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

  "My name is Kenneth Havers," he said, surprised by how jarring the name was on his own tongue. He hadn't had reason to use it in far too long. "I found you out in the snow. Do you remember who you are?"

  "Of course," the omega murmured, rubbing his head. "Jesse. Jesse Fields, of the Blue River Pack."

  Kenneth couldn't help but smile at the pride in the young wolf's voice. "Blue River, huh?" So this was a Council wolf. That explained the precociousness. "Yeah, I know your pack. You any relation to Edmund Fields?"

  The omega's face fell and Kenneth clenched his fists at his side to keep from reaching out to soothe the wave of pain that rolled off him. Omegas were conduits of emotion, both theirs and others. It had been years since Kenneth's last interactions with his pack, but he still remembered the way the omegas had comforted him and taken their pain as his own after his parents had been taken from him. He also remembered hearing that it could go both ways. That an alpha who came of age would respond powerfully to any emotions an unclaimed omega in his vicinity happened to display. It was a bond between their kind that could unite packs or tear them apart, if used the wrong way.

  Now, more than he ever had, Kenneth could understand why the Mountain Ridge wolves had feared these delicate creatures more than any of their enemies on the battlefield. He also had a better appreciation for why an alpha like Mitchell toed the line around his mate.

  "Yeah, we were...related," Jesse said softly. "He died five years ago."

  Kenneth frowned. "Mind if I ask how it happened?"

  "He was sick." The way he said it kept Kenneth from asking any follow-up questions. Wolves didn't get sick often, so an alpha being taken ahead of his time left scars deeper than any loss in battle.

  "I'm sorry for your loss. I've heard he was a good man."

  "Thank you," Jesse murmured, pulling his knees to his chest. The way he looked up under those thick, dark lashes was enough to make Kenneth forget why he was there in the first place. The omega's energy shift was so sudden and powerful that Kenneth felt the room spin. "My brother. Is he...?"

  The panic that rose around the omega was enough to make Kenneth forget all rules of propriety. He reached out and rested his hands on Jesse's shoulders, feeling the young man calm immediately. "Easy. What's this about your brother?"

  "We were driving, him and his two friends," Jesse said, his eyes full of fear. "Rand hit a deer and I got thrown. Did they...did they make it?"

  The way his voice cracked made Kenneth's heart surge with pain he thought he'd long grown numb to. "I went back out and searched every inch of those woods for miles after I got you stable," he said slowly. "Now, I found glass but no car and no trace of wolves anywhere in the area."

  "I have to go look," Jesse said, lurching forward.

  Kenneth held him easily. "You're not going anywhere on that leg."

  Jesse looked down and seemed to notice the cast for the first time. His brow furrowed as he looked back at Kenneth. "They're out there somewhere. I can't just say here while they --"

  "There's no one out there," Kenneth said firmly.

  "But that's impossible!"

  "Impossible or not, if there was a car out there, it's long now."

  "Are you calling me a liar?" The indignation in the omega's voice took Kenneth off guard. Sometimes he thought their reputation as weak, docile creatures was unearned.

  "No," he said in the gentlest tone he could muster. "All I'm saying is that whatever happened out there, your brother and his friends were well enough to walk away from it."

  "Unless someone took them." The look in the omega's eyes made it clear his thoughts were going a mile a minute.

  "What's that?"

  "Where are we?" Jesse asked urgently.

  "No Man's Land."

  Jesse's eyes widened. "That's up against Mountain Ridge territory, isn't it?"

  "Yeah, why?"

  "They must have found the wreck."

  Kenneth frowned. "Look, I know things between your packs have been strained for a while, but I think the Mountain Ridge Alpha has more pressing matters to attend to than kidnapping...what were they? Alphas?"

  "Betas," Jesse said, clearly reluctant to admit as much.

  "Right."

  "You know Mitchell Teak?" Jesse asked, newly wary.

  Kenneth sighed. "In a sense. What was a young omega like yourself doing out in weather like this with a few betas, anyway?"

  Jesse looked down at his hands, toying with the quilt between them. "Um, we were on a cull."

  "A cull? The Council wolves send omegas out hunting, now?"

  "No." The young wolf's face turned a rather appealing shade of crimson. "I may have...convinced my brother to let me come."

  "Huh. Well, if Blue River wolves are anything like the ones I'm used to, those idiots are a good deal safer in Mountain Ridge territory than they will be when your pack finds out where you've been."

  "My mother will be worried," Jesse said, his eyes pleading. "Can I at least use your phone?"

  Kenneth sighed. "I live out here because I don't want to be contacted. By anyone. As soon as the snow lets up, I'll make a trip into town and call to let your pack know where you are."

  "How long will that be?"

  Kenneth glanced out the window at the white sheets falling from the sky and shook his head. "Could be days, could be a week at this rate."

  A pathetic whimper escaped the omega's lips but he wouldn't meet Kenneth's eyes. Few enough alphas had the courage to do so.

  "Try to get some rest. If you mind yourself, I'll go out later and do another sweep of the area if that'll make you feel better."

  "Thank you," Jesse said quietly as he settled back in underneath the blankets. All the fight had gone out of him.

  "You'll be okay," Kenneth promised. The look on the boy's face suggested that the words had about as much effect as the alpha expected. An omega he was not.

  Chapter 5

  JESSE

  Jesse gasped sharply as he woke from another dream about the SUV flying off the mountain path, only this time, instead of being thrown through the windshield, he was trapped in the car with the others. He opened his eyes only to find himself meeting the unblinking stare of Rand's corpse, hanging limp from the front seat.

  "No," he sobbed, struggling to free himself from the belt around his chest. It held fast and he scarcely noticed as the cloth band became strong arms wrapped around his chest. When Jesse opened his eyes, reality set in slowly along with the realization that he was being held against Kenneth's solid chest. The alpha was a wall of muscle with a slight layer of padding over his torso that made him all the more formidable in appearance. He was no young pup with gray at the temples and flecked in his beard, but he was still handsome and there was concern in his eyes as he looked down at Jesse.

  "It's alright," he murmured in a deep voice that was somehow soothing and rough at once. He stroked Jesse's cheek with his calloused palm and the omega melted into his touch out of instinct. "It was just a dream."

  "I'm sorry," Jesse said once he had caught his breath. "It felt real."

  "I know the feeling." Kenneth pulled away all too soon and Jesse found himself craving the alpha's warmth. The blanket he draped around Jesse's shoulders was a poor replacement.

  For the first time, Jesse realized Kenneth was wearing boxers and nothing else. Judging from the exhaustion in his eyes, the omega's screaming had woken him from a deep sleep. "I'm sorry," Jesse said quickly.

  "Why?"

  "For waking you."

  The alpha chuffed, sitting in the chair next to the bed. "It's fine. Not like I've got an early day at work or anything. The animals will forgive me if I sleep in a bit."

  "You really live out here by yourself?" Jesse asked, tilting his head. Alphas were even more social creatures than omegas. The idea of a loner wasn't unheard of, but it was strange.

  "Just me and the chickens."

  Jesse blinked. "Chickens?"

  "I have a small farm," Kenneth said with a pl
easant, rumbling laugh. "Keeps me busy when I'm not hunting."

  "Hunting?"

  "The Mountain Ridge Alpha and I have an arrangement. I hunt rogue wolves from time to time and in return, the others leave me alone."

  "I see."

  "You don't approve of my lifestyle?" There was a twinkle in the alpha's eyes.

  Jesse's face grew warm. "It's just that I thought all alphas liked living in a pack."

  "Guess I'm just the exception. To be fair, I've never met an omega with an affinity for the hunt, either."

  Jesse couldn't argue there. "Did you really go back out there?"

  "Just got back a few hours ago. I'm afraid I didn't see any more sign of your brother than the last time."

  Jesse felt a pang of guilt, followed immediately by disappointment. There was no reason for the alpha to humor him, especially when it was so cold outside. The cabin's warmth was proof of its solid construction, but the howling wind was still loud enough to tell that the blizzard was far from over. "Thanks all the same."

  "Tell you what," said Kenneth, leaning forward on his knees. "Since we're both stuck inside for the time being, how about we get to know each other a little better?"

  Jesse gulped. Here it was. He was sheltered as a Council omega, but even he knew better than to think that a lone alpha would take in an unclaimed omega without expecting anything in return. "What do you mean?"

  "I've got some questions," said Kenneth, rising from his chair. "And after a few days of being in and out of consciousness, something tells me you could use some real food. What do you say we have a chat over breakfast and kill two birds with one stone?"

  Jesse stared at him for a moment, blinking. His stomach growled as if suddenly reminded of its emptiness. "Okay," he said warily.

  "Good." Kenneth reached into the dresser beside the bed and pulled out a folded shirt before laying it on the bed. "I'm afraid I don't have anything that would fit you properly, but I'll give you a minute to put this on and then help you down the stairs."

  "Alright," Jesse said, looking down at the clean, white linen shirt. It smelled faintly of the alpha's earthy scent and his face grew hot at the idea of wearing an alpha's clothing, even if it was far more appropriate than the alternative.

  True to his word, Kenneth closed the door and gave Jesse some privacy. The omega tested his leg out and decided not to press his luck on the cast when just putting one foot on the floor took most of his energy. He slipped the shirt on over his head and realized Kenneth hadn't been kidding. The shirt was practically a dress on him. The alpha was a hulk of a man and Jesse found himself swimming in clean fabric covered in the alpha's scent, but at least the shirt covered everything.

  A knock on the door a moment later made Jesse jolt. "C-come in."

  The alpha opened the door a crack, keeping his eyes averted. "How's that leg?"

  "It doesn't hurt, but I still don't think I can walk," Jesse admitted.

  Kenneth crossed the room and lifted the omega into his arms before he could protest. The room spun and Jesse found himself clinging to the other man's neck, their faces dangerously close. A soft gasp escaped him as the alpha's warmth and scent enveloped him, making it hard to remember himself. "You don't have to do that."

  "It's no trouble," Kenneth said gruffly, whisking him down the stairs that led into the lofted room. Jesse looked around the quaint little cabin and found it even warmer than his dreams suggested from the outside. There was a hearth that served as the source of the glow he had always seen through the windows in the distance, and a few sturdy pieces of furniture that seemed handmade. Jesse had certainly never seen anything as intricately carved as the thick wooden table by the stove in any furniture store.

  "Your cabin is beautiful," he murmured reverently.

  Kenneth set him in a chair at the table and moved to the stove, pulling the oven door open only to cough when a plume of smoke came out. "Thanks," he grumbled, wincing at the tray of charred biscuits he pulled out of the oven. "Er, I hope you don't mind toast and eggs instead."

  Jesse stifled a laugh. "Not at all, but you didn't need to go through any trouble on my account."

  "I'm not used to company," the alpha admitted, opening a bread box to pop a few slices of toast into the oven before cracking a few eggs into a cast iron skillet. "I'm afraid my hospitality is a bit lacking."

  "You saved my life," Jesse said, realizing it aloud. "I would've died from the cold if not my injuries."

  Kenneth shrugged, barely paying attention as he moved around the kitchen. Jesse watched in fascination as the alpha served up a heaping plate of breakfast he had no hope of finishing even half of. "Any alpha would've done the same. Any wolf, really."

  Jesse wasn't at all sure about that, but his mouth was watering as he eyed the food. Kenneth sat at the table and stopped short of taking a heaping forkful of eggs into his mouth when he noticed the omega staring at him. "Something wrong with the food?"

  "No, I just..." Jesse hesitated. "Well, it's just that we usually say a blessing."

  "Oh. Right."

  If Jesse hadn't known better, he would have sworn the alpha's face turned red. Kenneth cleared his throat and bowed his head. "Like I said, I've been on my own for a while. You uh, mind doing the honors?"

  Jesse pursed his lips to keep from smiling and bowed his head after the alpha. "Great Spirits, thank you for your provision and for sending Kenneth. Please protect Rand and Alex and Chuck, wherever they are," he said softly, folding his hands in his lap. "Thank you for this meal and please bless the hands that prepared it. Amen."

  When Jesse looked up, the alpha was staring at him. He rewound the simple prayer in search of something he'd said wrong but he came up empty. "Is something wrong?"

  "Nothing at all," the alpha said, washing down a bite of eggs with a glass of orange juice. "Just realizing how far from the social graces I've fallen."

  Jesse smiled a little before taking a sip of milk. It was sweeter than the kind that came in a jug at the store, and he realized the alpha hadn't been pulling his leg about having a farm. "I don't think your chivalry has suffered any for it." Truth be told, if Jesse hadn't known the alpha lived in isolation, he would have thought he was among any of the other Council alphas. In the absence of a true leader, his own pack had begun to let the old ways slip away and it was refreshing to be around an alpha who seemed so sure of himself and his role in the world, regardless of whether there was anyone else around to reinforce it or not. If this was what it felt like to be in the present of a true alpha, Jesse could see why the other omegas seemed to take such joy in their own designated roles.

  As they ate in companionable silence, something Kenneth had said earlier came to the forefront of Jesse's mind. "Um, you said you had some questions for me?"

  "That I do," Kenneth said, folding his napkin on the table. Jesse could tell he was making an effort to eat slowly but he had still finished long ago. "If you're feeling well enough to answer them, that is."

  Jesse nodded. "I have a few of my own, if you don't mind."

  "Well, then," Kenneth said with a chuckle. "Why don't you go first?"

  "Jesse hesitated. "You um, said you knew the Mountain Ridge Alpha?"

  A look of knowing passed over the alpha's face as he nodded. "I do. He and I have quite a bit of history."

  "But you're not one of his alphas?"

  "No, I am not. I come from the Sage Land Pack, as a matter of fact."

  Jesse searched his memory but came up empty. "I don't think I've ever heard of that pack. Is it near Council lands?"

  "It was," Kenneth said quietly. "It's known as part of the Southeast Unit these days."

  Jesse's eyes widened. "I don't understand..."

  "We were wiped out," he murmured, folding his hands in front of him. "All but me. Long before you were born, back in the days when Allen Teak was still making a name for himself by grabbing all the land he could."

  Jesse opened his mouth to speak but his throat was too tight to form the words.
Not that there was anything he could say to that. He knew the brutal history of the Mountain Ridge pack as well as any young Council wolf did, but he'd never imagined he would come face-to-face with one of its victims.

  "I was just a lad then. A little younger than you, perhaps," he murmured. "How old are you, Jesse?"

  "Eighteen," he replied, his voice cracking.

  "I was seventeen when they came. Attacked in the middle of the night, as is their way," Kenneth said, an edge entering his voice as he spoke. He was looking straight ahead but his gaze settled much further. "I was the Alpha's son and next in line and, as such, I was given the 'mercy' of being spared and taken as a prisoner of war."

  "I'm so sorry," Jesse choked out. "How did you escape?"

  "I didn't. Not for ten long years," he murmured. "By the time Mitchell took over, his father was long dead and so were most of the men who had anything more than a tangential connection to the attack that wiped out my pack. There was plenty of bloodshed to go around back in those days."

  "Mitchell let you go?" Jesse asked doubtfully.

  Kenneth nodded. "He gave his father's prisoners two options. At least, the ones he deemed as being worthy of a choice. They could take a one-way ticket across the country with a generous settlement and a bit of land from Mitchell himself to start over with whatever was left of their lives, or they could have their revenge. Teak blood in exchange for the blood of the fallen."

  "And you chose to accept his offer?"

  "No, I chose revenge," he said with a dry laugh. "Had a duel of honor with all the Mountain Ridge alphas and betas watching."

  Jesse blinked at him. "I don't understand. You're still here and you live so close to his territory."

  "Oh, I won. Laid the bastard out, too, pardon my French," he said with a wide grin. "First and only alpha to get his fangs around Mitchell Teak's throat and live to tell about it, I imagine."

  "But you didn't kill him?" Jesse asked in disbelief.

  Kenneth shook his head. "I was going to, but I knew I'd spend the rest of my life on the run and in those days, having the rest of my life to live wasn't an appealing prospect on its own. Besides, even then I could tell Mitchell was a man of honor. Nothing like his father. He fought with dignity and spilling his blood would have been more of a tribute to Allen than an act of vindication for my pack."