Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Author's Note
The Alpha’s Wish
By Claire Cullen
Copyright © 2016 by Claire Cullen
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
It should have been a glorious evening; food, mulled wine, talking, and laughter. The warmth of the room contrasted the snow-covered ground outside. Matthew sat at his father’s right hand; pride of place. That had never happened before; the honor always went to his older Alpha brothers. This evening was all his. It should have been amazing, his proudest moment, a sign he was finally growing up and taking his place in the family.
But it was all wrong.
Bear Lake’s Alpha sat directly opposite Matt. In the three months since his father had announced it was time to find Matthew a mate, the Omega had been living in anticipation of this evening. He’d dreamt of this moment for years, since he’d been told he was an Omega and what that meant.
His grandmother had told him all the stories, over and over; about true mates, bonds, and children. He’d clung to those stories when things were hard; when his siblings teased and bullied him, when he was hidden away during Pack gatherings, when his father ignored him in favor of his brothers and when his mother’s attention drifted to her younger daughters. He could bear the loneliness because he knew his destiny. He’d have a true bond, stronger than any other. The wait would be worth it.
Then he met his destined mate. And his dreams shattered.
His intended Alpha was older than Matt had expected and already mated. His mate, an auburn-haired woman, sat by his side. The Alpha’s cold eyes glossed over him, but her gaze returned to him many times over the evening, her eyes burning with a fierce hatred.
As the evening progressed, he learned their story in dribs and drabs as rumors passed in whispers to him whenever he left the table. She was human born, infected as a teenager by a rogue and later taken in by Bear Lake. She’d caught the eye of the Alpha successor but his father, the Pack’s Alpha, had forbidden their mating. When he died, nothing stood between them, and they’d bonded. But three years passed and there’d been no child. Even if there had been, their chances of conceiving an Alpha were slim.
She didn’t seem to care about the lack of babies but for an Alpha to be without heirs wasn’t acceptable to any Pack. Rumor had it the Pack was pressuring him to break their bond and find a new mate. Around the same time, Matthew’s father had quietly announced that Briar Wood had an Omega come of age and began making overtures to other Packs. Matthew was the obvious solution to Bear Lake’s problem. Not only would he elevate their Pack’s standing but he’d produce heirs, Alpha heirs, and, if they were lucky, an Omega or two.
The reality was nothing like the stories his grandmother had told him. Nothing like what he’d imagined and dreamed off all these years. He didn’t feel anything for his intended Alpha and the man clearly felt nothing for him. He was a means to an end.
A vision of his future came to him, stark and bleak. A mating of convenience, living in an Alpha house where the hierarchy was clear; the Alpha, his female mate, and somewhere down the bottom of the pile, him. His babies wouldn’t be his to raise, they’d be hers. There’d be no love there, no passion, their matings pure formality fuelled by hormones. Worse still, the Alpha might resent the need for an Omega. If he wasn’t indifferent, he’d be cruel. Matt would live his life at the mercy of the Alpha’s true mate, his body tied down to pregnancy after pregnancy. And, once he’d outlived his usefulness, once the Alpha’s family was complete, what then?
At best, he’d be left to languish in the Alpha’s house, watching their children grow. Maybe they’d kick him out to live somewhere in the Pack’s territory, alone? Or, and just the thought of this had him swallowing a lump of fear, they’d find another way for him to be useful. He’d heard of brothels where female wolves were passed around for money. How much would an Omega fetch?
When the evening finally drew to a close, his father took Bear Lake’s Alpha aside. They spoke in quiet undertones, too soft for Matthew to hear, though his ears strained to their limit. Then the two shook hands firmly and the Alpha departed, his wife on his arm. He didn’t look back but she did, shooting one last poisonous glare his way. He shuddered against such unadulterated hatred.
Spending some time helping clear the table also helped clear his mind. He couldn’t go through with this. It wasn’t right. He’d just have to tell his father that. He would understand, wouldn’t he? It wasn’t meant to be.
His father stood by the fireplace, a tumbler of amber liquid in his hand.
“Father?”
“They’re a strong pack, with a strong Alpha. Worthy of an alliance with us.”
“Father…” It was hard to get the words out. He’d never defied his father before but he couldn’t go through this. “…I can’t mate with him. I don’t feel any connection… it’s not there.”
A silence fell over the room as his father set down his glass on the mantelpiece. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. Dangerous.
“You are my son. I chose your future mate carefully, for the good of our Pack. Anders is a worthy Alpha.”
“But he already has a mate. I don’t want to be second to her, just there to give them children. I want a true mating, a true bond, like Nana talked about…”
“I should have stopped your grandmother from filling your head with those nonsense stories. That’s all they are, fantasies.” His father turned to glare at Matthew’s mother who stood silently by the table.
Matt tried to speak again, but his father held up a hand, silencing him.
“Be quiet. I have never been more disappointed in you than I am in this moment. You’re an Omega. You’re no different to your sisters. You’ll mate who I tell you to mate.”
“Father, please. I can’t mate with him.” He hated how feeble his voice sounded and knew his father would too. The Alpha despised any sign of weakness.
A hand clamped around his upper arm, and his father shook him, hard.
“You’ll do what you’re told.”
“No, please. Look again. Find another. Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Matthew, that’s enough,” his mother said, stepping forward. “Patrick, it’s been a long evening, let him go to bed. I’m sure he’ll see differently in the morning.”
“I won’t. I’m not mating with him. He’s not my Alpha.”
His own voice surprised him, strong and angry. But he knew he’d gone too far, said too much. His father lashed out, the blow catching him across the face and sending him stumbling against the fireplace.
“Enough,” his father barked, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the
stairs and upwards. When they reached the landing, his father kept moving, pulling Matthew along with him. The Omega’s slight frame was no match for his father’s broad stature. Footsteps followed them up the stairs.
“Downstairs, all of you. I’ll deal with this,” his father said, opening the door to Matthew’s bedroom and shoving him inside.
“Patrick, please. He didn’t mean it, he’s overwhelmed. Let him think over things and talk to us again in the morning.”
His father turned to his mother, unbuckling his belt and pulling it free from the belt loops.
“No son of mine defies me without consequence. I know what’s best for him. I’ll see that he learns that, tonight.”
“He’s not the fastest healer, Patrick. Bear Lake might not be pleased if he arrives there marked.”
Matthew felt like he was ten again, watching his mother’s worried face while his father, belt in hand, stood at his bedroom door.
“Fine.” He turned back to Matthew. “You. Bed. I don’t want to hear another word from your lips that isn’t ‘yes, father’. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, father,” Matthew replied, ducking his head to avoid his mother’s anxious gaze. She must have known what his future held, what his father's plans were. He had long doubted that she loved him but he'd never felt it more keenly than in that moment. When she looked at him, she seemed only to see fault. Yet he couldn't escape the guilt he felt at being the cause of her worry yet again.
His bedroom door shut firmly, leaving him standing in darkness. He could feel a trickle of blood on his chin. Moving slowly, he felt along the wall for the light switch, flicking it on. The voices on the landing moved downstairs.
Stepping to the mirror that hung on his wall, he surveyed the damage. He was almost as familiar with his father’s belt as his brothers were but his father’s fist had met his face only a handful of times previously. It was bad this time; his father hadn’t held back. His lip had been split, blood seeping sluggishly from the wound. His chin and jaw were beginning to swell, the skin red and puffy.
He didn’t dare leave his room to get ice for the swelling, contenting himself with stemming the bleeding with some tissue. It would hurt more come morning. Laying down on his bed, he didn’t bother undressing. What was the point? He wouldn’t get much sleep, not now.
Chapter Two
Much later, after everyone else had gone to bed, the door to his room inched open. His younger sister, Cara, tiptoed in, a small, towel-wrapped bundle carried in her hands. She was always the one to check on him after a visit from his father.
“Oh, Mattie. Your poor face,” she whispered. “Here, I brought some ice.”
She laid the towel gently against his chin. The chill settled in slowly, taking the sting from his wound. They sat in silence until he couldn't bear it any longer.
“I can’t do it, Cara, I can’t,” he whispered, pulling away to muffle his sob against the pillow. She lay a warm hand on his shoulder.
“I saw how he looked at me. I’m a means to an end, to give them babies,” he bit out.
Cara’s voice was soft as she spoke, stroking her hand across his back.
“Father isn’t going to change his mind. I heard him talking to Mother. They want to hurry things up because you’re being so difficult. They’re going to have the ceremony Christmas Eve instead of New Year.”
That was two days away.
“So soon?” he whispered, his tears drying up as he sat again.
“The sooner the better, father said.”
“What am I going to do, Cara? He’s not my Alpha mate. I know he’s not.”
There was silence between them, both aware there was only one option open to him. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant.
“If you’re going to run, it’ll have to be now, tonight. Once they’ve told you they’re moving the ceremony forward, you’ll be watched like a hawk until you’re in Bear Lake.”
She stood, reaching under his bed for a bag, and began to pack things into it. Clothes. His penknife. The small amount of money he had hidden in his sock drawer. He hadn’t even known she knew about that.
“It won’t be easy but I don’t see another way. Wait here,” she said and slipped from the room.
He put down the towel and finished packing the clothes Cara had pulled out, ignoring the persistent throbbing in his face.
A creak of the door signaled her return. She set his boots and outer clothing on the bed then slipped a wrapped bundle into his bag. The smell of meat and bread woke his stomach. Food for the journey. He’d have to make it last.
Cara zipped the bag closed while he put on his boots before slipping on his coat, hat, and gloves.
“If Father finds out you helped me…”
“I’ll try and be the one to discover you’re gone tomorrow morning but if not, well,” she shrugged. “Father will be angry, of course. But you know he doesn’t punish us girls the way he does you boys.”
“This time might be different.”
“Mother won’t let him. I’ll say it was his harsh reaction that caused you to run.”
She reached over, turning up the collar of his coat.
“Go east. There’s a bus on the main road heading out of town that passes just after five am. It’ll get you out of our territory and they won’t be able to track you so easily from there.”
“How do you know that?” Father didn’t allow him or his sisters to travel outside of their home.
“You’re not the only one who might be sold into mating for the good of the Pack. I’m almost nineteen, Mattie.” Little more than a year younger than him. And, like him, she could have her first heat any time after she turned twenty.
Her lower lip trembled as she looked at him. “I’m going to miss you.”
He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.
“Thank you, not just for this, for everything. I won’t forget. Whatever happens. And if I can get you out, when the time comes…” he left the rest unsaid.
They broke apart and, eschewing the door, he moved to the window. It made barely a sound when he opened it. The snow, piled high on the ground below, would silence his landing.
“Good luck.” He heard Cara whisper and, a moment later, he jumped.
The cold numbed the pain from his lip and jaw as he trekked through the woods. He reached the bus stop just before five am, standing in the shadows, out of the beam of the streetlight. It was an intercity bus that left from somewhere south at midnight and traveled northward, passing through town after town.
He heard the bus long before he saw it and moved to stand at the stop, visible beneath the glowing orange light. There was a moment of confusion where he tried to work out how to make the bus stop but then he recalled how people did that in movies. Sticking out his hand, he flagged down the bus, relieved when it slowed to a halt and the door opened. Bidding a last farewell to his childhood home, he boarded. This wasn’t how he thought he’d enter adulthood.
The driver stared pointedly at his face but lost interest once Matt produced the money for his fare. The bus was sparsely populated and he got a seat by himself near the back. For the first while, he kept his head down, now wanting anyone to catch sight of him while they were still in Pack territory.
Soon they were on the open road, his home falling further and further behind them. The sun rose above the horizon and Matt passed the time watching the view from the window, sun highlighting the many snow-covered fields in the distance.
He tried to plan his next move. What he needed was to get far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to track him but without winding up in the middle of another Pack’s territory. A new wolf wouldn’t go unnoticed and it wouldn’t take them long to work out who and what he was. Without a Pack behind him, he’d have no protection. Better instead for him to hide on the outskirts of a territory or in one of the empty zones between two. There’d still be risk there, from rogue wolves, but being sparsely populated, he had a better chance of living undistu
rbed.
The bus’ destinations flashed up on a screen near the front. He ran them through his mind, trying to overlay them on a mental map of Pack territories and bemoaning his sparse geography. They were in Knoll Grange territory now. By lunchtime, they’d have passed through and into Yellow Rock. By late afternoon, they’d be on the outskirts between Yellow Rock and Bear Lake. Bear Lake was the last place he wanted to be and that was close to the bus’ final destination. It made his choice clear. He’d have to get off in Yellow Rock and head east, away from Bear Lake. If he remembered his Pack geography correctly, there was a large area of land there that was popular with rogues in the summertime but less so in winter due to the scarcity of prey for hunting.
The bus stopped for a rest break and he risked climbing out to stretch his legs before eating some of the food Cara had packed for him.
It was growing dark again by the time the bus reached the outskirts of Yellow Rock territory. Stepping out into the cold, Matt watched it pull off and pretended to follow the road along until it disappeared around a corner. Then, he turned and made a beeline for the woods.
He regretted his choice hours later as his exhausted body trekked through the snow surrounded by dark trees. The cold had seeped through every inch of his skin. Shifters were strong, they could weather a lot more than a human, but they weren’t invincible. And he certainly wasn’t, being an Omega meant he was physically inferior, a point his brothers were always quick to take advantage of.
He’d need shelter for the night, somewhere to get out of the cold, but though he looked there was nothing, no cabins, no houses. Another few hours and he was growing sleepy. His pace had slowed until he was barely moving. Though he knew sleeping was the worst thing he could do, his body wouldn’t cooperate with his attempts to stay awake and moving. His relief at no longer feeling the pain from his face and joints was tempered by the realization that that wasn’t a good sign.
The fir trees surrounding him were covered with warm coats of snow. He felt envious of their imperviousness to the cold.
The Alpha's Wish: Lost Omegas Book Three: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 1
