Page 61 of Mercy & Her Devils

I’m not sure that it works.

Kai crosses his arms. “You’re lucky that I’m running this mission and not your other Alpha. He’d put you over his knee for every rule that you’ve broken. You’re even luckier that he’s been out on his own mission for the last month and isn’t here to see this mess. You were meant to be undercover to observe only. That’s what we agreed. You had no back up. Anything could have gone wrong, lad. Don’t do something so impulsive again or…”

Cold floods me.

I know that tone.

Lark and I both growl at the same time, protectively

Kai twists to blink down at us in surprise.

“Aren’t they perfect?” Antonio says, dreamily.

“Aye,” Kai adjusts his onyx stag cuff links, “like the injured fox that you smuggled into the house at Christmas and tried to convince me was an American breed of dog that we didn’t have in Scotland. Would you have us adopt such fierce Omegas?”

“We’re not animals,” the words are flying from me, before I even know that I intend to say them.

I slam my hand over my mouth.

Fuck, what am I saying?

I should be averting my eyes and kneeling.

I have no idea what the household rules are in an outlaw pack, but no Alpha is going to take that type of backtalk, right?

My breathing speeds up. My chest is tight. I’m struggling to pull oxygen into my lungs.

I’m tottering on the precipice of panic attack.

Not now…

Kai’s gaze is serious. His eyes are breathtakingly beautiful.

To my shock, he doesn’t drag me out of the car and throw me to my knees, as Fletcher would have done.

Instead, he gently lowers himself to his knees.

Lark hisses out a shocked breath, frozen next to me.

When has an Alpha knelt for an Omega? It’s dynamically inappropriate. He could be sent to the Alpha Center for it.

Except, he doesn’t look less dominant like this.

If anything, he looks more dominant.

I realize that he’s deliberately making himself appear less threatening, rather than looming over us from his great height, having noticed my mounting panic.

He’s assured enough in his strength that supporting me like this doesn’t make him feel threatened.

He’s seen me. He’s noticed my body language.

Then he’s cared enough to reduce my fear.

He’s not like any Traditional Alpha that I know.

Lark edges his arm around my shoulders, and my breathing steadies.

“Aye, you’re Omegas,” Kia replies, “ones who my Beta has spoken to me about in encrypted messages from the moment that he met you. He’s fallen hard for you, in case you missed his courting. I see why now. Neither of you need to fear anything from me now that you’re in my territory. And you are. I can’t promise that you’re safe because none of us are. But I never dared dream that I’d have the honor of caring for even one Omega. So, I swear, the worst that I’ll do is offer you a hot bath, a warm meal, and a good night’s sleep because you look like you need it. Then tomorrow, we can talk.”

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