Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Noel

I walked into the diner with two dollars in my pocket and nothing else, except for the small bag of clothes that I owned. I didn’t even have a real bag; it was just a square piece of fabric I’d tied together to make a bag. I wasn’t allowed to take anything else, though I didn’t want anything else from there, except maybe some food. Not for the first time, I wondered: had I really made the right choice?

The answer was a resounding yes.

Being starving and cold was better than the fate my family had in store for me. At least right now I was in charge of my future.

I sat down at the counter and smiled at the server behind the bar, hoping she would let me stay for a little while, even if all I could get was a cup of coffee. Maybe if I hung around long enough, they’d be tossing out old food they couldn’t sell. The pastries in the display case smelled delicious, and my stomach twisted in a way that felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

The positive thing about being a wolf shifter was that, worst-case scenario, I could simply shift to my wolf form and hunt for food. But being where we were right now, I’d have to be extremely careful. I would end up either on human lands, where wolves were uncommon, or on pack territory, where I would be punished for trespassing.

If you refuse to marry Alpha Iker, this pack will kick you out.

Words I had never expected to hear from my own mother. My father, standing next to her, arms crossed, a look of disappointment on his face—that was something I was used to. The two of them had three alpha sons. I was the last and only omega, something they had never wanted. They never ceased reminding me of it, either.

At least while I was there, I served a purpose to them. Now that I was gone, they’d have to get another person to do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. All they’d ever done was complain about my cooking, anyway. Which was bullshit. I was a fantastic cook. They were just cruel.

Oh, they accepted their alpha sons’ mates—all omegas—as part of the family. But an omega born into the family? No, absolutely not.

It didn’t help that I was scrawny. Other omegas at least looked better, but not me. Tall, lanky, floppy hair that didn’t behave no matter what I did, and—even more disgraceful—I wore glasses. What wolf could be of any use if they needed glasses to see? I didn’t need glasses in my wolf form, but no one cared about that little detail.

When my parents came to me and said that I had to marry old Alpha Iker—a 65-year-old man known for making inappropriate comments and doing other inappropriate things to young omegas—I knew it was time for me to go. I had been thinking about it for years. Surely there had to be a better place than here.

But where would I go? How would I get there?

Those were both problems I had to solve now, because I sat here with no money, no direction.

“What can I get you, sweetheart?” The server on the other side of the counter smiled kindly, a paper pad in her hand ready to write my order.

I bit my lip. “I’ve only got two dollars,” I said. “Can I buy a cup of coffee and stay here for a while?” My cheeks flushed red despite the cold. I hated that I needed help. “I won’t be able to afford a tip. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

Her smile turned sad, then brightened with kindness. “Stay as long as you like,” she said. “I’ll upgrade that coffee to a hot chocolate. Get a few calories in you.” She winked, and I wanted to weep with joy.

“Okay.” My voice cracked like I was going to collapse into tears right then. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.” Pride might take a hit, but I needed calories.

A moment later, she came back with a cup of hot chocolate. “We close in about an hour,” she said. “You can stay here till then. I might even give you a little goodie bag too,” she added.

This time, the crying happened, but I at least kept it silent. A lone tear slid down my cheek. “Thank you.”

I sat in silence for a while, without the energy to think about what I was going to do next. It was winter. I could buckle down in my wolf form, wander around until I found a place to ask for asylum. I didn’t know much about other packs, since my education had been sparse. I could blend into the human world, but again, I did not know how that would even work.

The couple in the booth behind me got up to leave. My gaze roved over their table. Would it be terrible to eat the remains of the pancake on their plate or the hashbrowns left on the other? Yeah. That would likely get me kicked out. A black coat sat in the booth, forgotten. I leapt up from my seat.

“Ma’am!” I called after the lady, catching her attention just as she reached the door. I grabbed the coat from the booth and held it for her to see. “Is this yours?”

“Oh, goodness!” She let out a laugh.

I walked it over to her.

“Thank you, I would have remembered it tomorrow and spent the day wondering where I left it!” She gave me a kind smile and turned to leave.

I returned to the chair where my hot chocolate was waiting.

“You look like you could use a vacation.”

A man sat next to me, seeming to appear out of nowhere. He had a long beard, rosy red cheeks, and a red leather coat. For a moment I thought I was looking at Father Snowcoat—the wolf shifter equivalent of Santa Claus. It was a myth we told our children about. The traveling white wolf who went around and left presents for kind packs in the night, especially during the winter months.

I snorted. “Yeah, I suppose a vacation wouldn’t be a terrible idea right now. I’m just wondering where I’m going to stay.”

“Down on your luck, are you?” He smiled kindly, his eyes beckoning me to lay out my entire story. I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to relive it.

I nodded. “Something like that.”

Could I really be so down on my luck? Was bad luck the only luck I had? I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been up on any luck.

“Well, let’s see if we can’t turn that around for you. That was a nice thing you did there. You could have kept that coat for yourself, kept yourself warm and maybe find a little cash in the pockets.”

I grimaced. I would never. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. Helping myself to something that wasn’t mine? No, thank you.

He slid a piece of paper across the counter to me. “I have some cabin rentals.”

“Oh, I can’t afford anything, sir.” I slid the paper back.

“No, no. Free of charge. One of the cabins is open for this week. Gives you some shelter from the storm we might be getting. I never like to have those empty when there’s bad weather coming in.”

It was too good to be true. Had to be too good to be true. “I can’t possibly accept—”

“Oh, yes, you can. I don’t think you can say no to a warm place to sleep. There’s canned food in the pantry you can eat, plus woods all around for any hunting you might do.”

I scented the air. The man was a shifter of some sort, so he must know what I was. “Are you sure? I can’t pay. I have nothing.”

“I’m absolutely positive. Hell, I can even drive you there if you want me to. You’d be doing me a favor keeping an eye on the place during the cold like this.”

“I can do that,” I said. Judging from its location, it wasn’t that far of a walk, and I didn’t want to impose any further. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you.”