Page 2 of My Omega's Miracle

I snorted. “Yeah, I suppose a vacation wouldn’t be a terrible idea right now. I’m just wondering where I’m going to stay.”

“Down on your luck, are you?” He smiled kindly, his eyes beckoning me to lay out my entire story. I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to relive it.

I nodded. “Something like that.”

Could I really be so down on my luck? Was bad luck the only luck I had? I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been up on any luck.

“Well, let’s see if we can’t turn that around for you. That was a nice thing you did there. You could have kept that coat for yourself, kept yourself warm and maybe find a little cash in the pockets.”

I grimaced. I would never. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. Helping myself to something that wasn’t mine? No, thank you.

He slid a piece of paper across the counter to me. “I have some cabin rentals.”

“Oh, I can’t afford anything, sir.” I slid the paper back.

“No, no. Free of charge. One of the cabins is open for this week. Gives you some shelter from the storm we might be getting. I never like to have those empty when there’s bad weather coming in.”

It was too good to be true. Had to be too good to be true. “I can’t possibly accept—”

“Oh, yes, you can. I don’t think you can say no to a warm place to sleep. There’s canned food in the pantry you can eat, plus woods all around for any hunting you might do.”

I scented the air. The man was a shifter of some sort, so he must know what I was. “Are you sure? I can’t pay. I have nothing.”

“I’m absolutely positive. Hell, I can even drive you there if you want me to. You’d be doing me a favor keeping an eye on the place during the cold like this.”

“I can do that,” I said. Judging from its location, it wasn’t that far of a walk, and I didn’t want to impose any further. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you.”

Chapter 2

Garrick

“Garrick.” My mother’s voice startled me from my task, and I turned to face her. Her face was pinched with worry. I hated that I was the one who put it there, but this was a necessary step for me, and, well, she was going to have to get used to me making decisions she didn’t always agree with. That was part of what being pack Alpha was all about.

“I wish you would change your mind,” she said. Her deep brown eyes were wide, her lips turned down into a frown. It killed me to see my mom concerned, especially when that concern was all for me. I wanted to fix it. But I had to do this. For me.

I sighed. “Mama, I need this. It’s just a week.”

“A week right before the holiday, where you’ll be gone to a cabin all by yourself. Instead of spending the holiday with your family, with your pack! Garrick… I worry.”

This wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation since I announced I was going away for a week, and I vowed to hold strong. Even if it went against all my instincts.

“I will have endless holidays with the pack after this one. Plus, I’ve had at least thirty holidays with the pack so far. Taking one break from them isn’t so bad. It will be good for Papa to have one last holiday as Alpha without me lingering around.” That last part didn’t have a lot of logic to it, but I’d try anything to get my mama to drop the argument. I was going. That was final.

She sighed. “I know, and I understand. I just—do you feel like we’re pressuring you into taking over as Alpha? Do you need more time?”

I grinned despite myself. If there was one thing I was sure of in this entire ordeal, it was that I was ready to take over as Alpha. Mostly. “No, Mama, this is the path that has been chosen for me for many years. I understand why I need to do it. It is time. What I don’t understand is why I must take a mate before the first of the year. That’s what I have a problem with, and that’s why I’d like a break before I resign myself to what’s going to be a loveless mating.”

“It doesn’t have to be. You never know. You could grow to love your chosen mate.”

My stomach lurched. It was absolutely true. I might fall for whoever they chose for me, but if I was going to fall for anyone in the pack, I would have already. After all, I’d lived here my entire life. I knew every omega. I probably even knew which ones the elders were going to present to me. I hadn’t let myself think of a list, though, because thinking of a list would make all of this way too real.

The council insisted I have a mate before I take over as Alpha of the pack. I hated it. It was a stupid rule, one I planned to banish from the books as soon as I could. If I had a son who eventually took over, he’d get to do so single if he wanted to. Same went if I had a daughter. She could take over the pack all by herself.

Wouldn’t that just drive those old elders insane?

“It’s fine, Mama.”

“Your father doesn’t like it any more than you do.”