I jerked awake and looked back over my shoulder with a smile when I felt my papa rubbing my shoulders. He was singing softly under his breath, and it took me a moment before I recognized the tune… Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down.

I submitted to the massage, tilting my head forward to enjoy his skillful manipulation of my tight muscles. Papa was somewhere in the middle of the second verse, when my dad sat down across from me at my desk.

"All right, son. Your papa and I have waited long enough—are you ready to tell us yet about that bite mark you’re wearing?"

Papa stopped massaging and gave my shoulders a final pat before moving around to sit down on dad’s lap. I smiled at how perfectly they fit together, the schism in my heart widening as I wondered if I'd ever have that with Preston.

Reaching up to rub my claiming scar, I felt myself blushing as I smiled nervously at my dads. "The guys didn't tell you?"

"It wasn't for the guys to tell us," Papa answered. "That's why we've been waiting for you to talk. However, I feel like time may be running out since the boys are all in the supply room packing their vests right now."

I sat up straight and hurriedly started shutting down my computer. "Did they find it? Our way in?"

"Calm down, son. Take a few minutes, and tell us about our new son. Given that you didn't have time to go out meeting people while on mission, I can only assume that Preston Tierney is your fated mate?" Dad asked calmly.

"Yes, it's Preston. Although, I honestly don't get how he weaseled his way into my heart after just one night together—he's the most irritating, annoying, whiny assed little princess I've ever met in my life—and I already know that I'm gonna end up loving him forever. At least, if we ever get a chance to figure our shit out."

Papa tilted his head curiously. "What's to figure out? You've obviously bonded. Now it's just a matter of spending time together and allowing your natural bond to blossom into love. Attraction and connection are instantaneous for fated mates—while the emotional bond can sometimes take a little time. Is that what your problem is?"

Dad snorted. "I'd say our boy’s number one problem is with his omega being locked up at that Ivory Towers joint, but that's just me. Well, that and the fact that the poor omega’s own father is the one who put him in there. Jonah showed me the dossier you've been putting together on Senator Tierney, son. That man's quite a piece of work. Rescuing his son from that man’s reach is a good thing."

I shook my head and spoke hesitantly. "Yes, his father and the fact that he's been locked away are the current problem… But the larger one is the fact that I'm pretty sure he hates me. I can feel his anger and devastation across the bond, along with fear and loathing. And… I'm pretty sure some of that is aimed toward me."

Dad started to chuckle. "Noah, what the hell did you do?"

"Aside from leaving him in what I thought was the safety of his own home while I went to retrieve the phone? Fuck—you've got me. Not to gross you guys out, but the night I rescued him the two of us were holed up in an empty cabin on that mountain. You know, one of those summer cabins that out-of-state owners like to have on hand for vacations?"

Papa motioned for me to hurry up with his hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You two were shut up in the cabin, caught each other's scent and more than likely got thrown in the heat and rut mating cycle—been there, done that, own the T-shirt. What happened next? Obviously you exchanged claim bites."

I shrugged. "That's where things got wonky. We woke up the next morning and things were, I dunno, sweet? But then I heard a vehicle coming, and jumped out of bed to make sure we were safe. It was just the guys though, so I told Preston to shag ass so we could get out of there. But he was more concerned about showering off the smell of, well, you know."

Dad grinned. "Son, your papa and I've been through our fair share of heats and ruts together. Now we’re all adults here, so just say it. You woke up covered in dried splooge and the whole cabin smelled like an orgy had gone down the night before. Is that about right?"

My whole face felt like it was on fire, I was blushing so hard. I cleared my throat before I attempted to respond.

"Okay, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, he wanted to take a shower but the generator had died during the night and there was no water. So I told him he needed to suck it up and get dressed because the guys would be walking in any minute. I didn't want them to see my mate naked, you know? I could give a rat’s ass about what they smelled—but them seeing him would be a whole other matter."

Papa's eyes narrowed as he sat up straighter to look at me. "And did you spell that out for Preston? Or did you go into mission mode and start coldly ordering him around as though what you'd shared the night before hadn't meant anything to you?"

I looked at Papa with disbelief. "Why the hell would I need to spell it out for him? I know he's a princess, but surely he's got enough common sense to know that I wouldn't want my whole team to see him naked while in heat."

Dad seemed to be fighting a smile as he spoke. "But you explained this to him once you guys got on the road, right? You snuggled him on your lap in the car, or held up against your side while you whispered sweet nothings in his ear and apologized for your alpha protectiveness?"

The blood rushed out of my face as my jaw dropped. "No. Should I have? I stuck him in between Boomer and Ezra for the ride back to his house. I mean, he'd been bristly and shit. I figured he wouldn't want to sit by me, so I was giving him space."

Papa's eyes rolled so hard that I almost heard the joints pop. "Noah, please tell me you spoke to him before you left him alone at his father's estate?"

"No, he went upstairs while I was talking to his dad. He left in a snit after his dad tried to marry him off to some other alpha not knowing we'd bonded. And then that other alpha smelled pregnancy on Preston and screamed foul. After he took off, Preston's dad started talking shit before I could say anything. Then Preston took off and Ezra had to keep me from ripping his dad a new one."

I drummed my fingers on the desk. "I assumed he'd be packing his bags to move back here to Chicago with me after the mission. I never would've imagined his dad would try this whole Ivory Towers stunt. I'm sure everything will be fine if I could just talk to him. I mean, who knows what his father told him after I left."

Dad shook his head. "It's not anything his father told him, I can guarantee that. It's what you didn't tell him. Seriously, boy. Are you touched in the head? You can't spend the night with someone and then brush them off when everybody shows up like you’re ashamed of them. And then you just blew him off and didn't bother to work things out? You assumed he'd be packing?"

"I guarantee you that assumption was wrong," Papa agreed. "Preston would be a fool if he just expected that you were planning to bring him home with you after you’d behaved so atrociously. And back up a second—did I hear you say that I'm going to be a grandfather? And you just drop that little nugget casually into conversation? What the hell is wrong with you, Noah?"

"Honestly? I haven't even thought about the fact that he’s pregnant too much yet… I've been too busy trying to figure out how to rescue him—again."

Papa looked disappointed in me. "You wouldn't be needing to rescue him if you hadn't left him in the first place. I guarantee you that if you'd taken five minutes to talk to the boy, you'd have known that his home wasn't a safe place to leave him. All that partying he's known for? That's the hallmark of two things—it’s usually the sign of someone who is looking for attention, or someone who doesn't think he matters."

Ice spread through my veins as I looked at my dads in shame. "And I didn't do anything to make him feel like I was any different, did I?” I swallowed and raked a hand through my hair as I suddenly began to understand why Preston had been so pissed off that morning.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I looked back at my dads. “From his perspective, it probably looked like I just bred him and left him, so to speak. I mean, that obviously wasn't my intention. I was focused on the mission and not my mate. But, isn't that my job? To put the mission first?"

Dad rubbed Papa's back as he smiled gently at me. "You know, when your Papa and I started this organization, our goal was always to rescue omegas. You know our motto… Accept Love Protect Honor Always. But what you don't know, is that your Papa insisted on the Always. I wanted that last A to mean Adore."

Papa smirked. "Yeah, but I told him that a team of alphas couldn't walk around with a wussy ass motto like that. I mean, really. You boys would've been laughed out of everywhere."

Dad shook his head. "In my heart, Adore is the final word in our motto—no matter what the stationery says. And the reason I wanted it? Omegas need to feel adored—especially if they've been hurt or mistreated. And it's their alphas job to do that for them."

Dad hugged Papa close as he spoke. I watched them longingly, hoping that someday that could be Preston and me.

"So what do I do?" I asked softly, biting the corner of my lip. "Obviously, I rescue him first. But, then what?"

"That's when you grovel," Dad advised.