“What do you need, Mercy? What can I do for my Alpha this morning?” I kiss the inside of her thigh and climb up her body, my face hovering inches above hers.

I silently say a prayer of thanks, still in shock at the turn of events that got us here. Fate, returned her to me, to us. I’m in awe of her breathtaking beauty, my goddess, laid out before me; she is my world.

Her curly hair fans the pillow, her pupils are blown with lust, her soft lips part as her tongue darts out to moisten them. Her chest heaves, her breasts heavy, in desperate need of my attention, and I oblige, leaning forward to take one of the hard brown peaks into my mouth, biting and sucking. Mercy cries out from both the pleasure and pain. I press my teeth into her flesh, already decided where my mating mark will be.Yes, left breast, you are mine.I soothe the bites, planting soft kisses as I repeat the process with her other nipple.

“Stop teasing me, Nate. I need you. I need your knot,” Mercy whines, and my instincts to soothe and ease her aching need stops my playful torture.

“What my Alpha wants, my Alpha gets,” I tease. With a wink I grab her and suddenly flip us both until she is straddling my waist. She looks down at me, eyes wide in surprise at the change in position.

“You want it, take it, Merce. Take what you need from me, use me.” My words are almost a prayer as she runs her hands up my chest, her nails scoring my skin. She can mark me all she wants. I will wear it proudly.

“Mine. Nate. All mine,” she says as she lifts her hips, slick dripping down her legs, soaking my skin. She slowly slides down my throbbing length. Her pussy clutching, squeezing, choking my cock, making me moan in pleasure. I grab her thick thighs as she begins to ride me hard and fast, bouncing on my cock, chasing her release. I keep my eyes on her, I can wait for my own release until she falls apart. Mercy’s head falls back, mouth open in a silent scream, lost in ecstasy.

“I’m yours, Merce. All yours,” I say, gritting my teeth as the pressure builds at the base of my cock, my knot swelling as I thrust upward. Mercy screams as I yank her hips down hard, impaling her, locking us together. I cum so hard, stars dance behind my eyelids, both of our cries of pleasure mingle in an erotic chorus rising and falling as we continue to find our release together. I push my body into a seated position, the shift causing Mercy to orgasm again, her eyes closing as she shudders in my arms. I pull her close, until we are chest to chest.

“I love you, Mercy Smooth. I never stopped. I’ve held on to it. It’s been right here.” I point to my chest. “It’s been waiting for you to come home.” I lean forward and kiss her, pouring all my emotions into it, hoping that she feels my love in the deepest parts of herself. We were just kids when she promised to take care of me. The worst day of my life, my parents gone, Knight and I were alone in the world. I ran and tried to hide, scared for what would happen to us now that we had no one. But Mercy found me, reached her tiny hand out to mine, and my life has never been the same since.

“I love you too, Nate,” she finally says, breaking our kiss and laying her head on my chest. My heart beats so hard in my chest, her words make me struggle to breathe. She loves me. There was a time when I doubted that love. When she walked away. But even without a cemented bond, I can feel the depth of her emotions, pulsing and steady like the beating of my own heart, and I’ll never doubt her again.

I stroke her hair and hold her tight to my chest as we both simply inhale and exhale together. Our hearts beating as one.

“Nate!” I jump at the sound of my name. My eyes pop open in a panic. Mercy is breathing evenly, asleep in my arms. We must have dozed off. My knot has slipped out of her, which makes it easier to slip her off my lap and onto the bed. The pitter patter of little feet bound up the stairs, and I already know who’s making their way toward us. Fuck. Stefan. I scramble out of the bed, searching for my shorts and t-shirt. I spot them on the floor at the foot of the bed and just manage to slide my shorts over my ass before Stefan walks past the door.

“Yo, Nate. Where—” He pauses and turns in the direction of the door and I growl in warning.

“If you look into this room and beyond, or step over this threshold, I promise you it will be the last time you’re welcome in our home.” I slide my shirt over my head, my hackles well and truly raised. He will never look at what’s ours. If Lox was here, he would have thrown him down the stairs for entering our house without permission. Especially now that Mercy is here. He knows she’s here, so why the disrespect?

This is my fault. I befriended the weak Beta. He works hard, I’ll give him that much, but he is too eager to be pack. Knight made it clear we didn’t need a Beta and weren’t looking to add to our pack. But he wriggled his way into our lives, working for us at M. Bar, then offering to do the bitch work that none of us wanted to do. But the decision for him to remain in our orbit is all on Mercy, and she is yet to meet him.

Stefan stands in the hall near the door, looking up at me with a put-out frown on his face. He tries to peer over my shoulder but he’s so short all he gets is more of me. I fold my arms over my chest and lean on the doorframe. I take a quick glance over my shoulder, Mercy’s body is hidden under a mound of blankets, still sleeping.

“You could have called from downstairs, Stefan. Why did you feel the need to walk uninvited through the pack house?” I arch a brow, clenching my jaw in frustration. I am not the violent type. No, I leave all the brutality to Lox and Knight. But right now, I want to throw his little ass out on the front lawn and beat his face in.

He smirks. He has the audacity to smirk. “I thought you may have been working. I promise I meant no disrespect. It was quiet when I came in. I assumed—"

“You assumed fucking wrong.” I growl again, stepping into his space, forcing him to step back to look up at me. “Knock. You’ve never had permission to come and go here. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you are not pack.”

He frowns, but it quickly vanishes as he smiles wide, as if what I said hadn’t registered at all. Stefan raises his hands in surrender, then drops his head submissively. “I’m sorry, Alpha, I didn’t know the dynamic would change with her here. I mean, from what I’ve heard, she doesn’t even know who or what she—"

My hand is around his throat before I can manage to think. I push forward, pressing him against the banister. He eyes widen in surprise, then he tries to fight me off, gripping my arm to break my hold. Even with all that muscle on his tiny frame, he can’t do anything but flail in my grip and accept what’s happening to him.

“I—” He gasps, and I shush him, feeling like I’m a feral animal right now. I lean into his face, my hold on his neck tightens enough for him to keep his fucking mouth closed.

“You see, somehow you got it in your head that you have a right to an opinion in this pack. Maybe it was me.” I shrug and continue. “I need to correct that mistake. You don’t get to speak about her, in fact, you don’t look at her or say her name. You will be lucky if you still have a job after what you just tried to say,” I bite out before releasing him and stepping back. I need to control myself before I pop his head off his shoulders like the disgusting pimple he is.

“It’s not just me. Half the damn community is talking about. . .about,” he fumbles with his words. I am sure his need to spill what he knows is his way to get back into my good graces, but it won’t work this time. He thinks better of saying her name and I can’t help but smile. Yeah, take my words as facts. I might have shocked him with my display of dominance but don’t take my kindness for weakness. “There’s a lot of people not happy with her taking over her father’s company. Derrick and—"

I stop him with my hand. “Derrick what?” I ask. Taking his arm I shove him away from the door and guide him towards the stairs. I don’t want Mercy to overhear her sister’s pack is causing trouble and talking shit about her. She will have no qualms about marching over to Faith’s ready for war.

“Derrick and his pack are talking about her all over town. How she shouldn’t be allowed to mate with a defective pack like yours. Omegas should be placed with powerful Alphas who know what to do with them. I mean, her own father is speaking against her in church apparently. Saying Omegas shouldn’t work in such high-powered positions. She will control most of the town’s income, and a lot of people don’t want her to take the reins.” Stefan stumbles forward.

“I mean, she’s an Omega. She shouldn’t be working,” he mumbles, making me push him so hard he trips and has to catch himself before falling face first down the stairs.

“Stefan, leave,” I say through gritted teeth, following him down to the second floor and continuing down to the bottom.

“I can’t leave, I was sent here to help Mer—I mean—your Omega get her Beta friend from the airport.” He stands at the bottom of the stairs trying to plead his case. If he thinks I would let him anywhere near Mercy, he’s delusional. I don’t trust Stefan.

“Your services are no longer required. I will take Mercy myself.” I point him toward the door and his frown deepens.