Page 5 of My Omega's Miracle
“It’s dark, it’s late. And it’s really cold outside.” He glanced around the space, then back at me. “Look, let me get a fire started. You can go back to sleep if you want. There’s no need for you to leave right now.”
I shook my head, hesitant. “I don’t want to impose.”
He held up his hand to reassure me. “It’s fine.” He paused. “By the way, what pack are you from?”
“None.” I forced myself to sound stronger than I felt. “I’m, uh... between packs at the moment.” That wasn’t technically a lie.
He nodded. “Well, I’m from—” He paused, not filling in the blank. “Just on vacation here for the week. We’ll figure all this out in the morning, all right? You don’t have to be scared of me. You have no reason to trust me, but I mean you no harm.”
“I’m not scared,” I said, lifting my chin, trying to seem braver than I was. Truth was, I was terrified, but... well, fake it till you make it, right?
He smiled slightly. “Of course, you’re not.” He gestured downstairs. “I’ll get the fire going. I’ve got some firewood in the truck, should be dry, along with a few fire starters. And I’ve got food, too, if you’re hungry.”
“I... I’ve got some, too,” I offered, though it wasn’t much. Really, I had nothing to offer him. “There’s wood on the porch, I think. I saw it when I arrived.”
“Great. Get some rest if you can,” he said, moving back down the stairs. “I’ll check the linen closet, see if there are any extra blankets.”
I nodded, fighting back a yawn as my eyes grew heavy. My wolf stirred within me, instinctively calming in the alpha’s presence. I knew better than to let my defenses drop, but... I didn’t really have a choice. And honestly, there were worse places to be.
Chapter 4
Garrick
There was nothing I could do about this whole cabin-booking situation in the middle of the night, so I resigned myself to just going to sleep. I didn’t know the layout of the cabin—I’d only found the stairs by happy coincidence. Not that there was much to the cabin, but still, I fumbled around in the dark, thankful for my shifter eyes to at least guide me.
When I realized there was no other bed to sleep on, and the “couch” was actually more of a loveseat, and it had wooden armrests covered by a thin padding. I knew there was no way my six-foot-three frame was going to fit there. It seemed I’d be sleeping in my wolf form somewhere nearby. I tossed off my clothes, not wanting to get tangled in them, and shifted. Tomorrow, I’d worry about getting fur all over the place, but for now, I just wanted to sleep. I curled up onto the sofa and closed my eyes.
Morning came all too quickly. Light filtered in through the windows, and there was a chill in the air—likely due to the fire having petered out while I slept. Had the omega—Noel he’d said his name was—not turned on the furnace either? If it got much colder, we’d be in trouble with pipes bursting.
I opened my eyes to see the omega in question tiptoeing down the stairs, an oversized sweater wrapped around him and a pair of faded jeans hanging loosely on his frame. His feet were bare. They had to be freezing. I let out a soft chuff to let him know I was there, and he yelped in surprise.
“Oh goodness,” he stammered. “It wasn’t a dream. You’re here, and I’m in your cabin.”
He glanced around, looking lost. He grabbed a chair and stood behind it, like he felt more comfortable having something between us. I wanted to growl and bare my teeth at whatever alphas made him this scared. Something or someone had to have hurt him in the past for him to be this wary. I didn’t want him to wander off; it was cold, and he didn’t look like he had much to keep him warm. The man looked like he could use several good, solid meals.
I shifted. “Wait up,” I said once I was standing.
He halted in place, eyes wide as he looked at me. His gaze flicked downward, and then he quickly pinched his eyes shut. What kind of pack had he come from that he wasn’t used to nudity? The frames of his glasses reflected the light.
“Let me get dressed,” I said.
“I’ll make coffee.” He turned and took a step toward the mini-kitchen, only to run right into the other chair. I chuckled and pulled on my jeans as quickly as I could.
“I’m decent,” I said.
He opened his eyes and let out an audible breath. “I’m… Noel, by the way,” he said. “I’m sorry I don’t remember your name.” His nose wrinkled, and he pushed his frames up so that they were higher on his nose.
“Garrick.”
“So you rented this place?” He began looking through each of the cupboards. Finally, he found a canister of coffee, opened it, and sniffed. “Still good,” he said, and his smile lit up the entire room. Then his cheeks reddened, and he looked away. “Would you like some?”
“I’d love some,” I said. “How was it that you came to be here… a stranger let you stay?”
“Yeah. I needed a place to stay, and he offered this place. But I can go back to Plan B.”
I had a feeling that “Plan B” wasn’t anything I was going to allow to happen. Especially if it meant he would be spending his nights out in the woods in his wolf form. “I’ll call the rental place to see if they have any other open cabins. For me, not for you. You can go ahead and stay here. I don’t want to put you out.”
“Please, don’t worry about it. I don’t want to interrupt your vacation. I don’t want to cause trouble.”