Alphas Of Alaska Box Set Bundle

by Emma Knox

  "That doesn't sound like someone who belongs to a mighty pack to me."

  Zach kept pushing, literally looking Beau in the eye.

  "Hmm? Rhett?" Alpha Frost called out, standing up and coming over. "Did you bring that Omega you were talking about?" Finally, an interruption from my interrogating prick of a brother.

  "Dad, um, uh... Yeah, he's here." I cleared my throat and pointed to Beau.

  My father approached, and loomed over Beau, scrutinizing him.

  "So you're the one my boy is so ecstatic about."

  Beau nodded and gulped. He was terrified by everything around him.

  I thought about taking him and running, but Zachary and Alpha Frost had already set in.

  "You seem...unusual. Or maybe just too usual." Alpha Frost sniffed toward Beau.

  Triggered by their leader's curiosity, much of the rest of the house proceeded to sniff Beau's way too. Beau stood there uncomfortable and agitated but took the invasion of personal space like a true and victorious champ.

  Alpha Frost's hands curled into a ball. "Rhett, are you sure this is the one you're bonded to?"

  I nodded with faltering confidence. "Yes, he is. He's the one the fates have chosen for me."

  "Are you sure you're sure?"

  "I've never met an Omega I have felt stronger about, Dad."

  There was silence all through the house.

  They knew. Each and every one of them knew. The sense of scent was so strong, they could determine a creature's nature. What kind of shifter they were.

  Or in this case, maybe what kind of shifter they were not.

  Alpha Frost turned to me. "Is this some sort of sick twisted joke, Rhett?"

  "Why would it be?" My heart pounded in my chest and I began to sweat heavily.

  "You always have to defy me. You always have to shun our traditions. You gave up heir to leader of the pack to go be a business person in fucking Tampa. Now...now you bring...this...to my house, on my birthday, and try to get me to accept it into my pack?" He was so cruel he stooped so low as to refer to Beau as an ‘it’.

  "This? This is a he, Dad."

  "Don't you Dad me. I am your Alpha, Rhett. Show me proper respect."

  "Show respect to my mate, then."

  "Your mate is pathetic, and is nothing more than prey for the predators."

  I stood tall, facing him eye to eye. This wasn't the first time I had butted heads with the old man and probably wouldn’t be the last. I made a promise to Beau that I was going to stand up for him no matter what, and I certainly wasn’t going to go back on that promise now.

  What it was though was the most important one.

  "Listen here, Dad. Fate makes no mistakes. My heart is telling me that this is most definitely the case with Beau." I raised my voice. I wanted my whole family to hear me. "Beau is not a shifter. But he is mine. He is my mate, and I will protect him with my very life."

  "You're making a terrible mistake, Rhett," Alpha Frost fired back, his eyes ablaze with anger.

  "I'm not, Dad," I said, putting sarcasm in his title now. "Beau is carrying my pup. My child. Your grandchild!"

  Whispers throughout, the revelation a shock to them all. I was the black sheep who couldn't find his mate, and now I was on the path of fatherhood? It came as a pretty big surprise to them.

  Beau stood there, eyes wide, looking constantly on the verge of tears.

  "You impregnated this thing!" my father spat as if he were spewing bile at the mere disgusting thought.

  "He's not a fucking thing!" I shoved my old man, rage getting the best of me.

  Alpha Frost took a breath, and took a moment of silence to think. "I'm going to give you an opportunity to realize how stupid you are. You're going to tell this thing or he or whatever off, and you're going to never mention him again. This is not your mate. Your mate is a shifter, not some... some...whatever he is. He probably works in advertising or something pathetic like that."

  "I will not." I stood my ground.

  Alpha Frost was seething. "You got two choices here boy, either him...or your family. The people who raised you. The people you belong with by blood."

  "Fate makes no mistakes, Dad."

  "Get out of my house then. When you wise up, you can come back. Until then? I exile you from the pack, Rhett. You've disgraced us too much."

  I took a deep breath. For the past few days I had been psyching myself up, trying to prepare for the worst of it. I was prepared to fight my own father. Physically. A wolf on wolf battle to defend Beau's honor if it came to that.

  No matter how stoic I appeared though, his words were hurting. I almost would have preferred the brawl. It was one thing to enrage my father, but seeing him disappointed in me really broke my spirit.

  "Say whatever you want. Scorn me however you wish, try to punish me however, Dad. I'm not abandoning my mate. Not now. Not ever." I took Beau by the hand and noticed that his was shaking.

  The house was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. I had no idea if they were stunned at what Alpha Frost was saying, or my audacity in defying him. Even I was as surprised and stunned as everyone else, but it was too late to bow out now. The words had been said, and the hurt would dwell for a long time to come.

  "Come on, Beau." I gripped his hand, maybe a little too forcefully, but at least he knew I had officially claimed him in front of my entire family now.

  He nodded, but still looked pale. He was in a state of shock too, but I was sure it was due to very different reasons than the rest of my family. He was carrying my pup, and I needed to protect him from this metaphorical wasp nest in front of us.

  We walked away from Alpha Frost's cabin, and climbed into the car. Beau started the engine, but paused a moment, turning to face me. "You...you really did all that."

  "Did what?" I stared at him. I was numb from the inside out. It would take me a little while to realize the gravity of my actions, but even still, I never wanted to run away from Beau.

  "Your family wanted to damn near crucify me and you just stood your ground." He shook his head, clearly harboring feelings of both being impressed and befuddled at the same time.

  "And you're surprised, why?" I wasn’t sure if I should take offense or be gleeful.

  "Well, I...just never expected that,” Beau said quietly, looking sheepish.

  I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I told you that I wouldn't leave you to face this alone. That I would be there for you no matter what happened in there. That is exactly what you should have expected."

  Again, he was damn near tears, and again, this was likely for a very different reason than earlier. "I can't believe I have you, Rhett. You're both the strangest and best thing to ever happen to me." Beau sniffed and wiped his eyes as the fresh hormonal tears flowed.

  I laughed softly. I was ready to move on before I pounded my fist through a wall. I had a raging headache now too. "Hit the road, Beau. We did what we came here for."

  "Yes sir." Beau put it in gear as the tires spun off.

  The car rumbled over the snow, and I watched as Alpha Frost's cabin started to disappear into the horizon. I couldn’t bring myself to peel my eyes away, not yet. The nostalgia plagued me like a festering cold. My heart stung with longing, but I had to press forward on with my new future…with my new family.

  I hoped that it wouldn't be the last time I ever laid eyes on it, my dear and beloved cabin that still housed a million of my childhood memories, lingering there no matter if I was physically present or not.

  Chapter 12

  Rhett

  As much as it pained me to leave my pack behind, having Beau's Omega father be so welcoming and accepting of me was a breath of fresh air and distracted me from my own family drama, at least for a little while. He was friendly, happy to see me, and even happier to accept my offer to let him retire and enjoy life for a change. Beau and me had an appointment with him for a nice meal, and we wouldn't have missed it for the world. At least we could rest assured that we would always be embraced
by loving, and nonjudgmental arms.

  "I'm telling you, this place has the best brunches," he went on. "They have everything and they do it all fantastically." He waved his hands around with bursts of merriment and spoke in an enthusiastic tone.

  Hand in hand, I helped Beau up the stairs. The last few months had been rough, but that was par for the course for a first time Omega father. The body doesn't react well to a growing child inside of it, and is conflicted between helping it grow and treating it like some alien invader.

  Although I wasn’t the one physically having to deal with the physical qualms of carrying an Alpha child, I empathized with him because I knew he was suffering. I had to remind him that the end result would be worth it, but his grimacing didn’t prove his assurance in that fact.

  I hoped Beau was right in the research he had done, in that subsequent pregnancies would be easier as the body adapted to the notion of a growing child. Despite all the pains, he was ecstatic with hope for his future as a father.

  "Omelets and Scones?" Beau asked to his Omega father.

  "Yes, they have those. Is that what you're craving?" He gave a curiously delighted father.

  "Blueberry Scone and jalapeno omelet. That's what I'm craving."

  His father laughed out loud. "That at least sounds good to me when I'm not pregnant. I remember back when I was foraging around for peanut butter pineapple pizza."

  "Ohh..." Beau paused, staggering a bit. He suddenly went a tiny bit green.

  "You okay there?" I chimed in. To be honest, all of the food combinations they were discussing made me recoil slightly.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Shall we get our table?" He became less green.

  I guessed he was fine now. I still gave him a little rub on his shoulder and told him to take a few measured deep breaths.

  We found our seat. I'd moved us all down to Tampa for a bit more cheerful life. I made more than enough for all of us, and for an advertising campaign coordinator, Tampa offered a whole lot more opportunities for Beau if he so wanted them. Beau became even more beautiful when he had a tan as well as that lovely pregnant glow about him. He loved being near the beach too, and we would sometimes take a dip in the warm gulf waters, splashing playfully while we waited for our little bundle of joy to arrive.

  For his father, retirement in Florida seemed like the most natural thing in the world and it suited them both well. Besides, who wouldn’t be happy under the radiantly warm glow of the sun?

  The three of us around the table, it was actually kind of blissful. I never expected to take to mated life so easily. I still yearned to get home and be there for Beau, even if his father had proved to be an excellent substitute.

  Really, the guy had shared so much experience that I would have no idea how Beau would get through this without his help. He proved himself as a father far better than my absent Alpha dad.

  A waiter approached, notepad in hand. "Welcome to Terry's, how may I help you today?"

  "I'll have the French toast, extra powdered sugar, with the blueberry syrup," Beau's father said with a smile.

  "Steak," I said flatly. As a wolf, my taste buds required a certain palate.

  "For breakfast?" Beau asked.

  "Why not?" I chuckled and tousled his adorable head of hair.

  He shrugged. "Fair enough, to each his own."

  The waiter shrugged. "How would you like it?"

  "Rare. Very rare. Make sure it's still bleeding red. Hell, it could still be alive and I’d be fine with it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. One thing I have learned in my time away from the Frost pack is that places like Tampa don't really attract lots of more furry types such as myself. I guess I was unusual in that I could take the heat, unlike many in the Alpha packs.

  Most of the people down here were like Beau. Nothing special, no bestial power to call on. Just their wits, their two feet and two hands to help them survive.

  "And what about the expecting father?" the waiter asked, a smile on his face.

  "Oh... um..." Beau was looking down at the menu, hiding his face.

  "Didn't you want to try the scones, Beau?" his father suggested.

  "Uh... yeah... um...."

  I looked his way, and at his eyes. They weren't reading at all, and instead were just closed tight.

  "Um... uhh..."

  "Beau," I said straight, my hand on his. "What's bothering you?"

  "Um...uhh...ahh..."

  "Come on, tell me." My heart pounded in my chest with concern.

  He looked straight up at me, absolute fear in his gaze. "The pup is coming."

  That fear spread from him straight to me. Shit, this is really happening.

  Then I snapped out of it, stood up. "Sorry, cancel all that," I said with a forced smile to the waiter.

  "The pup is coming?" his father said. "Oh. Oh. Damn. Oh!" He shot up too, so abruptly that he knocked his chair over.

  "We need to get him home. Or to a hospital. Or something."

  "No...no hospitals," he stammered and waved his hand in protest as sweat formed on his brow.

  We had talked this over. He didn't want the massive bill and the whole horrible experience. He was hard headed, but I understood where he was coming from. He was the one who had to endure the birth, so I let him have his way. His father was strong enough to deliver him without being in a hospital, and so he would be too.

  "Come on. We need to go," I demanded, trying to help him up.

  His chair was soaking wet. That pup was coming and he wanted out fast.

  Beau could barely walk and each step he took looked like it was agony for him.

  So I did the quickest thing I could think of.

  I scooped him up in my burly, strong arms and I carried him.

  Darting down to the car, his father cleared the way for me.

  I carefully laid him in the back and climbed in with him, leaving the driving to the elder Omega.

  My mate was in such great pain, and all I could do was hold him, pet his hair, and just be there for him. I whispered to him that everything would be alright and that his pain would end soon enough.

  I grabbed my phone though and called a doctor. It was something I insisted on for Beau and for our pup. With him on his way, all I could do was brace myself.

  Beau squeezed my hand. "I... I don't deserve you, Rhett."

  "You're delirious." I rolled my eyes. He was always trying to butter me up, even through the relentless labor.

  "I mean it. I'm not just saying this because I'm in such terrible pain."

  "No, you're delirious if you believe that. You're mine, Beau. Never forget that. Nothing changes that, ever."

  He managed to give me a smile, and knowing how much pain he had to have been in, it meant the world to me…that beautiful smile.

  I waited outside of our room. The only signs of life in there being Beau's howls of pain.

  There wasn't much I could do right now. It was the doctor in there, and Beau's father in there offering some help where he could. I paced the floor, over and over again and ran a hand through my hair. I was anxious and restless, fidgety even.

  It was a tumultuous time for me, and that it was literally hours hardly helped me in any way.

  Time was torture, and I felt so alone without the support of Beau and his father.

  My own family was needed in a time like this. I needed them here to support me, to care for me. I could be strong for Beau during all of this, but sometimes I needed someone to be strong for me too. I too needed a shoulder I could lean on, damn it. Alpha Frost would have some old timey wisdom, and Zachary would make some absurd observation to take my mind things off for a time.

  I missed them every day. Sure, it'd been years from when I left Alpha Frost's cabin and moved to Tampa, but I always knew I could come back if I wanted.

  Now I couldn't. I wasn't going to do what was asked of me, and I don't know if Alpha Frost could ever change his old fashioned ways. Knowing I wasn’t welcome with my own family was gut wrenching to
rture.

  I thought about doing a phone call. Let him know that his grandchild was coming.

  No. I couldn't deal with the stress right now. Not with my mate struggling so close by. The arguing with my father to follow would dampen the euphoria of becoming a new dad and I didn’t need to create negativity where it didn’t exist.

  I gritted my teeth, and rocked back and forth in my chair, trying to endure everything as I waited for some news.

  When the doctor emerged, his face was covered, and I couldn't read him.

  He pulled it down, and there was a smile. "Congratulations, Alpha Father."

  Something was caught in my throat, and I rushed through the door. I couldn't stay away from Beau any longer.

  Beau was lying in bed, looking like ten miles of beautiful bad road. In his arms?

  My child.

  Our child.

  It was the most beautiful thing I could ever lay my eyes on. A perfect creation of love between us, in physical form for the whole world to see.

  "You did it. You got through it, Beau," I said, approaching him, and taking his hand into mine and cradling it there. I gave him a proud look and stroked his sweaty, red cheek.

  My other hand? It took the hand of my pup's. He squeezed it tightly. A future Alpha, one destined to have my strength and Beau's cleverness.

  "You did it too. I have no idea how terrible and arduous this would all be if I had to do it alone."

  Beau's father stepped to the side, and looked on at both of us. "You're going to be such a beautiful family."

  The elder Omega approached me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

  "I can rest well knowing that my son is being taken care of by such a caring Alpha, Rhett."

  I nodded his way. "Everything all right with the health and all that?"

  Beau was still exhausted, but his father spoke for him. "He had a bit of trouble getting the pup to come out, but the tyke eventually relented. Healthy, strong, all's looking good for the little lad."

  I looked to my mate. "Can we ask for a better result?"

  He shook his head. "No...this is just about perfect." His physically worn out face was splashed with joyful contentment.