“Except their chew toys—Marco’s very generous with his.” Nicky put his head back and laughed loudly at his own joke. A few people who were sitting nearby looked over at him fondly. Nicky was a huge favorite with almost everyone in the pack, and they were proud of their alpha’s pet. His beauty, his kindness, his eagerness to help out any pack member any way he could all served to make him very well liked.

“Well, don’t look now, but your top dog is on his way over here,” Evan said, looking over Nicky’s shoulder. Nicky glanced up to see Marco bearing down on them. Evan grabbed his tray and stood up.

“I think I have things to do in my room. See you guys later.”

Nicky turned to smile up at Marco. “I didn’t even hear you leave this morning.”

“Good morning, Nicky. Logan, would you excuse us for a moment, please?”

Logan gave Nicky a sharp glance and nodded, picking up his own tray and moving away. He glanced back at them as he went, a worried expression on his face.

Marco sat down beside Nicky, who reached for his hand and slipped his own inside. “I missed you this morning when I woke up,” Nicky said, looking up at Marco from under his lashes. “I was hoping you’d still be in bed beside me.”

Marco looked him up and down but didn’t respond at first. Then he put Nicky’s hand back in his own lap. “I’ve missed you too. Tell me, Nicky, why aren’t you wearing your collar this morning? “

“Um, collar? See, I thought that was just some, you know, bedroom thing we were doing last night.”

“Bedroom thing?”

“Well, yeah, you know…it was kinda hot. Like when you put your cum all over me. I even had some of that in my eyebrows this morning. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but next time, probably not really necessary for, you know, my ultimate satisfaction.”

“Nicky, it wasn’t a bedroom thing, as you say, and I think you know that. I won’t put up with these little subterfuges, and I understand from what people are telling me that you’re kind of known for them.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that, exactly.”

“No? According to my council members, the first few months you were here, you ran away and joined with a rogue group who were challenging my leadership of the pack. Then to top that off, you became their champion and challenged me in the ancestral ring.”

“You’ve been checking on me? But that was all a huge misunderstanding, Marco. And I didn’t run away, I was kidnapped by them. Then they explained to me how harsh you were being with their mates, and forcing them to act all submissive when they didn’t want to, and I…uh…I did sort of challenge you, actually. But I didn’t know what it meant at the time, really. When you faced me in the ring and told me the consequences, then I submitted to you right away.”

“Yes, and then turned feral from lack of wolf’s blood because you were carrying out some kind of half-assed experiment.”

Nicky reached for his hand and Marco let him take it again. “I didn’t know it would make me feral, Marco. You saved me, you know.”

“Of course,” Marco said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Nicky’s hand. “I’ll always save you—you’re my mate. Even though I’m just getting to know you—well, it feels like it to me, anyway—I already feel very protective of you. That’s why I was alarmed to also hear you disobeyed a direct order and risked your life by going to the prison with my nephew Rory to save Ian from the Hunters.”

“Oh…that…well, see…”

“And then when I correctly gave you a punishment for it that seemed to be a very reasonable punishment from what I heard, you ran away again.” Nicky dropped his eyes back to the tablecloth, but Marco’s finger forced his chin up gently but firmly. “You and Logan both were gone for over two weeks, I believe. With Hunters in the woods.”

“Yes, Marco.” Nicky’s voice was very quiet.

“I don’t mean to be harsh with you, Nicky, despite what your friends Logan and Evan were probably telling you, but I can’t allow you to risk yourself like that again. As my mate, you’re my responsibility, and I take my responsibilities very seriously. I have to teach you to be a good mate and a good example to the other mates in the pack. I think I need to retrain you as my mate, Nicky. And we may as well get started today. Go upstairs and find your collar. Put it on and stay in our rooms until I get there. Understood?”

“Sure, I understand.” He pulled his hand away from Marco’s and stood up. He gazed down at Marco and took a deep, steadying breath. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.”

Chapter Five

Nicky woke up alone and stretched his arms up over his head. He was starving and hoped Marco had left him something to eat. Sitting up and scooting out of bed, he stood up and walked stiffly into the kitchen. His ass was sore both inside and out from Marco’s “discipline.” He wondered again just what he’d gotten himself into as he found the muffins Marco had left on the counter for him. He found a glass and poured himself a big glass of milk. Deciding to stand up to eat and spare his aching ass, he thought back to Marco’s reaction the day before when he’d refused to put his collar on.

At first Marco had simply stared at him, and then he took his hand and pulled him back into his seat. “I’ve just come from a long talk with my council members, Nicky, and we’ve come to some decisions. I think it’s only fair for me to explain them to you before this goes any further.”

Nicky was uneasy at his firm tone and the unyielding look in his eyes. “What decisions? What do you mean? Before what goes any further?”

“The council and I discussed all the changes made to the pack in the last year and a half, and we agreed that some of them are worthwhile. Wearing the leather pants with no shirt, for example, was old-fashioned and inconvenient, even impossible, for the pets who need to work outside or down in one of the towns.”

“Well, yeah. Thank God you actually realized how stupid that was.”

Marco went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “So we’ll continue to allow our pets to dress in more modern clothing. The collars, however, for the mated pets, is not optional any longer. All mated pets will wear one from now on and that is not negotiable, so don’t even start.”

“I see,” Nicky said shortly, his lips thinning in anger.

“The extra freedoms you’ve all been allowed will stay as well. The pets acquitted themselves quite well in the battle with the Hunters, so you’ll still be allowed to fight beside us, should that ever become necessary again. Some of the training that Logan has been doing can continue, though the advanced training is not necessary and will cease right away. Logan and his helpers will have plenty to do just conducting basic self-defense training.”

Nicky nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and Marco continued.

“I thought at first, judging from your behavior, that I needed to change other rules too, but from what the council tells me, it’s more a matter of you misbehaving than any rule changes being needed. I’m not sure why I’ve let you get away with so much, Nicky, but all that is going to change. I’m retraining you, and this time, I’ll be more strict. As the alpha’s pet, you need to set a good example for the younger pets. All of them look up to you and will follow your lead.”

“Retraining,” Nicky said quietly. “And if I refuse?”

Marco leaned forward. “Nicky, understand me on this. My pet has to be a leader and must be well-behaved. I would never force you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. Please understand I’m not trying to threaten you—I’m only trying to be honest. If being submissive to me is so hateful to you, then, I’m sorry, but you’re not what I want or need in a mate. Since the blood match is no longer a factor, I could allow you to leave. The match could be dissolved.”

He let the words sink in as Nicky’s eyes filled with hurt, angry tears. How could this be happening? He’d thought this love with Marco would be forever. He’d always been told that wolves mated for life, and he’d been more than happy to spend his life right here with Marco. Now Marco was telling him he was expendable. He felt like he was in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up.

Marco put his hand over Nicky’s, where it lay suddenly still and lifeless in his lap. “Please understand I’m not trying to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t want you to go. But if you decide to leave, remember I’ll never abandon you. I’ll continue to feed you and give you whatever you need. You’d always have a home here, and maybe you could find a mate with someone else. It’s obvious that many of the males admire you. The females too.”

Nicky pulled his hand sharply away. “While you mate with someone else too? And the idea of my being with another wolf seriously doesn’t bother you?” Nicky’s voice was filled with hurt and shock. Marco looked uneasy.

“Yes, of course, it would bother me at first. Even in a short time, I’ve come to have feelings for you. I have a few memories that have come back—not many,” he said quickly when hope sprang up in Nicky’s eyes. “But I feel—I feel things I don’t understand. Some of the memories confuse me, I’ll admit. But yes, in time, I-I may well have to find someone else if you decide to leave me.”

“Oh, let’s have some honesty between us, Marco. It won’t be me ‘deciding’ to leave you— this is about you forcing me into a decision. Backing me into a wall.”

Marco leaned back and tightened his own lips in anger. “Be reasonable, Nicky. This is not the way I want to live my life, any more than it’s what you want. Wolves are dominant creatures, and the alpha is the most dominant of any in the pack. Yes, I want a submissive mate, but I won’t force you into it. I’m not some kind of slaver. A slave wants his freedom, while a submissive wants nothing more than to belong to his master and to freely give up control. I have no interest in an unwilling partner, Nicky. If you can’t give yourself to me completely and become my submissive mate, then what future do we have together? One of us will always be wanting more than the other could possibly give.”