Page 24 of Going Down Smooth: Part One

“I knew the day she arrived that she would do this. She rejected you, yet here you are, all of you down on your knees licking her nine miles of shit. Well, she’s nothing special, Nate. She’s a bi—” I don’t let him finish. I’m on him in seconds, punching him so hard he goes flying across the floor.Ouch.I shake out my hand, not used to throwing punches, but damn it felt good.

“Leave!” I roar, stomping toward him as he clutches his nose, blood pouring down his face as he scoots away from me on his ass. I prowl forward like a predator. I swear, if he opens his mouth to say one more thing, it will be his death. This need to protect and fight for what’s mine rises inside of me, making me more beast than man. I watch him retreat, finally making it to the front door. He’s left bloody handprints everywhere.

“Don’t bother showing up to M. Bar, you’re fired,” I say as he staggers to his truck and climbs into it like a child, swinging his short legs up with several attempts to get in, making me laugh at how ridiculous he appears. He pulls away finally, sneering at me through the window before kicking up the gravel of the drive as he speeds away.

I slam the door and turn to find Mercy standing behind me. The look of anger on her face tells me she heard everything Stefan said, and I immediately want to sooth and comfort her. I open my mouth, but she stops me with a wave of her hand.

“Don’t. I don’t need you to make me feel better about what I just heard. I don’t need my hand held or a hug. I need to know where all the vipers are around me and so do you. I have a feeling he is going to be a problem, though. I guess it’s time to stir some shit up. Change is coming to Frankfort, Nate, and I won’t back down from a fight. The board meeting tomorrow is perfect timing. Time to show this town that I am here to stay, and I’m not an Omega to be fucked with,” Mercy says, turning on her heels and marching back up the stairs.

I watch her go with determination in every step she takes. I knew there would be resistance, but it seems the bubble we’ve been in has officially burst.

I need to warn my brothers.

FIFTEEN

FREEYA

This is what it looks like to be well loved and well fucked. I sit in the back seat of the SUV watching a blissful Mercy through the side mirrors on the passenger side of the car. She stares out of the window, watching the scenery go by in silence. The night offering nothing but the twinkling lights of the buildings and houses we pass. My focus turns to the driver, his kind brown eyes checking Mercy, glancing at her quickly before he turns his gaze back on the road. Nate, yes, this one is Nate, the architect.

Nate picks up Mercy’s hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it rapidly with soft pecks. It’s so sickly sweet, it makes my teeth ache, but fuck it, I want what she’s having. Not them obviously, but my own four course meal of hotness, maybe five, hell, one. I will take what I can get. Mercy turns her attention to him, smiling, looking all kinds of loved up as he smiles back at her before continuing to drive us toward our destination.

She catches my eyes in the rearview mirror, and I raise my eyebrow in knowing. My best friend is lost to me now. I’m not mad, every human being deserves their own island of happiness of their own making. In whatever size they want to construct it, with whomever they want to build it. Fuck designations. Alphas, Omegas, Betas, we’re all deserving, are we not?

I return my friend’s smile and settle back into my seat. I sigh. I am genuinely happy she’s found her way back. She and I have been inseparable for years, and in that time she barely gave me much in regard to the Alphas she rejected. It was clear Mercy left out of fear. I was never sure of what though. Some things don’t need to be discussed out loud. Trauma is trauma, no matter how big or small, to the person it’s happening to, it’s their whole entire world.

I assumed she was in danger from not only her parents but the Alphas she ran from. But in all that time, the information she did give about them was of nothing but good memories. Tales of a deep and meaningful friendship, of love lost, and heavy sadness. I didn’t get it, but I never voiced that to her because who am I to tell her the concerns and fears for herself were unwarranted. Who am I to judge? Omegas have two options, find a pack, or be forced into one. Well, until recently when the laws changed. Omegas are now allowed to seek out cities that permit them to be free and independent.

Mercy presented late. It hardly ever happens, but when it does you usually end up a Beta or a late blooming Alpha. Mercy had convinced herself and been told she would become an Alpha. What is it they say? You convince yourself for long enough and the mind and body eventually believe it, making it so. Well, it didn’t matter in Mercy’s case. Nature had come calling. Fucking nature. It had somehow already given her a pack, a packaged deal, built on a longstanding friendship, full of respect and love. I admire what they have.

The fact that these men held out for her unknowingly and were subjected to the scrutiny of their community for years as rejected Alphas, is serious dedication on their part. Blind faith. Even if they had convinced themselves she was lost to them. They still opened their arms to her when she needed them. I can’t be mad at them. They hadn’t taken advantage of her during her heat. They took care of her, when so many other packs in their position would have claimed her and taken her against her will. I’m sure they aren’t perfect, no one is, but they are squeaky clean in my book. I can’t even do the best friend sneer without coming across all dreamy eyed at the four of them. No, Knight, Lox, Trey, and Nate are four absolutely gorgeous Alphas, and they’re besotted with Mercy.

My thoughts shift to earlier when I’d arrived at the baggage claim with as much of my life packed in four huge suitcases as possible. I hadn’t expected to see all four of them barricading Mercy from view, protecting her like she’s their greatest treasure. As soon as I saw her face peek out between the towering men with boulders for biceps, and jaw dropping good looks, I’ve been fighting warring emotions. I’m not jealous, far from it. But deep down, I long for this. For a pack. As a Beta, I don’t have the same restrictions as my bestie. I can go anywhere, be anything. The world doesn’t view me as a possession. If anything, I am overlooked, a drop in the ocean compared to the rarity of Omegas and Alphas.

I am running from my own trauma. My life has been the complete opposite of Mercy’s. I didn’t present as an Omega, so I was deemed useless in my parent’s eyes and all but thrown out. Mercy is all I have and now. . .and now she has her pack back. Yes, I uprooted my life because she is my family. I am her assistant; I help her run her consultancy business and I am all about her leveling up as she takes the reins of her father’s business and turns Smooth Bourbon to a global name. I honestly don’t know what else is out there for me, other than my commitment to her.

“You alright back there, Free?” Mercy asks. I glance up only to realize she hasn’t stopped looking at me. “If you’re tired from the flight, we don’t have to go out tonight. I can get Nate to drive you back to your place,” she adds, with a plea in her wide eyes. Which of course is best friend code forplease, I need to talk to you as my life spirals out of control and I am barely keeping my shit together. Plus, I know the bar belongs to her Alphas, but there is no way she is going out without me. Mercy was reclusive back in Chicago and we rarely went anywhere that wasn’t Omega friendly. This is all new to her. She is technically still unmated; I have to watch my girl’s back even though I know she doesn’t need me to.

I cluck my tongue. “Girl, like I’m going to let you have all the fun. Tomorrow will be all business and I am sure we are going to have a load of shit to deal with. Until then, you and I are going to have a good night out and enjoy our freedom before the hard work commences.” I nod my head with a sharp, 'damn right' gesture, offering a hum for emphasis. From what she told me earlier, there are a lot of people who don’t want her to take over her father’s company. So, who knows what we will be walking into tomorrow. I think a lot of things are going to get ugly in Mercy’s life before they get better.Bestie Freeya to the rescue, bitches.

She blows out a breath of relief and smiles at me. “Oh, thank goodness. I am not above kidnapping if you would have said to take you home,” she says, making Nate chuckle as he turns the SUV towards a sign indicating downtown Frankfort.

I nod my head, accepting the truth in her words, quickly turning my head to frown. Home. More like temporary accommodation until I find my own place and settle down here officially. I don’t want to be alone in a city I don’t know. I know it won’t happen overnight; a pack of men aren’t just going to fall into my lap. I will adjust and throw myself into work like I always do. What is it they say about idle hands? Tonight, I don’t want to think about my lonely existence. I want to drink and dance until it’s all nothing but a blur.

“Mercy Smooth, you and I have several drinks with our names on them.” I wink, smiling wide. Convince yourself that you’re happy and hey, you will be, right?

* * *

I smirk to myself as we cross the main road towards the brightly lit bar near the outskirts of the city.M. Bar.Well, I don’t have to reach too far to deduce what the M stands for. They even named their business after her. Swoon.

Nate makes sure Mercy and I are in front of him as he gently guides us to the front of a very long line waiting to get in. I whistle, impressed by the number of feet ready and waiting to walk through their doors.

“Sunday night is pack night. Only mated packs are allowed in tonight and the place is always full. You two don’t need to worry though, you will both be with me, and we will be in the VIP area of the club. Lox will be at the bar and Knight will be in his office, where I am sure he will be watching the place from up high,” Nate says reassuringly.

Mercy nods her head as we take in the line of people who all call out to Nate in greeting. A few begin to whisper as Mercy and I walk by. I am sure the word has spread about who she is. This is not a large city and gossip travels fast. Her father was a prominent figure here, so with his passing and the upcoming take over, Mercy’s name is on everybody’s lips.

“Yes, that’s her. Mercy Smooth. . .good for her,” someone says as we pass.

“Didn’t she reject pack Biggs?” a woman whispers, making Mercy’s shoulders tense but I loop my arm in hers and keep her walking towards the bouncer at the door.

---