The Omega Purebred (Hell's Wolves MC Book 2) Read online

  © Copyright 2019 by J.L. Wilder- All rights reserved.

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  The Omega Purebred

  By: J.L. Wilder

  Click to Receive a Free Copy of Brother’s Wolf (Full length)

  Table of Contents

  The Omega Purebred

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  More Books by J.L. Wilder

  About The Author

  The Omega Purebred

  Chapter One

  HAZEL

  Hazel laid back in the warm bath water and closed her eyes, soaking away the day. It had been a particularly enjoyable one, but she always came to her sleeping quarters tired after days like this. She was glad she had the time to relax and luxuriate in the tub.

  She had been awakened, as always, promptly at seven a.m. Her alpha, Matthew, was strict about sleeping in, and while Hazel was often able to get away with things other members of her pack couldn’t have, he made no exceptions for her here. Anyone who wasn’t out of bed and ready to go by seven thirty would miss breakfast.

  After breakfast, she had gone outside. It was a beautiful coastal day, perfect for spending an hour in the yard doing yoga. The high privacy fence hid her from prying eyes as she went through two hours of sun salutations, her well-toned body reveling in the exercise.

  She had spent the afternoon reading in the library. It wasn’t really necessary for an omega to be educated, but Hazel enjoyed reading and had asked her packmates to give her a book list.

  “You’re crazy,” Paulie had said. “Why would you want to spend time reading when you don’t have to?” As a beta, Paulie was required to spend eight hours a day in lessons. He would be released from that requirement if he ever got a job, but so far, Paulie had been unemployable. He came home from interview after interview scowling and complaining about how the world wasn’t treating him fairly.

  Hazel did feel bad for him. She had no idea how she would fare in job interviews, and she had to admit that she was grateful for the fact that she’d never have to find out. Omegas didn’t work outside the home.

  Especially, omegas like her.

  She climbed out of the bath, grabbed her towel, and wrapped herself up in it. The towel had been a gift from Matthew after she’d complained that the rest of the towels in the house were too small. She’d felt guilty for accepting it, as she always did when Matthew showered her with gifts or special treatment, but she’d reasoned that there was nothing to be gained by not taking it. Besides, it wasn’t as if the rest of the pack was suffering.

  “You’re allowed to let him pamper you,” Hazel’s best friend, Paisley, often said. “You’re going to be carrying a litter for the whole pack in just a few years. It’s only fair that you should get a few perks out of it.”

  But Hazel didn’t really need perks, she thought, as she toweled herself off. She was happy to be the pack’s omega. She loved the idea of being pregnant someday, of carrying a huge litter of pups. She rested her hand on her flat stomach and regarded her reflection for a moment, then arched her back and tried to push out her stomach. What would she look like when her body began to swell with pregnancy? How big would she get before her litter was born?

  Hazel also looked forward to the idea of being a mother. Her own parents had died when Hazel and her littermates were just toddlers, and their family had quickly been divided up. To this day, she wasn’t sure where all her brothers and sisters had landed. None of them were here in this pack with her; that was all she could say with confidence.

  Of course, as the omega, it had been easy for Hazel to find a new living situation. And the fact that she was a purebred had made it even easier. “We smelled you a mile away,” Matthew told her, when she asked at the age of eleven how she’d come to join his pack. “You were hanging out behind a family-owned restaurant. I think you were hoping someone would come out and give you food. Well, we couldn’t just leave a little omega out in the cold, could we?”

  “And you didn’t see any others?” Hazel had asked. “You never saw my brothers or sisters?”

  “No,” Matthew said. “It was just you. You know, omega children are usually the smallest and the weakest. They probably abandoned you for their own survival.” He’d hugged her. “They were only babies themselves, though, Hazel.”

  “I know,” she’d said. But she hadn’t been able to help feeling betrayed. Shouldn’t her siblings have helped to take care of her? Shouldn’t they have stuck together?

  It was a thought that had troubled her throughout her childhood. But she was over it now. She was lucky to have a new family, a family that loved and valued her. The past didn’t matter.

  Today marked Hazel’s twenty-third birthday. She had officially reached what Matthew considered to be prime breeding age, and she knew that it was probably a matter of weeks before she was paired up with a member of the pack. She had spent a lot of time wondering who her new mate would be. There were plenty of likely enough beta males of the right age, but ultimately, Matthew would be the one who made the decision. He would choose with the best interest of the pack in mind.

  Her brooding was interrupted by a knock at the bathroom door. “Hazel? Are you almost finished in there?”

  Paisley. “Just about.” She wrapped the towel around herself again in case any of the girls outside got any ideas about opening the bathroom door.

  “Everyone’s waiting,” Paisley sang out.

  Hazel closed her eyes. She had mixed feelings about her birthday celebration tonight. The party would be fun, she was sure, but Paisley was almost definitely going to want to beautify her to within an inch of her life for the occasion. Hazel would have preferred to keep things simple and natural.

  She sighed. There was no use putting off the inevitable. Mustering her strength, she stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom.

  Immediately, she was greeted by squeals. All the young women in the pack had gathered for the occasion. Hands found her and steered her into a chair, where someone set about attacking her long, white-blonde hair with a brush and a bottle of spray. Paisley knelt in front of her with about seven different trays of cosmetics. “Close your eyes,” she instructed.

  “Aw, Paisley, do we really have to do all the makeup?”

  “Yes. Close your eyes.” Hazel did so, and immediately felt the tickle of a brush on her eyelids. “You know it’s not every day an omega comes of age,” Paisley said. “Especially, not a purebred omega.”

  “It’s not that big a deal,” Hazel said, although she knew it was.

  “Of course, it is,” Paisley said. “You’re the last omega in the Cavallon line. That line goes all the way back to the 1700s.”

  “How do we even know she’s a Cavallon?” Gianna asked. Hazel had always had the distinct feeling that Gianna
didn’t like her much. “We found her on the street, right? She could be anybody.”

  “Matthew had her DNA tested,” said Rita, coming into the room in time to hear the question. The rest of the women parted before her, allowing her through. Rita was married to Matthew, and as the wife of the alpha, she had automatic dominance in any group of women in the pack. “You know that, Gianna. Cavallon DNA is a matter of public record, since their line has been producing omegas consistently for centuries.” She sat down behind Hazel, and Hazel felt her hair passed into the older woman’s gentle hands. “The Cavallon line is older than our country,” Rita said. “The original Cavallons were some of the earliest European settlers on the continent.”

  “We know all this,” Gianna said, sounding irritated.

  One of the younger girls hushed her. Hazel was glad. She knew the story too, but she always liked hearing it. It made her feel closer to the family she’d never known. Besides, she thought, Gianna was the one to bring it up in the first place. She shouldn’t have asked the question if she didn’t want to hear the answer.

  Rita’s hands worked expertly through Hazel’s hair. “The original matriarch of the Cavallons was an omega,” she said. “She gave birth to a litter that included another omega, and some years later, that girl gave birth to another omega. With every generation, the strength of the omega gene grew. The sizes of the litters born to these women didn’t always increase by generation, but over time, the trend has been one of consistent growth. And Hazel is the direct descendent of that line. Hand me a bobby pin.”

  Someone did. Hazel felt the pin scrape her skull as Rita tucked it into her hair.

  “Everyone knows that omegas can carry and give birth to litters of multiple pups at a time,” Rita said. “But an omega like Hazel, a purebred omega descended from a direct line of centuries of omegas, will be able to carry a much larger litter than most other omegas would.”

  Hazel felt warm inside. It was wonderful to think that she was part of such a rich heritage. She liked thinking of her mother and her grandmother and all the women who had come before her, back and back throughout the centuries. She wondered what they would say if they could see her today, on her twenty-third birthday, about to begin her own journey as a mother.

  When the hair and makeup was completely done, Paisley helped Hazel stand on the chair. Rita and the others lifted the ornate ivory dress that had been purchased for the occasion over her head. Hazel felt like a princess standing there as her packmates fastened up the back of the dress and exclaimed over how beautiful she was. She had been hesitant about getting all dolled up for this, but she had to admit, it was kind of fun to be the center of attention.

  “All right, everyone,” Rita said. “Downstairs. Hazel, you and I are last.”

  The girls lined up and filed out of the room, every one of them excited and giggling. “Are you ready for this?” Rita asked her quietly.

  “I think so,” Hazel said.

  “It’s normal to feel nervous.”

  “I’m nervous, but I’m excited.” Hazel hesitated. “Nothing’s going to happen tonight, is it?”

  “No,” Rita said. “Tonight is just about celebrating you. Matthew is still making a decision as to who you should be mated with.” She smiled. “I know it can be an intimidating time. If there’s anyone you like, anyone you’re hoping for...you should let me know. I can put a bug in Matthew’s ear. It’s always best when mated couples actually like each other.”

  Hazel shook her head. “There’s no one.”

  “You don’t have your eye on any of the men in the pack?”

  “No,” Hazel said. “They’re all nice. I mean, I like them. But no, there’s no one special. I guess any one of them would be as good as another.”

  “Okay,” Rita said. “It’s good that you’re flexible. Matthew will appreciate that. I’ll let him know.” But she did look a little worried. Hazel thought she could understand why. An omega who wanted to become a mother was all well and good, but there was something important that had to happen before pregnancy and motherhood, and so far, Hazel hadn’t shown any enthusiasm at all for that part of her omega life.

  To be honest, she hadn’t felt any. What she’d told Rita was true. All the men in the pack were certainly nice enough, and she thought she’d be happy to be paired with any of them. But she didn’t feel any intensity or passion, any desire, any love. When it came to the actual baby making, she thought, she would just have to grit her teeth and get through it.

  They didn’t need to worry. She would happily do that for her pack.

  THE BIRTHDAY DINNER was extravagant. The long mahogany table in the dining room was big enough to seat the entire pack, and it had been filled with delicious foods—roast turkeys, platters of steak, boiled lobster, bowls heaping with mashed potatoes and tureens of gravy, and a three-tiered cake for dessert. Everyone stood as Hazel entered the room, and they remained standing until she had taken the seat of honor at the very center of the table. She was served first from every dish that night, and her packmates took turns telling stories about her childhood and coming of age.

  It was a part of her life that was now over.

  That was a bittersweet feeling, and Hazel felt strangely like crying as the cake was cut and plates were handed around. She was looking forward to what came next, to being a mother and raising children of her own. But it was sad to think that her own youth was behind her. She would miss the free hours spent meditating in the yard and reading in the library. She would miss sneaking out of bed at night, staying up late to gossip with Paisley

  She took a deep breath, hitched a smile onto her face, and accepted the piece of cake that came her way. It was no more than her duty. It was, she thought, what her mother and grandmother and all the powerful omega women in her family would have expected of her. She had to accept her role in the pack.

  When the last of the plates had been cleared, everyone got to their feet and began gathering dishes to take to the kitchen. Cleaning up after dinner was always a pack event. There was always enough work for everyone to help. Someone would wash and someone would dry. Someone would pack away the leftovers, and someone else would fetch serving dishes from the dining room and bring them into the kitchen.

  Hazel stood up to join them.

  Everyone waved their hands at her and shouted her down. “Sit, sit,” Matthew said. “Today is your day, Hazel. You don’t have to help clean up.”

  “I don’t mind.” She wanted to help, actually. She wanted to feel like things were normal. The realization that her childhood was ending today had thrown her a little.

  But the others shook their heads. “We’ve got it covered,” Rita insisted. “You take some time for yourself. No work for our omega on her special day.”

  Defeated, Hazel decided to head out to the backyard for a walk. The house in which her pack lived was old and enormous, set on the side of a hill, and from the balcony, you could see the ocean. She wouldn’t be able to see it in the yard, but she would be able to smell it. She would be able to hear the no-see-em bugs that frequented this part of the country during the summer, and she would be able to smell the sweetgrass. It would feel familiar. Safe. Like home.

  She knew that she probably wouldn’t be allowed outside in her nice dress. Even though her pack had plenty of money, Matthew didn’t approve of waste, and he would worry about her getting grass stains on the expensive garment. But I’m never going to wear it again, she rationalized to herself. You only turn twenty-three once.

  So, she waited until no one was watching. Then she opened the sliding glass door that led outside and slipped through.

  The sun was already starting to set, and sure enough, she could hear the bugs and the crash of the waves in the distance. She could smell the salt in the air. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensations.

  If only she could shift.

  Sensations that were enjoyable in human form would be absolutely intoxicating in wolf form. Hazel loved slipping into her animal
alter ego. She loved the way the earth felt under her paws and the way scents seemed to grow ten times stronger. Even the taste of food was wonderful as a wolf.

  But it was too risky, right in the backyard like this. She would be seen.

  Unless she were to slip off on her own...

  Hazel glanced over her shoulder. Nobody was watching. They were all busy cleaning. It was dark out, and the stretch of beach behind the house would be deserted. She could go down to the water. She could shift and go for a quick run in the surf. If she was back quickly, nobody would be any the wiser.

  As Matthew and Rita had said, today was her day. Why not take advantage of it?

  Quickly and quietly, Hazel opened the gate and stepped out onto the sidewalk. There was only one street between her and the beach. All she had to do was to cross it and run down the sand, and she would be free to transform.

  But she was stopped in her tracks by the arrival of a white van.

  She had only a moment to register how strange it was to see traffic on this road before the back doors of the van were flung open. Two men jumped out.

  Run! Hazel thought. But she couldn’t move. She was frozen in place, too frightened to even breathe. She had never been out of the yard without an escort before. Why the hell had she done this?

  “Is this the omega?” one of the men asked.

  “Smell her,” said the other.

  To Hazel’s horror, the first man grabbed her and pulled her close. He bent his head to her neck and inhaled deeply. “It’s her,” he said. “No doubt about it. She’s a ripe one.”

  “Okay. Bag her.”

  Hazel didn’t even have time to scream. The man flung her into the back of the van and jumped in after her. The doors were slammed shut, leaving them in pitch darkness.

  Then the van began to move.

  Terror broke over Hazel like a wave. She didn’t know who these men were or what they were going to do, but she knew one thing. These were kidnappers. And whatever they had in mind for her was bound to be horrific.