Was the arrogant son-of-a-bitch actually standing here in Marco’s house lecturing him on how to treat his mate? Holding onto his temper by a thread, Marco bared his teeth back at him. If he wanted to think it was a smile, so be it. “I hope you realize he belongs to me. And I don’t need your advice on how to treat him.”

The doctor stared steadily back at him. “Oh, I think maybe you do. And I’ll leave you with a word of advice even if you don’t want it. A man like Nicky Henderson should be treated like a precious gift, or he just might decide to go where he’s respected and loved for who he is.”

If it hadn’t been for Ian and Casey, he would have attacked the man right there, but they held onto his arms tightly, not allowing him to pull away. Nicky Henderson, his ass! The bastard was deliberately using Nicky’s human name before he became mated to Marco. He wondered fleetingly how he even knew that, but before he could latch onto the half-formed memory, it was gone. Tate turned around and walked quickly away and out the front door before the other two men finally released Marco. Tate’s gamma brother-in-law bowed deeply to the alpha and his closest aides, hurriedly escorting his pet, the doctor’s young sister, from the table.

Casey stepped up closer to speak urgently to Marco. “Alpha, he’s not worth it. Don’t do this in front of everyone. I’ll have a word with him and tell him not to come back.”

“Do that,” Marco said angrily. “The bastard is lucky I didn’t kill him. Did you see him pawing over my mate? Did you hear him call Nicky by his human name? That asshole!” He set his face angrily and turned to Ian. “Make my apologies to everyone, Ian. I need to have a word with Nicky.”

“Marco,” Ian said in alarm. “Don’t—don’t be too harsh with him.”

Marco looked at him sharply. “You too, Ian? Is everybody in the Nicky camp now? Guess I need to get re-acquainted with my mate to see how he’s managed to get everyone wrapped around his little finger.” He turned to go and found his nephew Rory standing in his way. “Yes?” he said sarcastically. “Do you have some words of advice for me too, Rory?”

“Just this,” he said quietly. “I’ve never seen anyone so upset as Nicky was when we thought you were dying, and it was real, Marco. I really think he would have died too, if anything had happened to you. He loves you, and I want you to remember it.”

Marco blew out his breath in a frustrated sigh. “I have no intention of hurting him, Rory. I’m only going to talk to him.”

Rory put a hand on his arm. “Remember how you reacted when Casey tried to lay the law down with me when we first mated? Remember how furious you were? You were my champion and got me out of there until you could talk some sense into Casey. Who’s Nicky’s champion, Marco?

“Nicky doesn’t need any champion, Rory. He has me, and I’ll take care of him. Satisfied?”

At Rory’s hesitant nod, Marco tried to step around him, but Rory grabbed his arm. “Marco, I know you don’t remember him, but Nicky has always been able to get under your skin. Without the blood bond—just remember, you two have a very complicated relationship.”

“Thank you, Rory, for your advice, but I believe I can handle one small human male, whether or not I have a blood bond with him. Now if everybody will get the hell out of my way, I’m going upstairs to talk to my mate.”

Marco walked with a determined step up the stairs and to his rooms—or he supposed he should say the rooms he shared with his mate. He opened the door to find Nicky sitting in a large, overstuffed chair in the main area, one leg thrown over the arm. He looked a little sullen, a little pissed-off and totally gorgeous with his blue eyes flashing at Marco as he walked in. Marco stood for a moment with his arms folded across his chest, wondering what in the world to do with this beautiful boy, despite his confident words downstairs. He felt as if he barely knew him, except to know that everyone seemed very protective of him. Ian had said he was a handful, and Casey had just grinned and rolled his eyes when he asked him about the boy. What the hell had he gotten himself into? If he was going to have any peace in his home he needed to show this boy who was in charge, and quickly.

“Nicky, I don’t want to fight with you on my first day home.”

“No,” Nicky said quietly. “I don’t want that either.”

“Well, at least we’re agreed on something.” Marco walked over to sit across from him on the sofa. A sudden image of Nicky lying naked on this same sofa, his legs propped up on the sofa back, laughter on his lips as he held out his arms to Marco hit him hard. He shook his head at the memory that had seemed to come out of nowhere and he sat down. “Nicky,” he said quietly. “I don’t like to have to discipline you, but I get a strong impression that you do things your way. You knew you weren’t supposed to let the doctor touch you, yet you did it anyway. If we’re mates, I don’t understand why you rebel against things so much. Aren’t you happy as the alpha’s pet?

“If we’re mates?” Nicky shouted, pouncing on the word. “Do you doubt it? Do you think everyone is lying to you because you couldn’t possibly be mated to someone like me?” Nicky sat up indignantly in the chair, his hands gripping his knees so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“No,” Marco said, trying to be calm. “I never said any of that—I asked you a simple question, and I think you’re trying to deflect it. Let me rephrase the question. Why does Dr. Tate continue to put his hands all over you? Have you done or said anything to make him think you’d welcome such advances?”

Nicky bit the inside of his cheek and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything to encourage him, I swear.”

“Oh, I see. So you didn’t mean to reach for his hand downstairs? He just misunderstood? Going for something on his plate, were you?”

Nicky blushed, the pink color staining his cheeks and making him look absolutely adorable. He looked up from underneath his lashes at Marco and let his lower lip tremble just the tiniest bit. So this was how he did it. He made himself look so vulnerable and cute people couldn’t get mad at him. Marco wondered how long he’d been jerking everyone around like this, and why, knowing full well what he was doing, Marco was falling for it too. With difficulty Marco stifled the urge to put his arm around him and reassure him he wasn’t mad at him and that everything would be fine.

“No, of course not, Marco,” Nicky said softly. “I guess I just kind of forgot myself in the heat of the moment, you know? I was just so grateful to him for bringing you through that awful time in the hospital. I was so worried about you, Marco! Are you feeling better? Would you like to lie down for a while?”

“I’m fine, Nicky, and stop trying to change the subject. As the mate of the alpha, you aren’t allowed to forget yourself. The others look to you to set a good example.”

“Well,” Nicky said, leaning forward. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the shaking hands thing. I mean, isn’t that carrying things a bit far? Couldn’t we bend that rule just a little?”

“As I recall, the doctor wasn’t shaking your hand, he was holding it and gazing into those big blue eyes of yours. Rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand too, I believe.”

“Oh? I-I hadn’t noticed.” He caught Marco’s skeptical gaze and dropped his own. “Um, sorry, sir.”

Marco raised one eyebrow. “Sir? Why do I get the impression that you’ve never called me sir before in your life?”

Nicky looked surprised. “I…uh…”

“Do you even recognize me as your alpha?’

“Um, what do you mean?”

“Do you think I have the right to ask you to submit to my authority?”

Nicky looked uncertain for a moment. “Uh, well…of course, I recognize you as the alpha of the pack…”

“And are you a member of my pack?”

“Well, in a way…”

“In a way? Has someone made you feel not a part of our family? Have I ever made you feel you weren’t?”

“Well, no…”

“And when we mated, I assume it was in the usual manner. I gave you a mating bite? You had the knot?”

Nicky blushed and nodded his head slowly.

“So then when you said, ‘in a way,’ what exactly did you mean?”

“I-I just meant I’m not a wolf.”

“Oh, I see. So you don’t think any of the pets are in the wolf family? They’re not a part of my pack?”

“No! I mean, yes, of course they are.” Nicky was getting flustered. His face was now a deep red, and he was avoiding Marco’s steady gaze.

“And do you consider yourself to be a pet?”

“Well, sort of…”

“Sort of?”

“Marco, I’ve never liked that word. It sounds so S&M. No, I don’t identify with that word at all. I’m your mate, yes. I’m here because I love you, and I want to be with you, but a pet—no, most definitely not. I’m not your damn pet.”

Marco gazed at him steadily. “’Pet’ is a just a word the pack has used for as long as anyone remembers, Nicky. A term we use to mean our non-shifting family members—our mates, and our children who don’t turn out to be shifters. In the past they were our dependents, but many of our grown pets have very good jobs on the outside now, yet they still consider themselves to be members of our pack. And they’re also still our pets. As my mate, you would have to also agree to be my pet. The alpha’s pet. It’s an important position and an important title. You know in the wolf clans we follow pack hierarchy. Each member has a rank. Nicky, don’t you want to be my mate anymore?”

“You know I do—don’t try to blackmail me!” Nicky glared at him, his eyes full of hurt.

“No blackmail. It’s a simple fact. If you’re my mate, then you’re also my pet. Do you agree?”