolvedindenaffairswassittinginthismeeting.Areyoutwo
matesthen?”

Liamsmiledproudlyatme.“Yes,Alpha.Wejustdiscoveredeachothertonightwhen

mynewmateherealmostranmeoveronthesewetroads.”

TheAlphatookasipofhisdrinkbeforesayingwithawrygrin:“Well,thatwouldn’t

have happened if you’d stayed over when you came to see young Dylan. But then, you
wouldnothavemetyourmatemaybe.Iguessfatehasfunnywaysofworkingthesethings
out.”

Liamlookedembarrassed.Hestartedtoapologizeforsomething,buttheAlphaheld

upahandandstoppedhimshort.“Pleasedonotaskmetoforgivesomethingthatisnotan
offense.IunderstandyourneedtobehereintownattheB&B,andIalsogetthathaving
your cousin staying at the den must be worrisome. I’m sure that you feel as though he
needs your protection. And I get that, yeah? But from now, stick around and visit. Your
peoplemissyou,myfriend.”

It was adorable to see my alpha blush, but he turned bright red as he nodded at his

Alpha.“Yougotit,Alpha.Andthankyou,forunderstanding.”

TheAlphanoddedandthenturnedhisattentionbacktome.“Wellthen.SinceLiam

hereisyourmate,obviouslyhecanbeinourcircleoftrust.Doesthismeanthatyouwill
bestickingaroundlongerthanonenight?”

Inodded.“Originally,I’dintendedtostayuntilyoucapturedyoursister.Itmaynotgo

asquicklyorsmoothlyasyou’dlikeforittohappen.Butyeah,IbelievemymateandI
havesometalkingtodoafterourmeetinghere.You’llbeabletoreachmeattheB&B,if
wecanfigureoutagoodwayforyoutodoitwithoutanyoneclueingin.”

PeterlookedtoLiam.“Tommy,theformerroguewolf,heworksforyou,yes?Perhaps

hecouldbeourliaison.”

Liam shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. You may trust him, and want to give him a

second chance. But me? I’m only trusting him to push a broom and replace light bulbs.
Andespeciallynowthatmymateisatriskifthewrongpeoplefindoutabouthim?No.I
can’triskit.Iknowthatyou’veallforgivenhimforhisearliermisdeeds.That’sgenerous
of you. But I don’t know. He’s just too fucking nice, you know? It bugs me for some
reason.Can’texplainit,it’sjustthere,gnawingatme.”

Not one of us argued with that, because we all knew what he meant. Jules spoke up

confidently.“Inthatcase,whydon’twejustkeepitherebetweenus?Iwouldincludemy
mates,oryours,butasmallcircleisatightcircle.Nottomentionthefactthatnoneofus
wouldwanttoriskourmates.MySeanwouldbeagoodhelp,buthe’sfillingthegapwith
thecubssinceI’vebeenbusierwithoursoldierslately.No.I’llrunbackandforthaspart
ofmydailypatrols.Ifweneedtocontacteachother,passthemessagethroughme.Asa
newlymatedcouple,itwon’tbeoddforLiamtotaketimeawaytospendwithFrankie.
Wecanusethatasacovertoo.Doesthatwork?”

TheAlphanodded.“Yes,thatisfine.IassumethatJulesisinthehabitofstoppingby

yourB&Bregularlyonhiswaytoandfromtheden?Thiswouldbeaperfectcover.”

Julesnodded.“Yeah,IstopbythereoftenwhenIknowmymatesaren’thomeyet.It’s

agoodplaceformetoswingbysinceit’snotonlyclosetothewoodslikeourhousehere,
butit’salsoashiftersafebusinesshereintown.MymatesColinandLiamareoldfriends
fromtheden,andwe’veallbecomefriendly.Hisstaffisusedtoseeingmedropby.Itwill
befine,Alpha.Trustme.”

AlphagrinnedatJules.“Well,I’mthelastpersontoquestionyourjudgment.Hell,you

probablyknowthirty-sixdifferentwaytokillmerightnowifIpissyouoff.”

“Thirty-nine,” I commented dryly. “At least, those are the ones quiet enough to not

wakethesleepingcubs.”

Thethreealphaslaughed,butPeterlookedalittleconcerned.Ismiledathim.“Don’t

worry,Peter.Welearnedtojokeaboutdeathduringourmilitaryyears.YourAlphaissafe,
Ipromise.”

IturnedmyattentionbacktotheAlphaandJules.“Sohere’swhatIcantellyou.As

youseefromthereddot,sheisn’tfar.Julessaysthatthisisalocalwolfterritory?Thisis
whyitmaybetrickygettingtoherrightaway,iftheyareharboringher.ButIcantrack
her, and hopefully establish a pattern over a few days of her routines. Once this storm
clearsandthewifiandcellsarebackinservice,itwillbeeveneasier.Butwecandoit,
Alpha.Ipromiseyouthat.”

TheAlphanoddedseriously.“ShewenttotheoneplacethatsheknewIcouldn’tgetto

her.That’sokaythough.Itrustyou,Frankie.Thankyoufordoingthis,itwillbeareliefto
bringthistoanend.”

Ibitmylipandexaminedmyscreen.“Iagree,Alpha.Let’sallworktogetherandsee

ifwecan’tmakeithappen.Yourpeopledeservetolivewithoutfear.”

CHAPTER4

LIAM

AfterAlphaMikaelandPeterhadleft,Frankiecontinuedtowork.Ihadnoideawhathe
wasdoing,buthisfingerswereconstantlymovingastheyflewoverhiskeyboard.Finally,
around4a.m.,hestartedtoflag.

I reached over from my chair next to his, and rubbed his neck with a firm grip. I

lookedatmytiredmateandsuggestedgently:“Whydon’tweheadovertotheB&Bnow?
I’llshowyoumyroomandletyougetsomerest.”

Helookedatmewistfully,thenbackathiscomputer.“Butwhatifshemoves?Ineed

tokeepwatch.Also,Idon’twanttobetemptedwithdistractionsrightnow,nomatterhow
appealingthepackage.”

Asifrealizinghowthatsounded,hestoppedandturnedinhischairtofaceme.“I’m

sorry.I’msofuckingtiredrightnowthatthewordsinmyheadaren’tmakingsensewhen
theycomeoutofmymouth.OfcourseIwanttobewithyou,andbedistractedbyyou,
Liam.Thatwouldbethebestkindofdistraction,youknow?”

Hiseyeslitwithworryashespoke.Thepoorguywasworkingsohard,hehadn’teven

cleanedthedriedwaterspotsonhisglassesfromtherainearlier.“Ipromise,it’snotyou.I
just feel so obligated to finish this, you know? People have been hurt, and many others
havedied.Thisbitchneedstobecaught.”

Ireachedoutandremovedhisglasses.Afterquicklycleaningthesmudgedlenswith

thesoftfabricfromtheinsideofthebottomedgeofmyshirt,Icarefullyslidthembackon
hisface.Takinghishandinmine,Iturnedandscootedforwardsothatweweretouching
knees.

“Frankie. I get that you’re under the gun here, and have a duty weighing heavily on

you.Idon’tcareifwedon’tsealaclaimandmateeachotherimmediately.I’llbehappy
just holding you in my arms while we sleep. You’re not any good to the den if you fall
asleepoveryourlaptop.”

HewaschewinghislipthoughtfullywhenJulescameinandslidintoachairacross

fromus.“Sorrytoeavesdrop,butIheardthatlastbitwhenIwascomingdownthestairs.
Cat ears, can’t help it. But, Frankie. Liam is right. You are no good to me if you’re
exhausted.I’massumingyouwanttokeepthesetuphere,right?Whydon’tweloopmy
matesinafterall?Seancankeepwatchonyourstuff,takenotes,whateveryouneed.He’s
goodwithcomputers,notyourlevel,butgoodenough.”

IsqueezedFrankie’shand.“Babe?Ihatetosayit,butwemightaswellincludeJules’

matesanyway.FromwhatIunderstand,they’llpickitupthroughtheirbondatsomepoint
anyway. This is going to be a long project, while you watch her routines, right? Let
someoneelsehelp.Maybedothisinshifts.”

Afterafewmoments,Frankienodded.Julesgaveasharpnodandexcusedhimself.I

reached out and pulled him in for a hug. A sense of peace settled over me as his weary
headrestedonmyshoulder.Hishandsreachedupundermyarmstowraparoundme.For
thatbrieftime,allwasrightintheworldasIheldmymateandinhaledthatsweetscentof
vanillacoatedbalsam.

Jules came back with both of his mates in tow. He returned to his seat while Colin

headedstraightforthecoffeepot.Seancameovertotakethechairontheothersideofmy
mate.Withaneasygrin,hewaggledhiseyebrowsandsaid:“So,IhearthatI’maboutto
getacrashcourseintrackingthealpha-bitch?Awesome!DoesthismeanthatIcannow
addcyber-stalkertomyresume?”

FrankiesatbackandturnedtolookatSeanwithasnort.“Sorry,dude.You’llhaveto

rank up your hacker cred a lot more than this little gig before you can be a legit cyber-
stalker.Anythinglessisajustawannabe.”

Seangrinnedandheldoutahand.“I’mSean.Jules’alphamate,andMikael’sbrother

inlaw,ifyougiveashitaboutthekindofrandomtrivia.”

Frankieshookhishandwithagrin.“It’sapleasuretomeetoneofthementhattamed

thewildJag.I’mFrankie.”

ColincameoverandslidamugofcoffeeinfrontofSeanandtookaseatbetweenhis

twomen.“ThewildJag?That’scute.Ilikeit!”

Julesshookhishead.“Shutup,Fingers.Thisworksbothwaysmyfriend.Youtellmy

matesstories,andIcandothesamewithyournewmate.”

Frankielaughed.“TheonlythingIhatetoshareisthatgodawfulnickname!Nowthat

you’ve outed that twice tonight, I’m pretty sure that I have nothing else to worry about
yousayinginfrontofLiam.Nowyouontheotherhand?Ihaveonewordforyou,Jag.
Singapore.”

Jules threw his head back and laughed along with Frankie at some shared joke from

theirmilitarypast.“Okay,Fingers.Youwin.Nowshowmeandmymateswhatyouwant
ustodosothatyoucangetsomesleep.”

HiseyebrowsdrewtogetherinconfusionasFrankieasked:“Whatdoyoumean?All

threeofyouwanttoassist?”

Colinnodded.“I’vealreadytextedmyassistantmanagerandarrangedtotaketimeoff.

It’sopenended,wehaveenoughstafftofillin.They’llbegladofthehoursanyway,I’m
prettysure.ThankthegoddessthatSeanhadushireextrapeople!”

Julesadded:“Withfourofusworking,wecandoitinsixhourshifts.Thatwayit’snot

toomuchonanyoneperson.Youcanuseusasyouseefit,butthat’sthebestwayfrom
myperspective.I’dsayfiveofus,butLiamwillprobablycomeandgowithyou.”

Frankielookedlikehewasabouttoargue,thensaggedbackinhischair.Hepulledhis

glassesoffwithhislefthand,andscrubbedtherightoverhisface.Withalongsigh,heput
his glasses back on and looked around the table. His eyes were taking all of us in as he
lookedfrompersontoperson.Hefinallynodded.

“You’re right, Jules. I need to be less of a control freak. This is a marathon, not a

sprint, right?” He paused and looked at Jules’ mates. “I appreciate you guys jumping in
likethis.Icanshowyouwhattowatchforandifyouhaveanyissues,justcomefindme.
Itshouldbesimpleenough,nowthatIsaythatoutloud.”

Jules nodded. “Yeah, it’s hard to take help when offered, but that’s why we’re here.

Takeourhelp,thisisourbattletofightanyway.We’lllooktoyoutoleadustechnically,
untiltheminutethatIcanstepinandtakethebitchout.”

Thenthefuckerwinkedatusbothandadded:“Besides,withonlyasixhourworkday,

maybeyou’lltakefiveminutestoactuallyletyouralphaclaimyou.”

Frankiesilentlyshothimthefingerwhilepullinghislaptopcloser.Hebegantapping

somemore,thenturneditslightlytowardthethreesnickeringmates.“Okay,let’sgetback
towhatwe’rehereforinsteadofdiscussingmysexlife.”

Julesfakecoughedintohisfist:“Orlackthereof“…

Frankiemerelyshookhisheadwithanamusedsmirk.“Sothisismyprogram.Letme

show you what you’re watching for, that’s pretty much all we do. When the dot moves,
thatmeansthatthetargetisonthemove.Whenthathappens,takeascreenshotbyhitting
thisbutton.There’safewmorestepsafterthat,butI’llwriteitalloutforyouinafilethat
youcanaccessifyouforgetastep.”Hepausedandcheckanotherfilethatwasblinkingon
thecornerofhismonitor.

“Okay.Here.Thisisanotherdutyforyouguys.ThisisYvonnesendinganemail.Take

screenshotsofeverything,incaseshedeletesitlater.Icandigforit,butwhywastetime
when we can just do it this way for the beginning? Now, over here, this file is to save
texts,bothoutgoingandincoming.Forphonecalls,we’llwanttorecord,sojust…”

Goddess love him, but my mate was fucking smart. He went on for almost an hour,

taking the time to patiently answer every question that came up and show us how to
operatehisprogram.IhaddoneadoubletakewhenIrealizedthatthisfancysystemwe
wereplayingwithwasallhisdesign.

Nowondertheguywassosecretiveabouthisidentity.Hewasmorethanjustahacker,

hewasacyber-genius.I’dheardofblackhatandwhitehathackers,butI’dconsidermy
guytobeagrayhat.Neitherallgood,norallbad…justsomewhereatadleftofcenter.

By the time he was done teaching us all, we were all a lot more comfortable about

beingabletopitchinandtaketurnsbeingoncyber-watch.Frankiealmostfellasleepin
hischairwhenheyawnedwhileColinwastakingthehelmsowecouldleave.

Ijustshookmyhead.“Okay.Let’sgetyouovertotheB&B.I’vegotanicecomfybed

withyournameonit.”

Juleslookedatmewithconcern.“Areyouokaytodrive,Liam?Youhadalongnight

too.Wehaveplentyofspareroomifyouwanttocrashherefornow.”

“Astemptingasthatmaybe,Jules,I’llbefine.I’vebeenworkingthenightdeskfor

thepastmonthanyway.Lastnightjusthappenedtobemynightoff.Isleptmostoftheday
beforeIwentupthedentocheckinonDylan.”

Frankie dug in his pocket and passed me his keys. “Sounds good, alpha. You drive,

andI’llsleep.Justwakemewhenwegetthere.”

WesaidourgoodbyestoJulesandhismates,thenheadedouttoFrankie’scar.AfterI

unlocked his door, I waited for him to get in and settled before closing the door and
moving around to the driver’s side. After I was backing down the drive a few minutes
later,Irealizedthathewasstaringatmewithagoofygrin.

I glanced over his way. “What? Am I so sexy driving your Jeep that you can’t take

youreyesoffme?Tellthetruth,I’mthesexiestalphayou’vehadbehindthiswheel.”

Frankiechuckled.“Nowthatyoumentionit,you’retheonlyalphatositbehindthat

wheel.Oranyoneelseforthatmatter,I’malittlecontrollingwhenitcomestolettingother
peopledrivemycar.No,Iwasjustlaughingatwhatagentlemanyouwereasyouhelped
meintomyownfuckingcar.”

Iraisedaneyebrow.“What,aremostofthealphasyouhangoutwithtotalwankersor

something?”

Heshrugged.“Idon’tknow.I’venevergivenanythechancetoprovethemselvesone

wayortheother.It’shardenoughbeinganomegainthemilitary.Addingeasyalongwith
my designation would have been a recipe for disaster. Nope. Computers and comics,
remember?Thosehavealwaysbeenmyloves.”

IpulledintothedriveoftheB&Bbeforewecouldgomuchfurtherwiththislineof

conversation.Ipulledintomyparkingspotandturnedoffthecar.Reachingover,Itook
hishandinmine.

“Wellthenletmebethefirstalphatoshowyouhowanomegashouldbetreated.Not

likeapricelessworkofarttoadmirefromafar,orabugonthegroundtosquashundermy
foot,butasanequal.That’swhatIwantforus,Frankie.Tobeequalsinourlifetogether,
whileIshowyouhowspecialyouaretome.Howdoesthatsoundtoyou?”

He smiled sleepily and said softly: “It sounds like you need to take me to your bed,

alpha.”Afteralongyawn,Frankieopenedhisdoorandsaid:“Tosleep,thatis.Anything
elsewillhavetowaituntilI’mresuscitated,alpha.Ihatetobreakittoyou,butI’mabout
tensecondsshyofjustpassingthefuckout.”

CHAPTER5

FRANKIE

Iwokeupsomewherearoundmid-afternoon,judgingbytheamountofsunlightfiltering
in the window. Blinking my eyes, I looked around the simple room. Spare but clean, it
smelled of Liam. That smooth sweet smell of caramel with its rich bourbon undertones
mademefeellikeIhadfinallyfoundhome.

Aside from the large bed with its plain wooden frame with a slotted headboard and

matching footboard, there wasn’t much other furniture in the room. There was a long
dresserthatsatoppositethebed.Alonewoodenchairsatnexttotheopencloset,andtwo
nightstandsstoodoneithersideofthebed.Allofthefurniturewassolidpine,stainedina
colorthatremindedmeofweatheredwalnuts.

Even though I was a former soldier and underground hacker extraordinaire, I was

pretty sure that I could have brought more life to this room. Seriously. The bed was
coveredinadraboliveblanketthathadbeenwornoutfromyearsofuse,scratchywhite
sheetsthathadgonegrayfromage,andafewlumpypillows.Thewhitewallsmetafloor
thatwascoveredindingybrownshagcarpeting.

The single window was covered by a broken mini blind with three bent slats in the

middle. The edges were poking back into the room, letting the bright light of day push
throughtoformaspotlightshininginmyeyes.

Ididn’thavemuchofachancetowonderwhereLiamwas,becausethedooropened

justthen.Theburstofhisscentprecededhim,followedbytheheavenlyaromaoffoodon
thetrayinhishands.

Sittingup,Ilookedoverathimwithawelcomingsmile.“Hey,youdidn’tmentionthe

room service this morning. I might have left earlier if I’d known this part.” Suddenly
realizingthatIwasbuttnaked,Ipulledthethinbedcoveringsupovermyhips.

Liam grinned and came over to settle the tray across my lap, its little metal legs

framing my legs as it rested over my thighs. My stomach growled loudly while I was
admiring the perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich that accompanied a big bowl of
whatsmelledlikehomemadetomatosoup.Abigcupofcoffeeandabowloforangeslices
balancedoutthemeal.

IsquintedupatthesweetalphaasIwrappedmyhandsaroundthebigmugofjava.

“Where’syourlunch?AmIeatingalone?”

Liamsettledontothebedbesideme.“Icankeepyoucompany,butI’mafraidIatean

hourago.YouweresleepingsosoundlythatIhatedtobotheryou.Ionlybroughtthisup
nowbecauseIfiguredyou’dbewakingsoon.Didyousleepwell?”

Ishruggedandtookasipofcoffee.“Honestly?Ihavenoidea.Iwaspassedoutcold.

I’mprettysurethatabombcouldhavegoneoffandIwouldn’thavenoticed.Whatabout
you?DidIhogyourbed?I’veneverbunkedwithanyone,soI’mprobablyabedhog.”

With a grin, Liam reached over to his nightstand and retrieved my glass. “Missing

anything,Frankie?BeforeIcouldrespond,hewasslidingthemontomyface.

“Wow, that’s so much better. Wait. Did you clean my glasses?” I looked over to see

himblushingwithasoftsmile.Oh,mygoddess.Seriously?Wasthereanythinghotterthan
agorgeousalphathatfuckingblushed?

“Theyweredirty,soIcleanedthemforyou.Itwasn’taproblem.Ialsobroughtyour

bagsupfromthecar.They’resittingintheclosetfornow.Ifiguredthatyoucoulddecide
whereyouwantthem,butIhatedtoleaveyourthingsunguardedintheJeep.”

I swallowed the bite I’d taken from the world’s most perfect grilled cheese. “Thank

you,Liam.You’vethoughtofeverything.Becareful,you’llspoilme.”

I’dmeanttotease,buthelookedatmeseriously.“Iwouldlovetospoilyou,Frankie.I

thinkthatit’spasttimethatyouwerethecenterofsomeone’sworld.I’mjustgladthatI
gettobethealphawhodoesit.”

Iquirkedabrowandwentforanothertasteofthesurprisinglygoodtomatosoup.Rich

and hearty, the flavors of basil and thyme married beautiful with the earthy tomatoes. A
sprinklingoffreshshreddedParmesanwasspreadoveritssurfacesothatIgotabitwith
eachbite.

“Whathappenedtothewholewalkingbesideme,notputtingtheomegaonapedestal

thing?”Iteased.

“Icanwalkbesideyouwhilestillappreciatingyouandshowingyouhowmuchyou

meantome,Frankie.Noweat.Iwantyoutoenjoythefoodwhileit’shot.”Hewatched
avidlyasItookanotherbiteofthesandwich.

I’dliketosaythatIwasademureomega,butfuckthat.Iinhaledthatawesomesoup

andscarfeddownthesandwichlikeIhadn’teateninaweek.AfterI’dtuckedthehotstuff
away, I slowed down a little to eat the fruit. I tilted my head back with the first bite,
loweringtheorangesliceintomymouthandsuckingthejuiceoutofit.

Theorangewastheperfectblendofsweetandtart,itsjuicesexplodinginmymouth

with each bite. I was licking the juice from my lips when I heard Liam swallow hard. I
realized with a touch of chagrin that I was probably putting on quite the show for the
alpha. Oops. Sorry, not sorry? I hadn’t intended it, but now that I saw the alpha was
enjoyingit?Idecidedtoprolongthemealandteasehimalittlebit.

The next segment, I brushed over my lips slowly before nipping the tip between my

frontteeth.Islowlysuckedonit,beforecarefullyfeedingitintomymouthoneprecious
bit at a time. I did it with the next two slices just the same way. I reached for the final
slice,andjustasItippedmyheadback,ahandcamedownaroundmywrist.

IlookedovertoseeLiamsmirkingatme,hiseyesblownwidewithlust.Hebentover

my hand, taking the slice between his lips. He turned to me then, the slice hanging out
halfway from his mouth. Leaning into me, his face tilted as he came closer. With a
knowing grin, I met him halfway and closed my lips over the orange that was hanging
fromhismouth.

Ourlipsbarelybrushedagainsteachother,justlongenoughformetobitehalfofthe

orange segment off and lean back against the headboard with a smirk as I chewed my
prize. Liam crawled over to me, then leaned over the tray and licked the juice from my
lips.Afterhe’dslowlylickedmylipsclean,hesatbackandmotionedtothetray.

“Youalldonenow,tease?Ordidyouhaveplansforthecoffeetoo?”

Ilookedatthecoffeespeculatively,thenbackathim.“Nah,notreally.Imean,Icould

letyoudipyournutsinthereifyouwantandlickthemclean?It’sprobablycoolenough.
Butcoffeeisalittletoosacredforfunnybusiness.”

“Agreed.SodrinkupbeforeIdecidetotryyouridea.”Hewassmilinginnocently,but

Ihadafeelingthatitwasafront.Yeah,thewayhewatchedasItiltedthecupuptodrain
itdry?Oh,hewastotallyimaginingwhatI’ddescribed.

AfterIsetthecuponthetray,hetookthewholeset-upfrommeandcarrieditoverto

the dresser. Then he stopped to check the lock on the door before quickly stripping and
climbingintobedbesideme.

“Scootdown,Iwanttosnugglenowthatthere’sachanceyou’llactuallyrememberit

happening.Youwereoutcoldlastnight.Iwanttoholdyounowthatwe’rebothawake.It
willmakemealotlesscreepy.”

“Imean,youdidjustadmittosleepcuddlingwithmynakedbodywhileIwaspassed

out cold. That it a wee bit high on the creep-o-meter, right?” I bit back a smile as I
removed my glasses again and set them on the nightstand before I scooted down and
settledbackagainsthischest.Liamspoonedupbehindme,hisarmslockingaroundmeas
hesniffedalongthenapeofmyneck.

“In my defense, you’re the one who stripped down before you climbed in bed last

night.Iwouldhavebeenfineinboxersandat-shirt.”Hespokeagainstmyear,sendinga
currentofelectricitydownmyspinefromtheteaseofhismovinglips.

Ivaguelyrememberedthatnowthathesaidit.“Still.Youneededtostripdownfora

littlecuddletime?Andthat’snotcreepyasfuck?”

Helipscurvedintoasmileagainstmyneck.“Notatall.That’smebeingagoodhost.

IfIwereclothedandyouweren’t,youwouldn’tfeelatease.Thisisme,theconsummate
innkeeper,goingtheextramileforagoodguestexperience.”

I snorted out a laugh. “Wow, a good guest experience, huh? And here I thought you

wererampingupforagoodoldfashionedsnugglefuck.”

Therewasalaughinhisvoiceasheasked:“DoIwanttoknowwhatthatis,orshould

Iallowmybraintoremainunwarped?”

“Please.Likeyou’renotaswarpedastherestofus.”Imovedbackalittle,closingany

gapsbetweenourtwobodiesasIpressedmybackintohischest.“Okay,wherewerewe?
Oh, yes. Snugglefuck. That would best be defined as easing from the classic snuggle,
movingintoalittlebitofsteamyforeplay,andfinishingoffwitharough,hotfucking.You
know the kind where you try to plow me through the mattress? That kind. So there you
haveit.Sweetsnugglesleadingtoahardfuck?That’sasnugglefuck.”

The sound of his deep laugh washed over me while his hands began to traverse my

body. He felt me up slowly, taking the time to explore. He stopped to tug on a nipple,
before running his hand slowly over my muscled abdomen. That deft hand explored my
front, while his lips and tongue tasted the skin of my neck, my ear, and down over my
omega-gland.

When Liam’s hand closed around my cock, I whimpered involuntarily, the need for

himhittingmeallatonce.I’dneverbeenwithanalphabefore,letalonethealphameant
solely for me. Any fumbling I’d had with other men had been limited to a few stolen
momentsbetweensoldiers,lonelyandaworldawayfromthelivesweknewbackhome.
And those men were humans. The resemblance between them and Liam ended there. It
wasmorethannightandday.Therewasnothingsimilaratall.

Itwasasifthismanwereindeedmadeforme.Hishandsandlipsknewinstinctively

howtoteasearesponsefromme,howandwheretotouchme,andwhentomoveon.This
wasmorethanasensualafternoonromp.Thiswasheavenonearth.

Icaughtthescentofmyslickintheair,arareexperienceforme.Theonlyothertime

inmylifethatI’dhadmyslickwaswhenI’dbeenawayfromapharmacyandmyheat
hadhit.Normally,Iusedaheatblockerthatdampenedthehormones,keepingthemina
nice little box that I didn’t need to unpack. It was just easier that way. I’d had a human
friendwithbenniesatthetime,buthislackofanalpha’sknothadn’tmanagedtofoolmy
bodyintoarelief.Thathadbeenalongweekendofhell.

Butnow?Nowmychannelfeltslickandmybodywasbeggingtotakeaknotforthe

first time. I knew that other species were occasionally able to knot briefly with unfated
mates,butnotuswolves.Ouralphascouldonlyknotwithafated-mate.Thismeantthat
myunionwithLiamwouldbeatrulybeafirsttimeexperienceforme.

Myheadrolledbackintohisbroadshoulderwithagaspashestrokedmypeenwith

sure,firmstrokes.Oneachdownwardstroke,histhickthumbwouldrubovertheslitof
myleakingdickhead.Hislefthandcameupfromundermetomassagemychestandplay
withmynipplewhilehestroked.WhenLiam’swhisperedateasingscrapeofteethover
myomega-gland,Inearlylostmygriponsanity.

I was ready to beg, plead, offer anything in return for his knot in my ass when that

familiarflashofelectricitybegantohuminmyveins.Mybackarchedbackfurtherand
myabstightenedasIpreparedtocoverhishandwithahotloadofmycum.ButrightasI
wasthisclosetofinishing,hishandstillandmovedawaytorestonmyhip.

Sputteringoutsomethingthatsoundedlessthanawhineyetmorethanawhimper,I

cried.“Why-y-y?”

HisvoiceraspedagainstmyearasLiamthrusthishipsforwardtowedgethelengthof

an iron-hard cock between my cheeks. “Because I didn’t mean to get you there so fast,

babe. When you shoot, I want you to see more than stars. I want you to see fucking
galaxies.Thisisourfirsttimetogether,itneedstoberight.Butalso,Ihaveanimportant
questionbeforeweproceed.”

Iwasstillhangingonbyathread,mycocksoengorgedthatanaccidentalbrushwith

the sheet might make me blow. “What? Tell me. What is it, Liam?” I gasped out my
words,needingtogetthetalkingdonesothathewouldjustfuckmealready.

“Arewegoingalltheway?”Hisvoicetrembledwithnervousuncertainty.

“What?Isthishighschool?Whatthefuck?Ofcoursewe’refucking!”Iwasn’texactly

allthatrationalatthemoment,afactthatwasembarrassingbuttrue.

He chuckled again. “Really? I should edge you a few more times for that comment.

Butno,babe.Imeant,arewegoingallthewaywithaclaim?Areyouwillingtoaccept
measyourmate?”

Ihuffedoutabreath.“Oh.”Yeah.Oh.Thattopichadn’treallybeendiscussedyet,had

it.“Ifyouwantmygutreactionbeforeyoubroughtmetotheedgeofsanityandleftme
hangingwithaswollendickandanemptyass?Iwouldhavesaidyes.Butnow?Ithink
you’regonnahavetoearnit.”

Liam laughed lightly. “I’m sorry, babe. I just didn’t want to get into the heat of the

momentandlosemyhead.Iwantedtohaveanunderstandingfirst.”

ItwistedslightlysothatIcouldturntoseehisface.“Liam.Iknowthisisweirdfor

bothofus.We’relike,familiarstrangers,forlackofabetterterminology.Wedon’tknow
eachother,yetwedon’tknowanyonebetterthaneachother,right?It’slike,well,when
youtouchedme?Itwasasifamissingpieceofmysoulpoppedbackintoplace.”

Liamsmiledgently.Heleanedforwardtokissalongmyshoulderbeforespeaking.“I

agree. And while I don’t know you yet, I also don’t know how I’ve ever lived without
you.”

Igaveahalfsmileandclosedmyeyesforamoment.“Here’sthething,Liam.Idon’t

gointosituationshalf-cocked.”Irolledmyeyeswhenhegavetheexpectedsnickertomy
poorlyplannedwords.“Anyway.IfIhadn’talreadyexpectedtobeLokitoyourThor,I
wouldn’t have come home with you. So, yes. I will be your mate. I accept your claim,
alpha.Nowfuckingknotmealready.”

“Umm,Frankie?YoudorealizethatThorandLokiarebrothers,right?That’salittle

gross,don’tyouthink?”

“Hush.They’readoptedbrothers,notrelatedbyblood.Forfuck’ssake,Lokiisanice

giant, not an Asgardian. You believe whatever you want, but I know that Loki is taking
thatbighammerofThor’severychancehecanget.”

Liam rolled me over onto my stomach so that he was laying over my back with me

pinnedunderhisweight.Herubbedhiscockalongmycrackashedroppedacornballline.
“I’vegotahammerforyou,ifyou’reinterested.”

Ichuckled.“Really?You’restillridingthatlightningbolt?Iwouldhavethoughtyou’d

moveontoHulkSmashorevenswitchovertoDCUniverseandaccusemeofbeingyour

Kryptonite.”

“Putyourhandsoveryourhead,wolf.IwantthemwhereIcanseethem.”

“Ooh, yes, Daddy! I’m liking where this is going.” I put my hand over my head,

gettingmoreturnedonbythesecond.

“Grip the rails of the head board, get a comfortable hold.” Hearing his words, I

grippedtheheadboardrails.

Keeping his body stretched over mine, his weight pinning me in place, Liam’s hand

sliddownbetweentorubbetweenmycheeks.Histhickfingersglidedthroughmyslick,
onelongfingerpushinginsidemyrimasIliftedupagainsthisseekingdigit.Teethnipped
atmyshoulderandalongmynapeasanotherfingerjoinedthefirst.

IheardmyselfgruntingwithpleasureasIrockedmyassupagainsthim.“More,alpha.

Please,Ineedmore.”Igroanedandpleaded,needmakingmewanton.

Liam locked his legs between my thighs, shoving my legs wider apart. His fingers

pulledout,leavingmefeelingemptyashisweightshifted.Liftinghishipsjustenoughto
guide his cock toward my slick-wet hole and line it up for entry, my alpha gasped my
nameashethrustintomewithonesmoothglide.

Grippinghardonthebedframe,Igritmyteethagainsttheburningpainfromhisgirth.

Fully embedded within me, Liam stilled his body while I accepted him being inside of
mine. When the tension in my shoulders began to dissipate, Liam nipped my earlobe
beforewhisperingintomyear.“Areyoureadyformore?”

Inoddedurgently,jerkingmyassagainsthiminasilentpleaformore.Liamliftedhis

torsoupalittleandbracedhimselfonhisforearmswhilehebeganrockinginandoutof
mychannel.

Myentirebodyfeltoverheatedwithfireshootingthroughmyveins.“Fuck,yes!Give

it to me, Liam.” Now that I was feeling nothing but pleasure, I flexed my muscles and
workedmyassagainsteachthrustwithamatchingjerkofmyhips.Myalphawasmoving
fasternow,humpingintome.

I couldn’t lift my hips enough to get any real friction against my aching dick, but it

didn’tmatterbecauseIwasn’tlastingmuchlongeranyway.Witheverythrust,Ifeltthat
alphaknotgrowingatthebaseofhiscock.Itwasballooningoutalittlemoreeachtimehe
passedthroughthetightringofmuscleatmyentrance.

Gruntingagainstmyear,hisentirebodypoundedagainstthelengthofmineasherode

mefastandhard.IwasprettysurethatLiamactuallywastryingtofuckmethroughthe
mattress with the way he was slamming in and out between my walls. I felt my canines
elongatewiththeneedtobitedownasmyneedforreleasespedupmyspineinatingling
rush.

“Alpha!I’m…I’m…”

Sweatcoatedmyback,whethermineorhisIcouldn’ttellyou.Liamgrabbedmyright

hand,almostgrowlingashespoke.“Letgoofthebed,Ineedyoutoturnforme.”

Releasingthebars,Ifelthimpulloutonelasttimeasheflippedmeover.Pushingmy

kneesupandouttosides,Liamgrippedmyhipstoadjusthisanglebeforeheshovedright
back into my hole. Speeding up quickly to his previous tempo, it was almost as if he
hadn’teversloweddownorstoppedatall.

Hiscockwasrammingintomenowwithevenburstsofspeed,poundingthroughmy

walls with that ever growing knot. I looked into Liam’s pretty emerald green eyes. The
possessivearousalinthemwasallittooktohaveshortburstsofcumshootfrommydick
likeageyser.

Almost without warning, the knot fully inflated and a burst of hot seed filled my

channel.Histeethsunkintomyneck,piercingthefleshofmyomega-glandtomarkmeas
his own. At the same time, I sunk my elongated canines into his alpha-gland, tearing
through the flesh with a visceral satisfaction of ownership. This man was mine. Mate.
Mine.Myalpha.

Allatonce,theworldtookasurrealturnaswetookastepoutofreality.Itwasasif

we’d switched bodies in some sort of ‘Freaky Friday’ event. I felt like it was my knot
wedgedinsidemychannel,beinghuggedbytheclenchingwallsasthedregsofmyseed
weremilkedfrommypipes.

Atthesametime,Iwasthereceptacle,beingfilledwiththatloadofmyalpha’sseed.

ItwasasifthemissingpieceofmysoulthatI’dfeltclickintoplacealreadywithLiam
wasnowbeingcementedintoplace.

Once the world righted itself, we both pulled our teeth free and licked each other’s

newclaimscarsfreeofblood.Liamlifteduptobraceonhisforearmsandgrinintomy
face.

“Holyshit,babe.I’msorryifIgotalittletooalphathere.Ihavenoideawhatcame

overme.ItwaslikeIwaspossessedbyahornyalphafuckthatwantedtoimpaleyouon
mycock.”

Iblinkedathimasalazygrinspreadovermyface.“Imean,Ikindaamthough?You

know,impaledonyourmightyhammer?Ordidwesettleonlightningbolt?Remindme.
I’mjustaforgetfullittleomega.”

Liamsnorted.“Yeah.Okay.Seriously,though.Thatwasn’ttoomuch?”

Irubbedhisstubbledcheekwithmypalm,smilingashiswhiskerstickledme.“Liam?

Iservedinthemilitary.Remember?I’mnotayoungomegainthefirstflushofmanhood.
I’mafuckinggrownassmanwhoknowshowtoprotecthimselfifnecessary.Also,I’m
notexactlyadelicatelittletwink.TrustmewhenIsaythatnothinghappenedthatIdidn’t
want,okay?”

Leaning closer, Liam kissed me. His lips brushed gently up and down over my lips

beforeslittingintoplaceandkissingmefinally.Ashistonguesweptintomymouthand
slidacrossmine,Ibegantogiggle.

Liampulledbackandlookedatmewithacurioussmile.“Caretosharewiththerest

oftheclass?”

“Ijustrealizedasourtonguestouchedthatitwasourfirstrealkiss,andwe’vealready

hadsex!Yourknotisliterallystuckinmyass,butwe’rejustnowsharingourfirstfucking

kiss.Tellmethat’snotfunny!”IgiggledandgaspedforairwhileLiamjustwatchedme
withanaffectionategrin.

After I chilled out a bit, Liam rolled us to our sides where we would both be more

comfortable.Hisknotwouldn’tbetuggingatmyhole,andmyholewouldn’tbepulling
on his knot. It took a few minutes of wriggling and finagling, but we finally found a
comfortablepositionwithourlegsintertwined.

Welaidthereforthelongesttime,gigglingandlaughingwhilewetalkedandgotto

know even more about each other. I hadn’t ever planned on having an alpha, but I was
thankfulfortheonethathadfalleninmylap.Or,actuallysteppedinfrontofmyoutof
controlcar.Whatever.Semantics.Whatmatteredwasthathewasmine,andIwashis.

CHAPTER6

LIAM

By the time that Frankie and I made it downstairs, dinner was in full service. We had
alreadydiscussedhavingapublicdinnertogetherwheretheothershifterswouldseethat
I’dtakenamate.Afterthat,wewouldgooutforamoonlitruninouranimalskins.Well,
that was our story anyway. The truth was that we needed to get back to Jules’ house to
checkinandtakeashiftsotheothermencouldhaveabreak.

Wetookatablenearthekitchen,whereIwouldbeaccessibletoanyofmystaffthat

might have a question for me before I disappeared. Almost as soon as the beta who
waitingtablestonighthadwalkedaway,thefirststaffmembercameuptobugme.Bythe
timeourmealcame,nearlyeverymemberofmyninepersonstaffhadbeenbythetableto
scopeoutFrankie.Theonlyoneswhohadn’tweretheoneswhoweren’tworkingtoday.

Frankie’s back stiffened, shoulders tense, as he looked up with narrowed eyes at the

wolfshifterwalkingtowardus.Icoveredhishandwithminetocalmthelowgrowlthat
rumbledinhisthroat.

“Well,lookiehere.Ifitain’tFingers.Whendidyougetout?Ifiguredyouwasoutin

thedesertsomewheretranslatin’memosforthecolonelbynow.”Tommy,mymaintenance
man and former rogue wolf mercenary, was standing at our table looking at my omega
withafalsesmilethatcamenowhereneartouchinghiseyes.

“Tommy the Tank. I thought I smelled a mangy mutt. What the fuck are you doing

here?Shouldn’tyoubeoutkidnappingsomepoorlittlerichomega,terrorizingvillagersin
athirdworldcountry,orpracticingyourfuckedupbreathplayshitandkillinghookers?”

“Aw, c’mon, Fingers! That dead omega wasn’t on me, you know I got cleared of all

charges.Ididn’tknowthatlittlewhorehadthatcollarfastenedoverhiswindpipesotight
like that. When I pulled on the leash it wasn’t supposed to kill the kid, just get him off.
Fuck,Istillfeelbadaboutthatshit.”

Tommywasgrinningashespoke,whichcompletelynegatedanysemblanceofguiltor

contrition. Hmm. He’d killed a guy during sex? That sure as hell hadn’t come up in the
interviewforthisjob.

“Wastheresomethingthatyouneeded,Tommy?MymateandIareabouttohaveour

dinner.”Ispokefirmly,leavingnoroomfordoubtthathewasanuninvitedthirdwheel.

“Nope.Don’tneednuthin’,boss.Ijustsawmyoldarmybuddyhereandhadtocome

say hey, y’know?” He shifted his beady little eyes over to Frankie. “So yer finally

admittin’ that yer an omega, huh? Not gonna play the lone wolf that only gets off from
fuckin’humansnomore?”

Frankie gave a warning growl, his eyes flashed gold behind the thick lens of his

glasseswherehiswolfprowledjustunderthesurface.“Fuckyou,Tank.WhoIfuckedor
didn’tfuckisn’tyourbusiness.Atleastnoneofmineendedupdeadwithafuckingcollar
andleashattachedthemwithmyfingerprintsalloverthescene.”

Tommy looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he pasted on a conciliatory

smileandheldhishandsupwiththepalmsfacingoutinaplacatingmanner.“Hey,hey,
let’sslowthisshittraindown.Ididn’tmeantostirupoldbusiness.I’moutofthegame
now,Fingers.I’mstartin’freshuphere.Youralphaheregavemeashotataregularjob.
Nomoreofthatmercenaryshit,y’know?”

HiseyesflickeredovertomethenbacktoTommybeforeFrankieasked:“Andwhat

aboutButch?Whatdoesyouroldpartnerincrimethinkofyournewlifemakeover?”

“Naw,wecain’ttalk‘boutButch,Fingers.That’sastorywithabadendin’,trustme.

Let’sjustsaythatButchain’taroundnomoretohaveasayinnuthin’inthisworld.”

Frankie’s lips pinched together as though he were clamping back on speaking his

thoughts.Finally,heshookhisheadandexhaledalongsighbeforehespoke.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Tank. No matter what went down between you, I know you

had a long history. Well, obviously we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other if you
workhere.Let’sjustburythepastandstartfresh,yeah?”

Tommy gave one of overly friendly smiles. “Now that’s good idea, Fingers. I got a

newlifehere.I’dlikeachanceatafreshstartwithyoutoo,seemstohowwe’regonnabe
stuckrunnin’intaeachother.”

Frankienoddedandtippedtwofingerstohistempleinasalute.“Inthatcase,itwas

nicetalkingtoyou.I’llseeyouaround,Tank.”

“Tommy,” the wolf shifter stated with that fake ass smile. “I don’t go by Tank no

more.Tankdiedwiththeoldlife.”

“Okay,Tommy.Icanappreciatethat.Tellyouwhat,I’llburnthenameTankfrommy

memoryifyou’lldothesamewithFingers.IpreferFrankiethesedays.”

“Whynotjustgowithyourrealname,Francis?”Thewolfsmirked.

“Tryit.Ican’tguaranteeyou’llstillhaveteethifyoudo.Butsure,goaheadandcall

methat,Thomas.”

“Pleasure chattin’ with ya, Frankie. I got tools ta clean.” Tommy nodded at me.

“Bossman,congratsonyermatin’.Frankiehere’sagoodenoughomega,Isuppose.Ifya
wantedsomethin’differentthanyernormalprettylittleomegas.”

MyeyesnarrowedasIreplied.“Wellthen,Iguessit’sgoodthatIdidn’taskforyour

approvalbeforeclaimingmymate.Goaheadandgetbacktowork,Tommy.Don’tletus
keepyoufromit.”

Tommy took the hint and took off. Frankie puffed out a breath and reached for his

water glass. After he’d drained it, my mate looked over at me wearily. “Am I correct in

assumingthathe’stheonethatrecentlyprovedhimselftotheAlpha?”

Inodded.“You’llhavetoaskJulesformoredetails,butyeah.He’sdefinitelytheguy

theyweretalkingaboutlastnight.”

Frankieshookhisheadwithaslightfrown.“Inthatcase,I’mgladInixedlettinghim

knowaboutanythinginvolvingme.Asyoucansee,wearen’tthebestoffriends.”

“DoIwanttoknowwhatallthatwasabout,Frankie?Thatseemedtense.Iwantedto

intervene,butyoudon’tneedmeforthat.Plus,IfiguredyoumighthurtmeifItried.”

“Thanks,alpha.Iappreciatethat,andyeah,Itotallywould’vehadtohurtyouifyou’d

gonealphaonmeinfrontofthatmutt.Still,itfeelsnicetoknowthatyouwantedtoputa
stoptoit.”

Itookasipofcoffeeandsmirkedatmymate.“So…youandhumans,huh?”

Frankie chuckled dryly. “Wow. I wondered how long it would take you to bring that

up.Iwasprettysureitdidn’tgetpastyou.”Heshrugged.“Humansareeasy.Theycan’t
smellyouremotionsorpullyouintoshifterpolitics.Although,Iwillsaythatthey’reshit
forgettinganomegathroughaheat.”

IgrowledbeforeIcouldstopmyself.“Sorry.Mybeardidn’tlikethatcomment.He’sa

jealousfucker,youknowhowitiswithourinnerbeasts.”

Frankienodded.“I’msureit’sevenworsewhenyou’reanalpha.I’msorry.Thatwasa

thoughtless remark on my part. But if it makes you feel better, you’re the first and last
alphaI’veeverbeenwith?AndyourswasdefinitelythefirstknotI’veeverfelt.I’venever
eventriedoneofthetoyknots,soyouweredefinitelythefirsttoplantyourflagonthat
virginterritory.”

“AslongasI’malsothelast,thenIdefinitelyfeelbetter.Besides,it’snotlikeI’ma

virgin either. It would be ridiculously hypocritical of me to expect you to be a virgin at
youragejustbecauseyou’reanomega.It’sthatkindofbackwardthinkingthatkeepsso
manyomegasfromfollowingtheirdreams.”Ismiledandturnedmyhandoverinhisto
clasphands.

Frankiesmiledbackandsaid:“You’reanamazinglyliberalalpha,Liam.I’mglad.It

would have been impossible for us to be mated if you’d been one of those uptight
alphaholesthatwanttocontroltheiromega.”

Shrugging, I reached for my water. “We bears are much less controlling over our

omega. We’re protective like any other alphas, but we tend to treat our mates as equals.
Youwon’tfindasmanybeleagueredomegasamongthebears.”

“Yeah,well,Iimaginethatit’salittlehardtooppressomegasthatareasbigassome

wolfalphas.”Frankiegrinnedandsqueezedmyhandgentlybeforepullingitawayasthe
betadeliveredourmeals.

Wedugintothevenisonstew,bothofussilentaswetookamomenttoappreciatethe

savory bowls of heaven. Big pieces of chunky carrots, fresh peas, cubes of potato, and
hunks of venison were all married together in a savory stew with fragrant herbs and
spices.

Afterafewbites,Frankielookedupatmeshyly.“IsupposeIshouldtellyouthatit’sa

bitofreliefthatwecanlivehere.Myskillsetdoesn’tincludecreatingdeliciousmealslike
thisone.Orthatawesomesoupearlier.I’mkindofabrokenomega,Ishouldwarnyouof
thatnow.”

Igrinnedandblottedmymouthwithmynapkin.“Well,babe,ifthat’sthecase?Then

I’m just a broken alpha, which makes us a matched set. You don’t need to worry about
cooking,Idon’tsharemykitchenwellanyway.”

Helookedatmeinconfusion.“Yourkitchen?Iknowyou’repartowner,butshouldn’t

thecookbetheonetobecontrollingofthekitchen?”

I winked and waved a hand to indicate the stew. “And that would be why I’m

controlling,andprobablyabrokenalpha.I’mmuchbetteratcookingthanfighting.And
bytheway,thanksforcallingmytomatosoupamazing.Ithinkit’sthethymethatmakesit
sing.”

Frankie’smouthdroppedopen,butnotforlong,ashequicklyspoonedanotherbiteof

myvenisonstewintoit.Hiseyesclosedforamomentasifheweretastingitagainforthe
firsttimenowthatheknewitwasmyhandsthathadmadeit.Afterhe’dswallowedhis
mouthful,Frankietookadrinkofwaterbeforelookingbackatmewithaglowingsmile.

“You should’ve led with the cooking, alpha. You’d have had me in your bed five

minutes after we met. Holy shit, that is good food. That soup this afternoon? And that
sandwich?Cookedtofuckingperfection,Imeanit.Imeanttohaveyoucomplimentthe
cook, but I got a little sidetracked by a horny alpha after lunch.” He winked at me and
tookanotherbite.

Snorting out a laugh, I rolled my eyes. “Um, thank you? Whether it’s because you

admittedthatIsidetrackedyoutothepointthatyouforgotaboutthefoodorbecauseyou
lovedmyfood,Idon’tknow.IjustfeellikeIneedtosaythankyoueitherway.”

Frankiegrinned.“AllIknowisthatit’sagoodthingwehavefastmetabolismswithall

thisrichfoodthatI’mgoingtobestuffingintomyface.”Hewiggledhiseyebrowsatme
suggestively.“Andhavingamatewithagoodwaytohelpmeburncalorieshelpstoo.”

I shook my head with a light heart and pointed to the empty bowl in front of him.

“Wouldyoulikemore,orshouldwegoforthemoonlightrunthatwediscussedearlier?”

Obviouslyawarethatthewallscouldhaveears,Frankieplayedalong.“Asgoodasthe

foodwas,I’mgoingwithoptionB.But,youmightwanttosetupsomeoneasbackupfor
youherebecausewemightgetlostinthewoodsforalittlebit.”

“Thenwhatarewewaitingfor,babe?Let’sgetgoing.”Istoodandheldmyhandout

for his. Taking my hand, Frankie stood and walked with me. I took him through the
kitchen where I stopped to let my assistant know that he was in charge until I returned.
Oncethatwashandled,Iledhimouttothebackyard.

Thebackyardopenedontothetreecoveredslopethatstoodjustpastmypropertyline.

My uncle had originally purchased this property because it backed up to the mountain.
Onceshifted,wecouldrunthroughthetreesanddisappear.

Jules’housewasabouttwoclickstothewest,ashewasfondofsaying.Ifwewentin

the other direction, we would be on den territory. My property was right in between the
two,whichwaswhyJuleswouldeasilybeabletosecretlycarrymessagesbetweenus.

The only reason I’d been walking the long way through town and not this direct

mountainroutewhenFrankiehadalmosthitmewasbecauseIhadn’twantedtoruninto
any shifters. Which was laughable now that I knew that Alpha Mikael had been well
awareofmyvisittheentiretime.

Oncewesteppedoutside,therewasacoveredporchthatranthelengthofourinn.It

wouldprotectusfrompryingeyes,ontherarechancethathumanswerehikinguponthe
hillwheretheycouldseedownintotheyard.Thereweretwoorthreehardtoreachspots
that were the only places where the yard could be seen. The covered patio hid us from
thosesightangles.

ImentionedthistoFrankieaswechanged,andhenoddedthoughtfully.“It’salsogood

toprotectyoufromsatellites.I’dworrymoreabouttheearthmappingsatellitescatching
youontheirfeedthanIwouldaboutarandomhiker.”

Tossingmyclothesontothebenchthatsatbesidethebackdoor,Ilookedoverathim

strangely.“Wow.Ineverwouldhavethoughttoworryaboutshitlikethat.”

Frankiewinkedandtossedhisclothesoverwithmine.“Andnowyouwon’tneedto,

right?YouhandlethecookingandI’llhandlethesecurityconcerns.”

Ichuckledsoftly.“Youdorealizethatneitherofusisbroken,right?We’rejustplaying

theoppositerolesthatareusuallyexpectedofourdesignations.Itactuallyworksoutquite
well for us, don’t you think? I don’t need a homemaker omega, and you don’t need a
protectivealpha.”

Frankiesmiledthen.“Perfect!Instead,youcanhaveaprotectiveomega,andIgetthe

homemakeralpha?HowthehelldidIluckout?And,justtoclarify.Ifweeverhavekids,
doesthismeanthatyou’lldealwiththem?”

“Well,Ican’tspitthemout.That’sonyou.ButI’llbehappytotakecareofthemonce

theyarrive.Exceptwhentheygetolder.Yougettheteendetail.Ifuckinghateteens.Hell,
maybe if I was better with them then my cousin, Dylan, would be living here where he
belongs,insteadofattheden.”

With a sweet look in his eyes, Frankie stepped up and wrapped his arms around my

waist. He looked into my eyes and spoke. “I think that is a perfect plan. And I will be
happy to talk to Dylan too. Maybe help you get him to come home. What’s his
designation?”

“Dylanisanomega.Buthe’satraditionalone.Hewantstobealittlehousehusband.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Liam. Everyone has their own deal, you know?

There is nothing wrong with fulfilling a stereotypical role if that’s what you want. It’s
whenyoudon’twantitandareforcedintoitthatitbecomesaproblem.I’lltalktohim.”

Ileanedforwardandtouchedmylipstohis.Afterwesharedasoftkiss,Itouchedour

foreheads together. “I wish we didn’t have to leave. I would enjoy finding new ways to
makeyoubeg.”

Frankiehummedinthebackofhisthroat.“Yeah,butjustthinkofhowmuchhotterit’s

going to be after we spend the rest of the day anticipating it.” He swatted my hip and
grinned.“Nowlet’sshift.Iwanttoseethatsexybigassbearofyours.”

We took a few steps apart and relaxed into our shift. I didn’t watch Frankie’s shift

happenbecauseIwasbusyshiftingmyself.Onceweshifted,Ilookeddowntoseeathick,
muscularwolfwithalongbodylookingbackatme.Histhickcoatofbrownandwhitefur
just begged to have my human hands ruffle through it. One day I would do just that, I
quicklydetermined.

Atfirstglance,helookedlikeawhitesnowwolfthathadrolledincocoapowder.The

tips of his white hairs were brown, with thicker patches of brown in places, and less in
others. His eyes almost glowed, they were so golden as they looked back at me. Most
shiftersretainedtheirhumaneyecolorwheninanimalform.

Butthepurerlinesthathaddescendedfromtheolderfamilieshadthosegoldeneyes

likemyFrankie.Iheardofthisinschool,butitwasmyfirsttimeseeingit.Hegazedat
me unblinkingly, which showed me that he knew that I was taking note of those unique
eyes.

CHAPTER7

FRANKIE

Iknewtheminutethathesawmyeyes.Itwasinevitableifhe’dbeenpayingattentionin
school,andobviouslyhehad.Therespectinhiseyeswasrightthere,clearlyvisible.His
more human green eyes were much more compelling for me. Who gave a shit if I
descended from one of the first families? At the end of the day, I was still just another
shiftertryingtogetalonginthisworld.

Afterhehadhisfillofcheckingoutmywolf,Imovedaroundhisbulkybearbodyto

checkhimout.Thethickbrownpeltwasasexpected.Hispawshadlongsharpclawsthat
Iknewcouldbequitelethalifusedcorrectly.Iadmiredhispointysnoutandfiercelooking
fangs,buttheadorablelittletailandroundearswerejusttoocute.

Icouldn’twaituntilIwasaroundhisbearinhumanform.Iwouldcurluponhisback

andscratchbehindthoseadorablelittleearswhilehestretchedoutlikealivingbearrug
forme.

Irubbedupagainsthim,liftingmysnouttolickunderhischin.ThenIranoutintothe

yard and ran in circles while he lumbered up behind me. After I’d let my wolf have his
fun,Itookcontrolandwewanderedoffintothetreestogetheraswe’dplanned.

AfterwegotpasttheB&Banditspryingeyes,Liamtookoverandpointedustoward

ourdestination.Iranatmymate’ssideallthewaytoJuleshouse,proudtobebesidemy
powerfulalpha.

Jules’housebackuptothemountainjustasourplacedid.Ourplace.Ilikedthesound

ofthat,Ireallydid.Colinsteppedoutoftheslidingdoorasweenteredtheiryard.Hewas
smilingandholdingclothes.

We shifted and walked over to an intrigued Colin. He said: “Okay, I brought some

sweatsandteesoutforyouboth.Butfirst,Ireallyneedtotellyouhowamazingyoureyes
are!Isawthatgoldenglow,andhadtodoadoubletake.I’msorryifit’sweirdthatI’m
sayingthistoyou.”

I smiled patiently and pulled on the sweats he’d handed me. Not having to converse

with my balls hanging free was always preferable. “It’s cool, I’m used to people
commenting the first time they see my eyes. Want to know something funny? I’d rather
havehumanlookingeyeslikeeveryoneelsedoesinmywolfform.I’veneverbeenoneto
standout.I’dratherblendintothebackgroundandbefreetodoasIplease.”

Julessteppedoutrightthen,smilingashewalkedovertokisshismateonthecheek.

“Colin noticed your glowing eyes, eh? I wondered how long you’d keep that secret up
here.”Hetookasniffoftheair,andsmiledapprovinglyatLiam’sandmymatchingclaim
scars.

Hesmiledenigmaticallyandsaid:“Well,Iseethatcongratulationsareinorder.It’snot

everydaythatoneofourkindmeetstheirfated-mate.Comeoninside,wehavemuchto
showyou,andperhapssoonsomethingtocelebrate.”

ColinandJuleswentinsidewhileLiamandIlingeredforakissonthepatio.Westood

a hair’s breadth apart as he murmured softly: “Does it bother you? To have everyone
commentonyourfascinatingeyes?”

I sighed. “It used to, but I’m used to it now. I’m the last of my line, so I suppose I

shouldtakeprideinitmore.”

His lips curved against mine. “Hmm. About that, I should probably tell you some

news. Jules wasn’t talking about the mission when he said that we’d perhaps have
somethingtocelebratesoon.Hewaswaitingformetoscentit.Fuckingcatnose.Allmy
life, we bears had that super power! Then the jaguars come to town and we are only
secondbestsniffersnow.”

“Liam?Canyoumaybegettothepointsoon?They’rewaitingforusinside.”Ididn’t

wanttohurthisfeelings,Ijustdidn’tseewhyaconversationabouthisandJules’superior
sense of smell had any relevance at the moment. I mean, unless they’d scented that I
was…no.Ilookedupatmymatedwithwideningeyes.

“Babe,JulesknowswhyIheldyouback.Iwanttosharesomenewswithyou.”

Shakingmyhead,Isaid:“No,really.Don’tevensuggestthatI’malready…”

“Pregnant,”hefinishedforme.“Icansmellthechangeinyourpheromones.Andby

thetimewegotobedtonight,I’llheartheheartbeat.Orheartbeats,ifwegetmorethan
one.Iknowthathappensmoreoftenwithyoupurebloods.Soyeah,you’renottheendof
yourline,babe.”

I stood there staring at him, his words going through my ears but not really settling

intomybrain.Iwasstilltooshocked.Liamsmiledhesitantly,hiseyesfilledwithconcern.

“Frankie? Talk to me, babe. You’re scaring me right now. Are you okay with this? I

mean,it’snotlikewehaveachoice,butIdon’twantyoutofeelpressuredintoany—”

I silenced him mid word when I flung my arms around his neck and attacked his

mouthwithmylips.AfterIkissedhimsoundly,Ipulledbackandsmiledintohiseyes.

“Of course, I’m happy! You’re my mate! I’m thrilled to have our cub. Or pup, or

whatever the hell we end up with here. I’m just stunned. I hadn’t ever expected to have
children,sothisisasurprise.Andyou’reright.Thiswillbeacontinuationofmyline,not
thatIcareaboutthatkindofshit.Ijustwanttoraiseprettybabieswithmygorgeousmate
and to hell with what color eyes they have. I’ll tell you this though,” he stopped and
grinnedatmemischievously.“Youalreadypromisedtotakethebabyduty.I’monforthe
teenyears,remember?I’mholdingyoutothat,alpha.”

Liamchuckledandpulledmeinforanotherhug.“Oh,Irememberallright.Itwilljust

beinterestingtoseeifitendsupthatway.Ihaveahardtimeseeingyouletmedowhat
thehellIwanttodowithourchildrenwithoutyourinput.Hell,Ican’tseemedoingthat
either when it’s my turn to sit back and let you do all the work. I’m pretty sure this is
goingtobesidebyside.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but we both know that I’m going to be the one playing bad cop to

yourgood.You’llneverbeabletobemeanenoughtobreakthemifthey’relying.”

“Maybe I could threaten to put veggies in their cookies? If they know about it, that

wouldbepunishmentmaybe,wouldn’tit?”

Ilookedathimsuspiciously.“Thefactthatyoujusttrottedthatoutwithouthavingto

thinktwicetellsmethatI’mgoingtowanttowatchyouwhenyou’rebaking.You’reone
ofthosesneakyfuckersthathidesspinachinbrownies,aren’tyou!”

Mycutealphablushedandsaidhotly:“Ialsoaddcarrots!They’resosweetyounever

misstherefinedsugarorknowabouttheaddedvitamins.”

ThesoundofchucklingbehindmetoldmethatJuleshadwalkedbackout,Ilooked

backandglaredathim.

“Hey, don’t give me that look! Just don’t let him share that recipe with my Colin,

that’sallIask.”

ColinappearedinthedoorwaybehindJules,withSeanlaughinginthebackgroundas

hewhisperedintothejaguarshifter’sear:“WhodoyouthinkgaveLiamtherecipeinthe
firstplace,prettykitty?”

Jules paled at his words, which made me and Colin both crack up. Liam walked up

andswunghisarmaroundmyshoulders.Themoodwasmuchlighternow,thankfully.He
hadobviouslybeenworriedforaminutethere,sincehehonestlydidn’tknowhowI’dfeel
aboutbeingpregnantsosoon.

LiamgavemyshoulderaquickpatandpassedmetogiveJulesashove.“Getinside,

youbiggoofball.Iknowyouwerejusthangingaroundtoseemetellmymatethenews.
Now quit worrying about our breeding abilities and show us what happened while we
weregonetoday.”

IlovedhowitwasusandwewithLiam,nothimandme.Iwassoluckytohavefound

theperfectalphaforme.

Sean congratulated us, obviously having been filled in about the baby by his mates

while we were outside talking. I was pleasant enough, but my mind was already on the
mission.LiamsmiledasIreachedintothecomputerbagnexttomeandextractedapairof
glasses.AssoonasIsatdowninfrontofthatmonitor,therestoftheroomfadedawayasI
becamelaserfocusedonthetaskathand.

Itoccurredtomethough,asLiamwatchedmeworkthatitwasagoodthingthathe

was a nurturing kind of alpha. Hell, I would probably get preoccupied by some bit of
codingandforgettofeetourcubifLiamwasn’taround.No,Iwouldstayoutofhisway
andlethimdohisthinginthekitchen,andthankmyluckystarsforit.

A few minutes later, shit got real when I found myself getting into a heated debate

with Jules. Oh, hell. Okay. I could do this. Liam walked over and sat down beside me,
probably to see what the hell we were having words about. Almost immediately I clued
everyoneintothefactthatJuleswantedtogoinandgetYvonne,whileIwantedtowait
andobserve.

“Jules.Whatifyoujumpthegunandrushintherebutdon’tcatchher?Whatthen?”

“Nooffense,Frankie?Butyourjobwastocreatestatisticalpossibilitiesbasedonthe

intel you received. The military had the luxury of waiting while you eggheads farted
aroundandmadeyourfuckingobservations.Myjobwastogoinandextract,detain,or
fuckshitupafteryoufinallygotaroundtomakingadecision.Sometimesciviliansdied
whileyouguyssataroundwithyourthumbupyourass.”

ColinwatchedussteadilywhileSeansuckedinabreath.Liamjustshookhishead.

“Idotakeoffense,Jules.Howdareyou?YouknowdamnwellthatIhadtotakeorders

the same as everyone else. We couldn’t proceed until our officer told us that we were
ready to proceed. Don’t even put that shit on me, Jag, it’s not fair to either of us. Now
listen,Iknowhowimpotentyou’vebeenfeelingthroughthiswholething.”

I shook my head and paced behind the table before turning back to Jules. “But, Jag.

Jumpingforwardtosoonwilljustriskblowingthewholething.Whenyoudotakeherin,
youneedtomakeitlooklikearandomeventthathappenedbecauseshewasoutinpublic.
Ifshehasanyonehelpingherthatwemaywanttogoafternext,wecan’tletthecatoutof
thebagaboutthetracking.I’mnotsayingthistocovermyownass,I’mtakingthelong
viewhere.It’snotthatIdon’tgiveashit,it’sjustthatIwantitdonerightsothatitsticks
andthisendsforonceandforall.”

Jules pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Let’s compromise then. Once the cell

tower is fixed and the area has full wireless capability, then I’m going on stakeout. The
minutesheleavesthatwolfcompound,I’mtakingherdown.Doesthatworkforyou?”

IpursedmylipsandhuffedoutabreaththroughmynoseasIcrossedmyarmsover

mychestandglaredatJules.“Fine.Doithoweverthefuckyouwanttodoit.Butifthe
shitgoessideways,rememberwhoyouhavetoblame,superstar.”

Thetwoofglaredateachotheralittlelonger,untiloneofuscracked.Ireallydon’t

know for sure which of us it was. One moment we were glaring, and the next we were
bothlaughing.SeangotupandmadeapotofcoffeewhileColinwalkedoutshakinghis
headandmutteringsomethingaboutcheckingonhiscubs.

CHAPTER8

LIAM

Afterseveraldaysofslippingbackandforthbetweenourhomes,servicewasinstalledand
Juleswasreadytomove.HeandSeanweregoingalongwithtwomenfromalocalwolf
pack that lived in a lodge nearby. Frankie was much happier about it, because he had
actuallybeenabletoestablisharoutineforthetarget.

Apparently,thealpha-bitchlikedherfrappuccinos.Shewouldgoouteverymorningat

7a.m.toalocalcoffeeplace.Thenshewouldmakeacallbeforeheadingbacktothewolf
territory.Frankiehadcheckedthenumbershecalledeveryday.Itwaslistedinherphone
as“Lovah”andthenumberwasunlisted.

Today, the men would take her down outside of the coffee shop. Jules was prepared

withscentblockersforeveryoneinvolved.Shewouldn’tknowtheshifterswerethereuntil
itwastoolate.

“Jules.”Frankiecamewalkinginwithasmallmetalcaseinhand.“Ihaveananswerto

theproblemofdetainingYvonne.Theseareunbreakable,andwillrestrainanyalphawho
wearsthem.”

HehandedthecasetoacuriousJules,whoopeneditandpulledoutanexquisitesilver

chainwithlittleglowingstoneswovenintoiteverythreeinches.Theotheritemwasapair
ofmatchingbraceletsthatlinkedtogetherlikehandcuffs.

Jules looked up at Frankie. “I’m sorry, dude. I’m going to need an explanation here.

Nobodyhaseverbeenabletocontainashifter,andyouareofferingmeaprettynecklace
andsomehumanhandcuffs?”

Frankie chuckled dryly. “Trust me? Extend your hands and I’ll demonstrate. Now,

listen, though. If you feel ill at all during the demonstration? You’ll be right as rain the
minutewefinish.”

Julesdidasheasked,watchingwithamusementasFrankiepassedSeanthenecklace.

“Wehavetodoitintandem.Youputthatoverhisneckandtuckitintohisshirtwherehe
can’tjustslipoutofit,whileIdothehandcuffs.”

Seanwasalltoohappytoassist,andthetwoofthemquicklyhadthesilveritemson

thesleekjaguar.Frankiesteppedbackandsaid:“Okay,breakfree.”

Juleslookedpeakedashetriedtopullatthedelicatelookinghandcuffs.Ashepulled,

thestonesglowedbrighterwhileJuleslookedpaler.Hedroppedtohisknees,lookingup
atmymatewithaterrifiedexpression.“Whatthehell,Fingers?Explain.”

AlphaMikaelwassittingatthetablewithmewatchingthewholethingwithinterest.

HeandPeterhadslippedovertoseetheguysoffandtodiscusswhattodowithYvonne
oncetheyhadherincustody.

Frankie looked around at us all and spoke in a serious voice. “You all know that I

comefromafoundingshifterfamily,oneoftheoriginallines.You’veseenmyeyes,it’s
notlikeIcanhideit.”Everyonenodded.MikaelandPeterhadn’tseenit,buttheywere
givinghimthebenefitofthedoubt.

“Okay. Well, many of our secrets have been lost to time. Families like mine have

piecesandpartsofthewhole,butnoteverything.Thissetbelongedtomyfivetimesgreat
grandmother. She was apparently a psychic omega witch who was also gifted in
metallurgy.Rumorhasitthatasthesilverwasmelted,dropsofherownbloodaddedin
beforetheymadethechainandhandcuffs.Eachmoonstonehassomeweirdlittlecarving
etchedintoitssurface,I’llletyouguyslookatthemlater.”

Mikael asked: “If you have this capability, why haven’t you shared them with the

shifterworldbeforenow?”

Frankie looked sadly at the Alpha. “I know, and that’s why the first families are all

said to be keeping things from everyone. And we are, obviously. The thing is, we don’t
understand them ourselves. This is the only set of these. I have no way to replicate the
design. And if it was indeed made with my family’s DNA, then it literally cannot be
replicatedwithoutsomeoneofmylineagedonatingblood.Youcanseewhywewouldbe
afraidtoputthatoutthere,right?”

Peterasked:“Whyarethestonesglowing?Thisisnotnormal,yes?”

Frankieshookhishead.“Idon’tknowthateither.Ibelievethatithastodowiththe

etchings. But if you notice, the more that Jules struggled, the more they glowed? They
appeartousehisownenergytokeephimsubdued.Themorethatittakesfromhim,the
moretheyglow.It’sfascinating,butIdon’thaveacluehowitwasdone.”

Jules spoke through gritted teeth. “Can we worry less about the how and focus on

gettingmefree?”

My mate looked stricken as he quickly moved to remove the necklace. Once it was

free,Jules’colorbegantorapidlyreturn.Hewasabletogethimselfoutofthebracelets,
passingthemtoFrankiewithalookofhorrifiedfascination.Frankieputthembackinto
Jules’hands,alongwiththenecklace.

“Youholdontothem,Jag.I’mputtingtheseintoyourcare.ThereisnobodyelsethatI

would trust with them. You will need them to restrain Yvonne and bring her back here.
Justmakesurethatyouhavebothitemsputonheratthesametime,likeIdidwithSean.
Tuckthenecklaceintohershirt,ordoubleit,justmakesurethatshecan’tbendoverand
haveitfalloff.”

Jules looked at Frankie curiously. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s more that

you’reholdingback?”

Frankieshrugged.“Thereprobablyis,yeah?Butthinkaboutitlikethis,Jules.IfI’m

nottellingyousomething,thentherearetwogoodreasons.It’seitherboringorsomething

thatyou’resafernotbeingprivyto,youknow?”

Afteramoment’sthought,Frankieadded:“Oryoucouldjustconsideritneedtoknow

informationthatyoudon’tneedtoknow?”

Julesshookhisheadandlookedatthedelicatesilverstrands.Hewalkedovertoshow

Mikael while Frankie came over and leaned into me where I stood at the counter. We
wrappedourarmsaroundeachotherandstoodtherewatchingthem.

The Alpha looked over at us approvingly. “It occurs to me, Frankie, that you are

pregnant.Thosetwowillcarryonyourfamilylinenow,whichmeansthatyouwilleither
have to train them or write everything down for them. Is that what your father did for
you?”

Frankieloweredhisheadandtookalongbreath.Steppingback,hegrabbedmyhand

andledmetothetabletositwiththeAlpha.

“Yeah, I was a little freaked when Liam told me that we’re expecting twins. Family

loresaythattwinshaveahigherlevelofpsychicability.Buthere’sthething.Myfather
isn’ttheonewhotaughtme,itwasmymother.Thefamilylineisonlycarriedonifoneor
bothofthemareomega.Onlyanomegahastheability,inmyfamily.Forme,ittranslated
toseeingpatternsandhavinganaffinityfornumbers.Hell,Iwasdoingcalculusinmiddle
school.Thereareafewfamiliesthataredescendedfromthefirstfamilies.”

Helookedaroundthequietroom,watchingeveryoneashedroppedthistruthbombon

us.“Butallofthefoundingfamiliesarealldirectlylinkedtothefirstcouplethatthegods
blessedwiththegiftoftransformation.Tobeskin-walkers.Myfamilyisonethatcarries
itsblessingfromthefirstomega.Whenthelastomegaisbornofmylineage,myfamily
linewillend,evenifIgivebirthtoalphas.”

Peter asked curiously. “But what if your grandchild was an omega? Would it come

backthen?”

Shaking his head, Frankie replied: “Our abilities passes from omega to omega,

directly.Thisiswhytheotherfoundingfamilieshavefadedintoobscurity.”Heturnedto
lookatJulesthen.

“There is a rumor that another founding family lives where you come from, and are

alsojaguar.Buttheirmajickspassthroughthealphasideofthelineage.”

Jules looked intrigued. “I wonder what they can do? I’ve never met a jaguar with

glowingeyes,though.Trustme,I’drememberthat.”

Frankienodded.“Well,tobefair?Youweren’tsupposedtoseemyeyes.Noneofyou

were.Mostofusonlyshiftaroundourfamiliesandourmatestokeepoursecret.I’vejust
growntiredofitaftersomanyyearsofkeepingithidden.IreachedthepointthatIjust
stoppedgivingashitifanyoneknew.Probablynotthebestidea,butitiswhatitis.”

Mikaellookedathimstrangelythen,hisalphapowerswirlingsuddenly.“Frankie.Am

Iallowedtoaskedwhatexactlyyourbigsecretis?Ifeelasthoughyouareholdingback
morethanjustsomeprettyjewelrythatcanrestrainashifter.”

Frankieblushedandshookhishead.“I’msorry,Alpha.Icannottellyoutherest.Iam

only permitted to reveal it to my omega descendant when he or she comes of an age of
understanding,ormymate.EvenwithLiam,Icanonlyrevealittohiminthepropertime.
Otherwise,itmustremainasecret.”

Everyshifterintheroomcouldscentthetruthinhiswords,sonobodyaskedanything

elseaboutit.SeangrinnedatJulesafewminuteslaterandsaidwhatwewereallthinking:
“Youthoughtyourarmyfriendwasahackergeek.Turnsouthe’slikesomesecretninja
dude from a secret sect that traces itself to the first omega. That’s a fucking trip right
there.”

We all chuckled, but I reached out for my mate’s hand. He looked shaken after

revealing so much about himself. It wasn’t long after that Jules stood and prepared to
leave for his mission. Hopefully, the next time we saw him, he would have Yvonne in
custody.Whatwewoulddowithher,Ihadnoidea.Butshewouldn’tbeoutthereplotting
any more attacks on our people. That right there was worth its weight in blood infused
magicsilver.

CHAPTER9

FRANKIE

WewatchedfromtheothersideofthetwowaymirrorasJulesandSeanwalkedavery
pissed off Yvonne into the small interrogation room that Jules had “borrowed” from the
human sheriff. Apparently, Jules either had friends in high places, a very good badge
counterfeiter,ortheluckoftheIrish,becausetheSheriffhadn’tflinchedaboutanyofus
beingthere.

IwasbehindtheglasswithPeter.HewouldbetakingnoteswhileIstudiedherbody

languageandwatchedtheproceedingswhileIdownloadedallthedatafromherphoneto
get anything that my worm may have missed. Alpha Mikael was already sitting there
whenshewaswalkedin.

ShetookonelookattheAlpha,andcringed.ShewhippedherheadtowardJules.“No!

Idon’twanttotalktohim!HethreatenedtokillmeifIbroketheshunning!Icannotbe
here!Itriedtotellyouthatwhenyoukidnappedme!Iwillbeevisceratedforbeinginhis
presence,don’tyouunderstandthat?Mybrotherisanevil,megalomaniacalpsychowith
narcissisticandhomicidaltendencies!WhydoyouthinkI’vebeenontherun?Ihaven’t
hadagoodnight’ssleepsincethiswholeordealbegan!”

JulesshovedherintothechairacrossfromMikael,thenwalkedaroundandtookthe

seatbesidetheAlpha.SeanstooddirectlybehindYvonne,obviouslyonguardduty.

Petersnortedatherperformance,whichmademegrinmorethanherlittlebadacting

jobdid.Normallysuchaquietlittlebuttoned-upbeta,Petersatthereinhisnavyblueand
mintgreenargylesweatervestwithajauntylittlenavybluebow-tietomatch.Themint
green shirt he wore beneath was firmly buttoned all the way to his chin, and his navy
khakishadanicecrisppleatdownthecenter.

Yeah,IlikedPeter.Hewasafascinatinglittlemanwithabigprotectivestreak.Liam

hadtoldmeoverdinnerafewnightsagothatPeterhadamatewhowasanomega.His
mate was a cousin of Alpha-Mate Taylor. They had recently adopted an infant and five
yearoldtwins.IwasprettysurethatthosecubswerethereasonforthesparkleinPeter’s
voicethepastfewmonthswhenI’dspokentohim.

IlookedbackoveratYvonne,amazedatthedisparitybetweenherandtheAlpha.She

wasatall,voluptuousredheadalpha-bitch.SheremindedmealotofJessicaRabbit,totell
thetruth.Well,ifJessicaRabbithadathingforleather.Seriously,dominatrixmuch?She
wore thigh leather boots that had been dyed purple. A black leather mini-skirt that just
barelycoveredherladybitsanditsmatchingvestwereallshewore.Thevestwascropped

abovehernavelandcutsolowhertitswereoverflowinglikeDollyParton’swouldbeif
squeezedintoaC-cupbra.Itwasbothawfulandmesmerizingatthesametime.

Shetossedherlongauburnhairbackoveroneshoulder.Icouldseethefamiliargleam

of my great grandmother’s necklace with its glowing stones as it rested again her milky
flesh,themarkofamatingscarbarelyshowingnexttothechain.Shewasn’tsexy,though,
shejustlookedcold,evil,andpsychotic.Thatmilkyfleshofherslookedlikemarble,for
allthewarmththatitexuded.

Shelookedoveratherselfinthetwowayglass,ratherthanlookingatherbrother.It

waseeriehowtheglassworkedlikeamirrortoherbuttomeitwasifshewerelooking
me in the eyes. I would never want to make eye contact with those dead eyes. Her lips
werepaintedoverwithshinylipstickinalovelyshadeofhookerred.

Mikael,ontheotherhand?Helookedlikeanovergrownsurferboy.Atsevenfoottall,

he was huge even by bear standards. His shoulders were broad, but in proportion to his
height.Theflowing,shoulderlengthblondehairandeasysmilecombinedtogivehima
laidbackvibe,despitethepowerfulauraofalphajujuthatpouredofftheman.Hewasthe
mostpowerfulalphathatI’devermet,andoneofthekindest.

RightasIwasthinkingthat,hemademejumpasheslammedalargehanddownon

thetable in frontof his sister.The way she cowered,and even howJules was tilting his
headtopresenthisneck,toldmethatMikaelhadunleashedafloodofalphapowerinto
theroom.

Peter smiled next to me and said softly: “It never gets old to see the Alpha do that.

Lookather,sheisunabletomove,yes?Andshethoughtshecouldreplacehim?Please.”

Ileanedtohearalittlebetter.AlphaMikaelwastalking.

“What is the matter with you, Yvonne? People have been killed, thanks to your

fuckingtantrumofaso-calledwar.Goodpeople!Ourpeople.Didyounotthinkofthem?
Yousaythatyouwantmedeadsothatyoucantakemyplace,andyetyouwouldmaim
and murder the very people that you seek to lead? My goddess, Yvonne. I don’t
understand why you would do this. I know that we had different carrier parents, but we
shareasire.Howcouldyouattempttokillyourownbrother,Yvonne?Explainthistome,
please.Idonotunderstand.WhatchangedyoufromthesweetchildthatIrememberintoa
crazypersonwhowoulddothesethings.”

She turned to look her brother with a cold sneer. “You, Mr. Perfect, are NOT my

brother! Your father was good enough to leave that little tidbit of information in a fuck
youlettertome.Afterhedied,itwasdeliveredtomewithmyinheritance.Doyouknow
howmuchthegreatAlphalefthisonlysupposeddaughter?Onefuckingdollar.Youwant
to know to what changed me, Mikael? There you go. Mystery fucking solved. So, you
planning to kill me here in front of the humans, or what? Because if you need time to
wrestlewithyourguiltwhileyoufindyoursacandalphaup,Icoulduseasmokebreak.”

Mikaelwaslookingatherwithasorrowfulgaze.Shesnappedhereyesbackhisway.

“Youaren’tsurprised.Youknewthatwearen’tblood,didn’tyou?Huh.Nowonderyou
hadnoproblemshunningme.”

“That’s not true at all, Yvonne. Shunning you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to

do.ButIcouldn’tallowyoutokillanunborncub,ortorturethatpooromegaforanother
second.Itisourdutyasalphastoprotectouromegas,andyetyoubeatandtorturedthat
dearman.Ishunnedyoudespitemyloveforyou,Yvonne.NotbecauseIquitcaring.And
yes,Iwasawarethatyouweren’tmyfather’scub.Youlookexactlylikethemanthatyour
motherworkedforwhenmyfatherstarteddatingher.Hewaslonelyaftermycarrierdad
passed,andyourmomwasthere.Noneofthatisyourfault,andformyfathertotellyou
likehedidwasreprehensible.

“ButYvonne,Icannotstopthis,youdorealizethat,right?ItismydutyasAlphato

dispense justice. I cannot let my affection for the childhood memory of how you once
weretointrudeandblocktherealityofwhoyou’vebecomenow.Thereisnowayyoucan
apologizeforthedeathsthatyouhavecausedinthiscommunity.Thisiswhyyouwillbe
puttodeath.Itisourway,asyouwellknewwhenyouembarkedonthisfarceofterror.”

Yvonne’slipscurledbackintoaferalsneer.“Ididn’taskforyourforgiveness,Alpha.

And if you want to talk deaths, what about my people? Don’t tell me that you weren’t
behindtheperfectlycoordinatedfiresthattookoutthatentirechainofmycommand.See?
You’rejustastwo-facedasyouroldmanwas,Mik.”

Alpha Mikael drew himself up to his full height. “There is no comparison, Yvonne.

Youattackedomegas,andchildrenathomeintheiryards.Weretaliatedandtookoutpaid
mercenaries. There is a difference. Now, I am done talking for now. You will stay here
untilwehaveaplacereadyforyou,probablyafewhours.Therewillbeaguardonthe
door,sodon’ttryanything.”

Withoutwaitingforherresponse,MikaeljerkedachintoJulesandSean.Thethreeof

themlefttheroom,leavingheraloneinthelockedroom.Peterstoodandsaid:“Comeon,
omega.Thereisnothingtoseehere.Letusgohaveabreak,yes?”

I grinned and got up to follow. We saw them clustered at the end of the hall, and

rushed over to greet them. The rest of what came next went by in a blur. We all moved
intoaconferenceroomtodiscusswhereYvonnecouldbemoved.

LookingoveratJules,Iaskedhimhowhegottousethesheriff’sstation.Ireallywas

impressed by the trick. He looked at me blankly when I told him my suspicions, then
laughed. “Dude. No. My secret is kindness. The sheriff is a nice guy and I always treat
himwithrespect.Thisishimreturningthefavor.”

BeforeIcouldrespond,thesheriffduckedhisheadin.“Yoursuspectforgotthese,who

wantstotakeresponsibilityforthem?OrshouldIusethestationlostandfound?”

We took one look at the silver and moonstone jewelry, and everyone jumped up at

once.Petertookthejewelryanddiscreetlypassedittome,whileJulesandMikaelwentto
findouthowshe’descapedfromthisjewelry,alockedroom,andasheriff’sdepartment
fullofwitnesses.

TheroomwentquietwhentheyheardmeaskPeterwhohadlefttheclaimbiteonher

alpha-gland.Allfourheadsspunmyway,andMikaelquietlyaskedmetoclarify.

“When she first sat down, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and I was able to

observeherneckandshoulder.Isawthescarofamatingbiteonheralpha-gland.”

The sheriff came in right then holding up a small black flash drive. “Here we go,

gentlemen.Mysecretarycamebackfromlunchaminuteago.Shesaidthatyoursuspect
leftwithherhusband.Anicemanwithlongblackbeard.Hewalkedoutpasther,soshe
hadnoreasontoassumethathewasn’tontheupandup.I’vegotthesecurityfootageso
thatyoucangetalookathim.”

Wealllookedateachothergrimly,eachofusalreadyknowingwhowe’dseeonthe

security feed. Sure enough, once it loaded, there they were. Fucking Tommy. Lying
bastardhadwormedhiswayin,andnowweknewwherehisloyaltieslay.

Peterwas the firstto comment. “AmI the only oneto find itweird that Yvonne has

apparentlytakenapermanentmatewithanotheralpha?”

Ispokeupgrimly.“YouallknowofmydistasteforTommy,I’msurethatmymatehas

shared it with you. This is good, though. Because of my mistrust for him, I placed a
trackeronhisphonethedayafterIdiscoveredheworkedformymate.Andwehaveher
phone,yes.ButIhavenodoubtthatshewillreplaceit.Ihaveallofherinformation,Ican
sendheranewemailwiththeworminitonceIseeonheraccountthatanewdevicehas
beenpurchased.”

“Inthemeantime,IknowwheretostartlookingnowthatIknowthatTommyisher

partner.Nowondershewaswelcomewiththewolves.Heprobablyhastiesthere.Iwill
findthemforyou,andwe’lldothisagain.Thistime,we’llknowtolookforhim.”

Julesnoddedwithappreciation.“Okay,Fingers.Whatdowedofirst?”

I looked around at the four weary faces. “First, we get out of here and go find our

matesforadecentmeal.Then,I’llstartworkingwhileyouguysstartmakingplanB.And
C.AndD.Andasmanyothersasyouneeduntilwehaveaplanforeverycircumstance.
Basically,takeabreakwhileIgettowork.We’llre-groupwhenJulescallsthemeeting.”

Jules nodded his agreement. He sighed and said: “That’s great except for one thing.

Oneofusneedstocomebacktoyourplaceandgothroughhisroom.”

Inodded.“Okay,Iguessthetwoofusareworkingtonightthen.Youcangothrough

hisshitwhileIsiftthroughhisonlineinformation.”

CHAPTER10

LIAM

“Comeon,babe.Youneedtogetsomerest.We’reseeingDr.Deaninthemorning,and
you’vebeenatthatmonitorforsevenhours.”

Ilookedatmymate,sotenseandexhausted.IthadbeenfiveweekssinceYvonneand

Tommyhad given usthe slip. Sofar, he hadn’t beenable to trackeither of them. Given
thathewassixweeksintoathreemonthpregnancy,Iwasconcernedforhishealthwith
thelonghourshewasputtinginonthecomputers.

Frankie sighed and pulled off his glasses as he stretched his neck from side to side.

“You’reright,hon.IjustfeellikeI’mmissingsomething,youknow?Liketheanswerisin
there,butI’mnotseeingit.”

Ipickeduphisdishesfromlunchandkissedhisforehead.“Atleastyoupolishedoff

thesandwichIputhereforyou.”

Helookedattheemptyplateandglassinmyhandandblinked.“Whendidyouleave

food and milk here? And did I seriously inhale it without realizing? Wow. Talk about
beinginthezone.”

Ishookmyheadandsetthedishesbackdownonthedeskfornow.“Howdidyouever

survivewithoutamatetowatchoutforyou?Now,let’sgo.Takeabreak.Forme?”

Frankienoddedandtappedafewkeysbeforestanding.“I’lllettheprogramrun.Itwill

markanythingIneedtoseethenexttimeIgeton.I’mallyoursnow,hon.”

Stepping into his space, I loosely wrapped both arms around my omega’s waist and

restedmyhandsonthoseperfectlyroundbuttocks.“Nowthat’swhatIliketohear.Why
don’tyougotakeahotshowerwhileIrustleupsomedinner?”

“Canweeatinbed?Idon’tfeellikepeoplingtonight.”Helookedsovulnerablewith

thosewords,itmademyheartbreakalittle.

“Yes, babe. Whatever you want, it’s yours. You go shower and I’ll head downstairs

andgetourdinner.”

Frankiebroughthishanduptocupeachsideofmyfacebeforeleaningintokissme.

Our lips brushed softly against each other, then I felt his tongue prodding my lips for
entry.Hisheadtiltedasthattonguepressedintomymouth.Ourtongueswrithedtogether,
the textures of our tastes buds contrasting with the silky under-tongue in a sensual slide
andgrind.

Breakingthekiss,Frankiechuckledandsaid:“IneedtostoporIwon’tbealoneinthe

showerandtherewillbenodinner.”

Grinningmyagreement,Isaid:“Yes.Self-carefirst,thenwecanplay.Orrather,then

I’lltakecareofyou.”

Frankielickedhislipsandgrabbedmycrotchwithafirmgrip.“UnlessItakecareof

youfirst,alpha.”

Ichuckledashewinkedandremovedhishands.Aftergivingmeonemorequickpeck

onthelips,Frankieturnedandquicklyheadedtothebathroom.Shakingmyhead,Iwent
to our room and grabbed his robe and a towel from the stack on the dresser that hadn’t
beenputawayyet.WhenIwentintothebathroom,hewasalreadyintheshower.Andas
I’dexpected,hadnothingtousewhenhegotout.

“I’mleavingatowelandyourbathrobeonthecounter,”Itoldhimthroughtheshower

door.

Hesnorted.“Ican’tbelieveIforgotagain.Thanks,hon.Youalwaysthinkofme.”

“Ofcourse,Ido.That’swhatI’mherefor,right?”Iaskedfondly.

“Well,thatandafewotherknottythingsthatcometomind.”

“Babe?Pleasetellmethatyoudidnotjustusemyknotforapun?”

“You know that I totally did. Now scram, quit making me think about your fucking

knot!I’meatingforthree,remember?”

Ichuckledandturnedtoleavetheroom.“I’mgoingdownstairs.Takeyourtime,I’ll

gogetdinner.”

AfterIretrievedhisdishesfromthedeskinhisofficeacrossthehall,Ileftourliving

quartersandwentdownstairstoseeaboutdinner.ItwasgoodthatI’dbecomelesshands
oninourkitchennow.Iplannedmenus,cookedhereandthereasIhadtime,andmanaged
thecrew.Mystaffhadprovenmoreandmorelatelyhowcompetenttheywerewithoutme
theretomicromanage.Havingamatewasreallychangingmypriorities.

Igreetedthecookandstaffthatwereondecktonightandfoundmyselfanopenarea

to fix our meal without interfering with the guys who were busy working. Frankie had
beencravingbeefandnachocheeselately,soIdecidedonhotsandwiches.Iquicklygot
everythingtogetherforfrenchdips.

ImadeFrankie’ssandwichwithascoopofmeltednachocheeseoozingovertheroast

beef.AfterIplatedourfoodwithlittlecupsofaujusandcatsupfordipping,Iaddedapile
ofsaltysteakfries.Itallgotputonatrayalongwithtwolargeglassesoficedteawitha
sprigofmint.ThefinaltouchwasasingleredrosethatIlaidbesideFrankie’splate.

After making sure that the staff was fine, and everything was going as it should, I

duckedoutofthekitchenwithourdinner.OnceIgotuptotheprivatefamilyareaonthe
thirdfloor,Iheadedstraightforourroom.

Frankiewassittingonthefootofthebed,rapidlytextingonhisphone.He’dforegone

therobe,butwaswrappedinthetowelwithwaterdrippingonhisbackfromhiswethair.
With a sigh, I set the tray down on the dresser and picked up another towel. “Babe, I

thoughtyouweredonefortheday?”

Absentmindedly,heansweredme.“Iwas,thatis,Iam.IjusthadanideawhileIwas

in the shower. I’m putting some feelers out with a few old military buddies.” He kept
rambling while I knelt behind and began drying his hair and back. I fussed over him
quietlywhilehefinishedwhathewasdoing.

A couple of minutes later, Frankie looked back over his shoulder with his lips

puckeredforakiss.Withagrin,IleanedforwardandgavehimaquicksmoochbeforeI
stoodandtookthedamptoweltothehamper.

“What’sfordinner,hon?”IstoppedtopulloffmyownclotheswhileIansweredhim.

Frankie’stowelsnappedmybareasswithaloudcrack,beforehedroppeditinwiththe
othertowelandmydirtyclothes.

“Thatsoundsdelicious.HowdidyouknowIwascravingnachocheesetonight?And

onafrenchdip?Notgonnalie,thatsoundsamazing.”

“Hmm.It’salmostlikethemanthatfeedsyouactuallypaysattentiontothethingsyou

like.Imaginethat.”Igrinnedandcrossedtothedressertopickupthetray.“Now,shallwe
eat?”

Frankielookedwistfullyatthebed,thensaid:“Weneedtoredecorateuphere,hon.I

knowitdrivesyounutswhenwegetcrumbseverywhere.Honestly,weshouldseeabout
puttinginafamilyareaupherewithatable,couch,TV,andalltheotherstuffthatpeople
infamiliestendtohavesetup.Withthebabiescoming,we’rereallygoingtowantaspace
that’sjustourstohangoutinasidefromthebedroomortheoffice.”

He sat down on the bed and scooted up against the headboard, getting into a

comfortablesittingpositionbeforereachingforthetrayoffood.Iwentaroundandclosed
ourdoorincaseanystaffwanderedupherelookingformebeforeIjoinedhimonthebed.
Isatdownacrossfrommymate,cross-leggedsothatwecouldsharethetraythatstoodin
frontofhim.

Whileweate,wethrewideasaroundforthisupstairsarea.Theofficehadbeensetup

bymerightafterFrankiehadcomeintomylife.I’dsurprisedhimwithitacoupledays
afterthefiascowithYvonne.Ithadstartedoutasabasicdeskandchaircomboinsideof
anunusedbedroom.Overthepastmonthorso,ithadbecomeacozyrepresentationofthe
manhimself.

Framedpostersofhisfavoritemovies,abookcasefilledwitheverythingfrombooks

filledtechjargontolittlebobble-headsofhisfavoritecomicsuperheroes.Awovenfloor
rughadbeenaddedatsomepoint,brightredandsoftunderthefeet.Hisdeskwaswhat
surprisedme-itwassurprisinglyneatdespitethethreecomputermonitorsthatwerelined
upacrossthelengthofthedesk.

I’dbeensurprisedtoseealargefernandasmallbambooplantappearinthereafew

daysago.Frankiehadshrugged,thencalmlyexplainedthehealthbenefitsofhavingplants
inyourpersonalspace.

“Whydidn’tyourfamilyeverdothisbefore?”Frankieaskedbetweenbites.“Idon’t

want to offend you, but it’s depressing as hell up here. This is such a bland area, like a

cheapmotelorsomething.Yettheguestareasareplushandlovely.Imean,yourdining
room rivals some of the nicest restaurants I’ve been in, yet up here on the family floor,
you eat from lap trays. It’s not worth it, to put everything into making your guests
comfortablebutnotyourself.”

“Huh.Ineverthoughtaboutit,tobehonest.Myuncleprobablydidn’teither.Wejust

put so much into the rest of the place, you know? This has always just been a place to
crashandstoremyclothes,notreallyahome.Iwonderifthat’swhymycousindoesn’t
want to come home? But, Frankie. Seriously. We can do whatever you want up here to
makethisourhome,ifthat’swhatyouwant.”

“Idowant.Butnotjustformysake.Iknowthatthisplaceisimportanttoyou,and

thisiswhereyouwanttostay.I’mfinewiththat.ButIwantourlittlefamilytohavejust
asniceahomeastheonethatweprovideforourguestsandboarders.”

“Well, there are six rooms on this floor, and we’re only using two right now. What

wouldyouliketodofirst?”Itookasipoficedteaanddippedafryinsomecatsup.

“Obviously,wehavetimetodecideonthelasttworooms,butforthetwoclosestto

us?Weneedtogetthenurseryputtogetherfirst.”Frankietippedhischintowardthedoor
thatconnectedthisroomtotheonenextdoor.“Let’susethatoneforthenursery,sothat
ourlittleonesarenearby.Thennexttotheoffice?IwanttoputinafamilyroomlikeIwas
talkingaboutbefore.Nothingfancy,justatableandchairs,asofa,probablyacoffeetable
andasmallentertainmentcenter.”

Isnortedandpickedupanotherfry.“Andontheentertainmentcenter?”

Frankie rolled his eyes. “Duh. Obviously we’re going to need a decent TV and a

gamingsystem.Don’tworry,I’llgetonlinetomorrowandorderafewessentials.Unless
youwanttohelpmepickafewthingsout?”

Withanexaggeratedshudder,IatemylastfrybeforeIresponded.“Babe.I’malready

analphawholikestocookandiswillingtotakecareofourbabieswhileyouwork.ButI
gottabehonesthere,takingcareofusandrunningaB&Baretheonlynon-alphatraitsI
have.Pleasedon’tmakemeshoporaskmetopickthrowpillows.Itwon’tendwell,trust
me.”

Frankielookedaroundourbedroomwithawrinklednose.“Ifthisisyourdoing,thenI

willhavetoagree.Butdon’tworry.Ihaveagreatshoppingfinger.Oneclickshoppingis
myjam.”

I was doubtful, but as long as he got the baby shit purchased soon, I wasn’t too

worriedabouttherest.Glancingdownatouremptyplatesandglasses,Igotuptoputthe
tray on the dresser. I’d deal with it in the morning. I crossed over to flip out the light
beforeclimbingintobed.

Glancing around the room, I tried to figure out what was different. It was lighter in

here,themoonlightfilteringinthroughafilmycurtain.

“Babe?Wheredidmyoldblindsgo?”IaskedafterIfinallyrealizedthatthecurtains

wereanewaddition.

Frankiesnortedashecuddledupagainstmyside.Myarmautomaticallyliftedtopull

himupclose.“They’reinthedumpsterliketheyshouldhavebeenalongtimeago.”

“Theyweren’tserviceableanymore?”Ididn’tcare,Iwasjustconfused.

“Babe, they were broken, bent, and sagging on the one side. And ugly. Don’t forget

that part. No. They needed to die, so I killed them. A week ago, when I hung the new
sheers.”

Wait.Aweek?Wow,Iwasn’tsurewhichpartbotheredmemore.Thatmyomegawho

didn’t notice that he’d even eaten while online had noticed and replaced my old blinds,
thatorIhadn’tevennoticed.

“Huh. Seriously? A week? And why didn’t you ask me to help you install them?

You’repregnant,youshouldn’tbedoingthatkindofstuff.”

Frankie giggled, which always amused me coming from my tall, buff mate who’d

actually spent time in the military. “You serious with that ‘me alpha, you omega shit?’
Please.Pregnantornot,Icangetshitdone.But,youmightwanttopayattention,there’sa
lotmorechangesI’mmakingaroundhere.Ordon’t.Ireallydon’tmindifyoudon’tnotice
thedecoraslongasyou’reinitwithme.”

Hishandwasslowlystrokingovermyabmuscles,afavoriteactivityofhiswhenhe

had access to my naked body. I rolled onto my side to face him, his face shining in the
moonlight.Istrokedahandoverhisface,myfingertipsbrushingthehairbackfromhis
forehead.AsmuchasIlovedhissexygeek-chicglasses,Ialsolovedseeinghisfacewhen
we were in bed. It felt intimate somehow, that I was the only to see him without his
glassesforaprolongedamountoftime.

“You’reright,babe.beinginourhomewithyouisallthatmatters.Idon’tcarewhatit

lookslike,butIappreciateyougoingtothetroubletomakeitniceforus.”

Frankie’s cheek lifted under my hand as he smiled. “Obviously you don’t care what

yourlivingspacelookslike,hon.I’veseenarmybarrackswithbetterfengshuithanyou
havegoingoninhere.butthat’sokay.Papa’snestinginnow.He’llmakeitallcomfycozy
upinhere.whilebigDaddykeepscookinguptheorgasmicfood.”

I snorted out a laugh and captured his mouth under mine. After a thorough kiss, I

pulledbackandasked:“BigDaddy?”

Frankie’shandcameoutofnowheretowraparoundmyrapidlyswellingcock.“Well,

webothknowI’mnotlyingaboutthebigpart.ButjustincaseI’veforgotten,whydon’t
youshowmeagain.”

“Isthisyourwayofsubtlytellingmeyouwanttogetlaid,babe?”

“Shit.Thatwassubtle?YouandIhavemuchdifferentunderstandingsofthedefinition

then.Iwasprettysurethatmyhandonyourcockwasaprettydirectfuckingclue.”

Ireachedoutandranmyslowlyoverhisswollenbelly,thenwrappedmyhandaround

hisdick.AsIbegantostrokeit,Iasked:“Isthisadirectenoughresponse?”

Frankie released my cock and pushed his hips closer to mine. “Take us both,” he

grunted and dove in for a kiss. I pushed our cocks together and got a firm grip on them
beforeIbegantopumpmyfistoverthem.

“Yesss,” my mate gasped against my lips, his hips bucking into my grip. Both our

cocks were leaking already, adding a little glide to the slide as I kept up a steady pace.
Frankieleanedoverandkissmyclaimscar,thenpushedatmyshoulderstorollmeover.

Herolledrightwithme,sothathewasstraddlingmewhileIkeptjerkingourcocks

together. Frankie watched silently for several moments, before pushing my hand away.
Scootingup,heliftedhishipsandgrabbedmycocklongenoughtolineituptohisslick
soakedhole.

Myeyesalmostrolledbackinmyheadashebegantoridemycock.Hishandsbraced

onhisownthighs,hepushedupanddownatafastclip.Igrabbedhisdickandbeganto
pumpitinmyfistinrhythmwithhismovements.

Itwasoveralmostalltoosoon,myknotswellingfastasFrankie’sdickeruptedinmy

fist. Ropes of cum shot up through the opening in my fist, painting my chest. He was
slowingnow,hisbodyjerkingashefinished,butIspedup.

I grabbed at his hips, thrusting hard as I pushed up into slick heat of his clenching

tunnel.Thewallsoffleshhuggedmyknotasitswelled,keepingmefrompullingoutany
more.AfireballchaseddownmyspineandupthroughmycockasIexplodedintohim,
fillinghimwithmycum.

Afterafewmorespasticjerksofmyhips,IfinallyslowedasFrankieallbutcollapsed

ontomychest.OursweatsoakedbodiesslidagainsteachotherasIcarefullyrolledusto
our sides again. We did our now familiar post-coital dance of figuring out how fit our
bodiesaroundeachotherwithmyknotlockedintohisass.

Brushinghissweatyhairbackoutofhisfaceagain,Ileanedforwardandkissedhim

goodnight.“Iloveyou,babe.Getsomerest,yeah?”

Frankieyawnedandnoddedcomplacently.“I’mabouttosleeplikeababy.Goodnight,

mylove.Sleepwell.”

CHAPTER11

FRANKIE

Iclosedmyeyesandleanedbackinmychair.Iliterallycouldn’thandleanotherminuteof
thisshit.Wherethefuckhadtheygone?andhowhadtheymanagedtoescapesoboldlyin
the middle of the goddess-blessed day? Banging my fist on the desk with frustration, I
spunaroundinmychairtoseemymatestandinginthedoorwayeyeingmewithconcern.

“Everything okay? You want to talk about it?” His pretty green eyes sparked with

concernashepatientlystoodtheretoseewhathecoulddotohelp.

“There’snothingmoretosaythathasn’tbeensaidexhaustivelyoverthepasttwoand

ahalfmonths.SomehowfuckingTommymanagedtowaltzinhere,gainallofyourtrust,
andthenspiritourprisonerawayfromafuckingsheriff’sofficewithallofusrightthere.”
Isighedandpusheddownonthedeskinmyefforttostand.

Liamcameoverandeasilyhelpedmetomyfeet.“Okay.You’redwellingonshitthat

you can’t change again, babe. At the risk of pissing you off, I’d just like to remind you
thatyouweren’ttheoneresponsibleatthatpoint.Youdidyourjob.Youfoundher,and
gaveJulesthemeanstogether.Afterthat,it’sonthem.”

Iglaredathim.“Whatthefuck,hon?Youcan’tblamethemforshitlikethat!Shewas

cuffed with magical chains and being held in a locked room in the middle of a fucking
sheriff’s office! And who the hell would have ever thought that dumbass Tommy was
actuallystillworkingwithher,letalonefuckinginvolvedwithher?No,Idon’tseewhere
yougetoffinsinuatingthat—”

ThefuckerwasgrinningasIrealizedhowhe’dturneditonme.“Yes,babe?Youwere

saying?Goahead,whatwasIinsinuating?”

Iflippedhimoffandgrinned.“Fuckyou,Liam.Thatwasadirtytrick.Messingwith

thepregnantguy’semotions?Dirtypool,hon.Dirtyfuckingpool.”

Liam put his arm around my waist and leaned in to kiss my neck. “Want to tell me

abouttheflurryofdeliveriesIheardwerecominguphereallday?Iwouldhavecomeup
soon,butIwasfightingwithdoughthatdidn’twanttorise.”

“IfeellikeIshouldmakeajokeaboutyourinabilitytomakeyourdoughrise,butI’m

tootired.Comehere,letmeshowyou.”IkissedLiam’sstubbledcheekandledhimacross
thehalltothenursery.

Openingthedoor,Iflippedonthelighttoshowhimthefreshlydecoratedroom.The

wallshadbeenpaintedarefreshingshadeofsagegreenafewweeksago.I’dgottenthe

furniture put together by the deliverymen, thanks to paying a little extra at time of
purchase.NowIlookedhappilyatthematchingwhitecribsandthetwinchangingtables
withsatisfaction.

“DidDylanstopinthekitchenandsayhellobeforeJulestookhimbacktotheDen?

Hewassupposedtoonhiswayout.Hepromised.”

Liam wrapped his arms around me, his hands resting protectively over my big ass

moundofagut.“Yes,hedid.ItwasgoodofJulestobringhimtovisit.Didyougetahint
thathemightbethinkingofmovingbackhere?Ididn’twanttopisshimoffbyaskingyet
again.”

Irestedmyheadbackagainsthisshoulder.“No,Idon’tthinkthat’shappening.AndI

can tell you why, although it surprises me that we never thought of it before. While he
helpedmedecoratethenursery,hewastalkingprettymuchnon-stopaboutsomealpha.”

Liam huffed out a breath. “Let me guess. Drew? That doesn’t surprise me actually.

DylanandDrewhavebeenbestfriendstheirentirelives.Itmakessensethattheywantto
turnthatintoarelationship.They’reabityoungthough,don’tyouthink?”

“Ihatetobetheonetotellyouthis,butit’snotDrew.It’safemalealpha!Apparently,

Drew’ssisterisadentistwhojustmovedbacktothearea.She’sabitolderthanDylan.
But,hon?They’refated-mates.Hewastellingmeallabouthowdeliciouslycinnamonshe
smells.”

“Really?Wow.That’sonethatIwouldn’thaveseencoming.Raquelisabouttenyears

older than Dylan and Drew. Huh. Now that I think about it, Drew is an omega too. I’d
forgotten that important detail. Well, this will be interesting. I doubt he’ll be living here
againthen.”

“No,he’sbringinghertodinnertonight.Shewantstotalktoyou,Iguess.Itoldhimto

tellyou,thelittleasshole.”IsteppedoutofLiam’sembraceandwalkedovertoadjustthe
lampshade on the little nightlight I’d set up on the dresser. It was slightly askew and
drivingmenuts.

I glanced over at Liam and bit back a grin as I spoke: “I’m curious to know about

something. Have you ever seen a naked alpha female? I’ve heard rumors about a small
dick they have when they are in contact with an omega in heat. Is that true? Girls are
weirdanyway,soIbelieveit.”

“Well,hedidn’tsayshitaboutit,butthat’sfine.Ineedtocheckheroutanyway.Not

thatitmatterswhatIthink,ifthey’refated-mates.Although,atnineteenheshouldhavea
little more life experience, not that it’s my business.” He paused, and gave me a pained
lookbeforespeakingagain.

“And yes, female alphas have a hermaphroditic penis. It’s always there, whether the

omegaisinheatornot.Seriously,babe.You’rethecomputerguy.Can’tyouresearchthis
shitinsteadofaskingme?Idon’tliketalkingaboutmyowncock,whywouldIwantto
talk about someone else’s? Especially one that might get used on my little cousin?” He
gaveafakeshudderashegrinned.

IlookedovermyshoulderathimwithasmirkasIopenedthedoorthatadjoinedthe

nurserytoourbedroom.“Thanksforthesexedtalk,alpha.Thatcleareditallupforme.
And don’t worry about your cousin, I’ve already run that alpha through my system.
Raquelchecksout,andisn’thurtingformoney.Yourcousinwillbesafeinherhands.”

“And if she wants to buy out his share of the B&B? What then? Because I’m not

givingupmyshareandsellingtoanyone,butIdon’tknowthatIhaveenoughsavedto
givehimfairmarketvalueonhishalfrightnow.Thisisourhomethough,sowe’llfigure
somethingout.Dylandoesn’tloveithere,butherespectsthatIdo.”

“Hitthelightandcomeputmedownforanap,I’mtired,”IgrouchedasIwentinto

ournewlydecoratedroom.Theonlythingtherethatboreanyresemblancetotheoldroom
was the bedroom furniture. I’d replaced the mattress but kept the frame. Once the walls
hadbeenpaintedinPaleDaffodil, a very pale shade of orange. The furniture had really
poppedagainstit.

Ishuckedmyclothesandclimbedinbetweenthesmoothlinensheets.Liamfollowed

mein,stillgripingandworryingabouthispreciousB&Bwhilehestrippeddownandslid
in bed beside me. He pulled the puffy moss green comforter up over us once I was
spoonedupagainsthimwithmybacktohischest.

“Liam,pleasedon’tbeweirdaboutthis,butIhavemoneyinthebank.Alotofmoney.

ItwillbemorethanenoughtobuyoutDylan’sshare.Weshoulddothatanyway,justto
putyourmindatease.”

“Wait. You have money, but you were living like a vagabond? What’s up with that?

And,yeah,I’lltrynottobeweird.IsthatwhyI’veyettoseeabillforanyofthechanges
you’vebeenmakinguphere?I’vebeenmeaningtoask.”

“JustbecauseIhavemoneydoesn’tmeanthatIwantedtolivesomewherethat’snot

me.Lifeontheroadwasme.ThenIfoundyou.Now,thisisthenewme.Ineverputdown
rootsbeforebecauseIhadnobodytoputthemdownwith,youknow?Andyes,Itotally
coveredthedecoratingcosts.Thatwasjustmygifttoourfamily.Thegiftofnotlivingin
anuglymausoleum.”

Liam laughed against my ear. “Well, thank you. It really is nice up here. Everyday I

find new little touches that you’ve left. If I haven’t told you before, I’ll tell you now.
Thankyouformakingourhomesolovely.”

Isighedhappily.“Speakingoflittletouches,Iwouldn’tsaynotoalittlehappy-happy

tug-tug.Ican’tfindmydickanymore,asyouknow,andI’vebeenhornysinceIwokeup
thismorning.”

“Hmm.Wecan’thavethat.IhaveafewhoursbeforeIneedtostartdinner.Wouldyou

likemyhandormyknot?”

Ichuckledandpushedmybuttbackagainsthisgroin.“Dothetwoneedtobemutually

exclusive?Aguycan’thaveboth?”

Before the words were out of my mouth, Liam had his hand sliding between my

cheekstorubfingeragainstmypucker.Iturnedalittle,anglingmyhipsandpullingmy
topkneeupasmuchasIcouldtooffeasieraccesstomymate.Theoverlysweetsmellof
myslickwasalreadyperfumingtheairasLiambegantopumphisfingersinandoutof

myhole.

Hislipstouchedmynapeashebegantokiss,lick,andnipatmyneck.Hepulledhis

fingersfree,andguidedhiscockintoreplacethem.Liamusedhisslickcoveredfingersto
lubricatemycockashebegantostrokemewhilegentlyrockinginandoutofmyhole.

Soft lips peppered my neck with kisses while my alpha steadily thrust. His hand

workedinrhythmwithhiships,quicklybringingmetotheedge.Henippedmyear.“Are
yousureyoudon’tmindbeingknotted?Icanpulloutifyouneedspace.”

I hissed out a breath and rocked my ass against his hips. His knot was already

swelling, pushing up against that special spot inside my channel that made me want to
singHallelujah!Pantinghard,Ikeptrockingbackwhilehegroundintomewithshallow
thrusts.MyentireabdomenclenchedandapainfulcrampshotthroughmeasIcame.

Liampulledoutjustintimebeforehisknotswelledtothepointofnoreturn,asagush

offluidspilledoutofmyass.IlookedbackovermyshouldertoseeLiamlookingatme
withconfusionandslowlygrowinghorrorasherealizedwhatwashappening.Helooked
upatmeandsaidsimply:“Ithinkyourwaterjustbroke,babe.”

I rolled my eyes and bit back the sarcastic DUH that I wanted to yell. Instead, I

groanedasanothercramphitme.Onceitpassed,Isnippedathim:“Youthinkyoucould
maybecallDr.Dean,insteadofwatchingmelayhereinpain?”

Liam smiled patiently and grabbed his cell from the nightstand. While he called Dr.

Dean,anothercontractionhitme.Theywerecomingfastandfurious.Dammit.Thesecubs
weren’t even due for nearly two more weeks. Although, doc had warned me that twins
usuallycomeearly.

IwatchedasLiamexplainedtoherwhatwashappening,whilepullinghispantsonat

the same time. When he told her that my water had broken and the contractions were
roughly a minute apart, his face suddenly went pale and nearly dropped the phone. He
shoutedintothephone:“Thengethereasfastaspossible!Shiftandrunforitifyouhave
to,butdon’texpectmetodeliverthesetwinsmyself!”

Rolling onto my back, I pushed up on my elbows and obeyed my body’s demand to

push.“Youmighthaveto,”Ipanted.“BecauseIthinkthey’recomingnow.”

Liam dropped his phone to floor and quickly moved over to help me. It was over

before it began, really. Although I’d heard many stories of painful childbirth, mine was
nothinglikethatatall.Thefirsttwinpoppedrightoutinasmoothglide,rightintoLiam’s
waitinghands.

He laid the baby on my chest, and turned to grab the stack of towels that always

seemedtoliveonourdresserinsteadofmakingitswayintothelinencloset.Liamquickly
came and wrapped our first born son in a fresh towel, then moved down to assist as I
startedpushingagain.

Thesecondtwinwasalittleharder,asittookseveralpushes.Eachtimehestartedto

comeout,heseemedtoboomerangbackupinthere.Ihadanepiphanyfromsomething
I’d read in my baby book for expectant omegas, and gasped out: “Check his neck, the
umbilicalcord.”

Liamnoddedashediscoveredthattobethecase.“I’vegotit,goodcatch.He’llbeall

right.” As my mate delivered our second son and I heard his healthy cry, I realized
suddenlythatIhadn’tthefirstonecryyet.

I looked down to see him turning blue, his eyes rolling back as his little eyelids

fluttered.Rippingopenthetowel,Iflippedhimontohisstomachovermyleg,andrubbed
upward on his back while I scooped my other finger into his mouth to help clear the
airway.Focusingonhimwithallofmysenses,Iturnedhimbackover.

Lifting the tiny body up and cradling him in the crook of my arm, I rested my right

handonhischest.Iclosedmyeyes,andfelthisauraasitwasbeginningtodim.Pulling
upeverythingI’dbeentaught,Iopenedmyeyesandfocusedallofmyloveandpassion
throughmyhandthattouchedhischest.

My palm felt white hot as a golden glow lit up the area where my skin touched his.

After less than a second, the baby sucked in a sharp gasp of air. I held my hand there,
willing him to breathe, until he did. After several steady breaths, his eyes opened and
lookedupatmewithtinyglowing,goldenspecksineachiris.

“Hello, little omega. I have much to teach you, my son,” I murmured softly as I

strokedhischest,theheatandglowdissipatingnow.IlookeduptoseeLiamstaringatme
indisbelief.Ourothersonwasinhisarms,snuglywrappedinatowelthatwasopenedat
thefeet,wherethestillattachedumbilicalcordhungdown.Theplacentalaidonthebed
betweenmylegs,bothboysconnectedtoitbytheirumbilicalcords.

“I take it that I just learned what your big secret is, your blessing that comes from

beingthedescendantofthefirstomega?You’reahealer?”Hiseyeswerefilledwithtears,
reliefvisiblealloverhisface.“Andyoujustsavedourson’slifeatbirth?”

“That’sthesecret.Well,thatandthefactthatwe’rebothgoingtoliveaboutdoublethe

expectedlifespan.Mebecauseofthegift,andyoubecauseweexchangedbloodwhenwe
claimed.I’mnotpermittedtospeakofitunlessIusethegift,oruntilyounoticedthatwe
wereagingslowerthatexpected.”

Heshookhishead.“Iwouldlovetoarguethatthere’snobodytoholdyoutokeeping

the rules of an ages old family legacy, but after seeing your hand light up and our son’s
eyesglow?I’mneverquestioningit.Willourboysbeabletodoittoo?”

Inodded.“Yes,sincetheyareomegatwins,though?Theloreisthattheirpowerwill

surpass anything that I’m capable of and more. They will have psychic capability, and
well,whoknowswhatelse?I’llhavetodigthroughthefamilyjournalssothatIcanguide
themastheygrow.”

Liam nodded seriously. “We will have to guard them and this secret with our lives.

Perhapsit’sbestthatyouwentintolaboranddeliveredsoquickly.”

With a soft smile, I said: “Hmm. Almost sounds like the gods of fate had a little

somethingtodowiththat,doesn’tit?”

Mymatenodded,lookingdownatthecubinhisarmswithanawedlookonhisface.

Thecublookedbackathisfatherwithanawarenessthatonenormallywouldnotseeina
newborn.

Therewasaknockatthedoor,andLiampassedmeoursonwhilehewenttogetthe

door. Dr. Dean came bustling in with Dylan and another omega in tow. The two boys
greetedLiamwithbighugswhileDr.Deancameovertome.

Shequicklycutthecordsandtiedthemoffafterexaminingthecubs.Lookingoverat

thetwoomegas,Dr.Deansmiledandsaid:“Okay,boys.Eachofyoutakeatwinlikewe
discussedandcleanthemupwhileItakecareoftheirdaddy.”SheturnedtoLiamnext.
“Yourjobistogofinddiapers,outfits,andblanketsfortheboys.”

Dylansmiledshylyashereachedforababy.“Doyouknowwhichiswhich?Should

weworryaboutmixingthemup?”

IlookedatClark’sglowingspecksandshookmyhead.“No,butbecarefulwithClark

here.He’shadatoughintroductiontolife.”

Dr. Dean looked concerned, and Liam began to explain about the umbilical cord

bungie cord. We didn’t tell her more than that. The rest of Clark’s birth story would be
savedforthefamilyjournals.

Theotheromegasteppedup,atallbutskinnylittleguywithwhiteblondehairandicy

blue eyes. Liam put a hand on his shoulder and said: “Babe, this is Dylan’s best friend,
Drew.Drew,thisismymate,Frankie.”

Dr.DeanfinishedwithParkerandheldhimouttoDrew.“Hereyougo,thankyoufor

helping.”

Whiletheboysweregone,Liamwentintothenurserytoretrievethethingsthatwe’d

needfortheboys.Dr.Deanpickedupthelumpy,bloodymasswithbulgingveinsandput
itintoaplasticbagthatshe’dpulledfromhermedicalbag.

I was interested to see that the opposite side of the placenta was flat and silver. I

wantedtoaskheraboutit,butshewasalreadybusycleaningmeupandaskingquestions
aboutthebirth.Imadeamentalnotetoresearchitlater.

CHAPTER12

LIAM

Ilookedoveratmymate,smilingatthesightofhimholdingourlittleClarkwhileParker
was being cuddled by Drew. Raquel and Dylan had just left for a walk and some alone
timewhileDrewstayedheretogivethemprivacy.

As I’d suspected, Raquel was planning to claim Dylan tonight. They were leaving

tomorrow for a week long trip to celebrate their mating. She’d wanted to iron out the
detailsofheromega’sclaimtotheB&B.OnlyFrankie’sirongriponmythighhadkept
mymouthshutfromlettingherknowhowoffensiveIfounditthatshewouldquestionthe
wayI’dfulfilledmyuncle’swill.

But,Ihadtoadmit,I’dlikelybethesamewayinherposition.Well,ifIhadthatkind

ofomegathatneededlookingafter.Mymandidn’tneedtotakencareoflikethat.Hejust
neededasupportsystemforthisgamecalledlife.

After I’d answered the woman’s questions, she’d offered to sell me his share in the

familybusiness.Shefeltthathedidn’tneedthedistractionitmightbringwhentheywould
bestartingafamilysoon.Thankfully,wehadcometoanagreementandIwasfreeofever
havingtodealwithheragainoutsideoftheoccasionalfamilialobligation.

I wasn’t thrilled about my cousin being treated like a silly omega, but I also wasn’t

goingtoquestionhischoice.Especiallyifthey’dscentedeachother.Everyshifterknew
thatyoudidn’tfuckwithafated-matepairing.Iknewthey’dfigureitoutatsomepoint.
Ornot.Eitherway,Ifeltthatmycousinwouldbesafe.Evenifhismatewasanalphaist
shrew.Itwasoutofmyhandsnow,andsinceheseemedhappyIwouldleaveitalone.

It had been such a freaky afternoon. I would’ve canceled this dinner, but Frankie

insistedonkeepinghiswordtomycousin.Personally,Ithoughthewasprobablyjusttoo
keyeduptorestyet.Buthe’djustshookhisheadwhenI’daskedandsaidthatno,hejust
knewthatthishadtohappentonight.

Drew and Dylan had stayed when Dr. Dean left. Dylan had insisted that his alpha

woulddrivethembothbacktotheAlpha’smanorlater.Drewdidn’tlookallthatthrilled
withhisbestfriendandsisterbecomingmates.Inhisshoes,Icouldn’tsaythatIblamed
himreally.

“So,it’skindacoolthattheirnamesalmostrhyme,butnotquite.Howdidyoucome

upwiththem?”DrewaskedFrankie.

FrankieandIsharedanamusedglancebeforeanswered.“Althougheveryoneknows

thatMarvelisbetter,wewentwithanodtotheDCUniverse.Clarkismylittlesuperman,
andParkerjustbetterwatchoutforspiders.”

DrewgiggledandIgroanedasFrankiegrinnedatusboth.LookingatDrew,mymate

suddenlytiltedhisheadandsaid:“Tellmewhatyouneed.Ifeellikeyouwanttoaskfor
somethingbutareafraid.”

Theboygotquietreallyquick,staringatFrankiewithwideeyes.Iwouldhavebeena

lot more freaked out by that slightly psychic sounding question if I hadn’t already seen
himwrenchoursonfromthejawsofdeathtoday.Afterthat?Alittletouchofpsychicwas
nothing.

“Um, I was wondering if I could stay here now that Dylan’s getting mated. I don’t

wanttostayatthemanoralone,andIdon’twanttobethethirdwheelwithmybestfriend
and my older sister.” He looked back and forth between us hopefully. “I could work for
roomandboard?Ifyou’rehiring?”

Frankielookedoveratme,andIgaveaslightnod.OfcourseI’dofferthekidahand.

I’dknownhimhisentirelife.I’mprettysurehissisterhadonlymovedbackbecauseof
the sudden death of their parents after an attack on the den last year by the rogues that
Yvonnehadsent.

FrankiesmiledatDrewandsaid:“PassLiamthebaby.Nooffense,buthe’shoursold

andI’mnotreadytoletanyonebuthisparentswalkaroundthehallscarryinghim.”

Drew looked confused but did as requested. Frankie stood then, and pointed toward

thehallwithhischin.“Headoutthereandtakearight.”HelookedatmeasDrewwalked
past.“Well,areyoucoming?”

Withagrin,IgotupwithParkersecurelysnuggledagainstmychest.Iwasinterested

to see what Frankie had in mind. He directed Drew toward the end of the hall, and the
roomontheothersideofthenursery.

“Thereyougo,openthedoorandfliponthelight.”Frankieheldbackandwatchedas

DrewandIwentintotheroomfirst.Thebedroomwasmadeupintoalovelyguestroom.
The entire room was done in beige and navy, and sported a fresh paint job and floor to
ceilingcurtains.

IlookedoveratFrankie.“Whendidthishappen?Howdidthishappen?”

Heshrugged.“WhenIgotdoneinthefamilyroom,Igotbored.Ifeltlikewe’dneed

it.Ijustmadethetworoomsdownhereintoguestroomsfornow.Wecanalwayschange
themlater.”

Drew looked at Frankie and spoke shyly. “I don’t understand. Are you saying I can

workherethen?”

Frankie rolled his eyes. “Listen, kid. Liam doesn’t need you downstairs as much as

I’mgoingtoneedhelpupstairs.Staywithusuntilfatepointsyouinanotherdirection.I
feel this is where you are meant to be right now. If you feel like you need to earn your
keep,youcanhelpwiththetwins.I’mjustashappyhavingyouasaguest,butIgetthe
needtofeellikeyou’repullingyourownweight.So,whatdoyouthink?”

Drewnoddedhappilyashelookedaroundtheroom.Frankiegrinnedathimandsaid:

“Good,thenI’llhaveLiamgrabyourbagthatyouleftdowninthefoyersoyoucanget
settledin.”

I almost laughed at the freaked out look that Drew gave my mate as Frankie turned

and walked out of the room with a wink in my direction. Drew looked wigged out, so I
took pity and leaned closer to him with a whisper. “My mate makes good guesses. But
yeah,I’llgetyourbagafterIputParkerdownforthenight.”

Frankie’svoicecarrieddownthehall:“Hey,Drew!Ifyouwantsomethingtodo,I’ve

gotthenewCallofDuty:WWIIdownloadedonmysysteminthefamilyroom.”

Drew’seyeslitupandheheadedbackthatway.Frankiemetmeinthehalloutsideof

thenursery.Wetooktheboysinandgotthemreadyfortheirfirstnightinbed.I’dwanted
tokeeptheminwithus,butFrankiewasfirmaboutstartingandstickingtoaroutinewith
them.AndhereIthoughtthealphawassupposedtobethestrictone.

After we got the twins settled, we stood there face to face with our arms wrapped

aroundeachother.Ikissedhimsoftly,thenmurmuredsoftlyenoughthatevenshifterears
couldn’t hear me if they weren’t right next to us. “Did you say something earlier about
extendedlifespans?”

“I did. We will live what amounts to two lifetimes. And so will our boys, and their

eventualmates.Whydoyouask?”

Withanotherquickkiss,IrestedmyforeheadagainsthisandlookedintohiseyesasI

spoke. “Because I’m not sure if even that will be enough time for me to show you how
muchIloveyou.You’rethebestthingthateverhappenedmetome,oreverwill,forthat
matter.You’remyeverything,babe.AndIloveyou.”

I was working the desk while Frankie kept me company when the door opened and a
strangemanwithastrongcatscentwalkedin.Hewalkedproudlytothecounterandset
hisbagonthefloorathisfeet.Thestrangercameacrossasbeingcompletelyarrogant,yet
seemedalittlelostandvulnerabletoo.

“Hey,there.WelcometotheMillsCreekB&B.CanIhelpyou?”Igreetedhimwitha

smile.

“Yes,thankyou.Ihavetraveledthousandsofmilesinsearchofamissingmanfrom

myvillage.Doyouhavearoomavailable?Iwastoldthatyouaretheonlyshifterfriendly
lodginginthearea.”

Inodded,andpickedupapentofillintheguestcard.“Icanofferyouasuiteonthe

second floor. I believe it will be adequate for your needs, and acceptable to your tastes.
Yourname?”

Themansmiledwithaflashofwhiteteethandsaidsimply:“MynameisHector.”

fin