Page 4 of His Snowbound Omega

Thorn pushed himself back to his feet, but had only taken a few steps before a feeling of unease raced down his spine. He didn’t have to look around to know he was being watched.

He went still again, weighing his options, trying to gauge how near or far whoever was staring at him was. The chance itwas simply another omega was too slim to even hope for, but he couldn’t help but wonder why an alpha would be taking his time.

Unless he was playing with Thorn.

A flash of indignation spurred him on, and in the next instant, Thorn burst forward, pushing himself into a mad dash. He weaved through the trees, bracing himself against trunks and pushing for more momentum. His palms were rubbed raw within minutes, but the adrenaline crashing through his veins kept him from noticing.

He heard nothing through the pounding of his own heart and the sounds he made as he went, but that feeling of being watched never disappeared, following him through the wilderness like a ghost.

When the first sight of Cabin H6 came into view, Thorn almost sobbed in relief. With only moonlight to guide him, he picked up the pace, using the last stores of energy he had available. The cabin promised shelter and safety and warmth.

It promised freedom from his dad’s mistakes.

A better life.

His feet pounded up the wooden steps, and he practically threw himself at the door, frozen fingers struggling with the metal handle, losing precious seconds in the process. He’d just gotten the latch undone when he heard it, the first sound made by his pursuer, a heavy thump from behind, and Thorn shoved the door open and was just about to cross the threshold when—

Someone planted a hand on his back and shoved him forward.

Thorn went sailing into the cabin, landing on the ground with a hard whack that sent pain radiating through his hip and left shoulder. He scrambled to make sense of what had just happened, shifting onto his bottom and scuttling back when a massive, dark shape entered the cabin after him.

In the darkness, the size of him was all he could make out, that and the barest hint of gingerbread, warm, spicy, and sweet.

The shape allowed the door to close behind him, and then he reached out to the wall.

The lights flickered to life, momentarily blinding Thorn, and he squeezed his eyes shut and blocked his face protectively, still struggling to process this new situation.

A low hum filled the room, followed by a gust of warmth as the heat kicked in. Snow melted from Thorn’s shoulders and sneakers, dripping onto the floorboards, but it took longer for the chill to leave him, and he shivered, and finally lowered his arm.

“Boo.” The alpha grinned at him, leaning back against the door, arms crossed over his broad chest. Thick snowflakes decorated his inky hair, slowly melting away the longer they stared at one another. His clothes were…odd.

He wasn’t dressed for a run through the woods, that was for sure. An all-black suit and a peacoat.

Thorn’s gaze dropped to his feet.

Oxfords.

Even Thorn’s sneakers were better than those.

“Eyes up here, omega,” the alpha’s voice was silky and smooth, like melted chocolate, and his eyes, like glaciers under the sun, practically scalded Thorn’s skin when he took him in. “Look at you. Aren’t you a pretty one?”

“I…” His voice cracked, probably from all the huffing and puffing he’d done, and he was forced to pause and try again. “I made it to the cabin.” He smoothed his palms pointedly over the floorboards as if to emphasize. “I made it. You can’t do anything to me.”

“Correction. Youalmostmade it.”

“No,” he shook his head, “No, I made it. I’m here. The rules—”

“Stated you had to make it into a safe zone before getting caught,” he purred. “If you remember correctly, I did catch you.”

“Youpushedme!”

“Think of it as tag. It still counts. Which means,” he straightened to his full height, an impressive six foot five, “I won.”

“No.” He refused to believe that, scrambling onto his feet. His legs shook and he was forced to grab onto the back of the tweed couch to his left, but managed to remain upright at least.

The cabin was small, cozy, with a kitchen area to the right and a living space to the left. There was a fireplace, a single couch big enough to fit even the alpha in front of him, and a short hallway directly behind Thorn. If he wasn’t mistaken, that must lead to the bedroom or the bathroom, either of which was sure to have a lock. If he could make it—

“Run,” the alpha’s tone took on a hard edge, “and I won’t play nice.”