by Susi Hawke
Stolen Omega
Book One of the Northern Lodge Pack Series
An M/PREG Paranormal Romance
Susi Hawke
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Copyright © 2017 by Susi Hawke
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Any characters, locations, events or businesses are totally parts of the authors imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Prologue
Kai
Scurrying along the alley that ran behind our apartment complex, I juggled the heavy grocery bags and tried not to drop them in my haste to get home. I had just enough time to get home and get dinner started before it was time for my father to get there.
It was just the two of us, it had been that way since my mother died when I was too young to remember. I can't miss someone I never knew, you would think, but that isn't true. I think about her, all the time. I miss not having her in my life. I also wonder how different my life may have been if she had survived, and what kind of person my father was like before losing his mate.
I struggle up the stairs to our second floor apartment, just barely making it to the top before the handle rips on one of the plastic bags and everything in it goes flying. Stepping carefully over a can of peaches, I maneuvered my way through the minefield of spilled groceries. I was halfway through the mess, when the door to our place opened and my dad's irritated face poked around the door to see what's going on.
I panicked when I saw him there, and promptly tripped right down, landing with a splat as my face split open a loose banana that had almost broken my fall. Everything I was still holding went flying and all the air got pushed out of me out of my lungs in a whoosh. I tried to ignore the smells wafting up from the nasty, tobacco brown carpet that lined the hallway where I had fallen. I could smell years worth of filth just emanating from within its fibers. Yuck.
“What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” My father glared down at me with glazed, rheumy eyes. He already smelled like he had been rolling on a brewery floor, so obviously, tonight's revelry had started early.
Stunned, I stared up at him in frozen silence, unsure what to say that won't get me the belt. He hadn't even bothered to shave today, I notice as I take in the thick, salt and pepper stubble that covered the florid skin on his puffy face.
“Get your mangy ass up off that floor and clean up this mess! I don't work my ass off to put food on the table for you be careless with it. You hear me, you worthless scrap of feces? I SAID MOVE!”
He roared that last part at me, and stepped out into the hall to watch me work, after first giving me a swift, hard kick to the ribs. I noticed a flash of gold as it passed across his eyes, from where his wolf raged just under the surface. Pushing myself up quickly, I ignored the pain and just started stuffing groceries into bags while he stood there staring at me hatefully.
I willed myself not to shift, fighting my own protective wolf back as I worked. If my wolf made an appearance, it would only escalate the situation. My dad might be a drunken shell of an alpha, but he is still an alpha. It pays to remember that, especially at times like these.
Stupid, stupid. If only I'd been faster, maybe I could have beaten him home. Or, maybe if I was less clumsy, these things wouldn't happen in the first place. Mind racing, I tried to push these thoughts aside as I carried the full arm load of groceries to the door. My dad stepped aside, just enough for me to get past him, slamming the door and flipping the bolt behind me after I entered.
I headed straight for the kitchen, setting the bags down on the worn and cracked formica counter. I started the heat under my mom's cast iron frying pan, letting it heat up while I quickly put the groceries away. I didn't slow down or breathe smoothly until I had two perfectly seasoned steaks prepared, charred just the way my dad preferred.
I rounded out the meal with store-bought potato salad, and some baked beans from a can. Feeding somebody ready made food chafed at my omega nature, but I don't bother putting in effort here anymore. If I ever have a mate, I will joyfully cook for him.
But for my dad? Canned goods and ready-to-eat deli items are good enough. Half the time, his meals ended up either getting thrown at me or on the floor anyway, if he is upset or provoked during a meal. Why would I waste any decent food on that? Still, I can't help but feel slightly guilty as I place the plates of cheap food down onto the scarred, wooden surface of our kitchen table.
“Um, dad?” I called out nervously, wringing my hands as I walked into the living room area where he sat reclined on the couch, watching a ballgame. “I have dinner on the table. Shall I get you a drink?”
“What do you think, dumb-ass?” He snarled at me as he got up to come join me in the kitchen. “Am I supposed to eat your lousy food with a dry throat? Think before you speak, Kai.”
I turned and rushed to get him a cold beer from the fridge, and a bottle of water for myself. I put our drinks down and took my seat at the back of the table. I tucked into my food, eager to get the meal over with so that I could get the kitchen cleaned up again and escape back to the calm oasis of my bedroom.
Dad sat down and cracked his beer, taking a long drink before he set it aside to inspect his dinner. He ate a few bites without comment, as I silently took a breath of relief that tonight's meal is apparently acceptable. The last time he hadn't liked dinner, he had thrown his plate.
It had slid down the wall face first, right over my shoulder where it had landed, creating a huge mess that had taken an hour for me to clean. The longer I'm out here cleaning, the more of a target I make. It's best to just get my chores done, keep my head down, and then hide in my room until he leaves for work the next day.
“So, Kai. After you get done with your chores tonight, I want you to pack your suitcase with anything you will need to take with you tomorrow.”
I looked over at him quizzically. Clearing my throat, I hesitantly asked: “Tomorrow? What is happening tomorrow, sir?”
His head snapped up and he looked back at me with a malicious smile. “Oh, did I not tell you? I've found you a mate.”
“A m-m-mate?” I stuttered out in shock. “B-b-but I haven't even...”
He interrupts me a snarl: “I am aware that you haven't had your first heat yet, boy. Shut up and quit trying to think, that's my job. Omega's aren't meant to think. Omega's exist to cook, clean, and breed. Alpha Fremont from over at the Woodland Pack wants an omega, and he is willing to pay up handsomely for an untouched one that hasn't had his first heat yet. Even a late starter like you.”
“But, I don't understand.” I gulped down another drink of water and tried to gather my thoughts. “You are selling me to him? An alpha I don't even know? But, dad, I don't get it, he's got to be about your age, sir. That's just...well, I mean, umm, isn't that too old for me?”
“I don't care how old he is, I only care that his gold is solid. What he does with you is his business once I get paid. I raised you, and now it's time for you to be someone else's problem. Just be glad I was able to find an Alpha to pay up for your mangy ass, or I would've had to throw your ass out on the street.”
>
I looked down at my plate, unwilling to let him see the tears gathering in my eyes at his words. I knew my dad had always blamed me for my mom's death, but I didn't realize until this moment that he actually hated me. I have no actual idea how to process this, but it does explain why he's always treated me the way he does, I guess.
I kept my head down, and shoveled food into my mouth, hoping that the conversation was over. My mind raced as I though about what I wanted to take with me, since I realized now that I will never have to ever see this godforsaken apartment again. I guess that's a small blessing anyway.
Dad finished his food, and stood up as he swigged down the last drink of his beer. He crushed his can and threw it at my head, where it bounced off me and hit the floor at my feet.
Before he left the room, he turned back and said with a low growl: “I mean it, Kai. Get this shit cleaned up, and get your bag packed. You better be ready at sunrise, so that I can take you to meet your new Alpha. You better not try to pull any shit, either. If you're not ready, I'll drag your ass to the car whether you have your stuff or not. It's up to you if anything goes with you, or not. But either way, you'll be out of my house come sunrise.”
I shivered as I nodded at him with my head down, unwilling to make eye contact with a man who would willingly sell his own child. Not to mention the fact that he's selling me to some old man that he doesn't even know. I don't know if the new Alpha will be as cruel or violent as my father is, but with my luck, he could even be worse.
I could try and sneak off tonight while he's asleep, but what would be the point? I have no place to go, and omega's like me don't have any legal rights. We belong to our alpha's, that's just the way it is. Even beta wolves have rights, it's the so-called weak omega's that don't have a right to decide for themselves. Even if I did just leave, and tried to live in the woods or on the streets, he or some other alpha would find me eventually. They always do.
Shaking off my worries, I cleaned up the kitchen and looked around to see if there was anything that I wanted to take with me. I grabbed the frying pan, because it's my favorite and it's a personal link to my mom. Everything else can stay, I don't care about it.
I heard my dad snoring from where he was already passed out on the couch as I sidled past and slipped down the hall to my room. I got my suitcase out from under the bed, then opened it and laid it on my bed to pack. There isn't much I want or even need to take.
With my dad, I've never been to hold onto anything much that I care about anyway. I put my mom's pan in the suitcase first, taking care to bury it on the bottom in case my dad sees it and tries to keep it, just to be hateful. I covered it with my meager wardrobe of threadbare jeans, sweats, and t-shirts. Aside from a small photo of my mother, and another of the three of us when I was a pup, I don't take any other personal items except for a notebook and pen.
I looked around my empty room, realizing for the first time just how much it lacked of anything signifying that I even lived here, except for my scent that permeates the air. I don't own any books or old toys, those things have long ago been taken or destroyed by my father in various fits of rage over the years.
There's just a single twin size bed covered with a thin blanket that was older than I am, and the basic dresser across from it that had held my clothes. There's not so much as a cheerful rug or lamp to decorate the space. The only light source is a bare bulb with a chain dangling from it, that hung right above my bed. The dull, white paint is cracked and peeling in places, revealing the aged drywall underneath.
I left the suitcase lying open while I dashed across the hall to pee and brush my teeth. When I returned to my room, I brought my toothbrush and razor with me, adding them into the suitcase with my other belongings. As an omega, I don't grow enough facial hair to worry about, but even I have to shave away the stray stubble once a week at least.
Once I was sure that I'd truly packed everything that I wanted to take with me, I took off my clothes and rolled them into a tight ball to wash later, shoving them down into the side of the suitcase. I took a clean pair of jeans and a fresh shirt back out of the bag, and left them on the floor with my shoes where I could access them quickly when I wake up tomorrow.
Finally ready, I zipped the suitcase shut and then got into bed with just my socks and boxers on. I stretched out on the lumpy mattress, and tried to rest. As I lay there, I found myself wondering if I would miss this place in a month, or for that matter, even a week from now.
My home isn't much, but it's all I've ever known. I'm a little sad to think I'll never see this old place again, but my father had made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me after he gets paid tomorrow. Oh, well. Who knows? Maybe this will work out for the better. Maybe I can actually be happy once I get away from my dad. It could happen. Not likely, but it could happen.
Chapter 1
Jake
“Jake, get up. We're gonna be there soon to get you. I think we found the place where he keeps the omega's stashed.”
I held the phone away from my ear, biting into the flesh of my bottom lip as I fought back my tears, although I'm sure Owen knows what I'm feeling. I've been looking for my sister for almost a year now.
Our pack Alpha was the last one to be seen with her, and when I went banging on his door to demand her release from the personal harem he is rumored to have, he just had me thrown out of the pack and banned from the pack-lands.
My best friends, Daniel and Owen, had quickly packed their stuff and mine and joined me to share a house in the town that was just outside the borders of our pack's territory. None of us had mates or much family ties, except for my sister, Jenny. To the rest of our clan, we were just considered to be the soldiers who guarded the pack, dispensable because we were essentially lone wolves.
Up north, I have an aunt who owns a big lodge and a chain of cabins in an old logging area up in the mountains. She has already promised to welcome us, and we can build our own little pack there, but I've been determined to find Jenny first.
“Is she there? Have you seen her?” I asked desperately, afraid to hear what his response may be.
“I don't know, man. We were at the bar after work, and I overheard a couple of wolves from the factory in there talking about this little place near their favorite fishing hole. Apparently, the air out there around it is ripe with the scent of omega. I thought we should check it out, and I knew you would want to be there when we do.”
“Damn straight, I do. Get over here, I'll be ready and waiting.”
“Already en route, man. See you in five.”
I clicked the phone off, and shoved it into my pocket while I quickly put on some shoes and grabbed a jacket. I spritzed on some pheromone blocker spray to block my alpha scent, and went outside to meet my pack mates.
The beaten up van that is Daniel's pride and joy, silently pulled up in front of me and the back door slid open. I jumped in and pushed it shut as Daniel took right off again. I looked around the interior of the open cargo area that I'm sitting in and noticed a couple other wolves are here too.
“Seth? Maxx? What are you guys doing here?” I asked incredulously, as I haven't seen these friends and former pack-mates of mine in the months since I was shunned and kicked out of the pack. They are brothers, not to mention the nephews of my former Alpha.
Maxx spoke up first, firmly saying: “We know what Uncle Fremont did to you, Jake. And how he stole Jenny and the other Omega's. We don't have proof, except for a newly adopted cousin that mysteriously carries a hint of Alpha's scent, but we hear things, you know?”
Daniel added in saying: “We ran into them at the bar tonight, Jake. Honest, man, they want to join us, and head north with our pack after we find Jenny.”
“But that's up to you, Alpha,” says Seth as he quietly joined in with the conversation. “Maxx and I are packed, our stuff is all loaded in the trunk of my car back in town. We came looking for you guys, because we are hoping that you'll let us stay. I can't put my faith in an alpha
like Uncle Fremont anymore.”
“Even if he is your own uncle?” I asked incredulously.
“Especially since he's my uncle,” Seth replied. “I am ashamed to be related to him, to be honest. He's treated my aunt like shit for years. She's not his fated mate, but they've been mated for forty years. He takes other omega's in, makes her accept them and any pups they bear. I just didn't know until recently that they weren't around by choice, you know?”
“Besides,” says Maxx, “he doesn't consider us family anyway, not really. We're just the nephews of the first-mate, nothing more than that to him. And one of the missing omega's was a friend of ours when we were pups. I want to find him, and make sure that he's okay. I thought he'd moved away, but I heard from another friend that he has actually been missing for over a year now.”
I shook my head at this new information and sighed with frustration. I didn't smell any lies coming from either brother, only shame and concern. I looked at them both thoughtfully before I finally nodded and asked them: “Are you both sure that you want to leave your pack to join us? We will be far away from your family and friends, and you won't be able to come back home if swear allegiance to a new pack. You have to know that Alpha Fremont wouldn't allow that.”
“I speak for both of us,” Seth said firmly as the elder of the two brothers, “and believe me when I say that this will not be a problem. Maxx and I have discussed the ramifications of this at length, and we know that there will be no going home again.”
“It's okay, Alpha.” Maxx added in, “It's just me and Seth anyway, and we don't want to be aligned with our aunt and the Alpha anymore. Aunt Helga raised us after our parents were killed, but she isn't the kindest person herself, you know? If it weren't for appearances, we doubt she would have taken us in or that the Alpha would have allowed it. There's definitely no ties there, trust me.”
