Hagen, Lynn - Oliver's Heart [Brac Pack 6] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

Brac Pack 6

LYNN HAGEN

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

Oliver looked at Cecil like he’d lost his mind. The Alpha’s mate had a gleam in his eye. Anytime he got that look, everyone usually paid the piper.

“What do you mean we’re sneaking out?” Oliver rolled his eyes at the devilish look on Cecil’s face.

“Just what I said. Come on. It’ll be fun.” Cecil clapped his hands together then rubbed them, a wide grin breaking across his face.

“I don’t want to piss Micah off. I’ll get another lecture.” Oliver shuddered. Getting a lecture from his intended mate was worse than visiting the dentist. Micah could go on and on for hours. Oliver had learned to tune him out, but he still didn’t want to have to sit through it.

“Come on. Live a little.” The Alpha’s mate tried the pouting technique. Oliver had seen the big, bad Alpha crumble under that look. Well, he wasn’t Maverick.

“What about enemies and kidnappings? I
have
heard about the dangers.” Oliver paced the library, pulling at the rod that pierced his bottom lip, remembering the psycho wolf that had chased them down to kidnap the Alpha and Commander’s mate’s two months ago. He still shivered thinking about how he had killed the wolf only to be told later that the psycho lived and was now in the custody of the Eastern pack. Oliver didn’t want to ever go through something like that again. He may have defended the mates with bravado, but inside he had been scared shitless.

“I’m not that reckless. Two of the Sentries will be with us.” Oliver grinned. Cecil was begging like a kid trying to convince his mom to stay up past bed time. He did spend more time on lockdown in his room now than when he actually was at home and grounded. Oliver rubbed his temples. He could hear Micah lecturing him already.

“Where are we going anyway?” Oliver felt a shiver crawl up his spine as Cecil laughed devilishly.

“A tattoo parlor. I thought it would be a great gift to our mates to get their names inked on our chests.” Cecil flipped his wrist over as if it was no big deal. “They’ll love us for it. Promise.”

“Tattoo? What about Drew? He does have that little problem with needles, you know.” Oliver had felt terrible for the guy mated to the Sentry Remi. Drew was an ex-addict, needle user. Scars of track marks littered his arm, which he tried his best to keep hidden with long-sleeved shirts.

Oliver had lashed out at Drew, taunting him about his addiction, when he first arrived at the estate. He had lashed out at everyone. But now he was concerned with Drew being around needles. What if it triggered something? He wasn’t being responsible for that. The guy had been clean for awhile now, and Remi would kill them if Drew relapsed.

“All five of us will be there. He’ll be closely watched. The Sentries won’t let anything happen.” Cecil pleaded with his eyes.

Oliver blew out a breath. He wanted to make things right with the mates. He had come here with a huge chip on his shoulder, insulting everyone. He still had a great deal of issues to work out. Being molested by his father would make anyone a head case, and he wanted to forget, wanted to put it all behind him. The mates and Micah helped a lot in his healing process though he still had a long way to go.

“Fine, but if I get a lecture from this, well, I’ll think of something diabolical.” Oliver couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this. A tattoo? Maybe this would make Micah see he was serious about their mating. He had been eighteen for one month now, and still Micah hadn’t claimed him. He was starting to feel dejected.

Micah treated him kindly, just not in a horny way. Shit was getting frustrating jacking off when the manwolfyou wanted lay in the adjoining room. He lay there at night, praying Micah would come to him professing his love and ask Oliver to accept him as his mate. Nada so far.

Maybe the Goth look turned Micah off? Oliver did have a lot of piercings. He wore black nail polish, and sometimes he even wore black lipstick. All his clothes were black, and chains hung everywhere on him. Maybe Micah wanted a more conservative mate, someone Oliver couldn’t see himself being. He liked the way he expressed himself, liked the way he looked, and he wasn’t going to change. Not even for a mate that didn’t seem to want him.

Maybe he thought Oliver was used goods? It angered Oliver to think Micah didn’t want him because of his degenerate father. How was that his fault? His brother Blair had kept their dad off of Oliver for years, offering himself so the sick fuck wouldn’t come near him, but once Blair was kicked out, he was free game. Oliver pushed the memories down, burying them once more.

“Good. So we’re on for tonight? Do not tell Micah.” Cecil tapped knuckles with Oliver and Blair then snuck out of the library like they had just had a secret spy meeting or something. Oliver rolled his eyes. These guys really needed to get out more.

Oliver climbed the winding staircase to the second floor where he shared a room with his warrior. Well, sort of. It was adjoining, after all. A situation he prayed would soon change.

He pushed the door open to see Micah standing by his dresser with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Damn, if that wasn’t perfection, then he needed his eyes examined. Bronze skin kissed him from head to toe. His six-four frame was muscular and chiseled. Oliver felt his cock hardening just watching Micah rifle through his drawers, his tendons flexing and bunching with every move. He wondered if the wolf would reject him if he jumped on his back and just started humping until his hips locked from exhaustion.

Afraid that may just be the case, he walked to his room instead. This was torture. He was so ready to go in there and toss Micah to the ground and swallow him whole. It took all his willpower to stay away. He walked over to his mirror and lifted his shirt, trying to imagine Micah’s name over his heart. He still needed to choose a design. What should he get? Oliver wanted something different, something unique. Something that told his hopefully soon-to-be mate, how much he meant to him.

“It’s called a nipple. If you look, there’s another one on the other side.”

Oliver dropped his shirt and turned to see that Micah was fully dressed. He wanted to rip his short, brown hair out from sexual frustration. The man he wanted the most was standing right here in front of him, and Oliver had a raging hard on. If only Micah would reach out and touch him. Show him some sign that he did indeed desire him. Oliver’s lips tingled, wanting to kiss Micah, to nip his neck and cock.

“Whatever,” Oliver retorted. The more his cock pressed into his jeans, the less patience he had. A guy could only take so much.

Micah stared at him for a moment, heaved a sigh then turned around and left. Oliver bit out a curse. Why was Micah always looking at him with disappointment in his eyes?

“Whatever,” he mumbled again as he grabbed some clothes from his drawers and headed for the shower. Once again, he found himself relieving the ache by his own hand. He leaned his forehead into the shower wall, craving his mate’s touch. Tears burned the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He hadn’t cried when his father crept into his room, and he’d be damned if he would let anyone else affect him that way.

* * * *

Oliver met the other mates by the side entrance to the estate then quietly climbed into the back of the SUV.

Loco and Murdock took the front seat. Oliver sat next to Kyoshi. He had been dying to ask the Sentry Storm, Kyoshi’s mate, why his eyes swirled in different colors, but the wolf’s demeanor kept his lips sealed. The man was six foot seven with a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude, so Oliver didn’t.

Johnny sat on the other side of him, bouncing in his seat. The little blond-haired cutie had excitement written all over him.

“Are you sure it won’t hurt, Cecil?” Johnny asked for the twentieth time.

“I told you it will sting, but you can’t think about that. Just remember your mate Hawk’s name will be forever inked above your heart.”

Damn, why wasn’t Cecil telling the little guy that it would hurt like a bitch? Oliver shook his head. It wasn’t his business.

They pulled to the back of the parlor. Murdock got out and told them to stay until he checked the place out.

“You okay, Drew?” Blair asked.

“Fine. I can handle this. I want Remi’s name as a reminder of what he means to me.” Drew smiled weakly.

* * * *

“It’s awfully quiet around here.” Hawk walked into the den and noticed for the first time that it was empty.

Hmm.

He went to the kitchen next. His mate, Johnny, acted like he had a damn tapeworm, and this was one of his favorite places.

Empty.

Hawk’s stomach began to knot when he hadn’t found his mate in their bedroom either. Where was his pretty baby?

He stormed to his Alpha Maverick’s office, alarm bells sounding in his head when only Maverick was sitting in there behind his desk.

No mates.

“Something’s wrong. I can’t find a mate anywhere.”

Maverick pushed his chair back, rounding the desk. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. The mates are gone.”

Maverick rushed from the office with Hawk hot on his heels. “Round up your men. I want them found now!”

Hawk pulled his cell out and called Cody, his best tracker. The Sentries all gathered in the den.

“We can’t find Murdock or Loco.” Cody informed his Commander. “We tried their cell phones, but it’s going straight to voicemail.”

“When was the last time anyone has seen any of them?” Maverick questioned. If Cecil had been harmed in any way, hell would open up on earth. His mate had already been traumatized by his damn assistant. The scars Cecil carried were a constant reminder to keep his mate close.

“I saw them gathered by the library a few hours ago,” Gunnar offered.

“Dammit.” Maverick had a feeling his little mate was up to one of his harebrained schemes again. When he first mated Cecil, he was timid, submissive. Now that the little bugger had gained his self-confidence back after his ex-boyfriend had abused him for two years, he was mischievous and adventurous. Maverick loved that Cecil had fire in him. He just wished he wasn’t constantly hunting him down. He saw another paddling in his near future.

“Cecil.” Jasper smiled.

“’Fraid so. Keep trying the cell phones. At least he had enough sense to take muscle with him. I want a talk with your men when they return, Hawk.” Maverick stormed to his office, already planning his mate’s punishment.

“Not before I skin them,” Hawk bit out.

* * * *

Oliver grabbed the arms of the chair, gritting his teeth. Whose dumb idea was this again? Oh yeah, Cecil’s. Who was dumb enough to listen? Oliver.

Sweat broke out on his forehead and trickled down his temple as the gun buzzed. How long did it take to write five letters? If felt like a hot knife was cutting into his skin. His piercings hadn’t hurt this bad. He wouldn’t let it show. He couldn’t, considering Johnny took it like a champ, which shocked Oliver. Drew was the last one, and he was up next.

The tattoo artist wiped his skin then began to stab him again. That’s what it felt like. For all the pain he was enduring, it better be outstanding.

“Done.” The guy leaned back and sat the gun down. He poured clear liquid onto a paper towel and wiped Oliver’s chest. Next he grabbed some ointment and smeared his chest before covering it with gauze and tape. Oliver stood and stretched. All the mates who had gone before him stood bare-chested with a patch over their hearts. He felt a connection to them now, like he was one of them.

“Did it hurt?” Blair stepped to him hesitantly. His brother had been trying to reach out to him since his arrival. Oliver had hated him with a passion for leaving him behind. He slowly came to realize that Blair had been a victim just like him, but a small part of him couldn’t let go of that last thread of resentment.