by Hawke Oakley
Table of Contents
Alpha’s Solace (Indigo Mountain Pack Book 2)
Chapter 1: Mason
Chapter 2: Jericho
Chapter 3: Mason
Chapter 4: Jericho
Chapter 5: Mason
Chapter 6: Jericho
Chapter 7: Mason
Chapter 8: Jericho
Chapter 9: Mason
Chapter 10: Jericho
Epilogue
Alpha’s Solace (Indigo Mountain Pack Book 2)
Hawke Oakley
Copyright © 2017 by Hawke Oakley
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Designer: Cosmic Letterz
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Chapter 1: Mason
The moon hung coldly in the night sky as I left the clinic and returned back to my apartment. It was a strange feeling - my first full-blown heat had come and passed. It was snuffed out just as quickly as it came, thanks to the top alpha Gunner. He knew every viable omega’s heat schedule and made sure to impregnate them during peak fertility.
I ran a hand over my stomach. Obviously, it was still normal-sized. But soon it would swell with my child, sired by an unknown father.
I was pregnant.
I’d been ordered to attend the clinic a week before and was artificially inseminated in a cold, clinical fashion. To be honest, I was glad there was no physical alpha involved. I hated them, and at least I didn’t have one near me during the process.
Tonight, I had to return to the clinic to confirm my pregnancy. Sure enough, the nurses said there was a pup growing inside me.
I sighed and collapsed on my couch. The Scarlet Ridge pack government was responsible for the bare minimum for housing and food for the baby, so I didn’t have to worry about that. But I knew my child was destined to be part of Gunner’s alpha army - if it did turn out to be an alpha, that is. Considering I was an omega and the sperm donor was an alpha, it was most likely that my pup, too, would be an alpha wolf.
Still, living at Scarlet Ridge was no privilege. Omegas were treated like lower class citizens only good for breeding. The alphas were pushy and rude. I assumed it was just a biology thing. I’d lived in Scarlet Ridge my whole life, but I suspected alphas in any other packs were just as bad.
I looked out the window - at least as much as I could. My government-assigned housing wasn’t exactly luxurious. The windows were small to save money on glass, and it was barely big enough to look out of. It wasn’t like the view was extraordinary, either. Crumbling streets, old buildings, scraggly trees… Great.
On top of that, the collar around my neck itched. I grumbled and tried to scratch around it. After the escape of an omega from the pack a few months back, Gunner went control crazy and forced a mandatory collar law on every omega in Scarlet Ridge pack. The collars would beep when approaching the border, then continuously shock you until you were back inside the territory boundary. For the most part, I’d grown used to the strange weight around my neck, but once in a while - like now - I became hyper-aware of it.
I checked the clock. There was an hour before curfew. I had enough time to grab a slushie from the old corner store. I figured it was better than sitting alone in the dark in my apartment, and besides - how often do you find out that you’re pregnant for the first time in your life?
Pulling on my cheap jacket, I headed down the street. The wind blew stiff and cold. I shivered, shoving my fists in my pockets. There was a hole in it that ran through to the inside of my jacket lining, but I ignored it. Money was tight and I couldn’t afford to replace it. My allowance from the Scarlet Ridge government was basically just enough to live off of, and that was it.
The store was empty except for the bored looking shopkeeper and a couple of young alphas about my age mulling around the slushie machine. I grimaced. I did want a slushie - that was the whole reason I came out here at this hour - but if I had to get close to an alpha to do it, then no thanks. Instead I checked out the snack aisles and grabbed a bag of ketchup chips.
As I approached the counter, the alphas snickered and cut me off. They were holding their full slushie cups and sneering down at me. I averted my eyes. As much as I hated it, the last thing I wanted to do was cause a situation. I just wanted to mind my own business and get home.
But the alphas had other ideas.
“What are you doing out at this hour by yourself, little omega?” one asked.
I pretended like I didn’t hear him, but that didn’t go over well. He frowned and snapped, “Answer me, omega!”
“Just getting a snack,” I replied stiffly, not looking at him.
He snorted and jabbed a finger into my shoulder. I bristled.
“We saw you eyeing the machine,” the other one said smugly. “You wanna trade? My drink for your chips.”
“No thanks,” I muttered. I looked at the counter to see if the shopkeeper would diffuse the situation that was clearly escalating right in front of him, but the bored beta didn’t seem to care. He was watching something on a tiny TV behind the counter.
The first alpha frowned. “I think you should give it to him. He clearly wants it. Isn’t that right?”
“I’m fine,” I growled. Despite myself, a piece of my wolf crawled to the surface. I was an omega - not a weak little child. My wolf wanted to claw these alphas.
The alphas apparently decided they had enough of toying with me. The second alpha grunted, flicked the lid off the cup, and tossed the contents at me. I flinched and gasped as the cold slushie hit my chest. It chilled me to the bone - both from cold and fear - before it slopped to the floor. The beta shopkeeper grunted and mindlessly took a mop from the wall before coming over to clean up the mess.
The alphas laughed. I was suddenly gripped with fear. I needed to get out of here before anything worse happened. Dropping the chips, I bolted from the store. As my palms grew clammy and sweat dripped down my brow, I ran all the way back to my apartment and slammed the door.
I don’t know what came over me. As I caught my breath, I slumped to the floor. I never thought of myself as particularly brave, but I’d never gotten so afraid so quickly before. Was this a side effect of the pregnancy? Were my protective parental instincts kicking in already?
A sudden knock on my door made me jump. I hissed and got to my feet, then peered through the peephole. I frowned. A hooded figure stood there.
“No way,” I muttered. I turned and headed back to my couch, trying to ignore the freak at my door, but another knock made me freeze. This time it was more urgent. Something told me I should respond to this guy. Judging from the one second I saw him, he was much shorter than the alphas I ran into at the store, so it couldn’t be one of them. I sighed and willed myself to answer.
“Hello?” I asked coldly, peering out from behind the door.
“I won’t hurt you,” the voice said roughly.
My eyes narrowed suspiciously. I was sure that if I called the pack guard, they’d come running to defend a pregnant omega - even if they treated us like garbage, we were still useful vessels for breeding. But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I opened the door a bit wider.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He smelled like Scarlet Ridge pack, but he had a weird scent that made it difficult to distinguish his ranking. I couldn’t see his face underneath the hood, either.
“Do you want out?” he asked bluntly.
&nb
sp; “What?”
“Do you want to escape this pack?”
I stared, stunned. Nobody ever talked about escaping the pack. Not since the incident five months ago with the omega who ran off to the neighboring pack, Indigo Mountain.
“Are you a narc?” I asked.
“Stop making a joke of this,” he growled. “I’m offering you the chance to leave this place.”
I crossed my arms. “Why? Why me? Why not any other omega in this shithole?”
“I saw those alphas bullying you tonight,” he muttered. “This is the life omegas lead here. Being used for breeding, being treated like dirt even while pregnant… Is this the life you want your pup to have?”
That question cut me down, fast. I thought about my unborn child. If, on the off-chance they were born an omega, they would have to live this same crappy life I had. If they were an alpha, they would be forced to join Gunner’s alpha army and continue this vicious cycle of abuse.
“No,” I stated.
“Then will you take this chance?” he asked.
I still had my suspicions. “Why are you helping me? Who are you?”
Suddenly he lifted a hand. Something thin and silver dangled from in-between his pinched fingers. A key. My heart rate increased. He had the key to my shock collar.
“Just answer the question,” the strange shifter growled. “Do you accept this offer?”
“Yes,” I said quickly.
Wordlessly, the man reached over and undid my collar. He caught it before it clattered noisily to the floor, then stashed it away inside his black coat. The sudden loss of weight and pressure clenched around my neck felt strange. It was weird to feel a weight lifted off my shoulders - literally.
“Go now,” he ordered. “And don’t come back.”
For a minute I was too stunned by the entire situation to move. I stood there, dumb, like a deer in headlights.
Then the man snarled, with his wolf’s voice intertwining with his own. “Get out!”
Startled into action, I ran down the hall. I chanced one last look back at the strange man, but he was already gone. Maybe that was for the best.
I lifted a hand to my neck. Maybe the collar was still there and I was just hallucinating. But it was gone. And I wasn’t making this up.
I was really free.
Well, not yet, exactly. I still had to get off the territory.
But anything was better than living in this hellhole.
I took the back roads. They were abandoned since it was close to curfew. No sign of any wolves. Gunner had grown slack about assigning guards to patrol the borders since all the valuable omegas wore shock collars anyway. He didn’t care as much if betas or alphas tried to run off, I guess.
The tree line began up ahead. If I could just get there, I would be fine.
The moon’s pale light glowed overhead. I felt its powers. My skin tingled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone for a run as a wolf. Gunner forbid it around the same time he integrated the shock collars. Said it was too much of an effort to take them on and off just to give omegas a little time to run around for no reason.
My muscles itched to run free. As soon as I passed into the forest, I let myself shift. My legs and arms grew longer. Fangs jutted out of my mouth and my claws dug into the dirt. The cold air grew less uncomfortable as fur enveloped my body. My primal instinct awakened. Every smell in the air exploded; the forest came alive with scents that were dulled to me as a human.
I was all wolf now. I didn’t know where I was going, and right now, I didn’t even care. For the first time in my life, I was free.
I ran, and ran, and never looked back.
***
Hours later, the adrenaline started to wear off. The cold night air seeped into my bones. My fur was a tangled mess of twigs and leaves. Dirt had compacted in between my weary paws. Right now all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. But I couldn’t. Not until I knew I was off Scarlet Ridge lands for good.
I slowed to a walk, keeping my head low as I traversed the woods. My surroundings were completely unfamiliar. I’d never gone this far from my pack before. Judging by scent alone, I was no longer in Scarlet Ridge territory.
A strange, eerie call filled the air. An owl sat in the canopy above, staring down at me with large, judgmental eyes. The bird was harmless, but it still unnerved me. It reminded me that I had barely seen any other animals around here. Even at night, in the tiny hours of the morning, there should be some nocturnal animals scurrying around.
I lifted my nose to scent the air. The fur on the back of my neck lifted. In the distance, I smelled rabbit. My stomach growled noisily. I could do with a meal right now - I had forgotten how hungry I was, especially since I didn’t get the chance to eat that snack before I escaped.
Keeping my nose low to the ground, I followed the trail. The scent intensified. My heart raced and my jaws began salivating. All I could think about now was sinking my teeth into some juicy meat.
There - right in front of me - was the rabbit.
But there was something strange about it - was it already dead?
No matter. It smelled amazing and it looked fresh. I’d eat carrion right now if I had to.
As I stepped towards it, something happened too fast for me to realize until it was too late.
A sharp, quick snap filled the air. A shock ran through my body at the sudden frightening sensation.
I stared down, my eyes wide. A metal animal trap closed tightly around my ankle.
I looked up at the rabbit carcass, a few feet away - just out of my reach now. Anger and rage bubbled up in my throat and I snarled.
Did I really just get caught in obvious animal trap? How could I be so stupid?
At the very least, there was a thick padding on the inside of the trap that held my foot in place. It wasn’t like those sharp, bloody traps I immediately thought of when I imagined an animal leg trap. Thank the Moon.
With a groan, I sat down and glared hatefully at the metal gripping my ankle. Maybe I could get it off somehow. But the metal trap was tight and taut and wouldn’t budge. I pulled back my foot repeatedly in a last desperate effort to free myself, but it was useless. I was stuck. My freedom was short lived - and stupidly ruined.
I sighed and laid down on the ground. For a moment, I toyed with the idea of shifting back to human form, but I had no idea if that would help. Then I might just be stuck out in the cold, with no fur, sitting at an uncomfortable angle with my hand in a trap. No thanks.
My eyes narrowed at the rabbit carcass a few feet away that lured me into this situation. The meat was still fresh. Its juicy scent wafted over to me and I let out an involuntary whimper. My stomach screamed for food.
Then, sitting upright suddenly, I realized something. The trap wasn’t just sitting here unattended. Since the meat was fresh, it was clearly placed by someone. They must be coming back around to check the trap.
I whimpered again. This situation made me feel like a tiny, helpless pup. My mind snapped to my own pup inside my belly. Would they be okay? Would we both make it out of this?
With a sigh, I did the only thing I could do right now - I laid down and tried my best to fall asleep.
***
“Well, what do we have here?”
The voice sounded muffled and distant. I was vaguely aware of something prodding me gently in the side. Instantly panic flooded through me and I instantly jolted awake. I threw myself up and tried to scramble back, heart pounding, but something stopped me.
The metal trap.
Instinctively, I bared my teeth. The sun beat down through the canopy, blinding me momentarily. I blinked my eyes, trying to see normally. When I did, a man stood in front of me. His windswept light hair crossed his forehead like a golden sea wave. His green eyes peered down at me curiously.
But he wasn’t just a man. From his scent, I instantly knew he was a shifter.
An alpha.
Fear and anger surged through my blood. I snapped my fang
s in the air as a threat.
“Whoa, now,” the alpha said, putting his hands up in the air. “No need to get testy.” He kneeled down so that he was at eye-level with me. I glared at him hatefully. “Now, let’s get one thing out of the way real quick. Are you a shifter, or a regular old wolf?”
A growl built deep in my throat and I launched myself at him, snapping my jaws. I hit the end of my range of movement because of the trap. The alpha sighed.
“That doesn’t exactly answer my question, does it?” he said.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. Maybe if he knew I was a shifter, he would go easy on me. But on the other hand, he clearly wasn’t a Scarlet Ridge alpha - maybe if he thought I was from an enemy pack, he would try to kill me. Or - since I was an omega - something worse.
The alpha sighed again. “Let’s try something else.”
This time when he spoke, it was like a voice reverberating in my mind. The shifter telepathy link.
“Do you hear this?” he asked. Usually, the telepathy link was only used by those in wolf form, because in human form you could simply speak.
I supposed there was no getting around it now. “Yes,” I replied.
A smile broke out across the alpha’s face. “Great! That confirms my suspicions.” He reached for the trap around my leg. “Now, excuse me for presuming, but your wolf is pretty small. Are you an omega?”
“What if I am?” I snapped.
“No need to get rowdy,” he said, lifting a hand to calm me. “Just wondering. It’s funny that whenever a Scarlet Ridge wolf crosses over here, it’s always an omega.”
“How did you know I’m from Scarlet Ridge?” I asked suspiciously.
He shrugged. “It’s the only other pack from around here. Besides, you look pretty thin. And pissed off. So you’re definitely not one of ours.”
“One of yours?”
He nodded and fiddled with the key. For the second time in one day, I was being saved by an alpha with a key. It was almost funny.
