Sway: Sugar Daddy Fae: An M/M Mpreg Omegaverse Romance

Chapter 1 Danny

(DANNY’S STORY BEGINS during chapter 21 of Book 2: Howl: Sugar Daddy Wolf Shifter)

As I was leaving my English lit class, my copy of Canterbury Tales fell right out of my bag. It landed on the top step of the stairwell and thunked down a few steps, landing in a heap.

A guy coming up the stairs bent down and picked it up. “Here you go,” he said, holding it toward me. “Can’t lose Chaucer.”

I reached toward him. “Thanks. I don’t know how that fell out, because I–” My words dried up as the scent of cayenne pepper hit me.

Shit. The guy was an Alpha.

He loomed over me, smiling, gaze lingering just a bit too long. His scent pervaded my space. It should have been a nice smell. But I wanted nothing to do with it. My mind knew I wasn’t in danger, not here in the hallway at Crestfire Hill University, with all these other students around, but my body did not get the memo. My heart thundered as I inched myself toward the cinderblock wall.

He’s your classmate. Be polite. That’s all that’s required.

I took the book, and made eye contact with him, but I did not smile. “Thank you,” I said.

He got the hint and moved on with his day, thank God. If he hadn’t moved on, I wasn’t sure what I’d have done. I wished I could say that I would tell him to fuck off, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the guts to speak to an Alpha that way, no matter how much I longed to. Even now, the conditioning I’d grown up with resonated. My mother’s words had been drummed into my head, day after day. She said, ‘always show respect to Alphas. Smile at them. Show them what a good omega you are.’

My fucking parents and their toxic bullshit. I’d probably never escape it.

Even as I made my way outside, I sank my fingernails into the canvas straps of my bag to stop my hands from shaking. I’d let down my guard back there, assuming I was among omegas and betas only.

It was a stereotype, but it was true that there weren’t that many Alphas in the English literature classes overall. The Alphas took an American lit class to fulfill their core requirements, which was in a separate part of the building. So I’d gotten used to a mostly Alpha-free zone when I was taking classes for my major. But there was no guarantee we’d have only omegas and betas in class – an Alpha had just as much right to be in an English lit class as I did.

The English building had become my home away from home, and I relied on there not being any Alphas in my space.

Some people might say I needed to get over myself, because it was just a class. But for me, it was my life. While other guys were dedicated to their video games, basketball games, poker games, or whatever game or hobby took them into another world, I was obsessed with literature. Literature wasn’t just a hobby to me. Not only did it consume my life now, I wanted it to be my life forever. I wanted to stay at the university, get a master’s degree, then a doctorate, and become a professor. Academic life suited me.

Even though the Alpha hadn’t done anything wrong by picking up my book, it took me several minutes to calm down. It was stupid, I know. Crestfire Hill University was known for its pro-omega policies. They weren’t going to let an Alpha push me around. And an Alpha picking up a book for me shouldn’t have me so freaked out.

But the fear lingered. I knew the look that had shimmered in his eyes. I’d seen it since I was a teenager. He was interested in me, simply because of my biology. It wasn’t his fault; he couldn’t help his thoughts anymore than I could help mine. Maybe if I talked to him, he’d want to go out with me. Then he’d want to kiss me, and touch me and then later on, do much more to me, to my body. I shuddered.

Other omegas might want that. I did not.

If I”d been raised here in Crestfire Hill, maybe I’d have let him stand there and smile at me. Maybe I’d have liked it. But I hadn’t been raised here.

I’d been raised in Hell.

Not really, but close enough. A tiny repressive town in Tennessee left me with mental scars that would likely never fade.

I took ten more deep breaths. I usually met Haven after this class. He liked to stop and get coffee, the fancier the better. Haven was one of my roommates, and one of my best friends. He was more like family, really. In fact, he referred to me and the rest of our friends as his brothers. There were six of us total, and we’d all grown up together, since our first year of preschool at age four.

Hollis, Haven, Ace, Baylor, Cason and I had a few things in common: we were all omegas, our families of origin were shit, and we all got the hell out of our backwater hometown as soon as we could.

For the last few years, we’d made our way through our undergraduate years, first in a dorm, then in an apartment. But lately things had been a bit wild. Our rent had soared, and we were facing an eviction notice.

So Haven had come up with the insane idea to become a sugar baby. Yes, that’s right. His grand idea for income was to become a person who accepts monetary gifts in exchange for ‘companionship.’ Ahem.

Before Haven could execute his grand plan, Hollis stepped in and insisted on becoming a sugar baby instead of Haven. Hollis had always been our leader, and our caretaker, so he couldn’t stomach the idea of Haven putting himself in harm’s way. Hollis’s plan worked out, and now he was happily mated to his sugar daddy, who was an actual vampire. Not to be left out, Haven followed his lead, and got his own supernatural sugar daddy, even though he’d tried to cover his tracks and pretend like he didn’t. Haven’s sugar daddy was a wolf shifter, of all things. I wasn’t trying to be judgmental. Really, I wasn’t.

But I was. I was judging them a lot. How could they do it? Neither of them had dated a lot, preferring to concentrate on school, and hang out at home in their free time. I couldn’t stand the sight of an Alpha, but they were going to willingly spend time with them? No thanks.

They were my brothers, and I loved them. And they were adults and free to make their own choices. I had to remind myself of that fact quite often when I got to feeling really judgy about their choices.

Once I felt a bit calmer, I made my way toward the cafe to meet Haven. My phone buzzed and I paused to check it.

Huh. The message was from Haven.

I dropped my phone. It landed in the grass. I grabbed it again, even as my hands started trembling again. My knees shook too. I stopped and pressed myself against the rough bark of an oak tree.

It was crazy how the words on a screen could cause such panic.

Danny,

I’m sorry. I know this is extremely shitty. But I have no choice. Gatlin is missing. Something is terribly wrong. I can feel whatever’s happening to him, and it’s not good. Yes, that kind of bond link is for mates, and we’re definitely not mated, so I don’t have an explanation.

I’m taking my phone with me so you can track it. Please be VERY careful because I think a rival pack is trying to kill Gatlin, but that’s only a guess. If you’re willing, call the Silver Moon Exchange. (The sugar daddy club.) He has friends there and somebody might be willing to help.

Love, Haven

Oh my God. I knew these Alpha sugar daddies were a bad idea, no matter how much Hollis and Haven insisted they were fine. They’d done nothing but get my brothers into trouble. Hollis had gotten really sick before finding out he was pregnant with his vampire Alpha’s baby. And Haven had been sneaking around, lying to us, and trying to act like he wasn’t dating Gatlin at all.

And now this wolf shifter Alpha was in danger and Haven was throwing himself in the line of fire.

I sank onto the closest bench. I couldn’t spiral. I had to stay calm, and figure out how to help Haven. Normally I’d call Hollis. He was our rock. But with his brand-new pregnancy, I couldn’t involve him, not unless I had no other choice.

Baylor was good in a crisis, but he was quick to anger. And I didn’t want him endangering himself because Haven was impulsive. If I couldn’t get anyone to help at this club, I’d go to Baylor. But for now, I was going to rely on Haven’s judgment.

I found the number online with ease. In my mind, it was a dark and sinister place, not a place that had a website. But there it was, a tasteful design with a phone number at the bottom.

I looked around as the phone rang. Most of the students had moved onto class and no one was left on the sidewalk.

“Silver Moon, how may I help you?” a woman’s voice said.

“I need help. My friend says his Alpha is in trouble. And he told me to call here.”

“What’s his Alpha’s name?”

“Uh. Gatlin. He’s a wolf shifter.”

There was a long pause. “Just a moment,” she said. “Please stay on the line.”

As if I was going to hang up when my brother needed me.