CHAPTER TWO - Balthazar
When Stan radioed for a sled to bring in a fir from sector eighteen, I jumped right on it. We had extra staff to do this sort of work during the holiday season, but I preferred to be out among the trees rather than stuck in the barn. Today was too fucking pretty to waste inside.
I’d given the snow machine a little more gas than I would closer to the barns. The wind whipped at me, and I reveled in the sting of the cold on my nose. No one ever walked this far out for a tree, so I wasn’t worried about customers on the road.
Until I saw her.
She’d covered her face as she was blasted by a twisting swirl of snow.
A white beanie covered her caramel colored hair, and her long coat hugged her hips just right.
She stood in the snow which was nearly up to her knees.
If something about her didn’t scream woman, I might have thought she was a kid with how short she was.
Beside her, a dog with a dark fawn coat and a black mask sat straight and alert. Its eyes locked on me before it leaned closer to the girl.
I managed to pull to a stop without kicking up any snow and switched off the engine. She wasn’t carrying a flag to mark a tree nor was she decked out in any holiday attire like most folks that came out in December. Who was this girl?
“Hey, you good? Are you lost?”
She dropped her hands from her face, and my world flipped on its head. Fuck, her shining amber eyes, her pouty full lips, and snow sprinkled rosy cheeks. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on.
Stepping backward, a pine bough brushed against her back as she tightened her hold on the dog’s leash with both hands. “I’m fine.”
The dog hadn’t barked or growled, but its stance told me it was in full protective mode. Good thing too, because the way the girl nipped her lower lip and ran her gaze over me had me harder than hickory.
“Where are you headed? I can give you a ride.” I patted the seat behind me, already imagining her sweet little body pressed up against me.
“No, it’s okay. I like to walk.” She swallowed hard, her breaths coming quicker.
Not afraid of a little cold weather. A girl after my own heart. I turned, leaning on one knee, and the wind swept up just right for me to catch her scent. Rich creamy vanilla with the hint of something spicy.
The delicious sensation went right to my dick.
Omega.
My Omega.
Oh fuck. What the hell was that? I straightened and turned my head, as if that could clear her alluring scent from my nose. Every one of my senses switched to hyper-aware. The world around me was clearer, more present, than it had ever been before, and at the center of it all was her.
I suppressed a growl and the urge to pull her to me and claim her as mine.
It came on me so fast and savage, I had to bite the side of my tongue to yank myself out of it.
I didn’t know if she was claimed or not.
Plus, it was an unwritten rule of the farm not to pick up customers.
This was our home and place of business.
We treated it and our customers with respect.
If any of us in the pack wanted a little fun, we went into town to look for it.
Yet I couldn’t stop myself.
“I’m Balthazar Cole. My family owns and operates the farm.” I didn’t hold out my hand for her to shake as I would anyone else I introduced myself to. Not just because an Alpha shouldn’t touch an unescorted Omega, but because I knew if I did, I might not let go.
Wait. She was unescorted. Did that mean she was not claimed?
Her eyes widened slightly before she wet her lips. “Mariska Belmont. And this,” she said as she patted her dog. “This is Artemis. My loyal escort.”
Mariska. The name was magic, and it suited the Omega who would name her dog after a goddess. I breathed in her scent again and smelled no Alpha’s mark on her. Fuck, she was unclaimed. “Nice to meet you both.”
Artemis continued to keep me pinned on the snow machine with her intense gaze.
She’d been introduced in a way that said she’d tear me to pieces if Mariska gave her the command.
Artemis was no doubt a smart one. My mom had a pair of Saint Bernards, and while they were gentle and loving, they weren’t bright.
They slobbered on family and strangers equally.
“I should let you be on your way.” Mariska’s voice sounded a bit strained. She had to be feeling it too. No way could she not breathe in my scent and know we weren’t compatible.
“I wouldn’t feel right leaving you out here on your own. It’s easy to get lost. Where are you headed?” I could barely think beyond the fact she was not only unescorted but unclaimed.
Mariska bristled, lifting her chin. Fire flickered in her gorgeous eyes. “I have an excellent sense of direction, so it won’t be any trouble for me at all. We’re meeting our friends at the Fraser Fir section.”
Oh yeah. No docile Omega was this one. I had to shift a little on the seat as my erection twitched. “Sector eighteen. Right where I’m going. Hop on.”
“No, I can walk. I won’t get lost if I follow the tracks you leave.”
Clever girl. I grinned. “It would be ungentlemanly of me to leave you here on your own. If you don’t want to get on, I’ll ride slowly beside you.”
At the word ‘ride,’ Artemis’ tail started to wag.
“Oh? You wanna go for a ride, girl?” I motioned to the sled chained to the back of the machine. It was solid steel, meant to carry big trees. Artemis and a whole team of dogs could fit on it.
Artemis stood and her butt wiggled with her excitement. Mariska scowled and let out a little huff. “Fine. I can’t deny Artemis her fun. But I’m riding on the sled with her, so go slow.”
“The sled isn’t meant for people.”
“Then it isn’t meant for dogs.” She shot back.
Mariska held my gaze. I was taller than her sitting and it didn’t intimidate her. Fuck, nothing had ever turned me on this much.
Omegas I’d met in the past were docile women.
I either scared them or turned their brains to mush.
Since I’d been built by hard work on the farm, I was big and ferocious looking.
Most men wouldn’t dare to argue with me when I told them to do something.
This Omega was like no one I’d met before, and I refused to leave her behind.
“Alright. You get on with Artemis. It’s not going to be as comfortable as the seat nor as warm.” I raised a brow, hoping to make sitting behind me more tempting.
“We’ll be fine.” Mariska led the dog to the sled and had her sit in the center. She lowered herself to her knees to hold on to Artemis, and a thousand dirty thoughts crammed into my head. Her kneeling in front of me, hair mussed and lips swollen from being fucked in the mouth. “Okay. Ready.”
I turned and flipped on the snow machine.
If only I could wrap her up and take her home…
Jasper and Lucian would be as smitten by her as I was.
An Omega for our pack was just what we needed.
I could already imagine her round with a baby, swollen tits and wide hips.
I groaned, letting it disappear under the noise of the engine. My cock was so hard it hurt.
Giving the machine as little power as I could, I let it slowly restart its journey along the road. I glanced back to see Artemis’ tail swiftly swishing, and Mariska rigid as she kept her balance on the cold steel.
After a few hundred feet, I picked up speed. The road had fewer bends, and if there was no one else around, I’d fly down this stretch and see how far I could fly off the final little hill.
Artemis barked and her tongue lulled out of her mouth. While she was having the time of her life, Mariska had wrapped her arms around her dog and half-buried her face against her fur. Yet despite how much she looked like she was desperately holding on, I caught her gorgeous smile.
On the last stretch, I sped up a tiny bit more, but I made sure that my stop was gentle, so I didn’t send them flying. When I pulled to the side near a red van, I shut off the engine and turned to see Mariska and Artemis hop off the sled. The dog pranced and twirled excitedly in a circle.
Before I could say anything, Stan emerged from between the rows of firs and gave me a wave. “Hey, Balthazar. Thanks for bringing the sled.”
He was a tall kid, but still skinny for his eighteen years. He was the son of one of my mom’s friends and a hard worker, looking to make some extra money for Christmas. He wore a red puffy vest over his Silver Tree fleece sweater making him look like a matchstick.
“Hey, man. It’s all good. You need help taking down a tree?”
Stan shook his head. “Nah, I already did it. The family who marked it drove back to the lot to go to the barn. I just need to get my saw and go help the group that just got here before I have you take it back.”
“Well, since I don’t know which family picked the tree, how ‘bout you take it back to the lot and I’ll stay here with the other group.” Which had to be Mariska’s, since it seemed there was only one vehicle here. “You know how to secure the tree to the sled?”
“You’d let me drive your machine?” Stan’s eyes lit up.
Of course I knew it would appeal to him. Like any teen in these parts, he spent most of winter zooming around fields and along trails. My snow machine was a new model with all the bells and whistles. I smirked and nodded. “Yeah. Just don’t go too fast and keep your eyes peeled for cars and people.”
I turned to tell Mariska I’d come with her, but she’d disappeared among the trees on the opposite side of the road.
The urge to follow her footsteps and track her down tightened in my gut.
Instead, I turned back to Stan, and gave myself a moment to cool down.
“Let me help you secure the tree and get your hack saw. I have my folding saw, but they might want a bigger tree.”
Once I’d helped the kid with the tree, Stan took off.
I heard him give the machine more gas the second he was out of sight and chuckled.
I slipped my radio off my belt and switched it to channel three.
Cell phones didn’t get reception this far out, and there were two people who had to know about Mariska.
“Either of you there? Over.”
After about fifteen seconds, there was a crackle, and Jasper’s smooth tone came over the speaker. “Yeah. What do you need? Over.”
Channel three was just for Jasper, Lucian, and I. The rest of the farm worked on channel one. “Is Lucian at the house with you? Over.”
“He’s bottling some more of his special tree food, but yeah, he’s here. What’s going on? Over.”
“Both of you get your asses to the lot. I’ll be bringing back someone I want you to meet. Over.” I tapped the hack saw impatiently against my leg. I was ready to hunt down the luscious Omega and never let her leave the farm again.
“I’m busy. One of our sellers made an accounting error, and I’m trying to figure out where. Who is it? Over.” Jasper handled the business side of the farm. His keen mind never missed any detail, and he had no tolerance for bullshit.
“Her name is Mariska Belmont. And you’ll see why when you meet her.” I didn’t doubt for a second the other two Alphas in my pack would be as enamored by her as I was. “Over.”
“A woman?” Jasper sighed. “Seriously? Over.”
“An Omega.” The Omega. Our Omega. I didn’t say it out loud, because I was aware of how ridiculous it would sound. I’d just met the girl, but my instincts had never failed me before. “Over.”
There was nearly a thirty second pause before Jasper said, “Alright. We’ll be there. Over.”
That was all I needed to hear. I put the radio back on my belt and strode off in the direction Mariska’s tracks led me.
For the past eight years, my wish for Christmas had been for a mate. I was almost thirty, and while I had a fantastic pack, I needed an Omega to make my life complete. I’d dated an even dozen, but never had any of their scents hooked me. None of them hit me so hard and completely as Mariska had.
This was going to be the best Christmas ever.