Other than those few, there was Cale and Russell and Seosamh and Darcy, plus my Mom and Dad, and my Mom’s mom. Jason and Mac, with all the pups in tow, both theirs and Bax’s. A few of the guys I recognized from the Security crew—Firoz, Dolph, Samuel. Friends of Duke’s? It was embarrassing that I didn’t know who my mate spent his free time with. Maybe Bax could do some scouting for me, so I didn’t make an idiot of myself, or let Duke down. I needed to make this work, and work in a way that would show he’d made a good choice.
My dad came to take my arm, and we walked out to the circle of branches beside the firepit. He seemed as nervous as I was and he gave an awkward smile before he left me outside the ring, as was tradition, and stepped into the center. “Duke Mercy Hills, I bring you this omega, child of my body, of good health and good nature, and skilled in the keeping and care of a household.”
Duke stepped out of the crowd, handsome as ever, in a mating suit that made him look like a movie star. It was dark, with beading in blue and amber and bone. Not old like Abel’s had been, but he’d obviously spent a bit of money on it. Pale bone beads had been used to draw a full moon on the front of his left shoulder, with dark blue ones outlining a howling wolf in front of it. The rest of that side had been left plain, but the right side was covered in a glorious explosion of color that made me think of a forest by the sea at night.
“Hennessey Mercy Hills, I come to you in peace and in friendship, wearing the hides of my prey and the skins of my enemies, so that I may give proof that your kin will be cared for and safe. By my side will he shelter and be fed, he and the pups that he bears of my seed. By my side will he rest in comfort and contentment, and the pups of his body shall be raised in the right ways, the old ways and the new, and shall know both safety and plenty, that your line and mine may grow and prosper. This I promise by the moon, and the trees, and the wind that reveals the prey to our fangs.” Duke turned and made some sort of signal to Firoz and Dolph, and they came through the crowd, carrying a beautiful wooden dining table with carved legs and a leaf in the middle that could be taken out. They set it down, then the three of them disappeared to come back, each with a chair carved to match the table. “I offer you, in fair exchange of the value of your son, this table, built by my own labor, and chairs to surround it, that you may have space for your grandpups when they come to visit.” He grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “There’ll be three more eventually, but I only had time to finish one more before today. If that’s okay.”
Dad ran his hand over the surface of the table. “This is your work?”
Duke nodded. “It’s a hobby. I usually make small stuff that can be sold outside walls, or for gifts inside, but I’ve been working on this off and on for a few years. In between other projects. But it was never top priority because I had no place to put it.”
“This was supposed to be yours,” I blurted in sudden understanding.
Duke looked up at me. “I’ll make one just for you. Whatever you want.”
“Oh.” My knees felt weak, even though my body was otherwise ignoring him. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re my mate.” He smiled at me, slightly crooked. “Who else would I make a table for?” He turned back to my father before I had a chance to figure out how I felt about that. “Is the gift acceptable?”
“More than. Your work is excellent.” Dad bent down to look at the legs. “Is this the scene from Lysoonka and the River?”
“Yes.” Duke’s voice told me how pleased he was. “It starts at the next leg and goes around the table.”
My dad looked absolutely blown away for a moment, then shook himself and stood straight. “This is a gift of great value, Duke Mercy Hills. As father to this unmated omega, I call upon the pack to lend their support to this mating.”
“We support this mating,” the shifters gathered around us said in unison.
Dad called me forward to stand between him and Duke. He undid the tie holding my mating tunic closed and draped it over his arm. I shivered and stared up at Duke.
I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, maybe uncertainty, maybe fear, but he smiled gently at me. “It’ll be all right,” he mouthed. I wasn’t so sure, and I had to swallow hard against the churning of my stomach.
Dad pulled the tunic off over my shoulders and slipped it down my arms. “Duke Mercy Hills, by removing the garments in which I have clothed this omega, I do hereby withdraw my claim on him and leave him free of impediment, that you may claim him.”
Duke held out his hand, without taking his eyes off me, and Samuel came forward carrying something—my mated tunic, I guessed—over his arm. He placed it in Duke’s hand and retreated back into the crowd again. Duke shook it out and stepped toward me. “I claim this omega as my own, and as a symbol of that claiming and the shelter I offer, I clothe him with my hides, and thus he will know he is mine.” He helped me into the tunic and pulled it tight around me. “Don’t want you to get cold,” he whispered in a conspiratorial tone, then brushed my cheek with his fingers. “It’s almost over,” he reminded me. “You gonna be okay?”
I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment, shutting out the world until I could stop my spinning thoughts. “I’ll be fine,” I whispered. I felt his fingers on my cheek again and opened my eyes to see him watching me with concern. “Really,” I said. “I just didn’t eat much today. Too much to do. Let’s keep going.”
He nodded and turned to the crowd again. Mac stepped forward, holding a light-colored belt. Duke took it from him and turned back to me. “With this hide and with this belt, I claim you. You are mine, for now and always. I will shelter you and defend you, and raise your pups in the right ways, both the old and the new.” The belt tugged at my waist as Duke made the first ceremonial knot in it. “You will sleep by my side, and your days will be filled with plenty, with good work, and useful work, and together we will tread the path of virtue.” He winked at my startled expression and finished the final knot, sealing his part of our mating. I’d expected to have to hold in a wince at the traditional line, which said that he could keep me on the path of virtue, but my mate seemed to be more perceptive than I’d realized. I smiled up at him to show him I recognized his kindness and he smiled back.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
Now it was my turn. I prayed I didn’t flub my lines. “Duke Mercy Hills, I do hereby deliver myself to you, to be your companion and your aide, to bear your pups and keep your household in prosperity and joy.” Oh, hell, that was awkward. Mutely, I held out my hands so my dad could wrap my old belt around them and officially turn me over to Duke. As he did it, I sputtered through the rest of the words. “With this cord, I give you myself in all that I am and all I may provide for you, submitting my own desires to the peace and prosperity of you and yours.”
Dad gave Duke the end of the belt, and Duke led me over to another small table. A cup and a bowl sat in the center.
“You will not hunger,” Duke said, holding a small piece of meat to my lips. I took it and chewed, nearly choking even though it was tender. Yes, I knew the ceremony inside and out. But I hadn’t stopped to think about the last bit. This bit.
I wanted to bolt and hide in Bax’s bedroom. Poor Duke. Why had he insisted on this? I know I’d always wanted the traditional thing, the binding and the vows, but this was just cruel to Duke.
He held out another piece to me and waited for me to take it. I cast him a desperate pleading look, and he shook his head slightly. “It’s okay,” he said, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. “It’s just words.”
But it wasn’t to me. Numbly I took the second piece of meat from him and chewed while he promised to provide for our pups. Then he held the cup to my lips, and gave me a careful swallow while he swore to provide for me and mine no matter what. The hand under my chin was warm and when I met his eyes, it seemed to me that he knew what was coming, and that he saw it as part of his duty. He was mating me for my child, and doing his best to protect both my reputation and my h
eart.
I owed him. Owed him so much. With that in mind, I pulled myself together and loudly proclaimed my last words of the ceremony, the ones that bound me to him completely. “I offer my gratitude and my desire in recompense of your generosity. Pups to increase your line, and my care to ensure their health and prosperity. This I do promise.” Maybe I couldn’t offer him real desire, but I wasn’t going to deny him his rights in the bedroom. I’d find a way to make it work.
My dad nodded solemnly. “Duke Mercy Hills, he is yours. Care for him, as I have.”
Duke looked up at him. “I will.”
And that was it—we were mated. The only thing left was the signing of the paperwork and then…the bedroom.
I swallowed against the rising sickness in my stomach. It wasn’t a good sign if you puked at your mating.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Duke walked a foot ahead as Bram’s dad led a pale-faced Bram toward the small round table that Duke had borrowed from Abel and Bax, the one they had used for their mating ceremony. The contract sat on top of it, held in place by the weight of a sleek black pen and a small carved-stone statue of a wolf with amber eyes. He was worried about his new mate, and they hadn’t really had time to talk since the night he’d proposed. Duke had been working and arranging for the traditional ceremony that Bram had always wanted, and Bram had been putting together his mating suit.
Bram’s father had called Duke the day after his proposal. He wanted to have a quiet signing of the mating contract, given the circumstances. But Duke wasn’t going to pull that veil of shame over their mating, and when Bax had caught up with him later that day to talk about Bram, he’d decided that Bram was going to get his traditional ceremony. Just in case—in hopes that—this was the only one he had. But maybe he should have waited to make that third chair, and instead spent the time with Bram. He’d seemed completely collected whenever Duke had seen him, but looking at him tonight, Duke realized that it had to have been an act. And a good one, too. He’d have to keep that in mind when dealing with Bram in the future.
Duke signed both copies of the contract, and then Bram’s father added his signature. They each took one and tucked them securely away into a pocket. Then Bram’s dad passed over the end of the belt to Duke.
“Duke Mercy Hills, I hereby give him to your keeping.”
A roar went up from the crowd of shifters around them, making Bram jump. He looked anxious, and his hands worked against the binding as if he was desperate to escape.
Duke quickly undid the knot and loosed Bram, then put an arm around his shoulders. He could feel the tension in the young man’s body, and he suddenly wished he had gone with the quiet signing, instead of putting Bram through all this. It hadn’t occurred to him that Bram’s feelings about a traditional ceremony might have changed, but now he was wondering if they had.
Too late now. Abel, Quin, and Mac were piling wood into the firepit. Dolph brought a small bottle of gasoline and a torch. He soaked the torch over the pile of wood, letting the extra gasoline fall over the logs, then handed the torch to Duke and lit it.
The sky was gone dark dusky blue, and the torch flickered shadows over the faces around them. He glanced down at Bram, who appeared mesmerized by the flames. “Hey,” he said, nudging his mate. “You light it.”
Bram stared up at him, open-mouthed. “But that’s the alpha’s job.”
Duke shrugged. “Aww, who wants to be just like everyone else, hm? Come on.” He put the torch in Bram’s hand, then wrapped his own around it. “A mating is a partnership. We’re going to be working together from now on to get things done. Let’s start now.”
They stared at each other for a moment while the crowd giggled in the soft darkness, then Bram smiled at him, the first real smile he’d seen on the man’s face since everything had gone crazy. “Deal.”
They shoved the torch into the pile of wood, and the flames leapt for the moon above them, sparks flying as if they thought, if they could just soar high enough, that they could be stars. Duke held Bram’s hand until Rosie came with the gifts to burn, the sacrifices for health, and love, and prosperity, and all the things one wished for in a mating.
Duke handed the first one to Bram and was pleased when the young man didn’t argue, simply lobbed the small bundle into the fire. The crowd clapped, then oooohed as the flames changed color, streaks of cerulean blue shooting up between the gold.
“Oh, what—” Bram said. “How did that happen?”
Duke glanced around and caught Jason’s eye. Jason winked at him and settled confidently into Mac’s embrace.
“Did Jason give you some of them?”
“He gave me all of them.” Bram looked over to Jason and it seemed to Duke that some message passed between them, though he couldn’t tell what. But Bram relaxed and turned to Duke. “Your turn.” He put one of the gifts, twisted up in brightly colored paper, in Duke’s palm. “I wonder what color this one is?”
Duke grinned. “Let’s find out.” He tossed it and they all exclaimed as the flames turned red for a moment. “This is fun.”
Bram laughed, momentarily carefree, and then Duke challenged him to throw blind.
“Oh, game on!” Bram crowed, and immediately covered his eyes with one hand.
After Bram made his shot, he challenged Duke to toss an offering over his shoulder and into the fire. The crowd quickly caught on, and they began shouting their own suggestions, until all the gifts were gone, and Duke was dizzy because Bram had made him spin around ten times before he was allowed to throw the last one. Bram laughed at him and kissed him impulsively, turning both of them bright red, and putting an abrupt end to the shenanigans and the burgeoning easiness in their relationship.
Bram’s expression turned pensive again and while he stayed closed to Duke, his scent was sharp with worry, with an undertone of fear.
Movement in the crowd caught his attention. It was Holland, coming with his gift for the couple. This was breaking tradition a little, but Duke knew there was good reason for it.
“Duke Mercy Hills. Abel, former Alpha of Mercy Hills, his mate Bax of Mercy Hills and myself, Holland of Mercy Hills, bring you a gift in celebration of this mating. All mated couples must leave their families to form their own, a pack of two, within the larger pack. And so we offer to you a den for your pack. The apartment at the end of the house has been made ready for you, and there you may live until the pack can provide something of more suitable size.”
Duke had been waiting for the announcement, but Bram gasped. “Holland! That’s your home!”
Holland stepped forward and hugged him. “I’m just loaning it to you, kid. Don’t break it.” But he was smiling, even if there was some pain in it. “Seriously, who wants to start mated life living in bachelor quarters? Or with your parents.” He put his hands on Bram’s shoulders and gazed at him directly. “It’s okay. Really. We wanted to give you something, and this was the most logical, most useful thing we could come up with. And you can’t talk me out of it, because I’ve already moved, and I hate moving, so even if you don’t take it, I’m not going back until I’ve recovered.” He laid the back of his hand against his forehead and pretended to swoon. “Really, how could you ask me to move again so soon? Heartless, I say. Entirely heartless.”
Bram was laughing by the end of the performance, then topped it with a “Bless your heart” so laced with sarcasm it could have stripped paint.
“Well, I never!” Holland pretended shock, but then he hugged Bram again and whispered something in his ear. Bram nodded slowly, his amusement fading, and let Holland go when he stepped back.
Holland turned to Duke. “Duke Mercy Hills, you have a treasure here. Have a care to it, or you’ll have the omega pack to answer to.” He winked, then sauntered back into the crowd and disappeared.
Bram was silent and sober beside him and, looking at his expression, the time to stop stalling had come. Gently, Duke took Bram’s hand, and began leading him through the crowd, toward the back of the h
ouse, where a closed door marked the end of their old lives, and the start of their new one.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Holland had said to me, “If it comes down to it, think of Justin, and that will do it.” I didn’t want to know how he knew.
Duke led me toward the house and it was like one of those dreams where you just know something horrible is going to happen, but you can’t stop, you can’t run, it’s like your body has been taken over by something else. I’d been all brave before, planning out how I would convince him, but now that we were really heading inside, and everyone outside knew exactly what we were going in for, I wanted to scream, or run, or throw myself in Duke’s arms and cry my eyes out. Instead, I walked as steadily as I could beside him, because I wasn’t going to dump my problems on him. Well, no more of them anyway.
He escorted me gently through the door, his hand in the small of my back. I sucked back a sniffle, because a week ago that touch would have sent me over the moon. Now, it was just someone touching me.
The door clicked closed behind us and, for the first time, I saw the inside of Holland’s little apartment.
It was cute. Small. A tiny kitchen stretched away to the right of the door we’d come through, a small bathroom beyond that, with a closet tucked into the corner between it and the outside wall. The bedroom was in the exact opposite corner and I had to suppress a shiver when I glanced over that way.
“Want some tea?” Duke asked. He started opening cupboards, taking down a pair of mismatched mugs and a couple of cannisters. “There’s black tea, and it looks like he left some of his herbal stuff.” He glanced up at me and stopped. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Shouldn’t we be…” My voice trailed off in discomfort.
He left the cannisters on the counter and came over to take my hands. “You know, this ceremony wasn’t the only thing Bax and I talked about.” He squeezed my fingers. “I know that your—” He went a red so bright it would have been entertaining before all this. “Your sex drive is tied to Justin now. It’s okay. I knew when I asked that I was too old for you, but I wasn’t going to let that bastard force you to take the fall for him.”
Duke's Baby Deal (MM Mpreg Shifter Romance) (Mercy Hills Pack Book 3) Page 10
