His Unexpected Omega (The Mountain Shifters Book 3) Read online

  His Unexpected Omega

  L.C. Davis

  Copyright © 2016 L.C. Davis

  All Rights Reserved.

  Acknowledgments

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  L.C. Davis acknowledges the trademark status of all brands and copyrighted works mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Warnings

  This book contains explicit male/male sexual content. Sexual themes include knotting, mate marking, self-lubrication, MPREG and a dominant alpha with a submissive omega. HEA, no cliffhanger, no cheating.

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  L.C. Davis Books

  The Kingdom of Night Series

  Pendulum

  Liminality

  Equilibrium

  Priest (Coming February 2017)

  The Mountain Shifters Series

  His Unclaimed Omega

  His Reluctant Omega

  His Unexpected Omega (Coming Soon)

  Standalone Works

  Fan Mail

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Bonus Chapter

  Chapter 1

  JESSE

  Three weeks. It had taken three weeks of nonstop harassment to get his brother Rand to give in, but give in he had. After eighteen years, Jesse was finally going to be leaving home. Granted, he would still be on the outskirts of Blue River Pack lands, but that was practically an international voyage for a young omega who had never ventured further than the supermarket without supervision.

  It was finally Rand's turn to cull the herd of deer that cleared the vegetation on the outer edges of the territory. Regular wolves steered clear of lands that were claimed by a pack of shifters, so it fell to their kind to keep the natural order of things.

  As betas in a pack without an acting Alpha to speak of, Rand and his friends were up for hunting duty. The older wolves were all busy trying to choose a leader from among the interim alphas other Council packs had spared in the three years since Noel, the Blue River Alpha by birthright, had betrayed them all. It had been three years since an impatient grab for power had taken the joy from the only home and family Jesse had ever known. Among the victims of Noel's treachery were Jesse's father, the pack's beloved elder omega, Laura, and four other wolves who had fought valiantly to defend the very Alpha who had enlisted Mountain Ridge mercenaries to slay them.

  Time had yet to heal the wounds of the Blue River Pack and there were days when Jesse doubted it ever would. How could they heal without an Alpha, and after Noel's betrayal, how could they ever trust an outsider to lead them? As verum Alpha and head of the Council, Barnabas had been understanding and careful in his choosing of the interim alphas he sent to act in Noel's stead. They had all succeeded to varying degrees at managing the logistics it took to keep a large pack functioning from day to day, but none had been able to quell the fears of the young wolves who still remembered that awful night or to unite them with hope of the stable future that had been ripped away from them. With the exception of Benjamin, the most recent trial alpha, the other alphas had all grown frustrated with the challenge of winning over a pack in turmoil, and Jesse couldn't blame them. With Laura's gentle guidance and the promise of a strong, young alpha to lead them, the Blue River wolves had once been the pride of the Council lands. Now they were just lost.

  As the pack's most recent omega to come of age and the son Noel's predecessor, Jesse knew it fell to him to provide his packmates with comfort, but how could he when he was still nursing his own wounds? It had stung enough when Noel first announced his plans to vie for the hand of Cameron, the Silver Lake Pack's then unclaimed omega. Jesse had still been a few years away from mating age then, but in his starry-eyed youth, he had hoped that Noel would find him worthy of waiting for. He hadn't, and after his lackluster performance as omega in Laura's absence, Jesse couldn't blame him, either.

  Of course, the other wolves didn't seem to blame Jesse for his failure as an omega. They still saw him as just a kid and, despite his mother's obligatory reminders that he would lead their people at a new alpha's side one day, Jesse knew she didn't have any more hope in his ability to come through than they did.

  And why should they? He hadn't paid attention as Laura had tried to instruct him in the ways of a Blue River omega, and it showed. He had given his family no reason to have faith in him, and that was without them even knowing that his dreams always led him away from the very pack he was born to serve. Every night since Jesse could remember, his mind had drifted across the miles and deeper into the forest than even Rand and the other betas would dare to go. So deep into the black-green woods that he could feel the air tinged with that strange, warlike energy that shrouded the Mountain Ridge lands that lay beyond. Rumors still churned about those strange lands, and the presence of a Mountain Ridge omega on the Tribunal had only done so much to quell them. The mega pack and its wolves remained a mystery, now more than ever that the imaginations of the Council wolves had been given bits of information and brief encounters to fuel them. Then there were wolves like Rand, whose whispers about the strange ways of the newest pack in the Council were tinged with more curses than curiosity.

  "Get in," Rand barked, shoving into Jesse on his way to SUV. The sturdy beta tossed a heavy bag of gear into the back of the vehicle like it weighed nothing, and Jesse didn't doubt that he'd be next if he failed to get a move on.

  Rand glanced behind them at the sparse lights in the windows of the small village they were leaving behind in the dead of night. Chuck and Alex were close behind, and the latter looked down at Jesse with a nervous glint in his eyes. "You sure about bringing him, Rand?"

  "We've been over this," Rand growled, climbing into the driver's seat.

  Alex's troubled eyes searched Jesse's face for a moment and he frowned as Chuck loaded the SUV with the last of their gear. "You don't have to come, you know. If you're trying to prove something --"

  "I'm not," Jesse said firmly, brushing past the beta only to have to swallow his pride when the door was opened for him. Rand might have treated Jesse like the annoying little brother he knew he was, but Alex stuck to the more formal conventions of how an omega should be treated, for better or worse. "Thanks," Jesse mumbled, climbing into the back.

  The engine roared to life and Rand peeled out as soon as the last door was shut. There were plenty of older betas in the pack, but Rand outranked them all by birth. Even so, his decision to take the pack's only omega of breeding age on a hunting trip, however routine it might be, could only be met with opposition when the others found out.

  Jesse still wasn't entirely sure why Rand had finally caved in and allowed him to accompany them on the trip, but he wasn't about to complain. It was only a matter of time before Barnabas grew impatient and
forced the pack to take a new alpha so he could wash his hands of them. Jesse would be mated to that alpha, as tradition dictated, and he would spend the rest of his days in quiet submission to his role as an omega, a mate and a caregiver to the next generation of Blue River wolves. The future of the pack hinged on his ability to fulfill each of those roles in a way the current state of his restless heart made impossible.

  One way or another, Jesse knew his life was about to change. He could smell it in the air as surely as the coming snow. This trip was his first and last adventure. He had a week to get it out of his system, and hopefully that was all it would take to purge the impractical dream from his heart as well.

  Chapter 2

  JESSE

  Jesse wasn't sure at what point the low hum of the SUV on the rural road had lulled him to sleep, but when he opened his eyes, he was lower to the ground than usual. He looked down to find his paws buried in snow and the rest of his brown fur coated in a powdery layer of white. He looked around, but he couldn't find any sign of the others--or the SUV, for that matter.

  The snow had certainly fallen fast. The wind stung Jesse through his thick coat as he plodded through the snow and against the drift. He sniffed the air, but catching any scent was a lost cause in such unforgiving wind.

  A crow cawed overhead and Jesse barely ducked his head in time to avoid it as it swooped down. He staggered and found himself slipping on the icy ground underneath an innocent layer of freshly fallen snow. It was only when he saw the light in the distance that he realized what was happening.

  The dream...

  This wasn't how it usually went. The dream changed with the seasons, so the inclement weather was to be expected, but Jesse had never seen the cabin nestled in the woods from so close before. It always remained a fixed point in the distance, no matter how far his weary limbs traveled. Sometimes a strange gray wolf would appear like a mirage in the snow, encouraging him to keep on when he wanted to give up, pushing him towards some unknown adventure that was waiting for him if he could just muster up the endurance, but he always woke before he could reach the wolf or the cabin.

  Almost there.

  Jesse spun around in search of the rich, baritone voice that seemed to come from nowhere. He couldn't even hear his own footsteps through the howling wind, but that voice was so clear.

  Before he could investigate, a horrific screeching sound consumed everything. His eyes flew open and he jolted awake in time to see the stag through the windshield. The creature was illuminated in the headlights and, for a moment, Jesse felt a kinship with it as they were both frozen, both hanging on a moment before an end neither of them could have foreseen.

  In an attempt to avoid the deer, Rand had swerved. That much Jesse could figure out, but it wasn't enough. The deer's antlers came through the windshield first, and the rest happened too fast for Jesse's mind to process. Before he could even come to terms with the fact that he had never actually shifted out of his human form, Jesse found himself flying through the windshield. It was like falling in a dream, only instead of waking up to a warm bed, he was plunged into darkness. It hurt for a moment, but shock set in and he fell unconscious before his body could finish its descent down the ravine.

  Chapter 3

  JESSE

  Jesse opened his eyes to the glow of a warm fire and was overcome with a sense of familiarity and belonging. He knew the outline of the small cabin in the woods as well as he knew his own home in the village. The dark wood, the sloped roof. He'd have been willing to bet his life that there was a generous pile of firewood propped against the side of the cabin, a testament to its owner's industriousness. The only thing was, Jesse had never seen the cabin from the inside before.

  He also hadn't expected to wake up in his wolf form, never mind in a strange bed. Memories of the accident came back in flashes, but latching on to any one in particular only gave him a headache. Jesse remembered the crunch of broken bone but his limbs felt foreign and heavy. It was hard to sort out which part was more damaged than the others when everything hurt. He must have shifted to heal. From what little he remembered of the accident, Jesse was surprised he had survived at all.

  Panic surged in his chest and he tried to lift his head as he thought of the others. Rand and Alex and Chuck. What had become of them? Wolves were hardier than humans, but far from immortal.

  Footfalls on the wooden floor gave Jesse pause. A massive hand settled on the side of his head, smoothing down his fur. The touch ached and soothed him at once and he whimpered. "Easy," the stranger soothed in a familiar baritone as he stroked the young wolf's fur. Jesse struggled to keep his eyes open with the weight of exhaustion, but he could make out a handsome face and a thick, graying beard. The stranger was huge even as he bent over the bed and his solid frame sunk the mattress as he sat down. His hands, worn rough and callused with work, snagged on Jesse's fur as he stroked it with more gentleness than someone so strong seemed like he should have been capable of.

  "That's alright," the man crooned, his voice a siren's song that worked in tandem with the warmth of the fire to lull Jesse back to sleep. "You're safe here, pup. Just rest."

  Jesse whined and strained to lift his head, but it was impossible under the man's heavy hand, even though it was merely resting on his neck. He didn't need rest. What he needed were answers, but sleep came anyway.

  Chapter 4

  KENNETH

  A pup. Kenneth had gone out that night in search of game and the Spirits had seen fit to send him a pup. It wouldn't be the first time they had enjoyed some fun at his expense, but this was certainly upping the ante. Next, wolves would be falling from the skies, and as far as Kenneth knew, that was exactly where the strange little omega in his bed had come from.

  The alpha had conducted a thorough search of the twenty-mile area surrounding the spot where he had found the omega half-frozen and buried in the snow, but all he'd uncovered was a few shards of glass in the drift. If it weren't for the traces of fresh blood, Kenneth might have assumed the glass had been left by campers. There was no shortage of them now that tales of a wolf howling in the woods were more of a draw than a ward. Damn hipster types, always looking for a spiritual experience around a campfire.

  That blood, faint though the scent of it was, certainly didn't belong to an omega. Kenneth had never understood the ways of the brutal Mountain Ridge wolves who had captured him so long ago, but after being assailed with the scent of the young omega's blood in the snow, he was beginning to understand a little. An omega's blood was nothing short of heavenly, only unlike the savage Mountain Ridge wolves, the scent of an injured omega still conjured instincts more protective than predatory in the older alpha.

  It had been twenty years since Kenneth had been stripped of his rank and taken as a prisoner of war by the late Mountain Ridge Alpha and ten since the man's successor and son had set him free. Mitchell Teak was like his father, Allen, only in the shade of his eyes and the strength of his backbone. The apple had certainly fallen far from the tree in terms of character. As soon as the snow let up a bit, Kenneth's first act was going to be handing the young omega over to Mitchell. He knew the other alpha's mate, Angel, would jump at the chance to help another omega in need. The kid could be their problem then.

  At least, that's what Kenneth's head was saying. His heart was set on reminding him that years of solitude hadn't entirely frozen it over and certain instincts were thawing out in the warmth of an omega's presence quicker than others.

  Yes, it would be best to get the omega out of his home--and certainly out of his bed--as soon as possible.

  When Kenneth entered the room carrying a bowl of broth, the first thing he noticed was the fact that the frail brown wolf in his bed had turned into a lithe young man in his absence. Maybe he should have brought a spoon.

  The omega stirred, curled up on his side. Kenneth chastised himself for allowing his gaze to travel over the young man's exposed body before covering him up with the blanket. The omega's wounds had healed ni
cely, but that leg would still need some time before it could bear even his slight weight. The makeshift cast Kenneth had made for him would only do so much. At least the cuts and scrapes had healed nicely. His homemade salve had helped with that.

  Kenneth scolded his wolf as it urged him to join the young man in bed as he had before, curled up in his beastform in an attempt to keep him warm during those first perilous hours after Kenneth had found him. The alpha might have spent a decent chunk of his life in solitary confinement, but he still had enough decency to know that what was appropriate as a wolf wasn't always appropriate as a man, especially where an unclaimed omega was involved. His wolf, on the other hand...

  The omega whimpered in his sleep and Kenneth reached out, brushing the hair out of his face. It was the same rich, reddish-brown hue as his fur. The eyes that met his were a shade or two darker, but every bit as warm.

  The younger man's eyes opened and Kenneth could smell his fear. Not that he could blame him. Standing at six-and-a-half feet with a build that resembled a bear more than a wolf thanks to a decade of manual labor, Kenneth made other alphas nervous enough. "It's alright," he said in his best attempt at gentleness. He cleared his throat and tried again when he realized it didn't sound quite as gentle as he had hoped. "I won't hurt you."

  The omega didn't look convinced. He sat up slowly and Kenneth resisted the urge to reach out to help him, knowing his touch would do anything but provide comfort. "Be careful," he pleaded. "You're alright now, but you were in a bad way a few days ago."

  "Who are you?" The omega's voice was as soft as Kenneth had imagined, but it was the familiarity of it that took him by surprise. Kenneth couldn't make sense of it in his head, but his heart was damn sure about one thing: No matter how impossible it seemed, he knew this boy. This omega.