We stumbled out of the trees in the gray dawn light, laughing at our missteps because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. The rest of his team bolted out the door when we came into sight, but stopped dead when they realized what they were seeing.
The first to approach us was Duke, the dark man from my first night. He worked his jaw and frowned in a way that made me creep back in underneath Mac’s arm, but didn’t seem to bother Mac at all. After what seemed like forever, he cracked a grin and stepped forward to slap Mac on the shoulder.
“I’m guessing congratulations are in order. I didn’t think his pack would give him up.”
Mac smiled grimly. “They didn’t. I took him.”
The words “Oh shit,” came from behind Duke. A man stepped up beside Duke, shorter than him, but broader. “You better let Abel know. There’s gonna be hell to pay.” His expression, if not his words, said, “and for an omega?”, like I was worthless. A cheap lay that would have been better left alone. He confirmed my suspicion when he added, “I hope he was worth it.”
Mac let go of me with such speed that I staggered and completely missed him picking the man up by the shirt front, although I did have the satisfaction of watching him shake the guy until his head flopped. Then he set my detractor carefully on his feet and loomed over him.
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to. That’s my mate, the future bearer of my pups, and the person I’m planning on spending my life with. I don’t care what stories you’ve been told about omegas, you’ll watch your attitude around me, and around him, from now on.” He held out his hand to me and led me into the security building, Duke trailing behind us.
“That was a hell of a scene,” Duke drawled. He leaned on the wall behind us while Mac went through his locker for clothing and I did my best to be invisible.
“We can’t have that kind of prejudice in our ranks,” he muttered as he handed me a pair of pants and pulled out a shirt for himself. “I’m sorry,” he said to me. “I don’t have anything smaller.”
“That’s okay.” I took the pants and held them awkwardly in front of me, avoiding Duke’s gaze.
Mac glanced at me, then at Duke, then back at me again. “My office is around the corner. Why don’t you go wait for me there, put those pants on, then I’ll take you home. I’m going to sort some stuff out here.”
And now it starts. The stupid omega, too dumb or too emotional to handle anything important or intense. I won’t deny being disappointed, but there’s a certain security in knowing that the bad thing has happened. At least now I wouldn’t be always watching for it. Obediently, like the good omega I was, I toddled off to his office and climbed into the pants. They were about four sizes too big for me, so I poked around in drawers until I found a ball of twine—why would he have twine in his office?—and was able to tie them tight around my waist. The bottoms of the legs, though, covered my feet. Like socks, only attached to the pants.
Fuck. Well, what had I really thought would happen? I’d been expecting worse, hadn’t I? At least Mac still seemed to treat me like a person. Some of the omegas back home weren’t any better than slaves to their mates. And, like most omegas, I could be a pretty decent judge of character. Admittedly, it looked like I’d missed the mark by a bit with Mac, but I didn’t think I’d missed it completely. It was all in the details.
The door opened and there was Mac. He wore a shirt now, which I thought was kind of a shame, and there was a new bruise on his face, which I didn’t like at all.
“What happened to you?” I hurried over to hiss at the dark swelling, then spun on my heel, looking for a first aid kit. “Ice, we should put ice on it. Or a cold pack.”
“It’s fine.” He folded me in his arms. “I want to know what you meant by that look you gave me before you came in here. What did I do?”
“Nothing,” I hurried to assure him. “It was just me. Silly omega stuff.” The practiced phrase tripped off my tongue as easily now as it had back in Montana.
“There’s nothing silly about you. Don’t hide things from me. I want to know what I’m doing wrong, so I don’t do it again. We’re mated—it’s not all going to be easy, but I don’t want the whole load to land on you.” He rubbed his nose over mine in wolfy kisses and I chuckled. Okay, no, it was a giggle, but Mac didn’t seem to mind. And the feeling of having someone I could bring my worries to was the greatest luxury ever. So when he asked, “What’s bothering you?” as we walked home, well, I felt I had to answer, even if I didn’t really know how to explain it.
“I’m not a stupid omega,” I said in a rush, my opening salvo. “I’m not weak either, or a push-over.”
“I never said you were.” His arm tightened around my shoulder. “What made you think that?”
“I just… You sent me out of the room.”
Mac stopped abruptly and turned to face me. “You thought I was sending you out because I wanted to talk about adult things?”
Ah, shit. That’s kind of what I sounded like didn’t I? I looked down at the ground and shrugged, kicking a rock half buried in the turf, forgetting I didn’t have any shoes and stubbing my toe. And now I really did love Mac, because he held me steady while I hopped around on one foot, cursing the rock, and he never even laughed once.
But once I’d stopped jumping around like a lunatic, he said something that drove my feelings for him deeper. “I didn’t want you to hear the things I was sure were going to be said when I spoke to my team. Not because I think you can’t handle it, but because I’m sure you’ve already had to handle it more times than I like to think of, and I didn’t want to do that to you. You deserve better.” He held me close, stared deep into my eyes, and added, “Should I carry you now? It’ll really set the gossips talking if you limp into the house.”
I swatted him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mac called Abel before they even got near the house to warn him about what had happened, and ask what he wanted to do.
“Oh, feel free to tell them. I imagine I’ll see the mushroom cloud from here.” There was entirely too much satisfaction in Abel’s voice, and Mac instantly developed a brand new goal in life—see Abel mated as soon as possible. That’ll show you, you manipulative prick. Though he was secretly glad that Abel hadn’t wanted Jason.
He slung his arm over Jason’s shoulders again and pulled him close, grinning cheerily at him. “You ready to set off the dynamite?”
Jason reached up to lace his fingers through Mac’s, but he wore a thoughtful, somewhat anxious look. “Promise me something?”
“Anything.”
Jason smiled a distracted smile at him, then turned his gaze back toward the rapidly approaching town. “Promise you won’t let them take me?”
“You’re mated to me. Hopefully carrying my pup. They can’t take you.”
“They weren’t supposed to mate omegas before they turned eighteen, but that never stopped them.”
Mac came to a stop so quick he nearly lost his grip on Jason. “They what?” Jason’s eyes widened anxiously and Mac cursed himself for a fool. “Not you.” He took both Jason’s hands in his. “They bred omegas before they were mature.” He had to say it out loud to be sure he’d heard Jason right. The idea seemed too crazy when it was just in his head, inhuman behavior, beyond belief.
Jason nodded. “I think it was what decided my parents to run. Normally it was like, sixteen, sometimes fifteen. I had my first season in the fall just after I turned thirteen, like normal. But then it hit again in the spring, and everyone went crazy. Orvin tried to take custody of me, other alphas were offering my parents money for me. I know it’s supposed to mean I’m a True Omega, but I don’t even know what that means. So we left, skipped out one night in the back of a junk truck. And, well, you know the rest.”
He didn’t, just the ending, but he couldn’t imagine the middle was any better, and satisfying his curiosity wasn’t worth digging up all those old hurts for Jason. He pulled Jason to him and they started walking
again. “I don’t even know what to say,” he finally confessed. What could you say to that story?
Jason tilted his head back and smiled up at him. “Say you’ll keep me and never let that happen to our pups, even if they turn out the same way?”
“They’ll have to get to them over my dead body.”
“I hope not.” Jason hugged him, and then they were into the town and collecting all sorts of looks from the early birds of the pack. Jason’s bare feet and ill-fitting clothes, combined with the bruise on Mac’s face, told a racy tale that would keep the pack whispering for months. The rumor mill will be hot tonight. Let it. The truth was even better than anything the gossips could come up with. And if Jason turned up pregnant, so much the better.
He should have taken the truck. Yes, it would have left the rest of the team stuck out in the security building, but at least Jason wouldn’t have had to walk so far. And Mac kind of wanted to get all the notifications done. They needed to sort out where they would live. Where Jason’s father would live, and if it would be with them. Mac preferred not—he wanted some time where it was just him and Jason. They knew each other a little, but if they were going to make a success of this, they needed more uninterrupted time together.
And if some of that time happened to be in bed, well—Mac wasn’t going to complain.
Jason cuddled closer, his eyes wary as he watched the early morning risers.
“They’re just curious. It’s living in such a crowded place—we get all up in each other’s business.”
“It was like that at home too. I hated it.”
“You have reason. It’s better that the news gets out sooner than later. It’s not like I plan to hide you, and soon it’ll be obvious that we’re mated.”
“Are we, though? No ceremony, no recording of the match. My pack will argue it.”
Mac kept his tone light. “Should we stop now and make a public display? You know, for proof?” He nudged Jason with his hip.
Jason gave a derisive snort. “Jerk.” But he was smiling and Mac felt the loosening of his muscles as they walked.
That only lasted until they made the turn into—their?—neighborhood. Jason’s steps slowed, and Mac tightened his grip on Jason’s shoulders. “I’ve got you.”
Jason sighed and patted Mac’s hand. “I know. I’m just not looking forward to it.”
“If it helps, I’m not either. But the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can tell your father, and the sooner we can make it all official.” Mac grinned and bumped him again with his hip. “Jason Mercy Hills.”
“I like that.” Jason bumped him back.
They met the men from Montana Border in front of the house. The two of them were arguing with Jason’s father, but fell ominously silent when Mac and Jason came into view.
“What is this?” One of them made a grab for Jason, but Mac caught his arm and bent it back, demonstrating just how much stronger he was. The other watched warily, but took the hint, and kept his distance.
“We’re mated,” Mac said. “I took him last night. He’s mine.” He made his point doubly clear by putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder, while still holding the one Montana Border shifter with the other. William looked shocked, but Mac had no time to concern himself with Jason’s father.
“We had an agreement!”
“No, you had permission to come stay here. We never agreed not to find him a mate.”
“Your Alpha told me he wouldn’t leave the house.”
“Obviously, the Alpha was mistaken.”
Jason broke into the conversation. “My heat ran long. You’re welcome to scent me, if you need proof.” He shivered under Mac’s hand, and Mac threw him a concerned glance. Jason pressed a kiss to Mac’s hand and murmured, for his ears only, “Don’t leave me.”
Mac nodded sharply, and turned his attention to the Montana Border shifters. “You’ll be respectful, or it won’t only be the omega that Montana Border loses.” The threat hung in the air like a drawn sword. Jason moved half a step closer to Mac, his arm tangling with Mac’s free one.
The Montana Border shifter in Mac’s grip snarled. “I think we need better proof than that.”
Mac sighed and shoved the man away. “I’m not going to have sex in front of you. You’ll have to wait until the pregnancy test comes back, if you want scientific proof. But he’s not going with you. Ever.” His voice dropped in a deep bass growl on the last word, and he let some of his wolf show, in his eyes and his teeth, and the hunger in his veins.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I woke up early, like I usually did. Dad had moved out, Mac had moved in, and my days had both changed completely, and stayed exactly the same. I still got up early to make breakfast and get in some housework before the day started. But now, when I went to bed at night, it was with Mac, and I woke still wrapped in his arms. My safe haven, my loving alpha.
Mac had worked late last night, and I snuck out of bed without waking him to pace restlessly around the house and hope. The second heat of my season should have started two days ago. It wasn’t always regular—sometimes a day or two early, sometime late. Was it too soon to get tests done? I’d heard of heats coming late when the omega was stressed. Could that be why I was still on an even keel? I went to stand in front of the calendar again, willing it to give up its secrets.
“What are you doing up?” Mac rumbled behind me. He slid his hands around my waist and kissed the side of my neck. I sighed and closed my eyes, covering his hands with mine. His naked skin warmed mine, and my cock stirred as his scent surrounded me. We stood there for a moment, quietly content. “How are you feeling today?”
It was Mac’s subtle way of asking if I was coming into heat. “Nothing yet,” I said.
“That’s good. And bad.”
I pulled away and spun to stare at him. “What’s bad about it?”
He laughed. “Aside from the fact that you’re as jumpy as a rabbit on full moon, if you are pregnant, it means I have to wait a long time to enjoy one of these fabled omega heats.” He leered at me, and I laughed.
“I hope you have to wait.” I stepped in for a hug. “How long before a test would work?”
“I don’t know, but we can call the clinic.”
“Would you mind?”
He patted my ass. “I’ll do it right now.”
“They won’t be open yet.”
He grinned, and pulled me up against him. “Oh, how shall we pass the time?” His cock pressed against my stomach and I shivered with anticipation.
It was mid-morning before we made it out of bed again. I was completely limp, near comatose, and utterly delighted with my new life. My fears that Mac would change, or that I would, hadn’t come to pass. Mac was the center of my world, and I hoped that soon we’d have another little body to add to it. But nothing gave me more pleasure than to do some small thing that put a smile on his face, or made him look at me with that expression of pride. I hung off him while he made the phone call, and squeaked with excitement when he chased me to the shower to clean up.
“Quick, quick, they’ll take us as soon as we get there!” He was as giddy as I was, and we shared a shower, which nearly ended up with us back in the bedroom again. But I needed to know, so I swatted his wandering hands away before things went too far, and we weren’t too terribly long getting ready.
At the clinic, I sat on the table, practically vibrating with nerves and impatience. Mac paced, unusual for him, and I took it as a sign that he was just as invested in this possible pregnancy as I was.
The nurse came in—the pack didn’t rate a doctor, but Adelaide was a shifter with probably as many courses under her belt as a doctor would have. I knew this, because Mac had filled me in on her entire history on the drive over to the clinic.
“Morning, Mac,” she said, and shook his hand. “I haven’t had a chance to offer congratulations to both of you yet. When’s the official ceremony?” She glanced between the two of us.
Mac looked shamefaced. “We ha
ven’t talked about it yet. I thought Jason would want to be more settled first.”
“And then you go right ahead and get him pregnant?” She raised her eyebrows at him, and to my great amusement, Mac flushed.
“I wanted him to,” I told her, saving my man’s reputation. It couldn’t hurt mine—after the past month, I was pretty sure what it was. Not that omegas started high on the social class scale anyway. Doomed by our biology.
“Good morning, Jason,” she said. She had a warm smile and her manner was matter-of-fact. More important to me, she didn’t seem to be judging me. “Mac told me on the phone this morning that you two are trying to start a family.” The whole time she was talking she was pulling things out of cupboards and drawers. “We’ll do a physical exam, just to make sure you’re healthy, then I’ll take some blood. It’s pretty early, but we should see something in your blood test if you do have a pup growing in there.” She smiled and reached for my arm. “We’ll start with your blood pressure.”
As far as I could tell, she examined me without doing anything differently than she would for any other shifter. It was only at the end that things changed. She had me lie down and undo the fastening of my jeans. I was more grateful than ever that I’d showered this morning, because she started pressing on my stomach between by bellybutton and cock, moving her fingers around in a pattern that only she seemed able to see. Her expression was intent, and Mac and I held our breath, my hand clutched tight in his, as she made her tour of my womb.
“All right, you can close up your pants now,” she said, and stepped back. “This will all have to wait on the blood test coming back positive, but I’d say it’s looking good for a pup.”
Mac stepped forward, his face alight with excitement. “He’s pregnant?” His grip on my hands tightened even further and I had wiggle my fingers a little to remind him that it was a real live person he was holding on to. He smiled an apology at me, but his attention immediately turned back to Adelaide.
Mating the Omega (MM Gay Shifter Mpreg Romance) (Mercy Hills Pack Book 1) Page 10
