Omega for the Pack E-Book

N.J. Lysk

• Herausgeber: N.J. Lysk
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Five alphas.
One omega.
The fate of their pack is in their hands.
But what about the fate of their hearts?

When Ray presents as an omega instead of an alpha, his life changes forever. As a male omega, he's expected to mate with a select group of alphas and start a pack of his own. 

The five men selected for him are as different as they are keen. And one of them is his best friend, Josh, who Ray was sure could never return his feelings. But now they all must deal with the mating instinct that the power of the Moon brings out in them; and after that... Ray will have bigger problems than a crush. 

Can Ray become the submissive omega his pack needs him to be? Will the alphas understand how hard it is for him, or demand more than he can give?

If you enjoy dark romance, you'll love N.J. Lysk's Omega For The Pack.

Buy now for group sex, mating instincts, knotting, biting, breeding, and a healthy dose of angst! 

Leseprobe

Omega For the Pack

The Stars of the Pack (Book I)

N.J. Lysk

Copyright 2016

[Seventh edition]

Table of Contents

Copyright Page

The Stars of the Pack - Chronologically

Blurb

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Simpler than Most

Prologue

Other Books by N.J. Lysk

​The Stars of the Pack - Chronologically

Midnight Encounters*

1) Omega for the Pack

2) Simpler than Most*

3) Alpha for the Pack (cut scene*)

4) Protectors of the Pack

5) Beloved of the Pack (Shock Therapy*)

6) Betas Aside

7) Around the Hearth

8) Glimpses of the Future

The series can also be found in audiobook format.

***

Companion series:

Runt of the Litter

Paper Kisses

***

Also available in German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese and bilingual learner editions.

Blurb

Five alphas.

One omega.

The fate of their pack is in their hands.

But what about the fate of their hearts?

When Ray presents as an omega instead of an alpha, his life changes forever. As a male omega, he's expected to mate with a select group of alphas and start a pack of his own. 

The five men selected for him are as different as they are keen. And one of them is his best friend, Josh, who Ray was sure could never return his feelings. But now they all must deal with the mating instinct that the power of the Moon brings out in them; and after that... Ray will have bigger problems than a crush. 

Can Ray become the submissive omega his pack needs him to be? Will the alphas understand how hard it is for him, or demand more than he can give?

***

Chapter 1

Ray stepped forward and bowed. He didn't raise his gaze from the floor and he kept still. His heart was racing, but at least he could appear calm. Not that he could hide his scent, of course. Every alpha in the meeting hall knew he was scared, and he could smell them in turn: eager and hungry. For him. Because he was an omega and he was ready to mate.

“Raymond,” his uncle said, almost gently. Only then did Ray look up. Only for a second, not long enough to decipher his expression. He couldn’t have taken the pity, not then. He focused his gaze on the side of the stubbled cheek of the First Alpha of his pack. The man who controlled his life now. He had to show respect, show he was paying attention when an alpha spoke to him. “It's true. You've come into your own.”

It was just about the politest way of putting what was happening to Ray's body: The changes had just started that would turn him from a beta—all children were betas—into an omega. From a boy into... no, he'd never be a man now, omega males weren't men. In the old days, werewolves just used the animal term for them: bitches. But of course nobody would say that in public now. Now they were omegas, or breeding males—mates for the alphas who took them or the pack that formed around them. Whatever you called people like Ray, one thing was true: They were rare. Most werewolves were born of females of the species. 

At eighteen, Ray had heard of less than half a dozen adult male omegas. One of them had had a mate, but the rest... well, Ray knew what alphas said: It was such a waste to let a fully grown man go to waste by breeding for a single alpha. That wasn't what male breeders were meant for, they argued; they were born strong and big so a new pack could form around them. Ray shivered, aware of the heavy gazes on him, aware that he was all of 6′2″ and broader at the shoulders than men older than him. It had always been an advantage to him before, keeping other wolves—notoriously rowdy—from challenging him, but size wasn't an advantage to an omega male. 

“I have decided to grant the request for a new pack,” his uncle announced. Ray’s stomach dropped. He was fully dressed—jeans and two shirts and his parka on top—but he suddenly felt chilled to the bone, and he had to lock his knees to keep himself upright. He had been hoping, he realised. Stupidly, he'd thought... But of course it didn't matter that his uncle was first alpha of their pack; he couldn't give a healthy male omega to a single mate—no matter how much he might have wanted to protect him. 

In a pack as large as theirs, a split had become inevitable. Many would argue Ray's new status was a direct result of the need for an omega to form a new pack. Once upon a time, when he’d been sure he’d come out of childhood an alpha, Ray had thought of forming a new pack himself. He'd never thought of what an omega might feel at the prospect. As far as he'd been told, omegas in heat needed an alpha to breed with or they would go out of their mind with lust.

But he wasn't in heat, not yet, and arousal was the furthest thing from his mind as he felt the crowd around him stir impatiently, like predators about to jump their prey. His uncle didn't speak the names of the alphas he'd chosen. They must have already known. Ray kept his gaze focused on the wall behind his uncle’s left shoulder. It wasn’t because he thought he'd be reprimanded if he looked away; he was just too terrified of finding who they were. The men who would get him.

Omegas’ mates were traditionally chosen by their parents, not the first alpha. An omega’s parents didn’t have to listen, of course, but most parents would still ask. But Ray's dad had passed away when he was little, and his uncle had looked after Ray and his mum and his siblings since then. It was only right that he would choose for Ray now, his mum—herself an omega—had said. She was sure he would make a better choice than she could. Maybe she'd known there was no way Ray would get a single mate. Maybe she hadn't wanted to be the one to choose this for him. 

There was a hand on his elbow, barely cupping the delicate bone there. Ray startled like he'd been hit. The owner of the hand reached out and caught his shirt, bunching it up and bringing him close again. Ray froze, the scent of alpha filling his nostrils—and even though he knew what was going to happen, it just loosened something in him. An omega wolf knew it was safe with an alpha because an alpha would do anything to keep them. And then Ray's shell-shocked brain finally processed the rest of the scent and his head snapped up. He couldn't help it. 

Because this wasn't a stranger: It was Ray's best friend. 

There was a noise like a whimper as their eyes met: Josh's hazel brown as always, but without a hint of his usual good humour. There was just warmth there. Concern. Ray's face felt like it was going to combust, and the sheer humiliating knowledge of what he must smell like to Josh now was like a weight he could barely stand. Josh wasn't touching his skin, and he already felt too hot, burning with both terror and... Lowering his head felt like tearing something, his eyes stinging as he pulled his gaze away from his friend's. No, not his friend. Not anymore. Because Josh being allowed to touch him here and now could only mean one thing: He was going to be Ray's alpha.

“Hey,” Josh said softly, like they were alone. Except he'd never spoken to Ray in that tone before. He'd always teased and dared, never... Ray's fear was rapidly leaving him and now all he could feel was anger. He'd thought Josh was his friend, but why would a friend ask for this? “Don't freak out,” Josh went on, so strangely careful—like he didn't know Ray anymore, like he thought now that Ray was an omega, he couldn't handle things. “I've got your back.”

And with that, Ray yanked himself violently away, taking a step back and baring his teeth. Josh's eyes widened in surprise and alarm, but he wasn't angry. Before, he'd have responded to such overt hostility with the same, but of course an alpha wouldn't attack an omega. He wasn't worth fighting anymore, just fighting over. He glanced around and found the faces of the other alphas who'd stepped forward. They weren't as close as Josh, but they were surrounding him and the wolf got confused for a second. 

Until very recently, the only reason alphas would have surrounded him like this was to attack him. In a flash, Ray was transforming. His clothes were left in a heap as he turned tail and ran. 

He didn't know if any of the alphas in the room tried to stop him, but they didn't succeed.

***

OF COURSE IT WAS JOSH who found him, naked and huddling in a cave where they'd played as children. Ray had felt his presence, but the cave didn't have another exit and there was nowhere else for him to go, anyway. Packs weren't just blood, but loyalty and protection, and a lone wolf didn't live long.

He heard a rustling sound but only understood it when Josh announced, “I've left your clothes.”

Then he heard his friend step away. So he was allowed to get dressed before he had to come and face the music. He hesitated a moment longer: When he put on those clothes, he'd have no excuse to stay in the cave anymore. The chase would be over, and he'd be caught.

But then he realised that every second he took, he was proving them right, proving an omega was afraid. He didn't like the cards he'd drawn, but that didn't mean he couldn't face it. He couldn't choose. He couldn't walk away. Fine. But he wasn't going to quiver and cringe like a limpet. It didn't matter what they did to him, they couldn't change who he was. 

And Raymond Halley might not be an alpha, but he wasn't a coward.

When he emerged, Josh turned clumsily in his direction. Ray saw him swallow thickly. They hadn't seen each other at all since before Ray had presented. Ray didn’t know what he had expected, but Josh looked the same: tanned skin over thick muscle, luminous hazel eyes, his lips curved on the cusp of a smile even though there was nothing happy about his expression. But he was looking at Ray in a completely new way—half like he was afraid of him, half like he was afraid of startling him again. Josh, who’d delighted in scaring the crap out of him after every horror movie and in every haunted house. Ray wondered if he could punch an alpha, as long as it wasn’t his alpha yet. Yet... He had to exhale and look away for a moment to collect his thoughts.

Josh was only a little taller than Ray, so little the only way to tell was if they stood back to back, not that he'd ever stopped ribbing Ray about it before. Now he'd think... 

“Ray,“ his friend said. He was flushed enough to be visible, even in the twilight. “Your uncle told me, and I wanted to help,” Josh explained. “I promise. I just want to help.“

Ray snorted, bitter and hurt, and turned away for a moment to gather the strength to speak. It was harder now. His wolf knew it was in front of an alpha, it wanted to submit. “I'm sure that's all you want.”

“It's all I want,” Josh insisted, and it rang true, heart steady, breathing agitated but even. “And if I want something else later, it will only be to help you.”

Ray almost laughed. It would not have been a happy sound, and he was so full of anger and indignation that he didn’t dare let any of it out for fear of what else might escape. “So you're doing me a favour,” he finally said. This time he didn't even try to look at Josh. He couldn't fight his wolf and himself at the same time.

“I'm doing what I have to do to keep you safe,” Josh replied.

“Safe?” he repeated. “Did you hear what my uncle said?” 

“You know you will be safe. No alpha would ever harm you.”

“Then why? Why you? Why—”

“Because I know you, Ray, and I know what you want. And I can keep it all from overwhelming you. What you have to do... it doesn't have to be your whole life.”

And that was when the wolf lost the battle: Ray threw himself at Josh. He got him in the gut, hard enough to leave him whizzing, and almost hit him again before he realised that Josh wasn’t fighting back. 

“Hit me,” he demanded, shaking Josh hard enough to make his teeth rattle. It wasn't the first fistfight they'd got into with each other, and it wouldn't be the last. They would never really hurt each other, of course. That was part of the appeal, they could let loose with someone strong enough to take it.

“I can’t!” Josh panted, trying to push him away, but not hard enough to succeed.

“What the fuck do you mean you can’t?” Ray spit out, pushing him in turn, hard enough to tumble him to the ground.

Josh looked up at him, not attempting to get to his feet. “That fucking hurt, Raymond, but I couldn’t... I can’t.” 

“You said you wanted to help,” Ray reminded him. Slowly enough not to startle, Josh got to his knees, then his feet until he was looking Ray in the eye again.

“I need... I’ve just lost everything. I can't...”

Josh took a decisive step forward and pulled until Ray was stumbling into his arms. It was only the familiar roughness of the gesture that kept Ray from pushing him away. 

“No, you fucking haven’t,” Josh said indignantly. “You have me.”

Ray shook in his arms, with fury, or loss, or desperation. “But the others...”

“They’re good guys, Ray. Your uncle consulted with me. They’re all guys you know; guys we can trust.”

Ray thumped his head against Josh’s collarbone. “How can there be good guys for this?”

He felt so lost, untethered from reality as he knew it, with only Josh to keep him grounded. Except this wasn’t Ray’s best friend, the guy who had his back and knew all his embarrassing teenage stories. This guy, smelling unmistakably of alpha, was going to fuck Ray. Not just that, he’d watch as the rest of the new pack did as well. And if the stories were true, Ray would be happily spreading his legs for it. He shuddered, and Josh’s arms tightened around him. 

“We need to get back,” he told Ray. He didn’t apologise for it, but he didn’t try to move away. It was such a typical Josh thing to do: remind Ray of his duty, but leave it up to Ray to decide to go through with it.

Of course they had to go back; they were waiting for him. Had all the alphas been waiting all this time? Ray didn’t think he could face them again.