Page 39 of Omega Inked

I sit across from Mercer in the alpha mess hall, both of us with a beer in our hands. He rolls his eyes as I snicker at him, taking a big swig and calling him out on what he said about Olivia.

"You noticed that, huh?" he says.

I snort. "I notice everything. So...you wanna fuck her too, huh?"

Mercer takes a slow sip of his beer, watching me carefully over the rim of the bottle. His eyes are a dark, stormy blue, bright against his brown skin, and I can see the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I wouldn't say no," he admits. "But that's not really what this is about, is it?"

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. "Enlighten me."

He leans back in his chair, swirling the beer around in his bottle. "We need to keep her safe. She's an omega. She needs a pack."

"Yeah, but three days ago you seemed pretty adamant that you didn't give a damn about her."

He shrugs. "I don't...not really. I care about the two of you."

That stops me in my smug tracks, my eyes widening as I look over at Mercer. We've been friends for a long time--business partners and partners in crime even longer--and we've been through a lot. Phoenix escaped from ACB custody, Mercer's whole family killed, I was out on the street after my family got broken up thanks to ACB meddling...

...but Mercer has never told me he cared.

Olivia just brings this out in all of us, I guess.

I take the moment to study Mercer, looking for any hint of deception, but as always, his face is a stone wall. He's always been the strong, silent type, and it's one of the things I respect most about him. But right now, I need him to open up a little more if we're going to figure out what the hell we're doing with Olivia.

"I care about the two of you too, you know," I say finally, my voice softening. "But we both know that we're not exactly pack material. We're more like lone wolves, doing our own thing, looking out for number one. It's how we've survived"

Mercer nods. "Yeah, but that's not going to cut it with Olivia. She needs us."

I snort. "She needs an alpha mate, not a couple of jackasses like us."

Mercer laughs, a sound that's rare enough to make me smile too. "Speak for yourself. I think I'd make a damn good alpha mate."

I cock my head. "Yeah...actually, you're kinda like pack dad."

He glares. "Don't make me feel old, asshole."

"I'm not!" I say, raising my hands. "Unless...do you want me to call you daddy?"

He busts out with a loud laugh, so loud that some of the guys around us look over. I can't help but chuckle along with him, the tension between us dissipating as we joke around. But even as we laugh, I can't shake the feeling that Mercer is right. Olivia needs us, and not just as protection against the ACB or any other threats that might come her way. She needs a pack, a family, and as much as I hate to admit it, maybe Mercer and Phoenix and I are the closest thing she's got.

"Alright, alright," Mercer says, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "But on a serious note, what are we gonna do about her? We can't just keep her locked up forever, and if Rafe insists she stay in the city...fuck, I hate the idea of her getting hurt."

I lean forward, the weight of the conversation settling heavily on my shoulders. "I don't know, man. We need to figure out a plan. And soon. The longer we wait, the more danger she's in."

Mercer nods, his expression turning serious. "I know. I've been thinking about what we can do--and I think...we've gotta mark her, right? Do it the natural way so there's no doubt. We all mark her, and nobody else will be able to claim her."

My cock twitches at the suggestion.

"Fuck me, I would love to," I say. "But you...are you sure? After your last pack..."

I trail off when his expression tenses. He doesn't like to talk about his family.

But I guess he's thought about this already.

"I know," he says, "but if you two aren't going to leave her behind, then I'm not either. So...if that's what you want, we mark her. We make her ours. And then we figure it out from there."

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Alright. Let's do it. But we need to make sure she's on board with this too."

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