He looked over at Matt, seeming amused to see his blanket-clad form.
“Hold on, I’ll get you some clothes. Watch the soup, don’t let it burn.”
He left and Matt took hold of the spoon, swirling the soup slowly.
Zack returned, handing a bundle of clothes to Matt.
“They’ll swamp you, but it’s the best I can do. You lost yours out in the snow.”
Matthew looked from the clothes to the Alpha and back.
“We mated,” he blurted out.
“Yeah, we did. You were really into it. I’ve heard of shifters being euphoric after a healing sleep, but that was something else.”
“I was in heat,” Matt muttered, but now he was less than certain. He had been in heat, hadn’t he? His body had been achingly warm and aroused, wet and ready for sex. That was only supposed to happen if he was in heat. But it shouldn’t have ended so quickly. Heats, the ones he’d read about in the old Pack records, had lasted days, not hours. Though- and he struggled to recall the details- there had been a few mentions of triggered heats. From things like proximity to their Alpha after a long separation or after healing a major injury. Triggered heats were short-lived, a burst of bonding hormones that petered out quickly.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize his words had silenced the Alpha until he looked up again. Zack was staring at him, a frown on his face.
“In heat?” he asked. “Funny, you don’t look female.”
The words sent Matthew’s heart sinking further towards his feet. No bond bite and his mate didn’t even know the truth of what he was.
“I’m Omega.”
His voice was small, weak.
The Alpha laughed, further compounding Matt’s growing humiliation. Years of dreaming of his bond, his perfect mating, and instead he'd had a one-night stand with a stranger who had no idea what he was.
“Sure you are, wandering the woods in search of your destined mate.”
He looked up, meeting the Alpha’s gaze steadily. “You should be able to tell from my scent.”
An Omega’s scent wasn’t obvious before their first heat, but after that, it changed irrevocably, a signal to other wolves that he was Omega and he was taken.
His words wiped the smirk off Zack’s face, the first hint of doubt creeping into the Alpha’s cocky confidence. Zack stepped closer, nostrils flaring as he scented deeply.
“I don’t smell anything but se-” He paused, eyes widening, and took a step back. “Damn.”
He turned back to the stove, taking the soup off the heat.
“I’d heard rumors and stories about Omegas. Recent ones. Glenoak’s Alpha mated with one. That dispute Gray Valley had with their Enforcer was over an Omega too. Hell,” he put his head in his hands, “at least that explains last night. It was pretty mind-blowing.”
He turned back to Matthew.
“Does this mean… are we bonded? I mean, we mated, right? And you were in heat.”
“We mated but there was no bond bite,” Matthew admitted in a whisper, one hand reaching reflexively for the back of his neck.
“Good.” The Alpha let out his breath in a long whoosh, body sagging in relief. “That would have been quite the complication. Come on, let’s eat. You must be starving.”
Matthew let the blanket fall and put on the clothes Zack had given him. As he dressed, Zack ladled the soup into bowls and cut some chunky slices of bread. He gestured to Matt to take a seat at the small kitchen table then set the table with spoons, glasses, a jug of water and carton of juice.
“Dig in,” the Alpha said, sitting across from him.
Matthew’s stomach was twisted in a tight knot. Still, he followed the Alpha’s lead, spooning the hot soup into his mouth.
Chapter Six
“So, your name is Matthew?”
The younger wolf nodded slowly at Zack’s question.
“You have a last name?”
Matthew nodded again but didn't speak, ignoring Zack's raised eyebrow.
“How’d you wind up out in the woods? You were more dead than alive when I found you.”
The Omega, if that’s what he really was, shrugged but remained silent.
“Okay. So, you don’t want to tell me your full name or how you came to be here.”
Matthew bit off a piece of bread, chewed and swallowed. His words, when they came, were a surprise.
“I escaped an arranged mating. I didn’t want to go through with it.”
“Instead you run out into the middle of nowhere and jump into bed with the first wolf you meet?”
“Do you normally sleep with shifters you find half dead in the forest?” Matthew shot back, with more heat than Zack had expected.
“Okay, point taken. Sorry.” Zack drank some water, trying to think his way through the situation. He’d messed up. He should have realized the other man wasn’t one hundred percent in control when he’d come on to him so strongly the previous night. It wasn’t Zack’s way to sleep around like that.
“You were responding to the pheromones from my heat,” Matthew said, as if reading his mind. “It makes it harder to control your own actions. And it’s not like I wasn’t willing. I was looking for my Alpha, I woke up, and there you were. My body was in heat and ready to bond. It seemed like fate.”
There was a wistful tone to Matthew’s voice and his eyes held a far-away look.
“Like destined mates and all that crap?” Zack knew that stuff was more fairytale than reality.
“It’s what all the stories say, about Omegas. They have a destined mate, one wolf in the entire world who they’re fated to form a true bond with.”
Matthew sounded young and lost, but Zack wasn’t there to babysit him and his fairy stories.
“Well, I’m not your destined mate. It was one night; one stupid, hormone-fuelled mistake. That’s all. If you’re looking for a lifelong bond, you’ll need to look elsewhere.”
The other wolf ducked his head, body stiffening at Zack’s sharp words.
“But it was nice, wasn’t it? It was… good?”
Zack winced at the Omega’s tone. Like a kicked puppy.
“Yeah, like I said, it was mind-blowing sex. It’s just… I’m not looking for long-term.”
Matthew glanced up at him, eyes calculating. “What about short-term?” Before Zack could respond, he added, “I need to lay low for a while, just until the arranged mating stuff dies down and my Pack aren’t looking so hard for me.”
It was on the tip of Zack’s tongue to say no, insist the wolf had to go. But he recalled those few moments in the snow when he’d pulled the cold, unresponsive body towards him. Throwing him out now was unlikely to lead to a better outcome. And if he was Pack-born all his life and raised as an Omega, he’d have been sheltered. The world outside of the Packs was dangerous and risky. He wouldn't have the knowledge or experience to navigate it successfully. The next person he met out here mightn’t be as nice as Zack, not that this whole situation cast him in a good light.
“Fine. You can stay until the New Year. But what happened between us last night, that doesn’t happen again. I’m not looking for a relationship right now, casual or otherwise.”
The Omega played with his spoon, swirling patterns in the last few drops of soup. “Thanks, Zack.”
“You want some more?” Zack asked, gesturing to his empty bowl. Matthew nodded eagerly. Zack ladled another portion for the Omega and another for himself and sat back down.
“Why’d you run from your mating?”
Matthew paused as if considering what answer to give. As he spoke, he looked up, clear green eyes meeting Zack’s. “He was older. And he already had a mate, a woman. They only wanted me because they couldn’t have kids of their own.”
Tears began to gather in the Omega’s eyes and Zack had to look away.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like that. It was supposed to be a true bond, like the Omegas of old had. Otherwise, what was the point of it all? All the bullying from my brothers,
the teasing from my sisters, my parents-” he stopped abruptly and Zack turned back to see him scrubbing his fists roughly across his face. “Father said it was for the good of the Pack, but I couldn’t go through with it.”
“And your lip, how’d that happen?” It was almost healed now, only the slightest red mark left.
“Father doesn’t tolerate disobedience.”
“He hit you often?”
Matthew shook his head. “Belt usually, but not nearly as often as my brothers. Just another way I was different.”
Zack thought of his own father, always calm, even-handed and patient. When he’d heard the truth about Zack’s relationship with Derek, he’d listened in silence then stood and reached for him, laying a heavy hand on Zack’s shoulder. Though he hadn’t said the words, Zack had recalled them from their many talks as he grew up. ‘You don’t choose to be born the way you are, none of us do. You just make the best of it that you can.’ He’d always assumed his father had been talking about them being lycanthropes. It was only now he wondered if his father had known Zack was different in other ways.
“Yeah, it’s not easy being the odd one out,” he said.
The younger wolf yawned, rolling his shoulders as his eyes closed.
“It wasn’t so bad when I thought I was special. Now I’m just something for my Pack to trade. Like a plot of fertile land.”
Despite his age, Matthew had quite a way with words.
“Come on, you must be beat after the past few days. You can have my bed, I have some work to do.”
He cleared the bowls from the table, then waited as patiently as he could for the Omega to get to his feet. His energy had ebbed quickly and Zack had to catch his elbow and guide him towards the bedroom.
“You could join me,” Matthew said, as Zack helped him into bed.
“Like I said, Matthew, you’re not what I’m looking for.”
He closed the curtains, throwing the room into darkness. As he left, soft words followed him out the door.
“But you’re everything I dreamed of.”
Matthew's existence had narrowed to a series of awakenings and each time he opened his eyes his life looked a little worse. He felt so conflicted. The night he’d spent with Zack had been amazing, everything he’d wanted, and it had been good for Zack too. But it had meant so little to the Alpha. Whereas Matt had thought it was the start of his new life.
The New Year was a week away. It gave him time to plan. Or, he mused, to change the Alpha’s mind. His grandmother had told him that Alphas didn’t always know what they wanted. Some of them needed a strong woman or Omega to guide them.
If he could just go into heat again, it would be so simple. Zack had had a hard time resisting him the first time, why would the second be any better? The chances of a second heat in the space of a week were small. Minute. Minuscule. But, maybe, their proximity would be enough. Having an Omega you’d already mated with hanging around, day after day, would any red-blooded Alpha really be able to resist?
He heard footsteps trekking through the snow and a minute later the front door opened. The Alpha was back. Soon to be his Alpha. At least, he hoped so.
Chapter Seven
Matthew wandered out to find Zack in the kitchen, raiding the cupboards.
“Just back for some lunch. You want something?”
Matt shook his head, watching as Zack fixed himself a sandwich.
“You’re going out again?”
“Yeah, with the heavy snowfall, there’s been reports of felled trees near access roads and power lines. I have to go check them out, decide if they’re a problem and how quickly we need to work on it.”
“But it’s Christmas.”
“And I volunteered to work it. Does it seem like I’ve got the holiday cheer going?” Zack gestured around the room.
Matthew took in the sparse cabin, not a tree or decoration in sight.
“I guess not.” He chewed on his lip. If Zack was going to spend most of his time out of doors, then Matt needed to too.
“Maybe I could come with you?”
Zack gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Matt was doing.
“I… I’m not used to being by myself.” Though he’d had a lonely childhood, he was rarely alone, constantly surrounded by his family.
The Alpha’s skepticism faltered at Matt’s frank admission.
“Fine, if you want to tag along, you can. But you need to keep up, there’s a lot of ground to cover.”
They left a few minutes later, once Zack had found Matt some boots and a coat to wear. They were big on him but would do for now.
As they trekked through the soft snow, Zack started up a conversation.
“So, Matthew, what Pack are you from?”
And that wasn’t a question Matt wanted to answer. Why make it easier for him to be returned?
“It’s going to be a long week, Matthew, if you’re going to be giving me the silent treatment.”
“I prefer Matt,” the Omega offered, picking up the pace to keep up with Zack’s long strides.
“I don’t blame you. Zachariah doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either.” The Alpha grinned at him. “And you have brothers and sisters?”
Matt nodded. This felt like safer territory. Pack families were generally big.
“Older brothers. Alphas. Younger sisters.”
“And you stuck in the middle, huh? I can’t say I know much about what that’s like, I’m an only child.”
“But you’re from a Pack?” There was something about Zack that didn’t match up with what Matt imagined a rogue wolf would be like.
“I was. Now I’m not.” The Alpha’s tone made it clear that this was off-limits.
“Who do you work for?” Matt neatly turned the topic of conversation away, happy to see the tension in Zack’s shoulders ease.
“The Forestry Service and the auxiliary Fire and Rescue service. I’m a trained paramedic. This area is sparsely populated by humans, especially in the winter. Things pick up in the Summer but then, so do fires, and people getting lost or injured while camping or hiking.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes.
“How long have you known you were an Omega?”
Matt shrugged. “My parents told me when I was eight. My grandmother had recognized my Omega mark when I was a baby so they’d known since then. They didn’t want to tell me until I was old enough to keep quiet about it.”
“Why would they want that? Omegas are prized, every Pack would kill to have one.”
“That was before, when Omega were expected in a Pack. There hadn’t been any in half a century. My parents were worried it would make me a target. They thought it was safer to keep it within the family until I was old enough to be mated.”
“What was that like, hiding who you are?” There was something in Zack’s tone of voice. He thought about Zack’s words as he woke, the name he’d spoken. The more traditional Packs weren’t always the most accepting of same-sex relationships, Omega matings excepted.
“It was easy when we were young. As I got older, it got harder, all the boys talking about fooling around with girls, mating when they got too old for that. The girls waiting for their heats, deciding whether they wanted a permanent mating or not. And then there was me.”
Zack had slowed to walk beside him, listening intently to his words.
“Expected to be like all the boys but knowing you were destined for a different life?”
“You know an Omega’s bond can’t be broken, right? Not like a male and female shifter bond can be. Once you complete a bond, that’s it, for life, unless your Alpha dies. As an Omega, you might survive a heat or two apart, but then you die. The Alpha, they might feel it, but it’s not fatal to them.”
“So, for you, an unhappy bond is an unhappy life.” Zack’s hand squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t blame you for running from your intended mate. A mating of convenience usually doesn’t lead to happy partners, especially when there’s a third pe
rson involved.”
“There’s true love between them, I could see it. Even an Omega in heat can’t compete with that. What about you?”
Matt hadn’t meant to be so open, but he needed to talk and Zack seemed happy to listen and not just to censure or correct him like his parents usually did.
“What about me?” the Alpha threw back, surveying the woods surrounding them.
“You had someone, right? Derek?”
The Alpha’s head whipped around, eyes narrowing.
“How do you know that name?”
“You said it in your sleep after we…”
That didn’t seem to appease Zack, his eyes flashing with anger. He took a step forward, into Matt’s space, his hand fisted in the collar of Matt’s coat, tugging upwards so the Omega was forced to his tiptoes.
“That is none of your business. Look, you’re a stranger who just wandered into my life. You don’t know me. We’re not friends. You’re lucky I don’t toss you out on your ear.”
He let go abruptly, shoving Matthew backward.
“Go back to the cabin. I don’t want your company.”
He stalked away, leaving Matthew standing in the snow, staring after him. Once Zack had disappeared from view, he turned slowly and began to follow their tracks back the way they’d come.
It was hard to understand Zack’s reaction. Clearly, it was a touchy subject. But why?
Chapter Eight
It was dark by the time Zack arrived back at the cabin. He half-hoped that Matt would be gone and no longer his problem. The other half of him regretted being so hard on the other wolf.
He heard Matt’s heartbeat long before he opened the door. The Omega was sitting in the dark in Zack’s living room. Zack switched the light on, taking the time to rid himself of his hat, gloves, and boots.
Matt didn’t speak or move.
“Look, I’m sorry for going off on you like that.” He got it out in the open, not being afraid to admit his failings.
“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried. My father always says I’m too curious for my own good. I ask too many questions and I’m not respectful enough.”
The Alpha's Wish: Lost Omegas Book Three: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 3
