29. Jane

What do you say to a man who cares too much about you to love you and leave you?

My body screams to claim him, to sink down onto his knot and keep him there, to beg him to bite me so no one can ever force us apart. But the more logical side of me is melting into the mattress, because Travis is still trying to protect me, even if it's just from our raging hormones.

We don't stop touching each other, but our caresses soften, the madness in our blood becoming something warm and syrupy. Our kisses feel drugged, our mouths barely breaking apart for a breath as we stare into each other's eyes. It's a slow, teasing climb to release, and then we unravel at the same time, Travis hugging me so tight my heart aches.

And that ache doesn't go away all weekend. We eventually go upstairs, so I can use the leftovers from Law's cooler to make us another skillet meal. Law even digs a bottle of wine out from somewhere and we play cards at the kitchen table, then move to the sofa to watch another movie. It's Travis' choice, and I don't think it's an accident that it's a pack romance, this time with a high society omega falling for a pack of thieves. Instead of going back to the basement, the guys drag a bunch of mattresses and blankets into the living room, and we fall asleep in a tangle that follows me into my dreams.

Law goes off to classes on Monday, insisting it's more to eavesdrop on the gossip than to learn anything, and the rest of us go over the plan for Friday. There's no sign of Luke, even though I take his orchid up to the attic and leave it on his windowsill, but Law returns with dinner and a fancy garment bag. The guys go quiet as I take it into the bathroom, and I must spend longer than I think staring into the mirror, because there's eventually a soft tap at the door.

"You okay in there?" Drew asks.

"It's not my natural hair color," I say as I adjust the wig for the tenth time and then smooth the white dress over my thighs. "And the lipstick is darker than I'd usually wear."

Drew gives a soft laugh at my dithering. "You know we're going to love you, sugar, no matter what you look like."

My cheeks burn, but I straighten my shoulders and cast a final glance at my reflection. The dress is a donation from Law after he grilled Simmons on what his sisters are going to wear to Family Day. It's a silky dream that swirls all the way to my ankles, with a fitted lace bodice and thin straps. With the boxy monitor hidden from sight, it's by far the most beautiful thing I've ever worn. Add the curly blonde wig and the bright red lipstick, and it's the perfect disguise. No one who knew me from the ward – or as a runner on the Trapshot field, for that matter – would connect those versions of me with this girl in a white dress.

I take a deep breath and step into the living room, bracing myself for their reactions. They're sprawled over the limited furniture, but they straighten in unison as I come into view. My gaze snaps to Travis first, but Drew distracts me with a low whistle. Avery is directing his tablet my way, probably to take a picture, while Law strides towards me with a possessive glint in his eye. I knew their attention would be overwhelming, but as I take each of them in, I realize it's actually comforting. My pulse is still jangling in my veins, but that's more to do with the pheromones in the air than my nerves.

"You're a vision," Law murmurs as he pulls me into his arms. "We should be taking you on a date to a fancy restaurant, not trying to smuggle you past the campus guards."

I bite my lip as he presses a soft kiss on my cheek. We've discussed Friday's plan until I could recite it in my sleep. I'll still be using Simmons' sisters as cover to get past the gate, but then I'll head through the woods to a service road where Law will be waiting with a car. He'll drive me to the train station, where I'll travel to the city while he returns to play nice with his father. As soon as his Family Day duties are done, he'll get a weekend pass and come meet me. Using his cash and my ID, we'll rent a furnished apartment in one of the city's many tower blocks, while I open a bank account and get settled into my new life. Avery has some dark web contacts who can connect me with medical centers that could use my skills but are staying off official radars for various reasons.

A new life, just one without my guys. Which I'm not sure makes it any kind of life at all, but I don't have the heart to tell them that.

Travis hasn't said a whole lot about it, but I can tell he hates the plan.

His dark eyes burn into me now, and even though he doesn't speak, I can hear his voice in my head: Ours to cherish. Ours to protect.

It's something he whispered when he thought I was asleep. Like saying the words over and over would somehow make them true.

And I am theirs, in all the ways that matter. My life on the commune was over long ago, and while I'm still a mercy because of my power, I don't want to spend my life in service anymore. I want to be with them. My misfits. My pack.

If this is it, then I'm going to give them all something to remember me by.

I turn in Law's arms as the other guys drift closer, their eyes eating me up. We haven't packed up our makeshift nest, and the blankets smell like alpha musk and need. All the guys are in casual clothes except for Law, who's still in his pristine uniform, and their skin feels hot under their threadbare t-shirts. They huddle closer, their shoulders brushing, and I feel an answering clench in the pit of my belly.

"Can we pretend we have a choice?" I ask as their hands skim over my silky dress, teasing the bare skin of my arms. "That we get to choose to be together?"

"You mean like a pack?" Drew asks, nibbling at my earlobe while he rocks me gently against him. His scent is darker than usual, more earthy than citrus-fresh, and I shiver as his hands land on my hips. "Like you're our omega, and we're your alphas? Is that what you want, Jane?"

I nod, my heart speeding up as Travis steps forward and grips me around the waist. My body knows him better than any of them, and I melt into his embrace, seeking more of that closeness from the other night. Not that I want to pull away from the other guys, and Travis seems to sense that, turning me so my back is against his chest. He runs his hands down my ribs like he's showing me off. "We're going to worship you, Omega. Kiss you until your head spins and your legs give out."

I squirm under his touch, whimpering as Drew drops to his knees and runs his hands up my calves. Avery swoops in for a kiss, our noses brushing as he teases my lips. Law stands back, watching as the twins caress me, and I catch the hungry gleam in his eyes.

"They're beautiful," I say, my breath catching as Avery kisses across the bodice of my dress. "Like storybook princes."

"They are," Law agrees. "I haven't been coming here all these months just for the water pressure, you know."

Drew snorts, tipping his head back to smirk at his friend. "Aw, have you caught feelings for us, my lord?"

Law's silky brow arches, but he tilts his head to take us all in. "The view is pretty irresistible and getting more tempting by the second."

"Then stop gawking and get on your knees," Travis rumbles, and I smother a laugh against Avery's throat. He turns his head, his eyes dancing with mischief behind his glasses, and I'm certain he's enjoying the clash of alpha wills as much as I am. "You boys can flirt later. Right now, I want to see our omega fall apart in my arms."

That shuts them up, the mood turning hotter and darker, their hands gripping me a little tighter. When Law steps up close, we don't hesitate, our tongues dancing until I'm tugging at his pristine shirt. I want skin, and more of his minty scent, but he tosses his tie aside and drops to his knees. He flicks his hair back, knowing full well it's my turn to gawk as he shoots me a smirk. "May I worship you, my lady?"

My knees tremble, and I'm fairly certain they'd give way if Travis and Avery weren't holding me up. "Um. Yes please, my lord?"

That gets a few teasing chuckles, but Law looks as regal as ever as he leans forward, holding my gaze as he eases my skirt up. "So pretty," he murmurs. "You make a cute boy, Jack, but I think I like this version the best."

I close my eyes, heat pooling between my legs as he places a soft trail of kisses along my thigh. I'm hypersensitive to every touch, to the faint bristle of Law's cheeks against my sensitive skin, his nails tracing gentle grooves behind my knee. Drew follows his lead, duplicating every caress, and by the time they meet in the middle, I'm panting and trembling. Travis is a warm weight at my back, Avery drawing more moans from me as he rubs my breasts gently through my dress. Alpha pheromones swirl around us like a heady cloud, and I clutch Travis' thighs as my panties are peeled away.

"You okay, baby?"

I nod, caught between twisting pleasure and mind-numbing anticipation. I can't believe this is me , Jane Mercy, a bleeder who's never been much to look at and is awkward most of the time .

But right now, I feel like a queen.

Especially with Travis' gravel-roughened voice in my ear. "Look at them, Jane. So eager to please you. Hoping you'll reward them with your moans, your kisses, maybe even a taste of your slick. Does it feel good? Do you like it when your alphas adore you, Omega?"

I can only moan because Drew is touching me, his fingers peeling me open as Law leans forward and licks at my nub. Avery swallows my cry with another searing kiss, Travis' hands on my hips as I rock forward, seeking more pleasure. More blissful caresses. More of their grunts and rumbles as they take me apart with every touch.

When I force my heavy eyelids open, Law and Drew are crouched so close their hair is a gold and silver tangle. Law's hand is resting heavily on Drew's thigh, their bodies rocking together as they take turns kissing and licking me.

Just like we're all parts of one whole.

A wild shiver rushes across my skin, igniting every nerve, and then I shatter and spin apart, exactly as Travis predicted I would.

Wave after wave of pleasure ripples through me as they lower me to our nest, all of them ducking in to taste the slick running down my thighs.

"This is what we're fighting to protect," I hear Travis say from a distance, my eyes so heavy I can barely keep them open. "No matter what it takes, no matter who we have to go through, we protect her like we're pack."

"Like pack," the others echo, and then I'm floating away into the darkness.

The next few days are a pendulum swinging between the heights of happiness and the depths of despair. There's not a corner of Bleak House where one of the guys hasn't dragged me for a kiss, and our living room bed is coated in our mingled scents. I still start each morning with a boxing lesson in the basement, but it's not long before we retreat to the jumble of pillows and blankets for more slick-coated kisses. We end each night in a blissful tangle, but the dawn always comes too quickly, and as the days roll by, every caress becomes more desperate than the last.

Late Thursday afternoon, we're going over the Family Day plan one last time when a fist thumps against the front door, loud enough to shake the roof beams. If that's not bad enough, Travis jerks his head up, his pupils narrowing as he snarls, "Soldiers."

I'm wearing the white dress again, since Law argued it wasn't a real dress rehearsal if I was wearing Drew's sweats, and I quickly snatch the blonde wig off my head. I'm pretty sure my lipstick is smeared all over my face based on how red the guys' mouths are, and I look around in panic. "What are we going to do?"

"My tablet is in my room," Avery says with a frustrated curse. "I need to check the security feeds."

"Too late," Travis fumes, hustling me towards the kitchen. "They'll be past that lock and in the house in no time."

Law brought us a new deadbolt for the front door when we started sleeping in the living room, but Travis is right. It won't keep a determined soldier out for long.

"Baby, you need to hide in the pantry," he tells me, his eyes wild. "Don't come out, no matter what you hear."

I try to twist out of his arms, but he pushes me into the dusty space, dragging an old barrel away from the wall and pushing me behind it. At the last moment, he grabs a knife off the kitchen counter and presses it into my hands. "Don't spare them, Mercy. If they come for you, fight them off until I can reach you, okay?"

I nod and he presses a hard kiss to my lips, then snatches up another knife and closes the door. My last glimpse of him is with his shoulders back, his eyes like granite, and my finger marks still visible in his raven's wing hair. He's never looked more beautiful, or more ferocious.

Don't let them take him.

Of all the guys, the soldiers are most likely here for Travis, especially if the rebel spy broke under interrogation. And if they're not here for the guys….

I grip the knife tighter, straining to hear what's happening. Not that I could miss Travis' booming voice as the front door gives way and boots stomp into our living room. "Get the fuck out! You can't just barge in here!"

I press closer to the door, my heart pounding at the sounds of a scuffle. It's excruciating not being able to see what's going on, and I have to fight the urge to run out and join them. But I know I stand a better chance of helping after the soldiers have left, especially if those thuds are fists or boots on flesh. Still, every violent sound has me gritting my teeth, my hand so tight on the knife, my knuckles ache.

And then a rough alpha voice commands, "Secure the front and rear. Someone get upstairs and make sure she's not hiding under a bed."

She . The word prickles over my skin, because that means they must be here for me.

Better than them going after Travis, although I doubt he'll go quietly when they try to drag me away.

I ready myself, grabbing a tin of beans off the shelf as extra ammunition. My heart slams into my ribs as a floorboard creaks outside the pantry and then the door cracks open an inch. "You can come out, Mercy. We're not here to hurt you."

"Stay where you are!" Travis shouts, his voice cutting off as the sounds of a fight grow louder. "Don't touch her, you fucker!"

But then the alpha outside the door says in a voice that sends chills down my spine, "Stop struggling, Wake, or Crow will be forced to choke you out."

Fury ripples over me, and I'm almost panting as the door pushes open another couple of inches and I stare back at the alpha. I probably look half-feral clutching the knife and beans, but Colonel York looks better than the last time I saw him. There are still dark circles under his eyes, but he's regained some of his bulk, his large frame filling out his black combat uniform. He tilts his head, taking in the weapons I'm clutching, before pushing the door all the way open. "We need to talk. I could come in, but I doubt your alphas would like that."

Travis starts cursing again and Drew yells, "Fuck you, York! You tricked us and put Jane in a box! Ow! "

I flinch at his pained cry and York sighs. "Come and muzzle your pack, Mercy. You need to calm them down before one of my men takes matters into his own hands."

There's special emphasis on that last part, but before I can reply, Law strides up to the pantry door, a soldier right on his heels. The glare he gives Colonel York would pierce me to the bone, but the senior officer just shakes his head, looking tired. "What is it, Lord Michaelson?"

Law draws himself up to his full height, shoulders back, and eyes full of disdain. "You have no right to barge in like this. Every resident of this house is covered by the Maxym Code, and their civil rights are being monitored…"

"By left wing lawyers you pay for out of your own pocket," York finishes for him. "I know. And I'm not here to violate any rights. I'm here to explain." He looks pointedly at me. "And to offer you a way out."

I meet Law's gaze, doubt flicking through his pretty irises before he gives me a slight nod. "We'll hear you out, but you need to put away your weapons."

The soldier behind Law makes a rude sound, and I stiffen as I look at him more closely. His nameplate says Crow, and his unit patch is for the Third Hunters. I don't need to check his insignia to know he's the platoon sergeant who called me scum when I was being taken to trial and promised to fuck me up for hurting the colonel.

Based on the hard look he's giving me, he's not happy to be here either, but I place the can of beans back on the shelf. York backs away from the pantry door and I step out, taking in the three other soldiers in our living room. They're wearing combat uniforms and are heavily armed, their guns pointed at Travis and the twins as they glare at them from the sofa. Travis is bleeding from a cut above his eye and I turn to York, my voice quivering with rage. "Hurt them again, and not even a mercy will be able to save you."

York's lips thin, but he nods at his men. "Weapons down. We're just here to talk."

Once the soldiers have obeyed, Law takes my arm and draws me across the room. We stop between the front door and the foot of the stairs, and I wonder if Luke is up there, safe under his camouflage. There's been no sign of him all week, and I have to assume he's decided to avoid me until I leave tomorrow.

Assuming York hasn't just blown my exit plan to pieces.

"Alright, talk," Law demands, drawing me against his chest and wrapping his arms protectively around me.

York cocks a brow at him, but my attention is on our makeshift nest. The soldiers have stomped all over it, kicking the pillows aside and soiling the blankets with their dirty boots. Their alpha scent – old iron and bitter musk – hangs over everything and I can't stop the lick of fury that runs down my spine. Law must feel it because he pulls me tighter. "I promise you, Jane, your next nest will be silk and cashmere and way above the paygrade of these assholes."

I nod, but I wouldn't care if it was a hole in the ground if my guys were guaranteed to share it with me. Something that seems less and less likely the longer York stares at me.

"Let me clear the air by saying I didn't condemn you to die on the front," he says. "That was a ploy to smuggle you out of the detainment cells in the compound. And away from the Military Research Division, for that matter."

I meet Travis' eyes, which are molten with rage, but it's Avery who sneers at York. "By dosing her with barbiturates and shipping her to us in a footlocker? Yeah, you really had her interests at heart."

"I admit that was… overzealous," York says carefully. "My intention was to collect her as soon as I had my mate out of the hospital. I wasn't certain if that was going to be a few hours or a week…"

"I changed the orders," Crow interrupts his officer, glaring at me with little remorse. "I decided to drug you to buy us some more time. Figured no one would track you down right away, and I could see what damage you'd done before preparing you for transport."

"And then I relapsed," York says with a hard look at Crow. "I was transferred back to my estate to recover and was only well enough to return today." He sighs, his weariness obvious despite his erect posture. "I apologize for any injury this has caused you."

"Like my hair?" I glare at Crow. "You shaved my head, didn't you? And put me in those military overalls. Was that just to humiliate me?"

Crow grins at me, rocking back on his boot heels. "I figured if by some chance you got out of the box early, you needed to blend in." He glances down at the jumbled bedding by his feet, his grin becoming sly as he jabs his rifle at a pillow. "Looks like you made yourself right at home, too."

Travis lunges at him with a curse, but the soldiers drag him back down. There's another scuffle as they try to restrain him, and I shoot Travis a pleading glance. Right now, we're outnumbered and outgunned. Our only chance is to hear York out and then regroup once they're gone.

"Enough!" York sends Crow a quelling look. "Sergeant, stop provoking them. They have every right to be unhappy with the steps we took, but I'm hoping my offer will go some way to making up for it." He clicks his fingers and one of the other soldiers steps forward with an electronic tablet, angling it my way. There's an imposing stone building on the screen, covered in ivy and surrounded by towering trees. "This is Grishmark House, my family estate. I'm offering to transport you there, where you'll be set up with a job, your own accommodation, and whatever else you need to establish yourself."

I gape at him. "Why would you do that?"

"You saved my mate," he replies, dark eyes drilling into mine. "I'm well aware of how difficult that was, even if it took a little while for me to appreciate it."

"It was the hardest healing I've ever done. I told you it was risky."

"You did. And now I owe you a safe place to get back on your feet."

Law huffs behind me. "I'm sure your offer has nothing to do with having a healer right under your nose."

York just shrugs and I stare at the screen, looking for the catch. I might have healed Steele, but I nearly killed the colonel in the process. Very few alphas – especially ones of York's rank and station – would forgive a crime like that.

"You should also know that Van Ness has been poking around, asking questions," he goes on, watching me closely. "I don't think he's worked out where you are, but it's only a matter of time before your cover is blown." He flicks a glance down my white dress, but I can't read his expression. "I know you don't trust me, Mercy, but I mean it when I say I would hate to see you crushed under Van Ness' boot."

The feeling is mutual, but I'm still not ready to accept his offer. Neither are the guys, based on the dark looks they're giving him.

"I'll need to think about it," I tell him.

"Don't take too long," he says, nodding towards the door. His soldiers peel away, only Crow lingering at his shoulder. "I assume you're aware there's a Trapshot exhibition game scheduled for the morning, and your name is on the player list?"

I blink at him. "That's wrong. I told Manson I'm done with Trapshot."

He shrugs. "Well, Trapshot's not done with you and the game is a highlight of Family Day." I detect a thread of sarcasm in his voice, but he goes on, "The good news is that the Family Day speeches are scheduled to occur immediately after the game. Most of the campus staff and senior officers will be at the stadium. It will be easy for you to slip away, while I'll fake a health relapse and head to the hospital for a checkup." He gives me a stern look. "This will be your best chance, Mercy. If you meet me there, we'll hide you in my convoy until we reach my estate." He looks around the room, taking in our conflicted expressions. "It might not be what you want to hear, but it's the safest way out, and I think you all know it."