The Cub and His Alphas (Alpha and Omega Series Book 7) Read online

  The Cub and His Alphas

  Alpha and Omega series #7

  By Lisa Oliver

  The Cub and His Alphas (Alpha and Omega series #7)

  Copyright © Lisa Oliver, 2018/2019

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover Design by Lisa Oliver

  Background images purchased from Shutterstock.com

  Model – Courtesy Paul Henry Serres Photographer – license MD1_141

  First Edition December 2018

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Lisa Oliver. [email protected]

  No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Lisa Oliver. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

  The Cub and his Alphas is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following trademarks and place names have been used in this work of fiction:

  Prius car

  The Roswell Alien Museum

  Harley Davidson

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Other Books By Lisa/Lee Oliver

  Dedication

  There’s an awful lot of me and the issues I’ve been going through in this story, so a huge thank you to all the readers who indulge me by reading it 

  And no, unfortunately, I am not coming out as a bear shifter… sigh 

  Author’s Note

  During the course of this story, my dear bear cub Daniel goes with his mates to a writer’s conference in Roswell of all places lol. To give some color to the story, and because my friends have been so helpful to me, I introduced Stormy Glenn and Pat Fischer, who writes as Dani Gray as secondary characters in this story. These two wonderful women are amazing authors in their own right, and them giving me permission to use their names, in my book was the highlight of my day.

  To see more of Stormy and Dani’s books – please click the links below.

  Stormy Glenn on Bookstrand - https://www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn

  Dani Gray on Bookstrand - https://www.bookstrand.com/dani-gray

  Their books are also available on Amazon.

  Thank you my friends.

  Chapter One

  Daniel chuffed as he rubbed his furry back in the long grass, his face turned up to the afternoon sun. Berry bushes, berry bushes as far as the eye could see. Well, they were all Daniel could see, given he was splat dang in the middle of them. Heaven, heaven, heaven, he sung in his mind, reaching out with his long claws to snag the nearest branch. How fucking lucky am I, he wondered as he smashed a paw-load of blueberries in his mouth.

  The run was a spontaneous thing. Daniel was, as a rule, a quiet young man who spent most of his days on the computer writing his latest novel. But today the lure of the sunshine, and a nagging feeling his latest book wasn’t going the way it was meant to, saw him taking the four mile drive to his local forest for a bit of a stretch. He had planned on fishing in his furry form, but his nose caught the whiff of ripened fruit and suddenly fish didn’t seem as appetizing to his long bear nose.

  La, la, la. Daniel swiped more blueberries with his other paw, well aware his golden fur was being stained blue. Two paw lots, yeah. One lot in my mouth, two lots in my mouth and so much more for me to munch. He could feel the juices smushed under his nose and dribbling down his chin, but with the sound of the babbling creek he’d planned to fish tickling his ear, Daniel didn’t care. He could wash up before he trundled home. The birds were singing, the sun was hot on his fur and the berries were sweet.

  Hang on a minute. Daniel tensed and twitched his ears. The birds had been singing, but they were silent now. Seconds later he heard the snap of a breaking twig and the thump of footsteps from a being far heavier than him reverberated up his spine.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, I should have known it was too good to be true. Daniel rolled onto his feet, his fur quivering. Blueberries did grow wild in his part of the world, but what were the chances the perfectly spaced bushes occurred naturally? He was poaching in someone else’s patch and as the thuds got closer, Daniel panicked. He didn’t know of any other bear shifters in the tiny town of Edendale, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. He barely went out.

  The bushes to his right rustled and Daniel didn’t stick around to find out who he’d pissed off. In bear terms, he was still a cub, only twenty three, and whoever was coming was bigger than him – which took some doing but was possible. Never get between a bear and his food. Why his mother’s sage piece of wisdom chose to flow through his mind now, Daniel didn’t stop to find out. Pushing through the bushes to his left, Daniel put on a burst of speed, running blindly back to where he’d left his car.

  Hearing a growl behind him, Daniel risked a quick look over his shoulder. Two of them, double fuck. Daniel didn’t fight – ever. He liked to joke he was a lover not a fighter, but he was lacking lover experience as well. And if those two lumbering brutes behind him caught up with him, he’d never get a chance to make his dreams a reality.

  Got to get to the car, got to get too… shit. Bursting through the tree line, Daniel could have slapped himself for his stupidity, except his paws were too busy trying to put more distance between himself and the bears chasing him. His brand new bright red Prius sat mocking him on the side of the road. Running towards it, Daniel risked another look back. The massive black bears were just coming through the last of the trees. I don’t have time to fucking shift.

  With a lingering whimper as he ran around his car, Daniel took off down the road. His chest was heaving, and the pavement was scorching his paw pads, but Daniel couldn’t afford to stop. He’d come back for his car, his phone, his keys, his wallet and everything else he’d left in his ‘too-small-for-his-bear-form’ vehicle later – a lot later when hopefully the bears chasing him would be gone. I knew I should have bought a truck. It was going to be a long run home.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Zeke raised himself up on his back legs and roared, thumping the roof o
f the sparkling car with his paw.

  “We’re going to have to pay to get that repaired,” Ty said drily, shaking out his long hair that always seemed to get tangled during a shift. “I hardly think damaging his car is going to endear us to our mate.”

  Eyeing the sizeable dent in the Prius roof, Zeke thought about tapping beside it to see if he could get it to pop out, but with the size of his paws, it would probably do more damage. Pulling his raging bear under control he managed a shift, still panting from the run the cub had forced on him. “Why the fuck did he run from us? Is his nose faulty?” Zeke rested his hands on his knees. Fuck that little cutie can run.

  “It might have had something to do with the fact we were down wind from him, or maybe his nose was full of berry juice. I’m sure the blue on his paws and snout wasn’t natural.” Ty’s voice was calm and logical, just as it always was, although Zeke knew his mate was just as affected by the cub’s fear of them as he was. “Either way, we can’t hang around out here with our bits dangling. Someone could drive by any minute. I’ve got the plate number. We’ll see if we can hunt him down online when we get back to the motel.”

  “We were leaving town tomorrow.” Zeke straightened, taking a last look down the road before following Ty back into the trees. “Bikes, Blues, and BBQs is on next weekend. You had your heart set on going again this year.”

  “So, did you,” Ty said fondly, taking Zeke’s arm as they picked their way across the pine needle strewn ground. The pine needles weren’t noticeable against the toughened pads on their paws, but Zeke was looking forward to getting back to where they’d stashed their clothes, so he could put his boots on. His human feet weren’t as tough as his bear paws. “I suppose we could still go – give our third a bit of breathing room. Come back after the festival….”

  “Now, I know you’re teasing.” Reaching up, Zeke ruffled Ty’s hair before dropping his arm on his mate’s shoulders. “There’s no way we’re going to be happy until that cutie is snuggled up between us, saturated with our spunk.”

  “You’re still as romantic as the day we met.” Ty grinned. “But what are the odds, Z? We weren’t even going to stop in this blink and you miss it town, although I’m freaking glad we did now.”

  “The Fates are finally on our side,” Zeke agreed. Their decision to stop was based purely on the cute white picket fence the local B and B had as they’d ridden through town. They’d been on the road for days and Ty said he wanted someplace quiet to stay for three or four days before the event the following week.

  When they’d mentioned to the sweet Mrs. Cunningham who owned the B&B that they were fond of hiking, she explained anyone could have the run of the forest land provided they didn’t light any fires. The opportunity to spend time in their furry form for more than an hour was too good to pass up and for the past three days he and Ty had taken the picnic lunch Mrs. Cunningham provided and headed for the trees.

  Reaching the hollowed out tree trunk where they’d stashed their clothes, Zeke kept out a watchful eye for hikers as Ty poured himself into his jeans. After ten years together, Zeke could still feel a sensual rush through his body as the worn denim molded Ty’s thighs and ass perfectly. “You’ve got that look in your eye again,” Ty teased as he pulled his tight muscle shirt over his head and smoothed it over his lean torso. “The one that says you want to drop to your knees and swallow my cock.”

  “You’d think after all these years you’d know my looks better than that,” Zeke grunted. Now Ty was dressed, he could pull on his own clothes. There’d been an incident with some homophobic hunters, in a forest much like the one they were in now, not long after they’d met. Now Zeke always kept his hands free until his mate was fully dressed. “The look I was giving you was I want to bend you over the nearest tree trunk and fuck your ass while you frighten the birds by screaming my name.”

  “You did that this morning.” Ty smirked and then he sighed as he looked back into the forest. “Do you think our cute grizzly is keen on nature sports like the ones we enjoy?”

  “It’s hard to say.” Zeke winced as he stuffed his half-hard cock into his jeans and careful pulled up the zipper. “We haven’t noticed the recent scent of any bears since we’ve been here, and we’ve covered miles of forest.”

  “Until today.” Ty nodded. “You don’t think,” he chewed his bottom lip, “you don’t think the guy was a tourist, do you? Just passing through?”

  Pulling his shirt over his head, Zeke waited until his head was free of the material and then said, “I don’t think so. There were no bags or anything in the car that I could see, and besides he wouldn’t have left his car if he was traveling. I got the impression he knew where he was going when he took off down the road.”

  Ty’s expression brightened. “Maybe Mrs. Cunningham knows who he is and then we don’t have to be racking up favors with your friends in law enforcement, trying to track him on our own. This is a small town and you know what they say about places like this.”

  “That five minutes after you cough, someone at the other end of town is told you’re dying of pneumonia.” Zeke laughed. “I’m not sure that’ll work in our favor, but we can ask. Or,” he picked up their back pack and found their bike keys, “we could just stake out the car until he comes back.”

  Ty ran his fingers through his hair and then scratched at the four day growth on his chin. “I think I want to freshen up first. We didn’t make the best first impression.”

  “I love it when you’re all overgrown and hairy,” Zeke growled, dropping the back pack and pulling Ty against his chest. Running his nose along his mate’s scruffy jaw, he inhaled sharply. Originally from Alaska, Ty’s scent carried a hint of fresh falling snow and a strong undertone of pine. Clean and minty, Zeke always used to think and today was no different. “I don’t blame you for wanting to look your awesome best,” he whispered against his mate’s skin. “But don’t forget, he has to take us the way we are, or a mating between us will never work.”

  “I’m not disputing that, but it won’t hurt you to trim up a bit either.” Zeke felt a tug on his beard. “That young cub already has to contend with two old Kodiaks as mates. We don’t have to give him the impression we’re hillbillies as well.”

  “I prefer the term nomads,” Zeke said, rubbing his nose against his mate’s. A deep feeling of contentment welled up inside of him. “Maybe now, you’ll finally get your wish and we’ll have a home to call our own.”

  “We’ve had a long run finding our third, Z. Tell me you won’t be sorry to give up lumpy mattresses and questionable shower spaces.” Ty’s hands were warm and familiar on his back and Zeke’s body reacted accordingly… and yet, there was something holding him back too and he knew instinctively Ty felt the same way.

  “We have to get him to accept us first,” Zeke growled. “I’ll trim my freaking beard.”

  “Turn on the charm, big guy. I know you can do it. You snagged me, didn’t you?” The twinkle in Ty’s eyes were a promise Zeke would cash in on later – when they’d tracked down their runaway cub.

  Chapter Two

  Three hours later, Daniel was still shivering, in his human form this time. The run home didn’t take long, although he had to duck into the trees every time he heard a vehicle coming down the road and he was exhausted by the time he climbed his porch and shifted. One of the things he loved about his home was it was set back a long way from the road, but for the first time ever Daniel wished he lived in the suburbs, or in the middle of town. The sound of other people going about their daily business would be easier to cope with than the oppressive silence around his house.

  His shower was a quick affair – the whole time he was washing himself, Daniel fretted he wouldn’t be able to hear footsteps approaching over the sound of running water. Dressed in his warmest pullover and thick sweat pants, he still couldn’t get warm. He’d tried to write to take his mind off his scare, and gave that up as soon as he started. Staring at the screen and seeing nothing but giant black bears
with huge claws and gnashing teeth did nothing for his story line.

  It was just a few blueberries. Daniel whimpered and took a sip of his honey tea. Okay, maybe it was three full paws worth of blueberries and he might not have been as considerate about the leaves and branches as he usually would be, but they’d grow back again. Daniel couldn’t understand it. He’d been on public land – those bushes were available to any number of hikers who wandered through the forests.

  Grumpy bears shouldn’t have grown them there in the first place. Daniel decided being scared wasn’t fun at all. His parents had been academics and he had a quiet and uneventful childhood. The first time he realized the world was a shitty place came when he was fifteen and his parents were killed in a car accident. When the state failed to find any of his relatives, the next three years in state care hadn’t been fun, but he learned quickly if he kept his head down and his nose buried in a book most people ignored him. At eighteen Daniel claimed his inheritance and bought his house. Writing, something he’d dabbled with in care, became his full time occupation and as he kept to himself, the opportunities for being scared, or having a life, were limited.

  “Yeah, well if being scared out of my fur is a definition of living, I’ll pass, thank you very much,” Daniel said out loud. He glanced at the large railway clock on his wall. It was just after seven. He was going to have to walk back to his car, which on two feet was going to take almost an hour.

  It was tempting to leave his brightly colored Prius where it was until morning. The crime rate in Edendale was virtually nonexistent, but if out of town hikers were in the area, then he might find his car a shell of its former self, leaving it out overnight. Besides, his phone was in the car and while it was unlikely anyone was trying to contact him, some of his readers might have tried to message him.

  The sum total of my social life, Daniel thought glumly as he washed out his cup and left it to drain before going through to his mudroom and finding his jacket. The days were warm in the autumn, but the nights could get chilly. Shrugging his jacket over his shoulders, Daniel was just about to open his back door, when he heard a rumble that had no business being near his house. “Motorbikes?” They were heading in his direction. “What the fuck?”