Abel's Omega(Gay Paranomal MM Mpreg Romance) (Mercy Hills Pack Book 2)

by Ann-Katrin Byrde

“Thank you. Call me if you need me back.”

  “I will, but I can’t imagine anything coming up that you couldn’t handle by phone. Enjoy your time there. Maybe take Laine out for a meal in thanks.”

  Garrick sounded surprised, and something else that Abel couldn’t quite pin down. “I will. Thank you, Alpha.”

  Not often that Garrick used that term, and it was a sign of how much this trip meant to him that he’d used it.

  After they ended the call, Abel detoured through his office and made a note on one of his whiteboards to make sure that Garrick got out to talk with other lawyers more often. If he didn’t write it down, he’d forget it for sure in the deluge of other things he had to keep track of.

  “Well, Alpha. What will you do with your day?” he muttered to himself. He’d planned to skip the daily run ‘n’ romp with the security crew to laze around with Alpha Hunt and maybe sketch out some ideas for some other small pieces of software they could work up quickly and push out into the world to make more money. Games weren’t quick, but maybe an alarm clock of some sort? A scheduler? Maybe he’d just put a couple of the younger shifters on it. It would be good for them, and he needed to learn to give up a little control.

  Easy peasy.

  Abel was glad no one was around reading his mind, or he’d be laughed out of the apartment for that piece of wishful thinking.

  Might as well go for that run. He grabbed a quick breakfast and changed into something he could sweat in, then he was out the door.

  He met up with the Security crew at the near end of Central Park.

  “Thought you were taking the day off?” Mac said.

  “Garrick called with questions,” Abel told him and began to stretch before their run.

  “He coming back?”

  Abel shook his head. “Next weekend. He’s about the only shifter in the pack that never gets to hang out with people who do the same job. I’ll be glad when Cas is done law school.” Though he was feeling the financial pinch now, with January tuition payments looming, and four young shifters out for schooling. Luckily two of them were done this year, but he knew Louise had a folder full of other applications to move out of walls for school, and damned if he didn’t want them all to be able to go.

  “My Alpha’s a big softie,” Mac mused and dodged the punch Abel sent his way. “Hey, not a bad thing.” He smiled as if he knew something Abel didn’t, which made him suspicious.

  “What are you up to?” he demanded in a low voice.

  “Nothing,” Mac said blandly. “Come on, desk jockey. Let’s run.” Mac suited actions to words, calling the rest of the group to move, and they turned as a pack onto the street. Mac dropped to the back of the crowd to run beside Abel. “Watch Ben and Zeph. I’m thinking about approving their applications once they pass their final exams.”

  The troupe ran like they were in the military, in straight lines, feet hitting the pavement in unison. Not surprising, considering how many ex-military of one flavor or another there were in Security, but it was reassuring to see the young ones picking up the habits on their own. Abel kept an eye on the two young shifters Mac had mentioned as they circled the pack grounds and decided to give Mac the go-ahead to approve them. Tensions were getting higher with the increased crowding, and he’d like to see them have a bit more experience before word got out that the expansion was being put on hold.

  Lord of Wolves, please let this crazy idea of Laine’s work.

  They arrived back at the park at the end of their circuit, sweating and breathing hard, but not done yet. Jason was seated on a blanket on the grass, leaning back on his elbows. His father sat beside him, rocking Macy gently, and Noah chewed on something at his feet.

  Mac grinned and moved to the side of the group closest to Jason. Abel laughed and followed him, thinking that the situation was ripe for a bit of teasing. They dropped to the ground for sit-ups, while Duke kept count. A sharp whistle blasted across the grunts and exhalations of the men, and Mac chuckled in between repetitions. “Bax is a bad influence.”

  “What do you mean?” Abel asked. He scanned the park on his next ‘up’, wondering if the gorgeous new omega was around, but there was no sign of him. “Is he causing problems?”

  Mac snorted. “Only teaching Jason to whistle at me like I was the omega and he was the alpha.” His words died away as he sat up again, his breath leaving him a puff.

  Too funny. “And how does it feel to be the unwilling object of someone’s lust, MacKenzie Mercy Hills?”

  Mac sat up, ignoring Duke’s glare. “Who says I’m unwilling? I’m totally willing.” He winked at Jason, who looked entirely pleased with the situation. “And, by the way, since you asked, Bax is fine. More than fine.” He nodded his head toward a clear area between Jason’s blanket and the playground, where a bunch of pups and their parents were playing in wolf form. Abel squinted, trying to find Bax around the edges of the group, until he noticed a wolf he didn’t recognize in the middle of the puppy play.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed, and forgot completely about sit-ups. “Is that him?” Snow white fur, with shapely haunches and an elegant muzzle, he looked as good in wolf form as he did in human.

  Mac nodded, with an air of superiority that might have prodded Abel to take revenge at any other time. But not today. “You better grab that while you can. I’ve seen a few of the guys sniffing around and Bax always puts them off, but that’ll only last so long.” He dropped his voice and his expression when he turned back to Abel was serious, in that big brother giving you advice way. “Interesting thing—he’ll discuss every shifter in the pack with Jason. Except you.” His tone implied that Abel should take some extra meaning from his words.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that Jason thinks Bax might have a small crush on you, if you wanted to encourage that. And you’ve only got a week left.”

  He did. “I’m working on it.” Abel watched for a moment as Bax played tug-of-war with a pup that Abel now identified as Teca. Looking around, he spotted Fan playing a game of King with a handful of other pups. While Abel watched, Fan helped one of the clumsier pups capture the ball and then played guard so the pup could carry it triumphantly to their team’s den. It seemed he was taking their talk yesterday to heart, and Abel stretched his Alpha power out to give the pup a pat of congratulations. Fan started and looked all around himself for the source of the phantom touch, then zeroed in on Abel. He yipped and abandoned the game to start running toward the workout crew.

  Mac nodded. “You want help, let us know. Though Jason’s doing everything he can right now to point Bax your direction.”

  Abel gave a wry look. “Am I that obvious?”

  “To me, anyway. But I know the whole story.”

  Abel grunted, then held out his arms so Fan could barrel into him. “Hey, that was a good job you did during the game.”

  Fan yipped again and grabbed Abel’s wrist in his teeth, trying to drag him back over to the field.

  Abel extricated himself, but not without some difficulty. Fan was tricky and he kept changing his grip, his eyes alight with excitement at beating the Alpha at something. “Fan, I have push-ups to do. After, okay? I’ll come play with you.” He ignored Mac’s hastily muffled crack of laughter and flipped over onto his stomach with Mac and the rest of the group.

  Fan barked and jumped on Abel’s back, and Mac lost it. He lay flat down on the ground and laughed out loud, soon joined by the rest of the onlookers. Fan barked again, then lifted his muzzle in a puppy howl.

  Screw it. “Hang on,” Abel called, then started his push-ups. He could feel Fan wobbling, his weight shifting from paw to paw as he tried to keep his balance on the rapidly moving planes of Abel’s back. Abel slowed his pace, though it put him out of sync with everyone else. Other pups saw what was going on and soon they had a crowd. Some of the other security shifters ended up with pups on their shoulders as well, and then a few more, until every single one of them carried an extra ten or twenty pound
s in juvenile shifter on their shoulders. Duke laughed and kept counting.

  A sharp, admonishing whine from Abel’s left got his attention. Bax fidgeted next to him, the sun turning his white ruff into a halo around his head. Two pups—Teca and Beatrice, obviously—leaped and tumbled beside him.

  Bax put his nose out to Fan and whined, then turned apologetic eyes on Abel.

  “He’s fine. I don’t mind.” Abel let his chest come in contact with the ground and rested there. “The extra weight is good for me. Relax. Fan and I are going to finish working out and then we’re all going to play. Like Louise has been telling me for the past five years, it’s about time I took a day off.”

  Bax paused with his head cocked to one side, then lay down with his muzzle between his paws. His ears were canted in a way that Abel read as uncertain amusement. I can live with that. Abel grinned at him and said, “You ready, Fan?”

  Fan barked, and Abel got back to his push-ups.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I waited until Abel had changed his shape and left to play with the pups before I changed my shape again. This shyness was out of character for me, but the way I felt about him was also out of character, so the shyness felt like safety. It also helped hide the rush of blood to my cheeks when he stripped out of his clothes and stood before me, naked and sweaty in all his irresistible alphaness. I caught a whine of helpless want before it could escape, and breathed a sigh of relief as fur flowed over his skin and he dropped to all fours. Not that he was any less overwhelming in wolf form, but he left soon after, trailing a pack of pups behind him like a lupine version of the Pied Piper.

  Immediately after, I shifted my form and dressed, avoiding the interested glances of several nearby unattached shifters, both male and female. The reminder of my rapidly ticking clock was unwelcome and I turned to Jason with relief. “Do they always run like that in the morning?”

  “Oh, yes.” The corner of Jason’s mouth quirked up in satisfaction. “There’s usually an audience too. Mostly young and unmated.” The smile widened into a grin far too lascivious for an omega. “Sometimes, I wish I’d had some unmated time here. And then I remember that I mated the best-looking of the bunch, and I have to think awful thoughts to keep from floating away on my bloated ego.” His smile faded slightly and his eyes drooped. “Of course, my body doesn’t notice them anymore.” He rolled over onto his belly and the grin he shot me was bright and mischievous. “I can still appreciate the scenery though.”

  I couldn’t help a laugh. He followed Jason’s example and stretched out on the blanket to watch the goings-on. It was an oddly warm day for November, and the entire pack seemed to be out taking advantage of it.

  The security team had finished their workout and were now lounging around on the grass, chatting and indulging in the kind of horseplay common to young alphas and betas. I watched them idly, but they weren’t really the potential mates I was interested in. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the older shifters roaming the park seemed to already be paired with someone, though some of those pairings might just be friendly. I wanted to ask Jason, but with Jason’s father within earshot, I found the words hard to come by.

  There’s still time. Though not much, and with the added complication of the broad-shouldered wolf currently at the bottom of a pile of pups near the playground. I sighed and laid my head down on the blanket. I needed to lower my standards. Either that, or get over my nerves about the bedroom.

  At first, I’d thought I could work through my unease, taking my own pleasure at night in the peace and privacy of my bed. And it worked—up to a point.

  I lifted my head with a barely restrained snarl of frustration, my eyes going automatically to Abel. He was playing tag with the pups now, the youngsters swarming behind him like a flock of swallows. My chest hurt with the knowledge that I could only fail him in this, the most important service an omega could provide. I’d thought I might fake pleasure in the act until either he tired of me or I burst through that barrier I struggled with, but what if it never happened? The thought of going into a mating with him with that lie between us made me want to cry. Already, though we’d only met a week ago, I knew it would break him to find that I took no pleasure in the bedroom, in the same way that I knew that I would never be able to keep that secret for long.

  Dammit. Stop living in a dream world. I needed to be an adult. It didn’t matter that I just wanted to curl up in someone’s arms and have them tell me it would be all right.

  “Fan seems to like Abel,” Jason commented. “He’s good for Abel too. The man wasn’t joking when he said he never took a day off.”

  “He’s an important man,” I replied casually. The conversation’s direction made me suspicious.

  “He is, but part of it is that he has no reason not to drive himself that hard. Mac told me that since Abel took over, the standard of living went up almost by a quarter. We have pack members here going outside walls to school—Mercy Hills bought a house in town and renovated it for a student residence. But it’s because he’s involved in just about everything.” Jason picked at a blade of grass that canted over the edge of the blanket. “I love Mac, but sometimes I think I should have mated Abel instead. He needs someone more than Mac did.” He rolled over on his side and propped his head up on his hand. “Does that make any sense at all?”

  “Some.” Jason had been dropping hints all week. I guessed that now the gloves were coming off. “I don’t think I’m the right distraction for him.”

  “Why not? I think you’re perfect for each other.”

  In all ways but one, and if I could fix that one, I’d throw myself at him like the shameless hussy I was. “I can’t.”

  Jason looked up at me and frowned. “Why not? I can guarantee he’s not like Patrick.”

  I shook my head. “It’s…personal.”

  “You can’t get help if you don’t ask for it.” He raised his eyebrows at me, his expression open and friendly.

  I shook my head, and flicked my eyes toward his father. His gaze followed mine and he nodded. “We can talk later.”

  Abel spent the evening checking the population forms for errors—something he should have done that morning instead of playing with pups for more than two hours. He couldn’t regret it, though. It was the most fun he’d had in a long time. He worked until his eyes stopped focusing, then stood and stretched.

  Bedtime.

  He was just plugging his phone in to charge when it rang. The number showed up as the main security building, the one with the monitors for the walls. “Fuck,” he said tiredly, and thumbed the line open. “Hello.”

  “I meant to call earlier,” Mac’s voice came from the phone. “Got tied up settling down some of the teenagers. You got a few minutes?”

  “I was going to go to bed.”

  “Oh, we can talk about it tomorrow then.”

  It was so tempting… “No, spit it out.”

  “It’s about Bax.”

  Now he was wide awake. “What happened?” He unplugged the phone and went looking for his shoes.

  Mac laughed. “Nothing. But I have a spy in the camp, and I thought you might be interested in the intel.”

  Abel stopped with one shoe on, the other in his hand. “What intel?”

  “Just a bit more background that Jason pried out of him today.”

  Abel kicked off his shoe and wandered slowly back to the couch. “What?”

  “Don’t yell.”

  “Mac…”

  Mac made a sound halfway between a sigh and a growl. “Okay, we all saw his papers. We know he was mated early. And I pried it out of Jason today that his mating wasn’t good.”

  “I think we’d already figured that out.”

  “No, I mean the actual physical act of it. Jason just kind of tightened up when I asked him for details, but it sounds like they had to force him. You ever look at his hands?”

  “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” There was nothing wrong with Bax’s hands�
��they were beautiful. Like the rest of him.

  “Check out his right pinkie. It’s a little crooked.”

  “You’re saying that happened his mating night?”

  “I don’t know, but Jason is mad enough to spit. At me, at Buffalo Gap, and at Jackson-Jellystone.”

  Come to think of it, Abel had noticed a nervous twitch of Bax’s, a tiny crooking motion of that finger. “Shit. No wonder he’s nervous.”

  “And I’m sure I didn’t understand it all, because it’s omega stuff and it makes no sense to me,” Mac said. “But it sounds like Patrick used his omega nature against him in the mating. You know, in the bedroom.”

  “Damn it all to hell.” Abel got up and began to pace. “So he’s got some baggage. I kind of figured that.”

  “And then some. I thought you should have a head’s up. It’s lucky I’ve got nights this week, or I’d be sleeping on the couch. Jason’s pissed.”

  “Jason?” Since when did Jason ever get angry?

  He heard the creak of the chair as Mac shifted position. “Yeah, well, he came with his own baggage, right? It’s still a fight sometimes to get him to talk about things. And I don’t think he wants me feeding you information. Not that information. Or maybe he does. Damned if I can figure out what either of them want.”

  “I hadn’t realized…”

  “You weren’t supposed to. But I thought you should know what you were getting into if you keep on this course.”

  “Thanks. I’ll have to be careful how I deal with him.”

  Mac’s voice lightened. “On the bright side, if you could get him to tell you what his problem is, Jason’s tells me he finds you attractive, and you rank pretty high on the potential Pappy scale. But he’s got something else going on in there, and nothing I could do would convince Jason to cough that up.”

  “Omega solidarity.”

  “Something like that. I’ll let you get to bed. Let me know what you plan to do once you’ve had a chance to think about it.”

  “I will.” He hung up and plugged in the phone again. There was no thinking about this at all. He really liked Bax, and no relationship was perfect. He’d stick to his path, and see what it brought him.