by Emma Knox
My father stepped through a door frame. He was as healthy as he ever was, really, as much as a sixty-year-old wolf could be anyhow. Graying out, if I was looking at my future, it was definitely something I'd be able to cope with. He was a silver fox and if I was so lucky when I aged to look that good, I had something to look forward to.
"Alpha Frost," I nodded his way in respectful acknowledgement.
"Come here, boy. I haven't seen you in ages." My father’s arms spread out before him in a grand welcoming gesture.
I ran over to meet him, accepting his embrace. Again, no matter how rebellious I thought myself, I still loved my father no matter what and if he wanted to show me, his son some affection, who was I to deny either of us the pleasure?
"Mmm...you smell like you're doing well for yourself." My father had a playful tone to his voice.
"Yeah, there's definitely a scent of..." Zachary butted in, choosing his words carefully, darting his eyes toward his pups which were eating breakfast at the table. They were so young that I hadn't even met them before this trip. "A scent of... uh... companionship about you, Rhett."
I blushed, scratching my head. "Well, uhh..." I stammered and faltered, unusual behavior for me, but it must have been the pressure of the moment.
"You found your Omega didn't you?" Alpha Frost grinned, somewhat evilly. "You go run off to God knows where and you come back home and you find them. I knew you to be a fool for leaving us so far behind." His eyes twinkled with mischief and wonderment.
The bastard, God love him my father was curious.
I grunted, not taking the bait, nor was I willing to give up my secrets that easily. If I didn't go away, I don't think I would have been able to say I still loved my family. "I'm still going back to Tampa at some point. I have a blossoming business there, I'll have you know." I tried to sell myself some extra credit.
"Bah, business." He threw his arm around my shoulder, casting that mindless banter to the wind and eager to change the subject back to me. "You found your mate. That's the most important thing. You need to come to them, and bring together the packs. They wouldn't happen to be a Zimma or Akia would they?" He smiled, teasing me and I knew for the moment it was all in good fun, but if he knew the truth, the smile would fade right off his face.
"Um, well, no." I swallowed, remembering Beau's one imperfection that clashed with me claiming him as my own that I wasn’t brave enough to state in front of everyone yet, especially my Alpha father.
"Bah, again.” My father waved a dismissive hand. Figure that's how fate is going to end this dumb feud we've been having. One of our Alphas and one of their Omegas, then we can align and run the other off. I don't care who, I just want the Frosts to reign supreme over Alaska – and Canada too for that matter,” he boasted pridefully as any Alpha would.
"Greedy for territory?" I smirked, shifting the playful teasing right back on him because I was good at debating.
"Not particularly, I just want us to be safe and secure as rulers of the region, no more disputes or grumbling at one another." He patted me on the back. "Now tell me, what pack are they from? I trust if they attracted a fine Alpha like you, they must be mighty." He raised an eyebrow that revealed his curiosity at a peak.
"Yeah. Mighty." I laughed awkwardly, a muffled sound and shifted my weight uncomfortably. I didn't know what I was going to tell Alpha Frost and mulled over the answers in my mind in a mental panic. He was a sort of shifter-supremacist. Those without the blessed ability to become more beast than man would never be good enough for him. From his viewpoint, unless you were one of his kind, you were basically nothing.
That brought me back to the one in question…the one that I had bonded with and had to convince myself to tear away from no matter how badly it crumbled my spirit. Beau? Beau wasn't a shifter. He was a plain Omega. He was the vast majority of the people on the planet, just getting by with wits and cleverness alone without the power of fang and claw. That didn’t make him a terrible person or anything. So he wasn’t unique? To me he was perfect.
Beau had no pack, no clan, no connections, nothing to claim as his own, no heir to any pack. We had talked throughout our endless indulgence in one another, and I learned much about him. He worked at a marketing firm of all places, a job Alpha Frost wouldn't respect and would find quite comical, yet again something to poke fun of and a trade that would be found beneath him.
"Yeah, who's this mystery Omega, Rhett?" Zachary approached. He was sneering at me, truly enjoying watching me sweat and squirm.
"My pups need cousins," Daniel added in. "Who is it? Tell us." He had a gleeful expression etched across his face that I wanted to slap right off of him.
What do I say here? Do I admit that fate had chosen sub-optimally – at least in Alpha Frost's eyes?
I needed time. "Yeah, um... he's from a pack. Um. Off the east coast." I kept it simple and vague.
"What are they called? There's some big important big packs out there."
"Uh.... the uh... Fangs. Just the Fangs. Yes." I smiled, as if I weren't blatantly lying off my ass. Fuck. They weren’t going to believe me. I was such a horrendous liar.
"The Fang pack? I never heard of them," Alpha Frost said, rubbing his chin and thinking to himself as he frowned with concentration trying to rake up a memory of a pack formed from my imagination.
"They're newer I guess. But boy is he mighty. Very mighty indeed." I grinned to both appease them and appear more believable. I was cracking under their rampant firing rounds of questions aimed right at me.
"The Fang pack, huh?" Zachary repeated, a whole lot less belief in his tone. "And who might this be?" He took a step closer to me, really scrutinizing my face and making me cower under the pressure.
"Beau. He's quite the Omega, and I won't hear you doubt him." I truly meant that, a pure and honest truth to throw his way.
"I'm not doubting him. Just... Fang. Wolf shifter I suppose?"
"Uh yeah. I didn't name him, I just accept him as my Omega."
"So," Alpha Frost said with a cheer and a jubilant clap of his hands. "When will we meet this Omega? When will you officially bond? Most importantly, when can I expect more grandpups?" He was supremely enthusiastic and made my heart race.
God, with how he mated Beau and how often he mated him, he would actually be surprised if Alpha Frost's next litter of grandpups weren't on the way already.
"Hoo boy."
"You reek of him, you know. You should clean yourself up, a Frost shouldn't be so disheveled." He cast me a wink and I blushed.
A shower was an opportunity to get away from them all, so I happily accepted. "I will, Dad. Thank you. Happy Birthday, by the way." I began edging my way out the door and away from the slaying questions.
He grunted. He just wanted to see his pack again. He had affection for me, he wanted the best. My dear ole’ dad wasn’t so terrible after all, at least for now.
That's why it was so agonizing that I was going to have to break his heart. By the time I left the room I was too afraid and maybe even ashamed to look him in the eye.
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Beau was the one fated for me. No one else could make me feel so strongly and passionate all at once. Every time I pictured his throbbing cock in my hand, I shuddered with intense pleasure.
Chapter 6
Beau
I didn't exactly hate my job. I just wished I had more creative freedom to run unrestricted with it and do what I wanted.
AMS, Alaskan Marketing Solutions was my employer, a marketing firm catering to Alaskan based businesses that promised to get them business with the lower forty-eight as well as Canada. It wasn’t rocket science, and could be a bit dull at times, but hey…it was a job, and a job meant money in my pocket.
The problem was, of course, that Alaska didn't exactly attract a booming tech industry, nor did it have plentiful natural resources. AMS had two categories of major clientele: lumber companies and fishing companies. I know, it was pretty stereotypical to say the least. A bit pa
thetic, but hey, what did I care as long as they paid me to get the work done?
There's only so many ways you can market fish or wood. The former is usually with some old guy you claim caught the fish by hand, and the latter you have an Alpha in a plaid shirt who we pretend is Canadian.
I was going over the latest campaign. Some company wanted to market their fish sticks to pups, so I had to come up with something in that vein. Lots of bright colors, and guilt that I'm basically playing psychological games with children.
"Beau, you're back." My supervisor had his cup of coffee and leaned on the wall as he gave me a smile that was hard to read for genuine interest or chastising purposes.
"I've been back for a week, Tom,” I pointed out with a friendly chuckle.
He shrugged with indifference. "I haven't seen you around."
"Well if you showed up like the rest of us..." I grinned to keep it light and to reveal that I was only teasing, but he took offense anyway.
"Hey, I didn't ask you to get mouthy. Where'd this attitude come from?" He directed an accusatory finger that he pointed at me with a wag of his hand.
I grunted, rolling my eyes. I hadn't been myself recently. I felt like I was some sort of manic depressive, hating myself one moment and then being on top of the world the next. I was like an emotional rollercoaster with no foreseeable point of getting off the ride.
It was so very unlike me. I prided myself in being friendly and personable to everyone around the office. I wanted to be gallant and well received by everyone I encountered. I wanted a reputation for being delightfully fun.
"You feeling okay there, Beau?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow. Leave it to Tom to get all sappy and sentimentally concerned for me all of the sudden.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. We're all allowed our off days, aren't we?" I tried not to sound testy, but I was becoming increasingly frustrated.
“Yeah, yeah. I won't hold this against you, just think more before you speak. You're working on the Juneau Fish Co's deal?"
"Mmhm." I nodded my head for valid confirmation.
"I trust you'll deliver us something good. You're one of our sharpest minds, Beau."
I accepted his compliment with a polite smile. "Thanks, Tom." I let out a breath as he wandered away. While I did think Tom took way too many vacations, I’d never accidentally said it out loud so that he could verbally hear me. No, I would never want to create an opportunity for fresh hell for myself.
I mean, he was an Alpha. It wasn't like he was dealing with a constant surge of heat like I had to.
Doodling something on my pad, I tried to think of something creative to run with, but my mind couldn't go too long without thinking about Rhett. It kept magically wandering back to Rhett and his majestic and wonderful rock hard, thick cock.
Rhett and all the things we did in that cabin. I never did get back out there moose hunting, but I had a whole lot of fun in that cabin. Yes, it was a weekend of fun to note for the record books for sure. Who needed to hunt when the catch was right there in my arms?
We had exchanged numbers and promised to stay in touch, and yet?
I hadn't heard from him. Ugh. Typical Alpha behavior, tell you he's your fated mate and then vanish into the ether. I didn’t know why I was so surprised, and yet here I was sulking like a sullen child who had failed to get their way. I wanted more of Rhett, and I wanted him now.
All the same though, I couldn't work up the proper venom for him. There was something special there, and even I could feel it. The chemistry between us certainly swelled and swirled around the room when we were fucking each other’s brains out at the time.
Maybe I was just naive, but I wouldn't be forgetting Rhett any time soon even if I never heard from him again. I hated the prospect of never having his throbbing cock intensely push through my pulsing and wide open asshole, but I would have no choice but to move on if he never called.
I sniffed the air. What was that smell? It was sour, like a combination of Indian food and a shitty diaper or something. It was repulsive and turning my stomach over.
Why do I suddenly feel green?
My stomach was suddenly revolting against me. It was flipping over, and I stood up, going to a window for some air. I took a deep breath, getting fresh oxygen into my lungs to level the searing level of nausea.
That didn't help, if anything, taking those hefty breaths made the sick feeling worse.
I wondered what was assaulting my nose so much that it was causing such a reaction in me. I stumbled over, following my nose. I was no wolf, yes, but I thought my senses sharper than most.
"Riley?" I panted, hanging onto his cubicle.
"What's the matter, Beau? You look like shit. Why are you so pale?” He edged his chair away from me as if I looked dreadful and he was afraid I might puke on him.
"The hell you eating? It smells rancid." I cringed held my nose.
"Rancid? What are you smoking, Beau? This is a fresh Caesar salad. Ranch dressing. Everything about it is completely fresh, man." He gave me a look as if I’d gone nuts. Maybe I had.
"It is? This isn't another practical joke, is it?" I eyed him suspiciously.
"Well yeah." He took a bite of it, chewed, and swallowed it. "I like screwing with your head man, but I'm not going to give myself food poisoning to do so. I'm not that silly."
I raised an eyebrow, and stumbled away, pinching my nose.
Ranch dressing? Why was that doing this to me? I actually liked ranch dressing myself, as unhealthy as it was. It certainly didn't want to cause me to hurl.
The revolt inside me was growing more and more violent. It was to the point where it was the most pressing issue, and I couldn't ignore the inevitable anymore.
So I rushed to the restroom.
A stall was free, so I flung the door open and immediately made myself comfortable with the toilet bowl.
My breakfast came rising up and I felt worse for a moment, then enjoyed that brief moment of clarity that comes with it. Cold sweat on my brow, I took some deep breaths.
It couldn't be.
I knew the symptoms, but hell no, it couldn't be. It was too soon, there was just no feasible way. It hadn’t been that long ago since the blissful erotica in the cabin with Rhett.
It only took one time. That's what they told me in sex ed. Keep your cheeks closed, endure your heat, stay away from frisky Alphas. Only a little bit of their seed and you're knocked up.
That was a scare tactic. It wasn't guaranteed. I mean, being in heat meant you were far more likely, but biology didn't do guarantees. I never actually expected or anticipated that it would happen to me.
I shuddered in place and wiped the spit from my lips, sighing dramatically as I flushed the contents of my stomach down the pipes.
The mood swings. The inexplicable nausea triggered by the most mundane of things. Maybe it was just confirmation bias, but I thought I'd been feeling a bit more lethargic than usual too. That would also explain why I had just considered the conversation with my boss excruciatingly frustrating.
My hand went to my abdomen. I wasn't fat, per say, but I wasn't a jacked Adonis either. My stomach right then felt uncomfortably taut.
I kept breathing steadily, still quite afraid of what was happening. I leaned against the side of the stall door and panted, hearing my heart drumming in my ears like a marching band. I didn't want this.
Not now.
I wanted to be bonded, married, whatever it was called. I wanted the Alpha to be confirmed to be in my life, to be there for my child, be a pup, a kitten, or just a kid.
For a time, I sat on the toilet, completely clothed and unable to deduce what I needed to do, or even what I wanted to do. I couldn’t even commit my Alpha Rhett to a phone call. How the hell was I going to convince him to raise pups with me?
There was only one source of wisdom I could turn to in times like this.
Dad. My good ole’, dear ole’ father. He would know what to do in a time of desperation such as this.
I pulled out my phone, and flipped over to my speed dials.
I didn't know what he was doing at that time, but I needed him more than ever.
"Ello? Beau?"
"Dad," I let out, as if I was surprised at who picked up. "I really hope I'm not calling at a bad time."
"Not particularly. Bit of a slow period at the restaurant. They can cover for me." He paused. "What's wrong?"
"Is it that obvious?" I belted out a nervous chuckle.
"My son doesn't call me in the middle of the day exasperated just to say hello."
"Well, I don't want to interrupt your work typically, and...."
"Something's wrong with my boy and I want to know. Spill it."
I swallowed. "Dad... I think I'm... uh... um..."
"You don't have to be cautious with me. I'm here for you no matter what." There wasn’t an ounce of judgement in my father’s tone which coaxed me on with blooming confidence even though the situation was less than favorable.
"Well, I um, went up to this cabin..."
"Skip the story."
Another deep breath. "Dad, I think I'm pregnant."
He was quiet on his side of the line. It was quite the bomb to drop. For a few moments, stagnant air clung between the lines of communication between us.
My Omega father was quite the man. He carried the burden all alone, and he gave up so much of his life to make sure I had the best chance possible.
The Alpha responsible for my existence was a soldier who was stationed here for a spell. He whispered such sweet nothings at my dad, and got him to lower his guard and give into him, even in the throes of heat.
When the news of my existence came, he vanished, never to be seen again.
No phone calls. No letters. No nothing.
The betrayal had hurt my father hard. He struggled for years, and never really trusted another Alpha again. I knew he wouldn’t want me to suffer the same fate as him, or make the same mistakes but yet here I was.
I vowed to learn from his experience. I wasn't going to indulge some horndog Alpha just because the heat called to me.
