Olivers forbidden mate m.., p.1
Oliver's Forbidden Mate: MM Wolf Shifter Romance (Ombra Pack Chronicles Book 3), page 1
Oliver's Forbidden Mate
Ombra Pack Chronicles Book #3
Blake R. Wolfe
UwU Publishing
Copyright © 2023 Blake R. Wolfe
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This book was produced without the use of AI Generated Content.
Cover design by: GetCovers
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
Introduction
Hello, reader, and welcome to book #3 of the Ombra Pack Chronicles! Now that you’ve read about Parker’s journey and then Wyatt’s, I think it’s time we complete the trio by visiting Oliver.
Oliver is, by far, my favorite character in this series so far. He represents a few of the things that I want to be and a more carefree attitude that I wish I had sometimes. That said, I have the most in common with his mate, Charlie. We’ve been through many of the same experiences and know what that side of the track is like. Needless to say, this book and its characters are very dear to me. I’ve treated them with a lot of love, respect, and quite a bit of spice, so I know you’re going to love it!
Come join my newsletter for a free copy of Alpha’s Awakening and new release announcements by clicking here!
Without further ado, let’s get on with the show!
One: Oliver
There was only one thing better than walking through an autumn forest after a rainstorm. That was running through it on four legs, the wind streaming through my fur.
And that’s exactly what I was doing.
I’d left my clothes and shoes back at the edge of the forest, tucked in a small, protected cubby Parker had built for just such an occasion. Thanks to him and joining his Ombra Pack, I didn’t have to worry about running into humans while I was shifted. Ludington wasn’t known for having a thriving wolf population, and people tended to react poorly to the sight of me. However, I had an easier time than most getting away with it, thanks to my coloration. Looking like a Timber Wolf had its perks.
I was glad to have a place to run without worry. Leaving the old pack and joining Parker’s was easily the best decision I’d ever made. Not that the old pack was bad to me, per se, but they definitely weren’t super supportive. Being gay left me on the outskirts of the pack to begin with. But then my family was also nobody, so that practically made me invisible. So when I transferred to another pack, nobody in leadership blinked an eye. They just stamped the papers and sent me on my way.
The only person who threw a fit was my mother.
Guilt. Trip. City.
Let me tell you, that woman could put a catholic to shame. She had this incredible habit of making me feel bad for nearly everything. Or at least she used to. Nowadays, I was so numb to her constant nagging that I barely even noticed. But she had made quite a stink when I left the pack.
But I didn’t let that stop me. Parker and Wyatt had been my chosen family since I was a pup. Then, when I was ten, my father died, and my mom slipped into a deep depression that lasted years. Not that I blamed her for it, but it had been pretty lonely growing up by myself. That’s why I spent so much time with the other two, especially Parker. I practically lived at his house all through middle and high school. We got into a lot of trouble together and grew closer than I thought possible.
And when we both came out as gay, all bets were off. Everyone, including Wyatt, thought we’d end up together. Even I thought about that for a while. But as time passed, we slowly realized we weren’t mates. We loved each other, but not in the way both of us were searching for. Still, those were some of the best years of my life, and Parker would always have a special place in my heart.
However, life goes on. Parker moved away, and I had to make my own way in the world.
I just wished I had someone to share it with.
Bursting through the edge of the forest, my paws struck sand instead of leaves, kicking it up behind me as I headed for the shore. My jaw hung open as I panted, the crisp air filling my lungs over and over again. At the last moment, I skidded to a stop, the wet sand taking the impression of my large paws perfectly.
Lifting my head, I stared out over the inland sea in front of me. Lake Michigan never ceased to amaze me. The skies were gray, low dark clouds stretching to the horizon as it threatened to rain once more. The wind picked up, rustling my fur and driving five-foot waves against the shore, where they crashed and roared. I closed my eyes, letting my other senses take in the scene around me.
The scent of rain was thick on the wind, followed closely by warm water and fish. The lake had yet to cool completely, and its warmth was what drove these storms so late in the season. Underneath it all, I could just make out the scent of wet fallen leaves and the petrichor left by the recent rain. Altogether, it created a scent that I could only describe as autumn. Candle stores would have you believe the season smelled of cinnamon and sweets, but I knew better. Autumn smelled like compost and rain, with a sharp chill that heralded the coming of winter.
It was my favorite smell in the entire world.
And, unfortunately, I didn’t have long to enjoy it. Even though I’d managed to get up extra early for a morning run, the gym was still expecting me by nine. Today was my first day as their on-staff trainer, a job I’d been trying to get for the past two years. Thanks to perseverance, some good interview advice from Wyatt, and a dose of confidence from Parker, I’d landed it at last. Today was mostly orientation and paperwork, but tomorrow, I’d take on my first clients, and I couldn’t wait to get started. Helping people find their confidence and health through exercise was my passion, and working for the biggest gym in town made it a lot easier to make a living off of it.
Taking one last look at the lake, I turned my tail to the wind and sprinted back toward the gold-draped woods. The forest floor was a cacophony of color, and I slipped my way through it as I pushed myself harder and harder, trying to break my own record to make it back to the other side. Of course, being a wolf made it hard to keep accurate time, but I had a fair idea of how fast I was going.
I made it back quicker than I thought possible. At the last moment, I leaped into the air, shifting and landing on my bare feet as I skidded through the mud and fallen leaves. As a wolf, I couldn’t sweat, but the moment I turned back into a human, my entire body was drenched. I stood there at the edge of the forest, buck naked, panting like I’d just sprinted an entire marathon. Endorphins rushed through my system, and I couldn’t help but smile. The runner’s high wasn’t something the wolf part of me really experienced, but the rush once I shifted back nearly knocked me off my feet.
Grabbing a nearby tree to steady myself, I let my chest heave, gulping in lungfuls of air so the oxygen made its way to my muscles. I closed my eyes, feeling the rough bark under my fingers and the chill seep into the sweat covering my body. Everything was right and good in the world.
After a few moments, I pulled my clothes out of the cubby along with a towel I kept for just such occasions. Giving myself a quick wipe down, I pulled on my clothes and shoes before heading back across the yard for the driveway. A glance told me that Parker and Aiden were still asleep, the windows dark. However, as I looked the other way, I noticed a light coming from the barn. It was Aiden’s studio window, which meant he was busy painting. Whether he’d been up all night or up before dawn, I didn’t know. But I’d have to save socializing for another day.
As I approached my car, I wondered if Parker knew just how lucky he was. I wasn’t jealous of Aiden or anything like that, but I couldn’t help a tiny pang of envy. Parker wasn’t my mate that I’d come to terms with years ago.
However, I’d spent countless nights on my apartment balcony staring up at the stars, wondering when my mate would finally come along. Sure, hookups were fun, and I’d had more than my fair share of them in the gym showers in the past few years. But they just weren’t doing it for me anymore. I was tired of the connection only lasting as long as it took to cum. After that, they just became strangers in a crowd, the both of us walking away without even knowing one another’s names.
I longed for something special. Something that meant more. Maybe it was cliche, and maybe I’d watched far too many Hallmark movies, but it was what I wanted. And it wasn’t silly to want it, right? After all, both Parker and Wyatt had found their mates, and both of them were insanely happy.
When was it going to be my turn?
Two: Charlie
If I never saw a man again in my life, I would die happy.
And yet, I still caught myself ogling the hunky movers as they carried furniture up to my second-floor apartment. Their muscles bulged with each lift and pivot, their husky voices grunting as they hefted my heavy couch up the tight stairwell. It was enough to get the long-dead teenager in me all hot and bothered before I even had a moment to form a coherent thought.
But then I looked down at the heavy banker’s box held in my hands. It was full of pape
“Good fucking riddance,” I muttered under my breath as I hiked up the stairs behind the movers.
“What’s that?” one of them said, glancing back at me. “What did you say?”
I shook my head. “Oh… I just said to drop that in the main room there,” I replied, covering up my habit of talking to myself. “You can just push it up against a wall or something so it’s out of the way.”
“Right.”
“In fact,” I added, glancing back at the truck. “Just put everything in the main room except the bed.” I felt my shoulders tense as I looked at the mostly empty truck. “Not like I got to keep much anyway…”
The mover gave me a somewhat pitiful look, which just made me feel worse. For the past few months, I’d been having the grandest of all pity parties for myself. Not that I didn’t have a reason. When your husband comes home one day and says, ‘Hey, I don’t love you anymore, and by the way, I’m dating my barista now,’ it doesn’t leave you with an overwhelming sense of confidence.
At first, I tried to shoulder my trauma like a champ, pretending it didn’t bother me and that I was so much happier than I’d ever been. But after a while, my false bravado faded away, and all I was left with was a stack of papers, an ink pen, and a lawyer who didn’t give two shits about me. And now I was moving into a one-bedroom apartment by myself in a nowhere city that I’d chosen by throwing darts at a map.
No. That wasn’t a joke. I actually threw a dart at a map. I’d grown up in southern Tennessee, so moving to Michigan definitely wasn’t on my to-do list. However, there was no way I could stay in that town anymore. People knew who I was; they knew my husband, and he’d done his homework. Long before he told me he wanted a divorce, he started planting little lies in people’s heads to get them to feel bad for him and make me the bad guy. Even my own mother asked me what I’d done to him to make him so upset.
And that was the last straw.
That day, I bought a map, hung it up on the wall, and threw darts at it until one stuck. To my surprise, it landed on a little town called Ludington, MI. I didn’t even research the city before I called up six or seven apartment complexes and took the first one that had an opening. Within a week, there were moving men at my mom’s house packing up the remainder of my belongings. I barely even gave her a warning I was going. She always liked my ex-husband better anyway.
Maybe it was childish. Maybe it was a stupid move to leave my job and everyone I knew behind. But I didn’t care. I needed a hard reset in my life if I wanted to survive the crushing weight of failure on my shoulders. I was only twenty-four, and I already had a failed marriage under my belt. Talk about being an overachiever.
The moving men dumped my couch in the small living room, pushing it up against the far wall. I stepped aside to let them back out and dropped my box on the ground. Taking one glance at the tiny galley kitchen and the pathetically thin brown carpet, I flopped onto the couch and draped my arm over my eyes.
“Home sweet home,” I murmured sarcastically.
The place smelled like carpet cleaner and fresh paint, but underneath, I could pick out the years of cigarette smoke that had seeped into the walls. Downstairs the neighbor’s television played too loudly, and in the parking lot, I could hear the constant thudding of some asshole’s subwoofers in the back of his car.
Living here was going to take some getting used to. Up until that moment, I’d always lived in a house. My ex had been gifted a house right out of high school by his parents, and I’d moved in with him only a few months after we started dating. I’d somehow managed to completely skip the apartment section of my life… or… well, I guess it just took me longer to get there than some.
A half hour slowly ticked by as I listened to the sounds of the movers going up and down the stairs. They dropped my meager belongings into the living room and took my heavy mattress to the bedroom. I wasn’t sure if I’d fallen asleep or just lost myself to my thoughts, but the clearing of a throat nearly scared the life out of me.
“What?!” I gasped, bolting upright. “What’s wrong?!”
“Uh…” The two guys looked at one another. “We just wanted to let you know that we’re done.”
I sighed, running my hands through my ruffled dark hair. “Sorry,” I muttered, pushing myself up from the couch. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Nightmares.”
“Sorry to hear that…” the guy replied, clearly uncomfortable with the amount of depression oozing off me.
“Here,” I said, pushing myself up from the couch and taking out my wallet. I handed each of them a fifty-dollar bill as a tip. “Thanks for all your help. I apologize for not helping you bring stuff in.”
“It’s no problem, sir,” he nodded, taking the cash. “That’s what we’re here for.” Both of them headed for the door. “Enjoy your new home!” he added with a wave.
The door closed behind them, and I was left alone in the silence.
“Home…” I muttered. “Right…”
Time moved by slowly after that. For a while, I just sat on the couch staring at my phone, doomscrolling through whatever stupid videos popped up on my feed. Even though several of them were hilarious, I couldn’t force more than a half-assed smile. Eventually, my stomach’s grumblings grew too loud for even me to ignore, so I ordered food from a Mexican restaurant down the street. I figured the walk would do me some good.
Thanks to the divorce and comfort food, I’d put on more than a few pounds in the past few months. Not that there was anything wrong with it. Dad bods were all the range according to everyone on social media. But before, I had always been lean and strong, a product of several years of training throughout high school and college to maintain my place on the swim team. I’d already come to the conclusion that I needed to get back in the habit of taking care of myself, but I didn’t know if this new town even had a gym. Sure, Lake Michigan was only a couple miles from my apartment, but there was no fucking way I was going swimming in October. Besides… it probably had sharks in it or something. A shark defying all odds in freshwater only to eat me would be just my luck.
Throwing on my favorite oversized hoodie, I marched out the door and down the street, heading to the restaurant to pick up my order. I’d gone no more than two blocks when I found myself walking past the front of a large, nice-looking gym.
It was like the universe had read my mind.
I stopped for a moment, peering through the windows at the rows and rows of treadmills and weight-lifting equipment. There was a strange sense of longing in the pit of my stomach, harkening back to simpler times. Spending evenings in the gym with my best friends in college was the peak of my social life. To some, that sounded pathetic, but to me, it was no different than hanging out with friends at a frat party or at homecoming. That’s just where we saw each other the most.
Not to mention, there were several excellent memories that took place in the showers after the workout when endorphins were running high.
Fuck I missed having sex…
Before I even knew what I was doing, my hand was on the door, pulling it open. I stepped inside, and before I could back out, one of the desk attendants called out to me.
“Hey there! Welcome!” he said, flashing me his most charming smile. “Thanks for coming back!”
I furrowed my brows. “I… I’ve never been here before.”
“Well then, welcome for the first time,” he replied, completely nonplussed. “Do you have a membership with us, or are you just doing a drop-in today?”
“I’m not staying.”
The guy looked confused.
“I mean, I’m just checking the place out,” I corrected, shaking my head. “I just got done moving, and I don’t know anything about the town.”
He nodded. “Well, you’ve chosen the right place. And I’m not just saying that because I work here.” For some reason, I believed him. “This is probably the best gym in town. We’re not the cheapest, but we’ve got a huge range of equipment, massage tables, a sauna, and we even have personal trainers on staff if you’re looking for a more personalized touch.”
