Omega Wanted: Bad Boy Mpreg Romance

by Stephan James

  Noah stood up and brushed off his knees, and then sighed and tilted his head a little. “Alright. I’ll go along with this.”

  I just hope I don’t have to get too involved with any crazy people.

  As it turned out, Gale wasn’t as lucky from the struggle with the four men and the dragon as he had thought. His phone was inoperable and half-melted, and his debit card was completely lost. There was nothing to do but brush himself off the best he could and just keep on walking down this same stupid path, even though his legs hated him and his stomach was aching.

  Noon found him suddenly stumbling out of the woods and into the middle of a highway. Gale stared around, turning this way and that. In one direction, the highway continued on endlessly, but in the other, a city opened up from nowhere. His jaw dropped as he saw it.

  “Where did that come from?” he whispered. It looked like a smaller version of New York, with towering buildings and signs all over. As he started walking, he realized that he didn’t see very many cars and figured that this was like a lot of other places in Europe where public transportation ran much better than in America. Was this the capital of Moldova, then? He hadn’t seen any other place quite like it while hitchhiking through this tiny, forgettable little country.

  Well, that wasn’t any concern of his. His biggest concern was going to be finding someone who would let him use their phone and make a call overseas. He didn’t even have any money to give them to help pay for it.

  As he was walking down the sidewalk past a length of storefronts, Gale suddenly froze in his tracks. He didn’t even know his parents’ numbers! How was he supposed to contact anyone?

  Disturbed and starting to panic, Gale ran in the direction of a long stretch of blue signs depicting a hat and badge, praying that meant the police station.

  Unfortunately, no one in the police station spoke English. They stared at him as if he was crazy, and a large woman with a moustache seemed to be very angry that he was in there at all. Having learned from his experience at the inn with the ATMs, Gale turned on his heel and went right back out. He walked and didn’t run, so the police wouldn’t feel obligated to follow him.

  “But now what?” he sighed, slumping down onto a bus stop bench several blocks down the road.

  “Ah…Scuzati-ma?”

  He looked up from where he had set his head in his hands to find another large woman staring at him, but her eyes were kind. Her nose was too thin for her jolly face, though.

  “What is it?” he said blandly.

  “Vorbiti romana?” she said kindly.

  He figured she was probably asking what language he was speaking, so he shook his head. “English.”

  “Oh, Engleza!” She plopped her body down on the bench beside him and then reached out to lay her hand on his thigh. “It has been long time since any English speak here. Why sad?”

  Gale stared at her, now. Why did she care? Then again, no one else this whole time had been as kind to him as this lady was being right now. “Well…” He hesitated and then decided to give her the abridged version. “I ran out of money. I got mugged and they took all my stuff. I don’t have anywhere to stay and I can’t call my parents. The police don’t speak English.”

  “Ah,” she nodded again vigorously. His voice had been close to breaking, but he found that he at least felt a little better when she started patting his thigh gently. “It will be okay. Politie? Police are not…Ah, they have a lot of troubles right now. Will not listen to you or foolish old lady. You should go to castle.”

  “A castle?” Gale furrowed his eyebrows. He hadn’t known there were actually still castles up and functioning in real-life.

  “Yes. Officials at castle speak many language. They have authority. Will be able to help you.”

  “But why would they help me when the police won’t?”

  A wry smile came over her face, and she seemed to be struggling how to explain with her albeit spectacular grasp of his language. For the first time in his life, he found himself regretting not having learned a different language in school. “Police do not have to worry about politics for other countries. Officials at castle do, yes? Our prince, he is training, but Council should help.”

  Then, she gave him directions and advised that he just keep demanding to see someone who could help him and keep repeating his situation until eventually someone helped him. Gale was pretty sure that was a way to get shot and dumped in jail, but maybe this woman just knew better than him.

  Sadly, she had no extra money to get him a bus ticket, but he shrugged and waved it off, thanking her on the outside, but inwardly desolate. Seriously, after all this, some more walking wasn’t going to be the worst thing to ever happen to him. Once he got home with all this sorted out, he could sit down in front of his computer and not move for like a month anyway.

  So, he started off. The buildings in this city –the name of which started with a C, he thought. The helpful lady had said it, but he couldn’t remember- were too tall and close together for him to even try and see where the castle might be hiding, However, he was pretty delighted with what was around him. This place was overflowing with trees. It was like walking through that forest, but a much more peaceful experience.

  He gathered his fair share of odd looks due to his grungy appearance –and probably his smell- but he ignored it and clung to the hope that soon this horrible ordeal would be all over.

  As Gale came to an intersection, he looked up at the road signs and turned in the direction of the one that he thought looked like it might be pronounced like the lady said. Suddenly, the road opened up wide. The trees fanned out, giving him an unbroken view of a majestic castle piercing the sky, surrounded by rolling hills and a gigantic gate.

  He let out a low whistle, and tried not to feel too iffy about this, as he continued strolling along down the road. A lot of homeless guys probably tried to buy or sneak their way into such a snazzy-looking place, so he was feeling really doubtful about babbling a lot and being let in, but it was the best he had. Actually, looking around, he realized that he couldn’t see…anyone. No one was on this street. No one was going in this direction. There wasn’t even a single person guarding the gate, which looked incredibly heavy. Yet, as he approached, he blinked in surprise as he saw that it was open just enough to admit him.

  This smells of bad decisions, he thought, and just kept marching along. He’d made so many of those lately, that one more couldn’t hurt.

  On and on down the winding road he went, respectful to follow the curve and not step on any of the perfect, fresh-mown grass even though there was no one around to stop him. Hell, there was even a horse roaming around out here with the gate wide open. Something was obviously incredibly wrong.

  The closer Gale drew to the castle, the more he began to realize that it wasn’t just one gigantic building. It was a central building surrounded by parapets and towers, with low-slung, curving walls that wrapped around to the back. Ivy draped everything even though the castle itself looked to be in perfect shape, and the closer he got, the more flowers he saw. Flowers weren’t really his thing so he couldn’t comment as to the arrangements or anything, but damn, it sure was a lot of flowers and hedges in some pretty neat shapes.

  This path led him up to a gigantic space where carriages and luxurious cars he’d never even seen before were parked. The double-door entrance was just a few feet away. His feet started dragging with trepidation. He really didn’t belong in a place like this, and he didn’t even know how anyone was supposed to go about entering a castle anyway.

  So, he just pulled open the door and went inside. Silence, still.

  “H…Hello?” he called out tentatively.

  No one answered, but he gawked all around him at the extravagant décor. He was so filthy in comparison to the grandeur of this great entrance hall, where banisters and flags proudly stood out in what he could only think were the country’s official colors.

  There came a soft, light sound. Footsteps, perhaps. The last t
ime he heard footsteps it turned out bad for him, but he looked around. This was a civilized place apparently populated with civilized people. Everything would be okay.

  “Hello?” he called again.

  And from a door beneath a nearby staircase came a tiny stick of a man, who walked with his arms behind his back like a pompous jerk. “Yes, can I help you?” the man said in perfect English. And then, it was like he only then registered who was standing in front of him. “Oh, a visitor? Are you…uh…responding to the ad, perhaps? Is this how you normally dress for…job interviews?”

  “What?” he asked, confused. “A job interview? No! Listen, I’m in a lot of trouble here. I was mugged. I can’t get home. The police wouldn’t help me. I was told that someone here could.”

  The man gasped and put his hand over his mouth. “Mugged? Well, that explains your appearance! Don’t you worry; I will certainly contact the authorities right away and tell them that…wait.” A change flashed across his face, too fast for Gale to understand. He knew he didn’t like it, though. “You say you don’t have a way to get home?”

  “Right,” Gale said, and nodded. “I can’t call anyone either. My phone was melt…broken.”

  “I see. Might I know your name?”

  “Gale Button.”

  “Well, Mr. Button, my name is Stefan. I am the advisor of this castle and I can certainly help you with your predicament, but… Well, this is quite an odd request, but I wonder if I could ask you for a favor?”

  “A favor?” Gale was outraged and starting to get even more frustrated now. His hands balled into fists, but he forced them to relax. No, that wasn’t going to solve anything. As he started speaking again, he noticed that this Stefan guy seemed especially interested in his fists. “Look, sir, I would love to help you out, but like I said, I’m in some deep trouble.”

  “As are we,” Stefan said blandly, talking over him almost before he’d finished. Somehow, Gale couldn’t be angry about that. This guy was too mild-mannered to be angry at. “I know that you must have noticed how quiet everything is here. This is because, due to some unfortunate circumstances, we have had to empty out much of our staff and guests. Our King and Queen have passed and their son is…Not yet fit to rule. We have tried nearly everything to resolve the issue about that, but there has been nothing of it yet. However, we have not yet tried a foreigner.”

  “So…you want me to…”

  Stefan spread his hands. “I wish for you to simply come and look at something, is all. Afterwards, I can assure you that if things do not turn out, I will assist you immediately.”

  “And if they do turn out?”

  I have no idea what this idiot is talking about.

  “Well then, you just might be surprised.”

  Gale noticed that the option to deny this had been very quickly and subtly taken away from him. That was a pretty crappy thing to do, but if all he had to do was look at something and give his input on it…

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”

  And that was how he found himself in an enormous golden hall, at the other end of which was a throne, and a man sat upon the throne. Stefan ushered him forward without a single word; Gale swallowed hard and would have stepped backwards, but that man… The prince? He was gorgeous. Tall and broad, with a shock of light brown hair. Step by step, Gale felt himself being drawn in like the prince had cast a spell upon him. His insides were light and fluttering. He had to see more details. He had to know…

  “Stop,” the voice came, passing from between perfect lips. It was English, but much rougher than what Stefan spoke. “Do not come any closer to me.”

  Gale swallowed hard and inched forward another step or two anyway. Just a little closer and he could see those eyes…

  “Stop!” The voice went ragged, full of harshness.

  Blue eyes…No, not quite. Too subtle for blue. Another step.

  “Not another step, fool!”

  One more step and Gale was finally close enough to see: stormy grey eyes set in a flushed, angry face. As he watched, that tense expression flickered with pulses of recognition. Then, it exploded outward into a crocodile-esque maw, and the prince lunged from his chair.

  Scales poured down his body, and his body twisted shape. In an instant, he was not man, but dragon, covered in rippling green scales. His wings nearly brushed either side of the wall, and his whole body wavered back and forth like a squirming snake as he rushed forward with snapping fangs.

  But, somehow, impossibly, Gale was not afraid.

  He looked into those stormy eyes as they came right for his and he thought, no, there’s no way. This is the dragon who saved me. It has to be. Why would it try to hurt me now?

  He closed his eyes and stood stock-still. The thundering sound of rushing paw steps came to an abrupt end, and then moist warmth hit him in the face. When he opened his eyes again, the dragon had its snout touching his nose and it looked…surprised?

  From the second that he saw the guy walking into the hall, Noah knew this was going to be trouble. His dragon vision was powerful even in the night, and coupled with his keen scent of smell there was no way he could have not realized this one was the man he had saved.

  Compared to all the others who had come today, he was very worse for wear and yet the most gorgeous Noah had ever seen. He was tall and thin and very pale, with curly golden hair and blue eyes. His thin skin was scored with bruises and thorn-bush scrapes, and he smelled very unwashed and sweaty. The clothes he wore were only just hanging in there.

  Despite the fact that he was in pretty bad shape, Noah immediately started to feel himself get aroused just at the sight of his round, innocent face. He had him pegged for a lost tourist and now he was absolutely certain that’s what he was.

  Yet, every part of him rebelled at this. He already knew too much, even if he didn’t think he knew anything at all. The stakes were too high to get involved with him.

  “Stop,” Noah told him. Three times he told him to halt, but he only kept coming and coming, his eyes roaming Noah’s face. Judging by the pleasant bulge in his pants, he would have said that he was enjoying the sight of Noah as much as Noah liked the sight of him. And as he saw his eyes, so did the other see his. They were like clear skies, in such contrast with Noah’s swirling grayness that he couldn’t help it. The anger which was very much a part of his curse suddenly leapt forward, and he was powerless to stop it as he rushed forward.

  Fire gathered in Noah’s lungs, sparks dancing in the back of his throat. He reared his head back, preparing to claw at him, to send this tourist flying, to send flame bursting past his face and scorching his eyebrows…and then the silly fool closed his eyes. Stunned and uncertain, Noah dropped down from his back legs onto all fours and brought his face down very close to the other’s.

  What is this? Is this trust? I am not to be trusted.

  Yet, he did not move. He only slowly opened his eyes and looked up into Noah’s, which pained him deeply. Why hadn’t he run away?

  “Hi,” the guy said softly, and his voice was like a soothing hand stroking over Noah’s scales, if only he knew what such comfort felt like. “My name is Gale. You’re the one who saved my life?”

  Realization struck the prince like a swung sack full of bricks. Of course, this American romantic thought that just because Noah hadn’t hurt him once, that he wouldn’t try to hurt him again. However, that just wasn’t how things worked. He lifted one paw to swipe out…and found himself staring at his naked, pink, distinctly human fingers.

  What is this?

  Why did he feel so calm around this ragged little hobo?

  No words emerged still from Noah’s throat, so Stefan rushed over as though he’d been waiting for a safe moment such as this.

  “My Lord,” his advisor said, “Gale Buttons here has a need to return home after being mugged.”

  “You don’t say,” Noah said wryly. The funny little grin that cracked over Gale’s face was almost worth the unease churning
in his chest.

  “In any case, I thought that we might be able to help him if you…Ah…Well, if you give your…blessing. To do so.”

  It was such a cleverly worded request. Somehow, Stefan thought this little weasel was going to be the answers to all their problems. Well, he had another thing coming for him: reality. The world wasn’t so full of fairytale perfection, and this wasn’t going to be a time when everything wrapped up so neatly.

  Yet, the words that came out of his mouth were, “We will see. Shall we have lunch?”

  “Wait,” Gale said.

  Noah blinked at him, giving permission.

  “Lunch? But what about trying to get me home?”

  Stefan waved his hands pleasantly, wearing a mask that anyone who knew him could easily see through. This foreigner would not be so adept, however. “While you are eating, I will make the necessary arrangements for that. Oh, and, before you eat, I will show you where to wash up beforehand. Come?”

  Not yet, Noah thought. But he will soon.

  Then he blinked some more and sat back to ponder what was wrong with him as Stefan and Gale left the room. He had only just met this guy after saving his hide. By all appearances, he was weak and naïve. Yet, that made him just so much more attractive somehow…

  Well, he washed up pretty good. With the reek of fear and sweat replaced with sweet, clean soap, and his tattered clothes swapped out for a borrowed outfit straight from Stefan’s massive wardrobe, Gale looked almost…princely, somehow. There was a youthful glow about him, making him look and feel far younger than Noah, even though their ages were only separated by a few years.

  Noah met them in the dining hall and automatically took his place at the front of the long table. Gale was a commoner so he would sit all the way down at the other end, where chairs became rather stiff and uncomfortable benches.