His Reluctant Omega Mate (Sweetwater Pack #1)
Prologue
Kade
“J ust one more delivery and you can quit for the day,” I reminded myself as I puffed and panted up yet another flight of stairs.
The world blurred at the edges and I adjusted my hold on the box I was carrying so that I could use a free hand to grab the handrail.
My balance shifted. A bout of dizziness made me sway.
Only my tight grip kept me from slipping back down the concrete steps.
Pausing where I stood, I tried to catch my breath, thinking that the exertion of climbing up three floors, thank you, broken elevator, was the cause.
Sure enough, once my breathing settled to its normal rate, the world returned to the almost crystal clarity that my wolf senses gave me.
I frowned, feeling something not quite right with my wolf, but brushed it aside in favor of getting this delivery done.
Taking it easier, I reached the fifth floor, but at a much slower pace than usual, only to find that the resident wasn’t in.
“Fuck!” I checked my special handheld device for the delivery instructions, hoping for some sort of miracle.
Time was short, and I really didn’t want to be back here again the next day.
My luck held, and they had a bench seat next to their door that had a padlocked storage compartment.
They’d even given me the code, “thank fuck for that,” I muttered to myself aloud.
Storing the box safely, I took a photo with the camera on the handheld computer and gave them a quick thanks before securing the bench’s lock again.
Mopping my sweaty brow, I pushed my brown curls, damp with sweat, out of my face and took a deep, cleansing breath. Clocking off on my device, I sent a quick text to the warehouse to let them know all my deliveries were done, and I was heading home.
I glared at the reply;
Warehouse: Okay Kade, thanks. Dakota wants you in his office at 8 am tomorrow.
Dakota. Ugh, even the thought of him made my skin crawl, but I pushed that aside for tomorrow.
If my luck continued to hold, Isaac would be at the warehouse sorting out the orders and I could have him in on the meeting as my union rep.
There was no way that Dakota could argue with that and I wouldn’t have to be alone with the hulking man.
When I got back to the van I’d been given, I quickly unlocked it and sank into the seat, all energy gone for a minute.
The vehicle was one of the small perks of my job, so I didn’t have to head back to the depot to swap it out for my car.
Rooting around in the glove compartment, I found a candy bar from my emergency stash.
A sugar rush would get me home so I could nap and then make dinner.
I watched some kids in the playground as I ate, smiling at their games and feeling a little wistful.
They were around the same age as Angelica, the sister I hadn’t seen since she was a baby.
I’d missed out on seeing her grow. My heart hurt thinking of it.
I loved kids and hoped The Luna would bless me with them when I was ready.
When I could tolerate being around an alpha long enough to mate with one.
“Hey, honey, I’m home.” I laughed to myself in the silence of my house.
It was small, but comfortable. The most important thing about it was that it was all mine and I lived alone.
Situated halfway between Northarbor, a bustling predominantly human city named after its busy harbor, and Sweetwater, the supernatural town based around a freshwater lake, it met my needs well enough.
Close enough to work to not be inconvenient, but near enough to other supernaturals for support.
I still found it amusing how the name had changed. Northarbor had originally been called North Harbor, but after hundreds of years of people mispronouncing it Northarbor, the city council just went with it and ditched the other h.
Being close to other supernaturals was necessary because even though humans knew about the different races that lived alongside them, there were still the odd flare-ups of trouble, so it didn’t hurt to have backup close by.
Dropping my keys into the bowl on the coffee table in my cozy living room, I flopped onto the comfortable brown leather sofa, bone-weary but also suddenly ravenous.
“What to eat? Do I even have any food in?” My appetite had been ten kinds of screwed up recently, so I immediately scrolled through dining apps on my phone, deciding not to waste time cooking, and ordered a large pizza with plenty of meat on top and a side of wings.
I hoped it wouldn’t be too long and that my mood to eat was still there when faced with cheesy, meaty goodness.
My mouth filled with saliva at the thought and my wolf gave a huff in the distant corner where I’d banished it.
Food ordered, I picked up a little around the house, putting dishes into the dishwasher and putting in a load of laundry.
Surprising myself with my extra energy, I even made my bed, pausing to look at the picture of Papa on my dresser.
“I miss you,” I told his likeness, angry once again that my dad had stolen Papa from me.
I traced my fingers over the photograph, one of the few things of Papa that I had left, startling when the doorbell rang.
Tipping the pizza delivery person well since they must have used some of their vampire speed to get here so quickly, I settled down in front of the TV and stuffed myself before it could get cold.
Beside me, my phone buzzed with the usual messages from friends and co-workers asking me to meet up for a beer or to hit Northarbor on the weekend, but I ignored them all.
What I really wanted to keep was the peace of being on my own and not accountable to someone.
My friends were all chasing the next someone to keep their bed warm, but I preferred to be by myself.
No drama that way. I’d done my fair share of relationships, but since things had blown up between papa and dad, then my ex had sided with Dad, I’d seen how messy it could all get.
I’d tried hook-ups and friends with benefits things, but alphas only wanted omegas like me as a mate and I’d sworn off that kind of complication.
Life was quiet on my own. The last thing I needed was another bossy alpha. I didn’t want a mate. I just wanted to be on my own. My wolf gave a huff that suggested it disagreed with me. Sorry, Wolfie, but I’m in charge here.