by Trisha Linde
An Omega’s Wish
A Holiday Romance, Vale Valley Season Four Book 10
Trisha Linde
Contents
About An Omega’s Wish
1. Noel
2. Wolf
3. Noel
4. Wolf
5. Noel
6. Wolf
7. Noel
8. Wolf
9. Noel
10. Wolf
11. Noel
12. Wolf
13. Noel
14. Wolf
15. Noel
16. Wolf
17. Noel
18. Wolf
Epilogue
About the Author
About An Omega’s Wish
Omega Noel, having struck out repeatedly in the love department, makes a foolish wish on a falling star. He wishes to find his true love. Sounds simple enough, but maybe he should have specified that his true love should be human.
Wolf is nothing more than his name implies: a lone alpha wolf. Packless, he is driven only by his most base desires. Eat, sleep, hunt. But without a mate, he’s been wandering the woods for years, aimless and untethered. When he feels an unnatural pull, he follows it blindly, straight into civilization and a life he’s never thought to dream of.
When Vale Valley’s magic brings this unlikely pair together, it gives new meaning to watching what you wish for.
An Omega’s Wish is book eleven of Season Four of the popular multi-author series, Vale Valley, a small town open to everyone who needs love and a home. An Omega’s Wish is a sweet shifter mpreg romance with a dash of knotty heat and a pinch of fairy-tale magic. Oh yeah, and a baby. Because who doesn’t love babies?
1
Noel
“Noel, great to see you!”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” I shouted too loudly over the music, pounding Finn on the back as the groom wrapped me in a hug.
I mean it, I told myself, just as I had been repeating all night. I’m happy for him, really I am. But my smile felt strained—plastic and artificial.
I forced myself to stay through the whole ceremony (which was perfect, even I couldn’t deny it), into the dinner (braised chicken with a dozen side dishes), and then late into the night for the reception (didn’t they say this was going to be a small affair?). It was flashy but understated, with white twinkle lights draped across the ceiling.
I hated that I loved it all so much.
And now here I was, congratulating the happy couple, while simultaneously biting down on the bitterness that coated the roof of my mouth. Pierce Hanover–rich, successful, funny, and handsome–was supposed to be my date that fateful night, but a simple mix-up had landed him in Finn Stewart’s lap instead. Now, less than a year later, they were getting married and with a beautiful new baby.
I couldn’t help the jealousy that ran through me; despite everything, I kept wondering “what if.”
You know that expression, Always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Well, I wasn’t even in the wedding party. I wasn’t sure if that made it more pathetic, or less.
A small sigh escaped my lips, and Finn’s eyes darted to me. His smile turned sad; I had a feeling he knew exactly what I was thinking. “Maybe I’ll come to your wedding next time,” he teased gently, probing my mood to see if I wanted to talk about it.
Did I want to talk about it? Was there any point? It certainly wouldn’t change my single status. But before I could analyze it any further, the words started pouring out. “Maybe,” I said with another wistful sigh. “Honestly, I’ve tried everything to meet my true love. Or even to meet someone I kinda like. It’s just no use.” My shoulders raised in a shrug, but the weight of the truth made them heavy with everything I wasn’t saying.
“You’ll meet the perfect alpha when the time is right,” Finn said, and I had no doubt that he meant the words, but I still found myself biting back a scoff.
“What, like fate?” I asked. My lips tugged up in the first genuine smile I’d felt all night.
“Call it what you like, but there’s a certain kind of magic when it comes to love.” The glow that emanated from Finn made me ache with a longing that I couldn’t ignore.
“Magic, huh?” I said, a small stirring of hope mixed with my cynicism. “Well, when you put it that way, maybe I should just jump straight to wishing on a shooting star.”
Finn draped an arm across my shoulders and pulled me over to the window. I found my head turning towards the glow of the crescent moon overhead, bathing the snowy landscape in a pale light.
“Making a wish couldn’t hurt,” Finn said softly. “You never know, Vale Valley has a way of making magic real.”
And it was true. My eyes looked back at the room behind me and scanned the crowd. Finn’s new husband was looking over their baby’s head to Finn, and I could feel something moving between them. You could call it love, but you could just as easily call it magic. There were couples on the dancefloor, gazing into each other’s eyes. There was an alpha dragging his date out the door, clearly in a hurry to satisfy a craving.
Love? Maybe. Vale Valley was meant to be a place where anyone looking for love could find their happily ever after. What did it mean that I hadn’t found mine yet? Was I doing something wrong?
Or maybe I didn’t deserve love.
The thought curdled in my stomach, souring the cake I’d eaten. Wishing on a star was stupid, wasn’t it? Like a fairy tale or a nursery rhyme. But as my eyes caught the flash of a shooting star, instead of laughing it off as a joke, I found myself thinking, What have I got to lose?
My hands clenched each other as my eyes tracked the star, and I wished with everything I had. I wanted–no, needed–to find my soul’s missing half, my one true love.
Please, I begged to the magic, bring me my perfect mate.
And as I held my breath, waiting for a sign, I swore I heard a wolf howl, long and low.
2
Wolf
The rabbit cowered amongst the branches of the holly bush. It could sense danger, but rather than run for the safety of its burrow, it had frozen still, hoping that camouflage would save it. Perhaps the predator wouldn’t see it huddled within the bush, or maybe the beast wouldn’t risk digging through the bush’s prickly exterior.
This wasn’t your ordinary predator, however. This was a lone alpha wolf, and he was hungry. The winter had been lean so far, and the wolf’s ribs were protruding from its skin beneath its stringy coat.
A lone wolf was a dangerous thing. Without a pack, hunting was difficult, and the animal was often driven to desperation. They were more aggressive, taking unnecessary risks in the name of hunger. And in this case, what were a few scratches in exchange for a juicy rabbit.
The prey’s ears pricked, its nose twitched, and the wolf moved in for the kill.
Just as a shooting star streaked across the sky, a strange feeling passed through the wolf, and he halted in his hunt. It was unlike anything he’d felt before. It wasn’t hunger, but it left him feeling similarly hollow. And suddenly, the rabbit wasn’t what he needed to fill this gaping emptiness.
The rabbit, sensing the shift, darted from the bush and disappeared into the woods. The wolf was aware of the departing meal, but he let it go. There was a new scent on the wind, and it was making his mouth water.
Every instinct said that humans were dangerous. Every animal knew, built into their DNA at birth, to stay away from humans with their loud noises and bright lights.
But for some reason, this lone alpha was pushing against those instincts.
As if he were being drawn in by magic.
The rabbit was long forgotten. Now, there was only one thought pattern running through his head.
Find. Hunt. Mate.
&nb
sp; 3
Noel
By the time the wedding reception wrapped up and I was heading home, it was well into the night, though far from being dark. Much like the wedding, Main Street was dazzling in white twinkle lights. Long strands were wound around every telephone pole and streetlight, creating a vivid light show that left me shielding my eyes.
I looked back up at the night sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of another shooting star–wouldn’t hurt to have a second chance at a wish, right?–but the holiday lights were too bright, outshining even the brightest of stars.
By the time I pulled my car into my driveway, the grimace on my face was starting to ache. I was so tired of all the Fa La La, Christmas joy. Everyone around me was brimming with holiday spirit, but they also had someone to share the holidays with.
Me? I was completely and utterly alone.
Bah humbug.
When the hell did I turn into such a grinch?
I almost laughed at myself for how pathetic I was being. I had simply exhausted my supply of charitable happiness. All day, every day, I smiled and worried about everyone else’s happiness. But when would it be my turn?
I sighed a monumental groan and plodded up the cracked concrete steps. I jiggled the key in the lock and pushed into the front door with my shoulder. It swung wide with a squeak. It had always been a little sticky, but I couldn’t seem to find the time to fix it. Just like the warped parquet tiles in the entryway. And the stained threadbare carpets. Don’t even get me started on everything that was wrong in the kitchen.
Overall, I suppose you could call my house… modest. Yeah, modest was a good word for it. While it had a certain personality and quaintness, it was also on the downhill of its lifespan. But it had been my parents’ house, and I couldn’t bring myself to give it up. Besides, it was the best I could do working as a paralegal for Mr. Sharp. His business wasn’t exactly booming. I mean, in a town like Vale Valley, there weren’t a whole lot of legal disputes. Everyone was too damn happy to even think of breaking the law. He kept busy drawing up marriage certificates and changing wills to include all the new grandchildren.
I closed the door behind me with a sticky slam, and it echoed through the empty house. You wouldn’t find any garish Christmas decorations in here. I hadn’t exactly been in the Christmas spirit lately. There was no one to greet me, or ask me how my day was. No one to pull me into their arms.
Finally away from my friends’ pity-filled smiles and patronising glances, I allowed my shoulders to sag under the weight of my reality.
This is it. This is my life. Suck it up and accept it.
But I didn’t want to accept it.
Finn and Pierce would be heading on their honeymoon tomorrow morning. Well, it was really more of a family vacation, since they were taking baby Marie with them, but that almost made it even more perfect.
Finn’s sister Ella, who also happened to work as a lawyer at Mr. Sharp’s practice, invited me to join their family for Christmas dinner in a few weeks. I politely declined; I told her I didn’t want to intrude. It was a terribly nice offer, but also just plain terrible. Her grandmother bordered on being a menace. She was one of the few citizens of Vale Valley who somehow managed to find trouble, even when she was just trying to be helpful. Drunk and disorderly, assault, harassment; the charges were always dropped because she was truly just a quirky old lady.
I shuddered to think of a whole meal seated next to her at the table.
I walked down the hall, creaky floor following the whole way, and stood in the doorway to my bedroom. The bed looked cold and uninviting.
I turned back towards the kitchen, with its laminate counters and veneer cabinets, and hunted for a cup of something hot. I reheated this morning’s leftover coffee in the microwave and sat at my half-empty table-for-two, hands wrapped around the mug, dreaming of something else warm to wrap my hands around.
It didn’t take long for me to get completely disgusted with myself.
“You’re pathetic,” I muttered. “One day. You get one day to feel sorry for yourself, and then you move on.” It wasn’t the best pep talk I’d ever heard, but it would have to do.
I trudged back to the front door and put my boots and jacket back on. If I was going to allow myself only one day to wallow, then what better way to wallow in style than to head down to The Bar for a drink or two.
Or seven.
I could drive down and then take a cab home. Or, better yet, I could sleep the beer off in my car. That way I wouldn’t have to crawl between my cold sheets tonight.
As I stepped out of the house and headed back to my car, the crisp air grew brittle in my lungs. I exhaled a puff of white mist, which quickly dissipated into the falling slow.
Hmmm, maybe sleeping in my car wasn’t the best idea after all. Alcohol good, hypothermia bad.
My car was similar to my house. I described my style as “seen better days.” Lovingly nicknamed Nellybelle, I picked her up from a garage sale a few years ago. The guy was practically giving her away. She was built like a tank, essentially a heavy metal box with manual windows and doors, and it took forever for the heater to warm up in this weather. Even though only 20 minutes had passed since I got home, the engine was already cold. I turned the key, and Nellybelle grumbled her complaints.
“Come on, baby,” I told her. “Just a few blocks, you can do it.” I gave the dashboard a loving pat, and she responded by fogging up the windshield.
After waiting a few minutes, it was clear the visibility wasn’t going to get any better than this. The weather, however, was getting steadily worse. The roads are empty at this time of night anyway, I reasoned. And if I didn’t hurry, I would miss last call for drinks.
I carefully backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. I turned on the radio and was met with a Christmas song, crooning about kissing under the mistletoe. Nope. I spun the dial and landed on another holiday hit about getting warm and cozy with a sweetheart in front of the fireplace.
“Seriously?” I scoffed out loud to Nellybelle. I leaned over closer to the radio and started button mashing, trying to find anything that wasn’t lovey dovey.
No romantic music allowed on my wallow day!
I had just settled on a station playing hardcore metal music when I caught sight of movement through the corner of my eye. A gasp escaped my lips before I even knew what was happening. I instinctively slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The car skidded on the icy road and then gave a shuddering lurch and a thump.
My heart was pounding in my throat, and my stomach churned from the adrenaline. What just happened?
I turned off the radio and held my breath, listening for any clue. The engine continued its whiny rumble as if nothing had happened, and the snow made a soft swishing on the windshield, followed by the wipers. My palms were sweaty against the steering wheel. I swallowed against the lump in my throat, and with a shaking hand, opened the car door, stepping out into the street.
“Hello?” I called with a quivering voice. “Is everyone okay?”
I wasn’t sure if I felt better or worse that no one answered me. Did that mean I hadn’t hit a person? Or that they were too injured–or dead–to answer me?
I came around the front of the car where the headlights reflected off the road. When I saw the silhouette sprawled out in front of the car, the mounting panic nearly made me vomit. I dashed forward, landing hard on my knees on the pavement.
“Shit,” I moaned. It was someone’s dog. “Please don’t be dead.”
I wasn’t sure how to give CPR to a dog. How the hell did you give mouth-to-mouth? I buried my hands deep into the fur around its neck and felt a thready pulse. “Phew, not dead. That’s a good start.”
I scanned the sides of the road for its owner, but I couldn’t see much through the swirling snow. It must have gotten off its leash or jumped a fence.
I looked up at the front of my car and was shocked by the amount of damage. My car was solid, but this beast managed to cave in
the whole front grill. I scooped the dog into my arms and heaved it up off the road. “Wow, you are one big dog,” I panted as I hefted the densely muscled dog into the back seat of my car. “We’re going to get you some help, okay? Just hang on.”
I put my guilt on pause for now. I was sure I would feel it later, but priorities. First things first: get this dog to the vet.
4
Wolf
“That’s not a dog,” Wolf heard from a distance. Two men were standing above him, and the one who was talking had a note a panic in his voice. The human language was unfamiliar, but somehow the words took shape in his mind, and the slight taste of fear in the air gave Wolf’s hunting instinct a little flicker of interest.
But then the other man spoke, “I mean, I just thought he was a really big dog,” and it awoke something very different from within. A deep, burning desire and an intense protectiveness. For this man, he would be a dog. He would throw his wolf nature right out of his DNA if this was what the man wanted.
Wolf’s muscles twitched as he attempted to move, but no one noticed his movements, and his body stayed prone on the cool, hard surface.
“I’m going to have to call animal control,” the first nasally voice said. “I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it until they get here. What if it wakes up?” There was some clattering. “I guess I could just sedate it…”
