“Hey man, I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you feeling?” Nicky asked, stopping on the stairs.
“I’m fine,” Rory replied. Nicky and Rory had always had a close but teasing relationship. Rory disapproved of the way he said Marco spoiled Nicky and he’d never made any bones about it. “But look at you. Damn, you were always tall, but you were like a beanpole before. Is Marco feeding you steroids or something?”
Nicky shrugged, uncomfortable at the turn in the conversation. That seemed to be the only thing anyone had to say to him these days. “I guess I’ve put on a few pounds. So are your wounds healing up okay?”
“Oh yeah. Casey’s seen to that.” He smiled ruefully. “He’s fed me so much of his blood I think I slosh when I walk. The doc finally had to tell him to back off.” When Rory had mated with Casey, an aggressive alpha, everyone had been shocked, but they seemed to make it work, even though Casey was extremely controlling and protective.
“Yeah, I know how that is. Marco’s been known to get a little overzealous in that department himself whenever I’ve been sick or hurt.”
“They’re only looking out for what’s best for us,” Rory said, frowning a little defensively, even though he’d been the one to start this.
Nicky smirked. “Yeah, right. Have you been drinking the Kool-aid along with all that blood?”
Rory flushed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You’re always such a smartass when it comes to the wolves. I see that still hasn’t changed a bit. You’d think that since you’re supposed to be changing into a wolf you would show a little more respect.”
Nicky gave Rory a long, narrow look. “I’m not supposed to changing, Rory. I have changed. And into an alpha at that, so maybe you’re the one who needs to show a little respect.” Nicky gave him a long hard look and was astonished to see Rory flush even more deeply and then lower his gaze.
“Sorry,” he muttered, almost under his breath. Rory was a gamma, and it wasn’t surprising that he’d back down in the face of a more dominant wolf. It was a pack hierarchy thing, and if Nicky was ever to gain the wolves’ respect, he had to start somewhere. The wolves respected strength, after all, and pack rank meant everything. Still, it felt like a cheap shot.
Rory had been Nicky’s first antagonist when he’d come to Mountainwood, but also his first friend. He loved him like a brother, and like brothers, they’d always bickered back and forth. Up to now, that’s all it had ever been.
“It’s okay,” Nicky said softly. “I have to go see Ian. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Rory murmured something he didn’t quite catch and took off up the stairs. Nicky stared after him and sighed. This seemed to be his day for burning bridges. He just hoped he wouldn’t need to cross one of them again anytime soon.
Moving on down the stairs, he passed a few pack members in the lounge area, and each of them nodded to him, and he even got a few tentative smiles, but as soon as he’d passed he heard the whispers start up behind him. The others were nervous around him now, not completely understanding the changes in him. Hell, who did? He kept going, heading outside to find Ian.
With a pack the size of Marco’s there was always work to be done, whether it was the new construction that usually seemed to be going on somewhere, maintaining the grounds, or working on the equipment. With many of the wolves on perimeter duty since the attack, guarding the sprawling boundaries of Marco’s property, Nicky knew there must be something he could do. He saw Ian near one of the vehicle barns, bent over a small tractor and headed for him. As he came close, he saw Ian straighten up and sniff the air. When he saw Nicky, he visibly tensed.
“Nicky. What can I do for you? Are you looking for Marco?”
“No, actually I was looking for you. I was wondering if there isn’t some work detail you could assign me to? I need something to do.”
Ian looked him up and down uneasily. “Well, I don’t know, Nicky. Did you speak to Marco about this? He hasn’t said anything.”
Nicky blew out a frustrated breath. “No, I haven’t. Is that a problem?”
“Nicky, you know that since the attack, Marco wants you to stay close to the lodge.”
“Well, hell, Ian, I wasn’t proposing a mountain hike. I was thinking of cutting the grass or something.”
Ian looked down at the freshly mown lawn and then back up at Nicky. “That crew has already been assigned. Maybe I can find you something inside the lodge to do.”
“Like what? Dust the furniture? Wash dishes with the other wives? Maybe I can scrub a few toilets.”
Ian crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s all work that needs to be done, Nicky. If work is what you really want.”
“Why don’t you tell me what it is you think I really want?”
Ian sighed and shook his head. “I don’t want to argue with you, Nicky. I don’t have anything for you to do on the grounds.”
“Then give me something to do off the grounds.”
“Marco said…”
“Fuck what Marco said.”
Ian tightened his lips and stared hard at Nicky. Nicky stared right back at him and after a moment or two, the beta shifted his gaze to the side uneasily. Nicky could feel his wolf move restlessly inside him.
“Look, Nicky, why don’t you talk to Marco?”
“Why can’t I talk to you? We used to be friends, Ian.”
Ian glanced back at Nicky in surprise. “We still are. But…”
“But what?”
“You’re different now, Nicky, in a lot of ways. You’re not just the alpha’s pet anymore. Your scent is even…there’s something off about it. Something not right. It makes the others uneasy, especially since you’re so…”
“What?”
“So dominant. An alpha, but you’re not their alpha. And yet you have his scent all over you. It’s confusing as hell, if you must know the truth. You need to get all this straightened out with Marco, because I don’t want to be in the middle of it.”
Nicky stared at him for a few more seconds before he turned and headed back toward the lodge, walking stiffly and fancying he could feel Ian’s gaze boring into his back. Rather than go inside, he veered off toward the gardens on the side of the lodge. This area, not so manicured as the rest of the grounds, was bordered by a thick grove of laurel trees and allowed to grow a little wild with rhododendrons and wild ferns. There was a pathway through the ferns that led to a little stone bench where he used to set up his easel and paint in the fresh air and sunshine.
He hadn’t been able to paint since the incident on the mountain. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Marco by telling him, but whatever talent he’d once had seemed to have completely deserted him. On the one occasion when he’d tried, he didn’t even remember what all the different brushes were used for. He’d stared down at the canvas with no idea of how to begin. He thought maybe it was from the trauma and it would all come back to him, but it hadn’t so far, and it was looking more and more like it never would.
“Nicky,” someone called from behind him and he turned to see his friend Logan coming toward him. “Ian asked me to come find you. He was afraid you were a little upset.”
Nicky lifted one shoulder. “Only a little frustrated. I didn’t mean to take it out on Ian. I guess he’s pissed.”
“No, just concerned about you.”
“And afraid I was about to take off? What—did Marco set his watchdog to guard me?”
“That’s not fair, Nicky. Ian was worried about you. We’ve all been concerned.”
“Yeah, see, it’s that concern that’s driving me crazy. I don’t need a guard, Logan.”
“How about a friend? Could you use one of those?”
Nicky gave a surprised little half-laugh and Logan pressed his advantage. “Come and have some lunch with me. I haven’t talked to you in too long.”
“Won’t Ian get mad?”
“What if he does? I’m not giving up my friendship with you for him or anybody else. Remember what you told me onc
e about the wolves? ‘They have the worst tempers on the planet, Logan, though they’d never admit it,’ you said. ‘When they get mad they say stupid things they later regret, but they’re all the same—handsome, sexy, brave and full of themselves.’ Is any of this ringing a bell?”
Nicky smiled. “Did I really say all that?”
“You know you did.”
Nicky shrugged. “It’s all true, of course. The irony here is that it looks like I’m about to find out about it all firsthand. I’ve been going around all morning half-cocked and ready to go off at the least provocation.”
Logan laughed and touched his arm. “Duly warned. C’mon, let’s go see what’s on the menu today. I thought I smelled meatloaf. It was always one of your favorites.”
They made their way back inside to the dining hall and over to the buffet line. Nicky wasn’t hungry—hadn’t been really since he got out of the hospital, but he took a salad and a roll while Logan loaded his plate. Nicky turned to look for an empty table and right away he spotted Marco at the far end of the room. He seemed to be deep in conversation with Ian and Casey, and Nicky blew out an irritated breath. “I see Ian ran straight to Marco.”
Logan glanced at Nicky, concern etched on his face. “It’s his job, Nicky, and he takes it very seriously. He’s only looking out for you both.”
“Yeah, right,” Nicky said and wound his way through the tables to where Marco was sitting. Marco gave him a long look as he approached, and Casey moved over to make room for Nicky beside Marco. A little silence fell over the table as Nicky and Logan sat down and Nicky wondered what they’d been talking about before they arrived. Or should he say who? No doubt he was a topic of conversation, but he wondered what they’d been saying about him. Was Ian complaining about his “strange scent”? Or were they both here to ask Marco to keep Nicky away from their mates?
Marco scowled down at Nicky’s tray. “Is that all you’re eating?”
He sighed. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat, damn it.” Marco picked up his own plate and dumped half of his meatloaf onto Nicky’s. A strong smell of onions, tomato sauce and grease wafted up to him and he felt a little lurch of nausea. Why had Logan said meatloaf was one of his favorites? He didn’t recall that. As a matter of fact, he didn’t think he liked it all.
Nicky was learning to pick his battles, though. He moved the meatloaf over to the side of his plate and took a bite of his salad.
Marco was still staring at him. “Ian was telling me that you asked to be assigned to a work detail.”
Nicky gave Ian a sharp glance. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you mention it to me this morning?”
Nicky smirked and bit into his roll. “We had other things to discuss.”
A muscle jumped in Marco’s jaw. Nicky met his gaze for a moment, and a wave of possessiveness washed over him. God, Marco was handsome. Those dark, intense eyes and that thick black hair, those lashes that threw dark crescents onto his cheekbones—sometimes Nicky was still surprised at how long those eyelashes were. He felt the slow thud of his heart beating in his chest as his groin tightened and the blood rushed to his cock. He shifted uncomfortably and picked up his glass of iced tea to take a sip.
Marco was giving him a stern look that told him to knock off the teasing. He decided he probably should before either of them said too much. Damn this wolf thing was exhausting—he’d never realized before that Marco went around feeling more than half-aroused like this whenever he was around his mate. Little wonder that he’d bent Nicky over the nearest surface whenever he got the chance.
“I don’t like the idea of you being on a work detail with the other wolves,” Marco said quietly.
Nicky slammed down his glass, the ever-present anger he felt lately boiling to the surface. “Do you ever give this jealousy thing a rest? Are your cocks the only things you wolves think about?” The minute the words were out of his mouth, he recognized the unfairness of them. He’d just been thinking about his own cock a few seconds before. He felt petty and mean-spirited. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Was he trying to start a fight?
A silence had fallen over the table and Marco looked at him strangely. His skin flushed. Marco cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean it that way. I only meant that it would be hard for the others to work with you now. They wouldn’t know whether to take orders from you or the foreman of the crew. They’d be as uneasy around you as they would me or Casey, and it would hinder their work.”
“Okay, message received. I’ll try to keep to myself from now on.” Nicky took another bite of his roll and forced it down. He felt unreasonably angry and he was having trouble controlling it.
Marco’s voice rumbled out low and angry as he replied. “Damn it, do you have to twist everything I say?”
Logan cleared his throat from across the table, as if to remind them they weren’t alone. Nicky smiled at him. “Sorry. But you said you were worried I was acting differently lately. Me and Marco bickering together should be just like old times.”
Casey stood up abruptly with his tray. “I need to get back to work.” He nodded over at Marco. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Ian got up too and touched Logan’s shoulder. “We should be getting back too. C’mon, Logan.”
Nicky reached across the table and put a hand on Logan’s. “Logan hasn’t eaten his lunch—we just sat down.”
Logan glanced uneasily at Nicky and back to Ian before he stood up. “I’ll get something later. Ian’s right, I need to get back to my class.”
Nicky frowned. “Don’t let him boss you around like that. You can sit here and eat your food.”
“Nicky,” Marco said warningly as Ian stiffened.
“I’ll talk to you later, Marco,” Ian said and took Logan’s unresisting arm to lead him away.
Nicky shook his head and glanced over at Marco. “Don’t glare at me like that. Ian still slips into his Neanderthal mode every once and a while. I don’t like it, that’s all.”
“And it’s none of your business either. Or mine. That’s between Ian and his mate.”
Nicky bit his lip. He reminded himself he was supposed to be picking his battles. “Okay. Sorry. It’s just that Logan is a good friend of mine.”
“I know, honey,” Marco said, his voice softening as he leaned closer to him and put an arm around the back of his chair. “But so is Ian. Becoming a wolf doesn’t mean you’re in competition with every wolf in the pack. Ian is a good beta and very loyal.” There was a little silence and then he said quietly, as if it had just occurred to him, “Casey said you were a little hard on Rory earlier today too.”
Nicky pushed back his plate and sat back in his chair. “Did Rory go crying to Casey about that? It was a simple conversation on the stairs. It was nothing.”
“Casey was a little confused by the whole encounter, that’s all. He wasn’t complaining.” Marco ignored Nicky’s snort of disbelief and leaned in closer to him. “I know you’re restless, baby, and that’s partially my fault. Actually, you need to start training with me, and I’ve put it off too long, waiting for you to recover. We’ll start tonight, if you like. We can go out for a run.”
Alarm skittered along Nicky’s spine and he turned his head sharply. Marco’s lips were only a kiss away, and he brushed them against Nicky’s and smiled.
“Go out for a run?” Nicky said. “You mean in our wolves?”
“Yes, of course. You’re becoming an alpha. We’re going to be an alpha pair. We need to learn to work together.”
Nicky shook his head uneasily. “I’m not…I don’t want to. Not yet.”
“I know, baby, but it’s time.” Marco dropped another kiss on his lips and stood up. “Take a rest this afternoon because we’ll be out late. I’ll see you at dinner.” He picked up his tray and left, leaving Nicky staring after him. He felt his wolf stirring restlessly inside, ready to leap out. He pushed the crazy bastard firmly back down and wondered what he could say to Marco to prevent this.
He just wouldn’t shift—that was it. No matter how hard Marco pressed him. The last time it happened…he shuddered at the memory of the yellow eyes shining down in the stream and reflecting back at him. The last time he shifted, all his wolf had wanted to do was find Marco.
So he could rip out his throat.
* * * *
Someone had Nicky’s cock in his mouth, his tongue blood-hot and silky against Nicky’s velvety skin. Prying open his eyes, still sticky with sleep, Nicky saw Marco kneeling over him, the head of Nicky’s cock between his lips.
“M-Marco,” he gasped, still half-believing this must be a sweet dream.
“The very same,” he said, pulling off to smile at him. “It’s time to wake up, baby. Get out of bed.” But instead of letting him, Marco put out his tongue to lick at Nicky’s dick.
Nicky laughed, dropped his head back on the pillow and caught his breath as Marco resumed his attentions. “Oh my God.”
He arched his back and pushed into that wet heat. Marco murmured something around his cock, the vibration driving Nicky wild. He thrust up again and tangled his fingers into Marco’s thick hair. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Marco laughed softly and looked up at him. “What do you want me to do? This?” he said, licking across the head of Nicky’s cock. “Or maybe this?” Marco dragged a slow, hot tongue all the way up the length of Nicky’s shaft, making him shiver and moan. Another few seconds of this treatment, and Nicky knew he’d be talking in tongues.
“Marco,” Nicky groaned as Marco engulfed his cock with his hot mouth, swirling over his skin as he moved up and down, over and over in a maddeningly slow rhythm that was driving Nicky out of his mind. Nicky tried to speed things up, to move this along by humping up his hips faster, but Marco clamped down on them with his hands, holding him firmly in place. They would proceed at Marco’s pace, not Nicky’s, and he was emphasizing that point with every stroke of his tongue.