The bears brave omega an.., p.1
The Bear's Brave Omega: An MM Shifter Mpreg Romance, page 1
The Bear's Brave Omega
A.J. CANE
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Epilogue
About the Author
The Bear’s Brave Omega
Copyright © 2023 by A.J. Cane
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any medium, whether electronic, internet, or otherwise, without the expressed permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, locations, and names occurring in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or are the property of their respective owners and are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locations, or persons (living or dead), are entirely coincidental and not intended by the author. All trademarks and trade names are used in a fictitious manner and are in no way endorsed by or an endorsement of their respective owners.
Cover Design © Cormar Creations
Editing: Jersey Devil Editing
Chapter
One
MILO
I’d made a terrible mistake. I never should have agreed to this date.
As he droned on about his love of shooting small fluffy animals, I glanced around to see if I could find a quick way to escape. Unfortunately, no opportunity presented itself. We were seated at a picnic table outside a barbecue place on the edge of the woods. He’d been the one to drive us here, which meant I was reliant on him for a ride home.
I wished—not for the first time—that I’d stayed in today. No matter how lonely I was, dating random guys off apps wasn’t the answer. This would be the first and only time I made that mistake. My date, Tomas, had looked all right on paper, but in the flesh, he gave me the creeps. Not to mention the fact he was boastful, abrasive, and enjoyed the sound of his own voice.
“Did I tell you about the time I shot a wild stag and had to carry it for two days to get it home?” he asked, leaning toward me across the table.
“No,” I murmured, afraid to mention how unhygienic I thought it was to keep a dead animal with him for so long without any means of refrigeration. How had he been able to sleep with the poor thing’s corpse beside him?
“It was June. Maybe three years ago. Or four. I can’t remember for sure.”
I glanced down and rolled my eyes. I didn’t care how many years ago it was. Why should I, when he’d already made it clear he didn’t care about the details of my life? He hadn’t asked me a single thing about myself since he’d picked me up. When I’d decided to open up and share my real thoughts about hunting—that I didn’t think I’d be able to do it because I couldn’t kill anything—he’d laughed in my face. Then he’d patted my hand and said that if I was a good omega and let my alpha provide for me, I wouldn’t ever have to hunt.
I’d bitten back a retort, knowing it wouldn’t go down well. I may be an omega, but I’d been taking care of myself since I was young and doing a damn sight better at it than anyone else had so far.
Suddenly, Tomas stood. He rounded the table and slid onto the bench beside me. He reached across to drag his plate over, leaned close to me, and sniffed.
“Damn, you smell good.”
A shiver crawled up my spine. What kind of person sniffed someone they’d just met? I shuffled along the bench, trying to put space between us. I may smell good, but Tomas definitely didn’t. He had a strong odor that I couldn’t quite place. Something like wet fur and dirt. Maybe he had a dog. Or maybe he’d been in the woods slaughtering animals before he’d picked me up. That sounded on-brand.
If only I’d thought to bring my own car. I doubted there were many taxis out here in the middle of nowhere.
“I feel a connection between us,” Tomas said, erasing the space I’d managed to build. He tried to hold my gaze. There was something scary about his eyes. They were too green, with a tinge of yellow. Perhaps he was wearing contacts. “I think you’re meant for me, omega.”
I tried to stand. “I’m afraid I don’t…”
He caged me in with his arms. I stared at him in disbelief as a pair of fangs protruded between his lips. I blinked, but they were still there.
What the hell?
Were they real, or some kind of sick prank? Whatever the case, I wasn’t about to hang around and find out.
“Fuck.” I tried to back away from him, but he’d trapped me in place. I looked around for something I could use to defend myself. Why had I let him bring me out back when all the other patrons were inside?
There were no knives on the table, but there was an open bottle of hot sauce. Perhaps I could hit him with it.
He leaned closer and bared those fangs. They were real. Holy fuck.
I screamed. What the hell was he?
He lunged toward me, his fangs aimed at my neck, but I grabbed the open bottle of hot sauce and tossed it in his face. His teeth scraped my skin and retreated as the hot sauce coated his nose and eyes. He shrieked, the sound almost inhuman, and clutched at his face. I yanked myself away and bolted into the woods, desperation clawing at my gut. I had to escape him. Somehow, I knew that if I didn’t, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
I stumbled through the undergrowth, sticks tearing at my skin, struggling to keep my footing on the uneven ground. I could hear Tomas behind me, swearing, but I couldn’t tell if he was coming after me. Fuck, why had I come this way instead of running into the barbecue joint where there would have been people to help?
The ground disappeared beneath me and I stumbled down an embankment, knocking my knee on a rock before splashing into a frigid stream. I gasped as icy water engulfed my body, instantly soaking my jeans and shirt and covering my face. I burst through the surface, spluttering, and hauled a breath into my lungs.
Shit.
This wasn’t good. I’d seen nature documentaries. I knew about hypothermia. It could set in quickly when someone was wet and exposed, especially in a place like this. I should turn around and go back. Try to find someone who could help. But what if I ran into Tomas again?
Those crazy teeth flashed through my mind and my stomach sank. If there were any chance that hadn’t been a figment of my overactive imagination then I couldn’t risk running into him again. He might have been about to tear my throat out. Even if they were some kind of weird implant, they could hurt me.
Wasn’t this just my goddamned luck?
I gritted my teeth. Time to prioritize. Priority one. Avoid Tomas. But how? I thought quickly. I’d heard that following streams and rivers made it more difficult for people to track you. Tomas was a hunter, so presumably he’d know a bit about tracking. I was sure I’d left an obvious trail as I’d blundered through the bush, but perhaps this stream was a blessing in disguise. If I kept moving and found somewhere I could get dry, I might be safe.
I glanced at the embankment I’d fallen down, wondering how close behind Tomas was—if he was following me at all. I debated whether to remove my jeans. Was it safer if I kept them on as a barrier from the elements, or if I removed them because they were waterlogged and freezing?
Keep them on, I decided.
I made my way to the edge of the steam and walked in the water. My toes were already going numb, but if this was my best shot at living to see another sunrise then I wasn’t going to wuss out. I stumbled and stepped on something sharp. I swore, but I couldn’t see any blood, so I put my foot back down and continued walking.
One step at a time.
One step at a time.
One step at a time.
I repeated it over and over in my head. I could do this. I’d be okay. I’d survived everything else life had thrown at me, so conquering the world’s worst date would be nothing but a blip on the radar. One day I’d laugh about this.
Maybe.
On the other hand, I might die out here. Alone. The same way I’d lived. My face curled into a snarl. I’d made one attempt to connect with someone and this had happened. Perhaps I should accept the message the universe kept sending me. I was supposed to be on my own.
Chapter
Two
EVERETT
“Something isn’t right with that one,” I muttered to my brother Garrick. “He’s a wolf. Surely he should be able to track his mate and bring him home safely without us interfering.”
Garrick shrugged. “Maybe he wants to respect his mate’s space. He did say they argued and that the guy wasn’t happy when he headed into the woods.”
I scoffed. “No shifter respect’s their mate’s space if they’re genuinely worried about them. It’s not in our DNA.”
“So maybe it’s not that,” Garrick allowed. “Maybe he’s a city wolf and isn’t used to using his nose.”
I side-eyed him. “Does he look like a city wolf to you?”
“Nah.” He sighed. “But so what? Maybe he’s lazy, or maybe he was cursed by a warlock and doesn’t have a properly developed sense of smell.”
I rolled my shoulders. “I don’t like it.”
He grinned and jostled me. “You don’t like anything, Ev.” He stopped walking and turned to face me. “Here’s how I see it. Whether the wolf is telling us the truth or not, we can’t leave a human omega alone in the woods at night. We need to find him. Once we do, he can clear up any misunderstandings.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. He had a point. Humans were vulnerable. Especially omegas, who weren’t as strong as alphas and smelled like prey.
Garrick gestured the others to us and spoke loudly, assigning roles to each of us and explaining where he wanted us to prioritize our search. He’d already shown us the wolf’s car, where we’d been able to sniff hints of the human omega’s scent, although much of it had been masked by the strong odor of wolf. Apparently the wolf, Tomas, didn’t have any of his mate’s personal items which we could use to get a clearer scent—another thing that made me suspicious.
When Garrick finished, we all stripped out of our clothes and placed them in a plastic box that would remain here for when we returned, then we shifted. I felt the familiar disconcerting sense of being too much beast confined within a too-small figure for a few seconds, and then my bear took over. My limbs thickened and sprouted fur. My head rose farther from the ground and my vision improved until I could see nearly as well as if it were daylight. I lowered myself to all fours and loped into the woods, following the directions Garrick had given me. As the squad’s best tracker, I would take point.
It was easy to find where the omega had crashed through the bush. Twigs were snapped, leaves disturbed, and footsteps left in the dirt. It didn’t seem as if he’d walked off as the wolf had said. More like he’d bolted into the woods without looking or caring where he was going. I paused to register his scent. It was sweet, with hints of cherry. I inhaled deeply. Gods, he smelled good.
Get it together.
I followed his path until he reached an embankment, where it looked like he may have fallen. My gut twisted with concern, confusing me. I wasn’t usually someone who let my feelings get in the way, but I hated the thought of the omega who smelled of cherries being in pain.
I eased down the embankment and found a spot where his scent was concentrated, as if he’d lain there for a moment. I pressed my nose against it and breathed it in greedily.
Mate, my bear whispered.
I shook my head. It couldn’t be.
Mate.
I reminded my bear that the omega already had a mate—the wolf—but my bear didn’t like that. I was seized by a burning need to find the omega. Find him, ensure his safety, and then destroy his false mate.
Mine. My mate. Ours.
Okay, okay, I got it. The human wasn’t the wolf’s mate. He was ours. Which meant that the wolf had lied. But first it meant I had to find my mate before he got hypothermia or fell down another embankment with a more lethal result.
I followed my mate’s scent to the stream and crossed over, but there was no trace of sweetness and cherries on the other bank. I glanced back at the stream. He must have walked along it. Had he realized it would obscure his scent? Or had he just hoped it would lead him somewhere he could find help? Either way, my mate was smart.
Ours.
My bear chuffed in pleasure.
Later, I told it. First, I have to find him.
I navigated the stream for an hour, until it passed by a rocky outcropping. I caught a hint of cherries carried on the wind and I splashed out of the water, barreling toward the rocks. My mate’s scent grew stronger with every step. I paced the edge of the outcropping until I spotted a small figure huddled in a crevice in one of the largest rocks. My heart skipped.
Our mate.
The omega had pale blue eyes, the shade of glacier melt, and dark brown hair that was plastered to his scalp. It was difficult to determine his build, but based on the way he’d wedged himself into the rocks, he must be petite. He hugged his jean-clad legs closer to his chest as I approached, trying to retreat further into the crevice.
“Nice bear,” he said softly. “Good bear. You don’t have to eat me.”
I cocked my head, confused, but realized he must not be able to tell I was a shifter rather than one of the normal grizzlies that roamed the area.
His teeth chattered and a shudder tore through his body. “I wouldn’t make a good meal.”
Protect.
For once, my bear and I were in total agreement. Our mate needed us to warm him and get him back to safety, but first, I needed to alert my team that I’d found him. I trotted away, hoping I wouldn’t scare him so much if I put more space between us. I reared back and roared as loud as I could—our signal that I’d located the missing person. Several distant roars came back to me, so I knew my teammates would be on their way soon. I turned and moved slowly toward the beautiful human, keeping my head low so he wouldn’t perceive me as a threat.
As I came within touching distance, I tried to nuzzle him. I needed him to let me get close if I was going to warm him. But those pretty blue eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped against the rock in a dead faint.
Damn.
I maneuvered him out of the tight space and curled around his body. As I’d assumed, he was ice-cold. But even in this condition, he was the best thing I’d ever smelled.
Claim.
Not yet. My beast wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into the human and make him ours, but the other side of me knew I couldn’t do that. If he chose us, I wanted him to do it willingly, not because I got carried away by my instincts and took advantage of the situation.
A shiver racked him, and I cuddled closer. I expected him to open his eyes at any minute, but he didn’t. The lack of response worried me. I was tempted to carry him out myself, but that wasn’t how the team operated. I had to stay put until the others arrived.
When they did, Francis was the first to appear. He was younger than the rest of us and moved faster. He loped toward me, his gaze fastened on the omega.
I growled.
Francis stopped and looked at me questioningly.
I growled again and shifted the omega closer. I didn’t seem able to stop.
“Everett,” Garrick barked, and I glanced over to see he’d arrived and had already shifted into his human form. “Let us help the boy.”
I growled again, unable to help myself, but hung my head to show Garrick I didn’t mean to challenge him. Knowing I needed to shift so I could explain, I slunk away from the omega. Immediately, Francis moved to replace me. I lunged forward, but another bear blocked me. I shifted.
