I take care of my needs hastily under the hot spray of the showerhead, enjoying the inviting warmth of the steam that filled the small, stark white room. This room was much more enjoyable than the one we had in the hospital quarters, not as spacious but much more comfortable and we were able to adjust the lighting away from the stark fluorescents that lined the halls and illuminated every room. 

"Artifice," I call, stepping out of the shower. "Where is Verando Mercer?"

I here the delicate chime. "Verando Mercer. Scanning. Unknown. It would seem that I have been asked to lose track of him." I hesitate as I scrub myself off with a towel. Quickly, I make my way to the door and peer into the bedroom to see that he's gone. 

"How can someone do that?" My heart leaps when Artifice answers.

"I have a manual. One could pull up the manual, enter my passcodes and give me specific instruction. I am Artifice. I am eternally at your service." 

I glare towards the ceiling. Well, that's annoying. "Not very safe, is it?" I'm arguing with a machine, I must be desperate. My attempts did nothing to soothe my lust, I'm grouchy and irritable, maybe arguing with Artifice was better for me than hunting down my sulking husband.

"I assure you, Nicolas, I'm the safest artificial being there is. My passcodes are encrypted, if one took the time to figure them out then one must have a good reason."

"Or a really crappy one. When did this happen Artifice?"

"This morning. At 7:43 AM." I curse. Not long after we left, he had planned it this way all along. He doesn't want to go with me because he wants to be here. I run my hand through my damp hair, why am I surprised? He told me as much. 

"Artifice. Rename Verando Mercer 'asshole', please. He'll think it's quite funny. Even if he tells you to stop, I'd like to have sole command over that." I giggle to myself as I pull on my pants, laying the foundation for possible use later. 

"I see this makes you happy. Alright, Nicolas. I will do as you ask. Ha. Ha."

I decide Artifice maybe isn't so creepy after all as I button up my jeans and pull on a long sleeve, pale v-neck. As I look at myself in the mirror, I lift the shirt casually to gaze at my abdomen and turn from side to side. Healthy. Bastards. I look trim as I always did, my fingers trace the faint lines of my hips and slide up to the hardly visible lower abdominal muscles. While I'm not the meek man I was when he met me, my body rejected putting on the mass muscle tone a Lycan welcomed. I rest my hand flat under my navel and roll my eyes at myself, yanking my shirt down to storm out of the room.

Entering the living area, I note that Gary is cooking and it seems this family eats much more casually than my own. They freely move around with plates, sitting or standing, perched or leaned. There's no formal etiquette, no casual chit chat about trends or politics. I listen as Tonic hears about Silva's day, spying that Gary is making a rather sour face as he stirs a pot of rice. I casually make my way over to the tall, white-haired man. 

"Thank you for dinner. Do you like to cook?"

"I do." He says roughly. He looks so much like Verando, it makes my heart jump, the snow-white hair is quite an exotic touch. His icy eyes glance towards me and he does my favorite dramatic eye-roll and I smile at him as any strange relative would.

"Can I help?" I ask curiously. He thinks it over and grumbles that I can chop an onion if I so, please. I happily oblige, strategically facing out to scan over the group. Helen sits curled up at Tyler's feet like a loyal puppy, leaning against his knee as she listens to him talk. One might think it was a sub servant roll but I recognize it well as Verando often took the position whenever I read, it was a closeness, a bond. Touching as much as possible while still occupying different spaces. The cool, inviting floor over the stuffy, hot couch. 

Tonic joins me, watching casually. I pull my lips into a thin line when I notice his robotic hand resting on the table so naturally. "You did well today.."

"You got me in trouble." I'm not pleased with him. He tilts his head, watching me curiously. Now that I've seen Gary, I find that Tonic has fewer resemblances. Where he used to be Verando's mini-me, I could see his mother's influence even if I didn't know her. That beautiful , sculptured nose didn't come so well from his face, more dished. He didn't share the same hard jawline, softer through his chin than his brother and his father. His brown eyes bringing him back to when he was 'my Tonic'. Not this half-man before me. "The lube." I mouth.

He chuckles, grinning at me so boyishly. "Well, I didn't think you'd bring it up."

"Well." I mock him. "I did and you lost me a good release. He was so upset he couldn't-" I pause, couldn't... didn't want to... Verando was an unusual animal. Maybe I shouldn't be telling all of this to Tonic, wasn't that what we were just arguing about? Tonic's expression confirms my fears and I groan. "Tonic, please just go. I'd like to get laid sometime in the near future."

His body nears mine as I hear the groan of his metallic arm, taking his weight. "Is that so? Are you finding it hard to resist?"

"Very." I sigh then pause, pursing my lips. "I feel like we're not talking about the same things."

"Oh, I feel like we're talking about nearly the same things. It's been a while for me, too, you know." I hesitate and clear my throat, realizing I've chopped the onions into nothing. Gary reaches over me, taking my cutting board and placing a tomato in front of me instead. 

"Leave him alone, Tonic. He's obviously fallen for our father's spell."

Tonic rolls his eyes. I'm surrounded by Randy's and my heart frolics as the masculine man presses me against the counter and then departs. Dear diary... "Please. Flings come and go. Did you ever even get married?"

"Yes." I lie, gesturing to my ring. Well, I got married to Fillipa. "Tonic, I assure you I'm quite happy thanks."

"Happy doesn't mean satisfied." He responds quietly. I feel him before I see him and glance up to see the real thing before me, my personal original. "Randy." Tonic greets. I hear Gary scowl. 

"I assure you, he's quite satisfied," Verando says shortly, his tone low. 

Tonic shrugs. "Never said he wasn't. Just making conversation."

"Well, you have conversated quite enough." He comes around the table to stand behind me, resting his hands on the counter on either side of my body. I can feel his warmth pressed into my back and I flush as I watch Tonic wide-eyed. "Talk to someone else." Tonic bows out and I hear the low growl grumble in my warlord's chest. He stands over me like a guard dog as I chop and I bask in the heat radiating off of him. Casually, I shift my hips back and forth, pleased with my protector. 

"So why Gary?" He asks the white-haired male, trailing his fingers casually behind my ear to move the hair from my face.

"Legardo is to close to your calling." He grumbles roughly.

Verando rolls his eyes, dragging his fingers over my before resting his hand beside me once more. I exhale slowly, steadying my heart rate and focus on cutting. "Your mother named you that. Could you not have picked Garth? Or Garith? Gardo?" I hear the growl from behind and I can feel the smirk on my instigator's face. I bump him with my ass and elbow him to wipe the smirk off his face. 

Rhea casually walks over, eyeing us all. "Gary," she says pointedly. "has been going by that for a long time. I just go with it. Hey, baby, if I'd had my way he'd been named after you. I always thought your name was beautiful." She winks at my warlord and I stiffen. Verando seems indifferent, unmoving from his position where I expected him to depart. 

"Mother, that's dreadful. It's a horrible name, almost as bad as Legardo." Shaking her head, the red haired woman sits casually on a bar stool as I'm casually ground in oblivion from behind, he presses me so firmly into the counter that I can only press back to hold my own. 

"Darling, you know how fond I am of your father. Look at him, well, you do every morning when you look in the mirror. Just drop this petty argument, he's here now, in front of you, the flesh of your flesh." Verando scoffs at her as if she told a hilarious joke. The laugh resonates in his chest, vibrating through my body and I find that I've destroyed the tomato much as I have the onion. Legardo replaces it with a potato as if it's test and I'm either passing or failing. How many more things can I chop? I start skinning, trying desperately not to respond to the immense heat of this sinful man against me. 

"You cheated on me, might I remind you." 

A sweet wink is her response, kissing her fingers and blowing it at him. "Mmm but remember who cheated first? Did Kitten know where you were?" She brings my torment to a screeching halt and I take the moment to catch my breath and yet I plead with him not to stop. 

"Kitten knew exactly what I was doing. That's why I married her."

Rhea wrinkles her nose in response. "You are gay, you're a real bitch, you know that?" But a small smirk curls onto her lips and she shrugs it off once more. "How do you feel about all this?" She's talking to me now and I shrink, I wasn't expecting to be brought in. Her thick red locks are pulled up into a messy ponytail on top of her head and she's dressed comfortably, unlike the first day, yet she still has her face painted and her breasts are front and center. Should I feel threatened by this woman? Judging by his half-hearted responses, probably not. If the way he gawked at Roksana was anything to go by, his ship for Rhea had sailed. By the look on her face, she seemed to understand that. "Do you know he has four children? That he's infamous in the bedroom? Well.. judging by the look on your face, I'd say you know a lot about that." 

I'm embarrassed and humiliated all in one, yet the way he towers over me makes me feel strong and confident as if he's claiming me, putting his stake on me. "Oh, I'm well aware. I have daddy issues, so." I respond shortly, with a firm chop on my potato. "Fucked up and twisted make quite the company." It makes her chuckle and I shudder at the tension behind me. I can hold my own, I can be catty when I want to be. I hear Gary snarl and toss something down roughly. 

"This is not how I want my children to be raised!" He thunders, making us all go silent. "This man started all of this! Look around you! We are all products of him, save for a few, and we are celebrating it! Marriage is between a man and a woman, one and truly, not to be passed around like a collections bin. So, if you must sin, do so quietly and not in front of my children!" I glance down sheepishly as Rhea quietly gets up and slinks over to sit with Silvia who's playing quietly. Verando exhales, leaving me to turn around and face Gary. 

"Legardo," He tells him pointedly. "All you can do is do better. Coming from someone who also hated their father, let it spur you to achieve more."

The white-haired male wheels around and gives him a harsh look yet no sound comes out, it's as if the wolf is blocked when I had only just heard it. "Do better? I have done way better than you! I didn't need glory, I've studied, I've graduated from multiple universities, I have three beautiful children and a wife. I didn't murder people for a living, rob people for the mafia or leave a wake of destruction behind me as you did."

"You didn't." He agrees, watching the panting man warily. "But you have me to thank for your freedom." I can feel the heat building but it's muted, it's not the intensity of Alpha. It feels more like Marcus, uncontrolled, untapped and for the most part, out of reach. To my surprise, it's Helen who speaks up.

"Daddy, stop it!" she says firmly. The room goes silent as small Helen stands before me, looking as determined as I've ever seen her. "Randy saved us, saved me, just as Nic did. He was called by something greater, just as I am-"

"Helen!" Gary says sharply. "Do not bring this up." The threat is very real and Verando takes a step back to get between all of us and the white-haired man. The difference between my warlord and the majority, the one that stands the tallest, the one that steps into the fight, the one that stands between us and them. When I peer over, I see the same look mirrored in our meek little Helen. 

I drop my knife. "You have a wolf, don't you?" I ask, quietly. 

Gary slams down his spoon. "No!" He bellows. "She aint cursed with the devil. None of my children are."

Helen takes deep breathes, trying to control herself. "Daddy I know you didn't want me to go because you were afraid I would find out... but there is something here. In me." She presses her fist over her chest as if it would be ripped out without her hand stopping it. "Something that comes alive whenever I see 'him'." She looking at Verando now. 

I know it all too well. "Because he's an Alpha and he can set it free," I tell her. I'm to busy watching her, my eyes taking her in as if I'm seeing her for the first time. It all makes sense, her timid nature, her omega-like personality, her submission. She was a wolf, a trapped, only her wolf wasn't surprised, it just hadn't been let out yet. 

"Don't you call my daughter an animal!" I hear the spat before I see it and by the time I turn around, Legardo is on the ground. Rhea rushes over to tend to him as Tonya comes running in the room. I note Verando's cheek is scuffed and sigh, always the face. If I had a pound for every time someone punched this man in the face, it was a wonder he still looked as good as he did. 

Marcello approaches cautiously, "I'm not a wolf.. but I think that there's some powerful shit going on here that I don't really want to get involved with. He's going to be pissed off when he gets up, I recommend you both go before that happens. I'll talk it over with him, calm him down a bit." I agree with him, I don't want to watch the two fight. Obviously this is a very sore subject for all involved, between Legardo not wanting anything to do with wolves and Rhea obviously feeling drawn to what was mine, it seemed like what was happening when our pack at home had lost their leader. I drag him to our bedroom, glad that I had managed to snag a few bites of tomato though I'd have to remember to go back later and get real food. Shoving him down on the bed, I grab his face and check over his cheek, brushing my thumb over it carefully. 

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm just really angry." Really? He isn't vibrating like he usually does. I press the back of my hand to his forehead, gaging his warmth. "The wolf is under control. We've come to an agreement." Hmm. When did that happen, I wonder? 

"I didn't mean to cause a fight." I don't know why I'm taking the blame, I didn't start it nor did I finish it though I feel like I was the object of a small turf war. "I haven't really gotten to see you like that," I comment, unsure if this was even the appropriate time for such matters. 

"Angry?" He asked in disbelief. I roll my eyes, shaking my head at him. 

"Territorial, I guess. Standing over me like that."

"Ah. Well, Tonic needed put in his place. You don't have to let him come to you like that darling, you can tell him to piss on." Truthfully, I really don't even think about it. Tonic had been my friend for so long, the divide was hard to notice at times. Did Tonic really mean what he was saying or was he just joking around? I would have thought that he would have made a move way before now if he had feelings. Though he had had four hundred years to think about it. I casually run my hand through his shorter hair, enjoying the thickness between my fingers. 

"You know what's happening, right?" He tilts his head. "The Alpha effect." I'm answered with a frustrated snort and I slowly start the process of healing his cheek. "Shut up and listen. Every time you get around wolves, they go absolutely insane until you show your medal, then they fall right into place. You're an Alpha, baby. I've been following you around for quite some time, strangers kneel at your feet. Helen jumped to your aid, Tonic is out of line, Reid is in purgatory. These wolves need their Alpha."

"Retired." He tells me simply. I take his face in my hands, watching those light eyes. 

"That's a curse word. You are way to snarky, arrogant and high energy to ever retire." I bend to kiss him, tangling my fingers in his hair casually as the fire ignites within me. "How many retired men grind on their lovers in front of a house full of people?" I give his hair a firm pull and shiver at the response I get, a low, rumbling growl. "You stake your claim like the boss because you are the boss." I kiss him once more, tasting him, claiming his mouth with my tongue as I climb to straddle him. "You are Alpha. My Alpha." I feel like we're starting over all over again, my body pleads for contact as I once again have to strip off both of our clothes. I stop my hands as they travel to his neck, biting my lower lip as I press my forehead to his. "What're you going to do about it?"

He shoves me back onto the bed, climbing on top of me as he kisses my neck. "You've gotten good at giving speeches." I moan sarcastically.  

"Tell me more about my speeches!" I sigh and grope him through his pants. "Shut up or growl it at me, you're losing your edge." The challenge is very real and he doesn't disappoint. He flips me over onto my stomach and I gasp as I'm firmly spanked. He shoves my hips into the air, yanking my pants down. My hips sway as my body shakes with anticipation. 

"So you like talking to Tonic about lube, hmm?" I groan, crossing my arms in front of my face and clutching the bedsheets. "Answer." He smacks me firmly. I inhale sharply in response. 

"Yes, Alpha."

"You only talk to me about what goes on in our bedroom. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha." I moan, shivering as I feel him press against me. 

"Only I know your pleasure. Only I know your desire." I cry out at the intensity as he enters me in one smooth motion, the slippery sensation overwhelming and mindblowing all at the same time. "You've been meuling after me for weeks, do I not serve you adequately?"

I curse under my breath and feel his hand in my hair, craning my head back. "I will always want you, Alpha." I groan, catching him off guard. He hesitates and I press back against him, desperate for the relentless abuse to continue. He pulls me up to rest my back against his chest, holding me to him. 

"You're mine." He clutches my throat with his hand, gently and yet with possession. His fingers angle my face as he kisses me, claiming my mouth as he takes me with an air of his own desperation. I cling to him, shutting my eyes as my body shakes and I climb. "Mine and mine alone." He growls against my lips. His words are my undoing and I arch against him as I finish, crying out his name as he follows behind me.

I fall to the bed, panting, my chest heaving and my body covered in a thin layer of sweat as I wait to come down off the afterglow. I purr in satisfaction, stretching in a pleased manner. "You're a god." I sigh, stroking his ego, praising my good fortune. My eyes widen when I feel him grasp my knees and pull me back to him. 

"I'm not done with you yet."