Page 3

Wade

The temperature kept dropping, and the wind kept roaring, so I kept walking. As long as I continued moving, I wouldn’t freeze to death—or at least that was my logic. Eventually, I’d find someplace to stay, even if it was just an area with enough brush to keep the wind at bay or someone’s unlocked car. Not that I’d seen a car in the past hour. I’d officially traveled to the middle of nowhere.

The wind howled, scents rushing past me—everything from car exhaust to animals to people, some possibly shifters, and the unmistakable scent that was impending snow. I couldn’t keep track all of them and had no idea their origin. Shit, if I was scenting exhaust and couldn’t see or hear any cars, it might be miles away—the wind was that strong and fast.

I wasn’t used to this kind of wind, at least not as a pedestrian. A couple of times, I nearly fell over, it was so strong. And the way it had the cold settling into me was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

Then the glow of electric lights came into view. At first, I thought I was reaching a neighborhood, but, as I got closer, I realized it was the resort the kid at the gas station had mentioned. There was a main building, but there were also cabins. It wasn’t huge, by any stretch, but it had room for a decent number of people.

As a rule, I try to be honest, to follow the law, to give back more than I take, but tonight? Tonight, I was crossing my fingers and toes that one of the cabins would be empty and I could break in for the night. I’d leave a little money for housekeeping—it wasn’t their fault—but I needed a place to stay. Outside just wasn’t going to cut it, and my money wasn’t going to get me farther than the clerk showing me the door.

At least breaking in and sleeping was the plan until I broke into the clearing where I immediately scented shifters. I wasn’t going to be able to hide in a cabin without being discovered. Not with shifters around. Had the weather not been getting progressively worse, I’d have turned my pregnant butt around. But it was and I needed this place.

The only thing keeping me from panic was that I hadn’t crossed a den or pack line. This wasn’t a marked territory, meaning, I wasn’t breaking the laws of my kind by being here. In that respect, this place was safe. All I could do was cross my fingers that whoever was running the resort was not only nice but also human—a very clueless human. If all went well, they’d just think I was horrifically scarred and not what I truly was: excommunicated from my kind.

I didn’t even get to the front door before someone came bounding toward me. “It’s too cold to be out here.”

He grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.

“Elias!” a rich voice boomed from inside. “You left the door open—it’s cold!”

“I had to. We have guests!” Apparently, the guy holding my hand and dragging me in was named Elias. When we got inside, he stopped walking, instead bouncing on his toes. “I didn’t know we had anybody coming in, Theo.”

“Neither did I, but it looks like we do.” Standing behind the front desk was a man who might as well have been Santa, minus the cool uniform. “How many days are you looking for?”

“How much is the rate?” I asked, putting my pack on the counter and taking out the money I had. It ended up being closer to forty-seven dollars when I pulled out the coins. There was no way that was enough.

“Is that all you have?” Theo whispered.

I nodded. “Yeah, but I can, you know, clean. Or maybe I could stay in the storeroom? I’m not picky—it’s just, I was going to sleep outside. I have a sleeping bag in here, but the wind is just so cold tonight.”

“Do you have another bag?” Elias was still for the first time since I arrived.

I shook my head.

“So, your sleeping bag is in there with all of your things?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re having a baby?”

As scrawny as I was, I was very clearly with child. I didn’t look quite as pregnant as I should and that did worry me, but I could hardly stop by at a random midwife on my quest to find us a place to put down some roots. And even if I could, I didn’t have any money to pay them.

As Elias asked the questions, my situation felt more and more dire.

“Yes. I’m pregnant.” I refused to sound at all embarrassed by my answer. Did I wish I had a better life lined up for my little one? Absolutely. Did I wish they were created out of love and not force? Also, yes. But I wasn’t embarrassed they existed, nor would I ever be. They were my cub, and I loved them more than I thought it possible to love anyone.

“Well, then, put that away.” Theo slid the cash back in my direction. “Your money is no good here.”

“Is it because—” My hand went to my face.

“No, omega, it’s not because of that. It’s because I have a place you can stay, and it’s Christmastime. There’s no way I’m taking what little money you have. The only problem is, you’re going to have to go back outside again for a little bit because it’s in one of the cabins.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t even try to hide the emotions I was feeling. It wasn’t a weakness to be overwhelmed by the compassion shown by another.

We walked outside and down toward the cabin. He unlocked it, and it was small, clean, cozy, and—best of all—warm.

“A basket on the counter that has some basic foods. A few things in the cupboard and fridge. Nothing too fancy, but we can take care of getting you more tomorrow. There’s enough there for a starter pack. Towels are in the bathroom; toiletries are there too.”

“You do this for all your guests?” I couldn’t have managed to afford this place even on my wealthiest day, which wasn’t a ton of money, but a whole lot more than the less than fifty bucks I had now.

“The baskets, etc.? Yeah, that’s kind of what we do.” He shrugged it off as if it were commonplace and maybe in this industry it was. I had no idea. I’d never stayed in even a motel before I was kicked out of the pack, and then it was always places barely standing. “You met my husband, Elias—it was his idea.”

I loved the pride in his voice.

“I’ll pay you back when I can. I promise.”

“You can pay me back by not having me worry that you’re out in the middle of the night, having a baby in the cold.”

I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that even if I left right now, I wouldn’t be that omega. I couldn’t. He wasn’t far off on my dates. From my guess, I was ready to give birth any time now.

“Thank you.”

He made me promise to come get him if I ran out of food or needed anything. He also pointed out a folder on the desk with all the amenities, including laundry. It was such a big deal that he was even letting me stay here, and he was treating me like I was one of his top-dollar paying guests.

As soon as he finished explaining everything and went on his way, I headed straight into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken one. It had been weeks at least. I’d done some cleaning up in gas stations and coffee shop bathrooms, and I’d once attempted a river bath—that hadn’t gone well. But I hadn’t stayed anywhere with actual running water since a campsite, at least a full moon ago.

The hot water running down my skin felt amazing. I’d have stayed in there a lot longer had the water not cooled. I dried off, dreading the idea of putting on my dirty clothes. Then I saw the hook on the back of the door—on it was a bathrobe, one fit for a king.

I pulled it on just as I heard the cabin door open.