The Omega's Heart (Wilde Creek Four)

  The Omega’s Heart

  (Wilde Creek Four)

  by R. E. Butler

  Copyright 2015 R. E. Butler

  The Omega’s Heart (Wilde Creek Four)

  By R. E. Butler

  License Notes

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Cover by Ramona Lockwood

  This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locations is coincidental.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content. It is intended for those older than the age of 18 only.

  * * * * *

  I’d like to thank Alexis Arendt for editing this story.

  Much thanks to my best sisterfriend and the twin of my heart, Joyce Bange, for beta-reading and for always being there.

  Thanks to Shelley Chastagner for her eagle-eye and graciousness with her time.

  Many heartfelt thanks to my Aunt B.L. and my husband. I love you both.

  Hugs and thanks to the Wild Shifter Babes Street Team for their continued support and all-around awesomeness.

  Special thanks to Chelsea Snow for stepping in when others failed, and for having my back in too many ways to count. Love you writer twin!!

  * * * * *

  Table of 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

  Contact the Author

  Also from R. E. Butler

  Coming Soon

  Chapter 1

  Honey Williams stood outside her father’s study and eavesdropped on his phone conversation. For the last few months, he’d been acting strangely, and she hadn’t been able to figure out what was going on with him. They’d never really been close — she’d wanted to be when she was younger, but he never had time for her. Her mother had run off with another wolf when Honey was a toddler. She had no actual memories of her mother, but she did have some pictures thanks to her grandmother, who moved in with them and raised her. Grandma Stacy wouldn’t talk about Vicky, Honey’s mother, but that probably had less to do with her own sadness than her father’s decree that no one could speak about her.

  She sucked in a slow breath and listened intently through the closed door.

  “I had hoped you’d be willing to come on the full moon,” her father said. There was a long pause and then he said, “Two days after? That’s acceptable, as long as she’s as pure as you say.” He snorted loudly and said, “I can’t promise the same thing, unfortunately, but the alliance favors us both, even if mine isn’t pure.”

  Pure? Why did he keep talking about something pure? And what ‘she’ was he referring to? Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she tiptoed quickly away, stopping in the kitchen before she answered.

  “Hey girl,” Trixie, her human best friend from college, nearly shouted after Honey answered.

  It was hard not to smile. Trixie was always enthusiastic. “Hi Trix. What’s up?”

  “I’m calling because you haven’t given me a final answer about the bachelorette party for Heidi on Saturday. She wants you there. You’re the one who introduced her to Rick.”

  Heidi, her other human best friend, had been a shy, quiet girl from a tiny town when she, Trixie, and Honey shared a room their freshman year in college. Honey had been invited to a wolf fraternity party and brought her friends with her, and Heidi had met Rick, who was almost as shy and quiet as she was.

  “I know. I haven’t decided yet. The full moon is Monday.”

  “Why can’t you celebrate the full moon with Rick’s pack? They’re really friendly and welcoming. Not like someone else’s pack I know.”

  Honey grimaced. “Every pack is different. I don’t expect you to understand. It’s not like being part of a family; it’s more complicated than that.”

  There was a long pause and Trixie said, “Rick’s dad is alpha. His sister, Ronda, has never lived under the oppression you have. I’m surprised your father let you go to college. He made you go home every full moon, and you couldn’t join any of the wolf sororities.”

  “I didn’t really want to.”

  “Oh, bullshit. Lycan Delta Ru had amazing parties, plus they did all kinds of community service projects around town, and I know you love helping people.”

  “Why are you harping on me about my pack?” Honey snapped.

  Trixie sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bitch. I just worry about you and I miss you.”

  Honey closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. “I miss you and Heidi, too. You don’t have to worry about me, okay? My dad is alpha. No one messes with me.”

  The strange phone call she’d just overheard flitted through her mind, but she pushed it away, even though it made her heart grow heavy with suspicion.

  “Okay, okay. I’m never going to stop worrying about you, though. You’re my best friend.”

  “You’re mine, too.”

  “So, the bachelorette party? I got chocolate suckers that look like dicks. It’ll be fun!”

  Honey laughed. “Well, that changes everything. I’ll see what my dad says, okay? No promises, but if I’m able to come I’ll have to leave in time to be back here for the full moon.”

  “Love you, bestie.”

  “Love you too.”

  Honey put the phone on the counter and stared at the blank screen. She wanted to be part of Heidi’s bachelorette party, but she purposely hadn’t talked to her dad about it because she was afraid he would say no. He was weird about the full moon. She’d never been allowed to miss one, no matter what was going on at college. One full moon she’d been honored for her high grades by the university president, but her dad didn’t care. He ordered her home, threatening not to allow her to return if she didn’t show up. In comparison to what other wolves dealt with in their own packs, she knew her pack was strict. Some packs were more progressive, but in her pack, the females had zero rights unless they were given them by their fathers or mates. Her father let her go to college, which was a small miracle in and of itself, but otherwise her activities were rigidly controlled.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she spun around to find the pack beta, Shred, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was a huge male, with scars on his neck and arms from many years of brutal fighting. His head was shaved, and his darkly tanned skin always looked dirty.

  She picked up her phone and slipped it into her back pocket. Shred gave her the creeps. He was always watching her. She glanced at the door to the back patio, but she didn’t have shoes or a coat on, and she didn’t want to go outside just to get away from him. Keeping her gaze down so she didn’t make eye contact, she walked slowly toward the doorway and tried to slip by him.

  She almost made it through, but he stopped her, shoving her shoulder and spinning her around so her cheek pressed against the open door and his thick fingers covered the back of her neck.

  She gasped in sho
ck, struggling to get away, but his grip tightened and she froze, knowing he could snap her neck in a heartbeat if he chose. His hand slipped down her back in a rough caress and she squeezed her eyes shut. He dug in her back pocket and pulled her phone free. Leaning into her, until she was pressed hard into the door, he held the phone where she could see it, entered her passcode, and scrolled through her recent calls.

  He grunted and shoved the phone into her pocket. He leaned harder, pushing her into the door. She squeaked out a protest. He bent, his lips brushing against her ear. “I would’ve liked to be the one to break you, little bitch. You would have been fun to play with.”

  He licked her cheek and chuckled darkly before pushing off the door and disappearing. Honey slipped to the floor in relief, gasping for breath and shaking. She struggled to her feet, forcing her trembling legs to hold her up as she hurried down the hall to Stacy’s bedroom. Shutting and locking the door, she sat down on the bed and hugged her arms around herself. Shred had always looked at her like he was thinking about all the vile things he wanted to do to her, but he’d never put his hands on her like that. She was tempted to go to her dad, but she knew that between the two of them, her father wouldn’t take her side. If Shred lied, he’d believe him. And even if Shred told the truth, she wasn’t sure her dad would care. All Shred had really done was check her phone. That he knew her passcode when she’d never given it to anyone was worrisome, but not nearly so much as the threat that Shred might ask her dad if he could play with her. The way he said play didn’t conjure images of a friendly game of checkers.

  She shuddered and scrubbed her cheek with her sleeve as she shoved the disgusting thoughts of Shred out of her mind. Stretching out on her back, she stared at the ceiling and willed herself to relax.

  Stacy had passed in the night six months ago, going to sleep and never waking up. Honey was still grieving, but coming into the room by herself and spending time with her grandma’s things helped her to not feel so sad. Today, when she was suddenly feeling like a noose was tightening around her throat because of her father’s strange conversation and Shred’s odd threat, she craved the solace of Stacy’s quiet room. Her grandma had a good, long life. She’d been Honey’s biggest supporter and the strongest woman she’d ever known. Lying on the handmade quilt that topped the full-size bed, Honey ran her hands over the lovingly stitched blanket and whispered, “I don’t have a good feeling in the pit of my stomach about my future, Grandma.”

  The response to her statement was silence; not that she’d expected to suddenly see the ghost of her grandma with some sage advice, but she liked to talk to her, sure that she could still hear her and was watching over her.

  She hummed, tilting her head in thought. Grandma Stacy had died six months ago. Three months ago, Honey had turned twenty-five and that was when her dad started to act weird. Although always rigid in his authority over her, he’d suddenly become downright stifling in his demands. She’d lived away from home in college, but had moved back after she graduated at twenty-three. Aside from her being part of the full moon hunts, he’d never asked or expected much of her. Then Stacy died, and suddenly her father restricted the freedoms she’d enjoyed, only allowing her to go to approved pack functions where he or his highly ranked males would keep an eye on her. And she’d twice found tracking software installed on her cell phone.

  Growing up in the pack-only small town of Wyling River, Honey had little interaction with humans until she went to college. She wanted to get out and explore the world a little before she settled down and found her mate. College was eye-opening. Wolf sororities and fraternities welcomed her as the daughter of a powerful alpha, males tried to woo her into choosing them as her mate, and all the females wanted to be her friend.

  The word ‘pure’ kept floating through her mind, and she wondered what her dad had been talking about. Whatever the ‘pure’ thing was, it was coming two days after the full moon, which was in six days.

  Her phone buzzed; she pulled it from her pocket and saw an alert about Heidi’s bachelorette party. She hadn’t planned to go, but maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. She could be back in time for the full moon on Monday, and since that was all that her father seemed to care about, he shouldn’t mind her going. Resolving to get away from Wyling River for a few days to clear her head, she texted Trixie that she was going to be able to attend.

  * * * * *

  The following morning, she knocked on her father’s study and waited for him to acknowledge her. She opened the door and found him behind the massive desk. He didn’t look up at her when she stepped onto the beige and red wool rug.

  “What?” he said gruffly, the pen flying over a yellow legal pad as he wrote swiftly.

  “I wanted to let you know that I’m going to Heidi’s bridal shower. It’s Saturday night in Redlin, and I’ll be home Sunday night.” She’d thought calling the bachelorette party a ‘bridal shower’ would sound better to her dad.

  “No.”

  She blinked. “What? She’s my best friend.”

  He lifted his head slowly. His eyes were ice cold, and a shiver threatened to wiggle down her spine. “I said no. Go to your room.”

  Alarm bells went off in her mind. She was twenty-five, not a child. Arguing with her father was not something she was going to attempt, though. Dropping her head until she looked at the rug, she showed her father her submission to his authority, though everything inside her shouted at her to rebel.

  He dismissed her with a grunt and she walked quickly out of the office. She didn’t know what was going on, but coupled with what she’d experienced with Shred and the overheard conversation of the day before, she had a bad feeling that something was going to go down after the full moon. She wasn’t about to stick around and find out what. Stopping at Stacy’s room, she gathered a few of her favorite belongings and set them in the center of the quilt, and then folded it up. Inside the precious bundle were Stacy’s diamond brooch, her favorite dark pink scarf, and her diary, which she’d kept under her pillow. Honey held the bundle against her chest and walked upstairs to her bedroom, closing and locking the door before heading to her closet to find a bag and pack.

  Because she knew her father read her texts, she sent a message to Trixie apologizing. “Something’s come up with the pack and I can’t come, sorry!”

  She was still leaving, though. She just wouldn’t go to Redlin, or anywhere her father might suspect. She definitely didn’t want to be around two days after the full moon, whenever the ‘pure’ thing showed up.

  She shivered again as she remembered her father’s dispassionate glare. He looked at her as if she weren’t worthy of being in the same room with him, as if she were beneath him. Even though she was a female in his pack and therefore an unranked omega, she was still his daughter. She wondered if that meant anything to him. If it ever had.

  Chapter 2

  Jeremiah Kincaid took a drink of beer and looked around the bar. Poke’s was packed, the Saturday night crowd a mixture of wolves and human. He looked for new faces in the crowd but didn’t see any, and mentally sighed at the prospect of another Saturday night alone.

  Adam Cruz sat down heavily on the bench next to Jeremiah, stifling a groan as he reached for his beer. He and Adam had been friends for a long time. They were both pack members and had grown up in Wilde Creek together. They’d shared similar futures at one time — planning to shift and take their place as protectors within the pack. But Adam was severely burned when he was fourteen, and when he shifted during his sixteenth year, the damage to his human body was severe enough that his wolf form was stunted as well. He couldn’t run as fast as the others in the pack or defend himself or others, so he was made an omega. Jeremiah thought Adam was lucky sometimes; at least he was able to shift. Jeremiah had spent his sixteenth year waiting anxiously to shift. Then his seventeenth year came, and he still hadn’t shifted. Every full moon that passed was another nail in the coffin of his future.

  He was a non, a full-blooded wolf who was un
able to shift. It was a quirk of DNA, like hair or eye color, and he had no control over it. In the old days, nons were often killed or banished, so he could be thankful he lived in the present with a pack that didn’t hold onto all the old ways.

  “I just got a text that Acksel wants the elders’ driveways shoveled in the morning,” Adam said. He played his fingers along the bottle, swiping at the condensation.

  Jeremiah sighed. “I’ll pick up the blowers tonight and gas them up, and then we can meet up in the morning. Whose house do you want to do first?”

  Adam made a face. “No one’s. I want to fucking sleep in for a change.”

  Jeremiah couldn’t help but glance around, wondering if any of the wolves near them had heard Adam’s angry tone. No one seemed to notice, and Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. He and Adam were basically at the beck and call of the alphas — Acksel Moore and his human mate Brynn. Some omegas had jobs outside of the pack; Acksel’s sister Eveny worked for Ferrity Construction, and Doc, the pack physician, ran a clinic from his home for pack members. But most omegas worked for the pack in whatever way they were asked. Sometimes Jeremiah got to do cool things, like make home repairs, but other times he felt like a glorified servant, running errands for the ranked pack members.

  Jeremiah looked at Adam, who was staring intently at the beer bottle. “Everything okay?”

  Adam snarled. “Aren’t you fucking tired of it?”

  “Sometimes,” he admitted.

  “Yeah, well I am. Before my dad got all tied up in gambling and screwed up his life, he was a high-ranked male in his day. He could have been alpha. But he had to go and fuck with the wrong people and ruin my life.” Adam’s hand clenched around the bottle and Jeremiah wondered if it would shatter.