Finding His Wolf Read online

  Finding His Wolf

  A Hidden Valley Pack Short

  Skye R. Richmond

  Contents

  1. Sparrow

  2. Sparrow

  3. Caden

  4. Sparrow

  5. Caden

  6. Sparrow

  7. Caden

  Afterword

  Also by Skye R. Richmond

  Also by Skye R. Richmond writing as Rheland Richmond

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2018 Rheland Richmond

  All rights reserved.

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  Cover Art: Cosmic Letterz

  Edited by: Ann Attwood Editing and Proofreading Services

  Proofreading: Theresa Preston

  Published in the United States by Rheland Richmond

  Formatting: Leslie Copeland, LesCourt Author Services

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, scanned, or transmitted in any format or by any means without the prior written permission from the author, Rheland Richmond. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this 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.

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is pure coincidence. As are any similarities to any businesses, events or locations.

  * * *

  All products and brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holder and or company. I do not own the rights to these, nor do I claim to.

  One

  Sparrow

  He was fucking free. He couldn’t believe it. Frank had actually gone and gotten himself killed. Thank fuck. Sparrow wasn’t sure what he would have done. He was only a few days from running away, but this was the best fucking outcome. One he could have never hoped for, but well, he guessed someone somewhere was looking out for him. Ding-dong, the douche was dead. Frank was the worst thing that could have happened to him, but Sparrow had been a naïve as fuck kid, fresh out of foster care and he’d been taken by the first ass-wipe to show him a little love.

  But now he knew better. It was going to be him and the little one from now on, Sparrow thought, rubbing his small bump. He loved his little pumpkin so much, he didn’t care if his father had been a douchenozzle. His baby was going to grow up with more love than he’d know what to do with. There was no fucking way he would let his kid have the childhood he’d had.

  The only fucking good thing Frank had ever done for him was die. He knew that sounded harsh and cruel, but it was the truth. The bastard had taken out a life insurance policy on himself, which meant Sparrow could leave this area and start a new life, somewhere in the country with his baby.

  He knew the only reason Frank had taken out a life insurance policy on himself was that he also wanted to take one out on Sparrow. Sparrow probably would have ended up dead and the bastard would have cashed in his insurance policy with some bogus story, when in actual fact, Frank would have been the reason for Sparrow’s death. But Sparrow was going to have the last laugh. Yes, he was. Who would have thought it, a drunk getting killed by another drunk? That was poetic fucking justice.

  It was probably morbid as fuck, celebrating the death of another human being, but after being brutalized both physically and mentally by that dickwad, he had every reason to fucking celebrate. He’d been with Frank for three miserable years, since he turned eighteen.

  All the alpha had seen in him was a hole to fuck, a house cleaner, and a fucking cook. Sparrow had always loved cooking, but Frank had sucked the joy out of that too. All Sparrow had ever hoped for was an alpha of his own—someone he could take care of, someone who would take care of him. Instead, he’d ended up becoming a slave to an alpha who didn’t deserve to be called one. Sparrow knew he should be cynical, but he wasn’t, he still hoped and prayed he would find the alpha for him. But what alpha would want him now with another man’s child in his belly?

  Sparrow closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears. He couldn’t think like that. All the books he’d snuck into the house showed the broken omega finding his alpha regardless of the circumstances. So, he would have faith. Even though it had never gotten him anywhere, he refused to become bitter. Bitterness had twisted Frank into the drunk he was and made him think everyone was out to get him. Made him think he’d lost his job to the “immigrants,” as he called them. When in truth, it was because he was a lazy fucker who thought he was worth more than he was willing to work for.

  Sparrow took in the scenery passing by on the Greyhound bus he’d boarded out of Texas. They’d gotten to the part where it was all trees on both sides. He was moving one state over to New Mexico and he couldn’t wait to get there. Texas had no good memories, so saying goodbye had been easy, even though he’d been born there. He had no family to speak of, since he was a firehouse baby, so ditching all the bad memories in the Lone Star State was one of the easiest things he’d ever done.

  Sparrow knew it wasn’t going to become all rainbows and unicorns just because he was moving to a new state, but the job he had gotten came with accommodations. He was going to be living in a cabin on a huge property. He’d only had one friend, Bradley, who he’d met when he still had a job working as a busboy at the diner where he’d met Frank. Bradley had stuck around even though Frank had tried to chase him off.

  Bradley was from the small town Sparrow was moving to and had recommended Sparrow for the job. He’d said his hometown was as dry as chewing cat litter and washing it down with sawdust sauce. But that was exactly what Sparrow needed right now.

  Sparrow knew he was lucky to find a job and a house. Not that he was going to run out of money anytime soon, but he still felt better knowing he had a job and a roof over his head and didn’t have to dip into the insurance money until it was time to buy things for the baby. As he knew from his research, raising a child was bloody expensive, so he had to be smart and it didn’t get smarter than free housing.

  Okay, so he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn't take just any free housing. The fact that Bradley said he would be safe there was the reason he felt no fear about moving to a new place sight unseen. His friend thought that even though he wasn’t a fan of his hometown, Sparrow would be. Bradley had always teased him saying he was a country mouse at heart. A new home, a new job, a peaceful place to have his baby – what more could a single omega about to become a single father ask for?

  The job was the easy part. He could cook for fifty people with his hands tied behind his back, so this job was going to be a cakewalk. The hard part would be building a life for himself.

  He was thanking the gods there weren’t a lot of cooks wanting to move to Nowheresville, New Mexico. He’d looked into the area and found it had little to no crime and a wonderful school his child could go to when the time came.

  The cabin was surrounded by lush trees and it had the cutest little swing in the front. He could imagine his baby playing out in the front yard while he watched from that swing.

  Granted, it was going to be a journey getting them to school, but he would deal with that when the time came. Sparrow didn’t mind living in what was essentially the boonies. It was a chance at a new beginning for him, and something told him it was where he was meant to be heading.

  Since he’d been recommended by a friend, the owner had only asked a few questions before hiring him. All the man on the other end of the phone had wanted to know was if Sparrow could cook and if he could cook for working men in large quantities.

  Spar
row figured most people would think it was probably reckless of him to take the job and house and move everything to another state, but something kept nagging at him that this was where he was meant to go. When Bradley had suggested the job, a voice inside him had screamed at him to take it. Say yes! It almost felt like he was being pulled in this direction. But it was probably just his excitement at starting afresh somewhere new.

  He was so lost in thought, he didn’t hear the question he was asked by the woman sitting next to him on the bus until she gave him a little nudge to prompt him.

  “You visiting family in New Mexico?” the older woman asked. She looked to be in her late sixties or so.

  Sparrow met the dark eyes of the older woman and saw kindness there, so he answered honestly. “Moving there for a new job.”

  She smiled at him. “Have you ever been?”

  Sparrow shook his head. “No, ma’am. Texas-born, first time out of the state.” Hopefully, he would never have to go back, he prayed to the universe.

  “Oh, son, pregnant and moving,” she said placing her hand on his.

  “I’ll be fine,” Sparrow said.

  “You definitely will be, son,” she said grinning. “Good things are about to happen for you, my dear. I know you’ve been through so much in your young life. But it’s just beginning. Be open to the unbelievable, son. Don’t be scared. Your life is just about to begin,” she finished, patting him on his hand.

  “Uhhh. Well, okay,” Sparrow said, slipping his hand out from under the crazy lady’s. Clearly, this was a case of crazy, party of one.

  It was time to pretend to be asleep. He didn’t need any more crazy in his life. Hopefully, the person who was supposed to pick him up would be waiting for him at the bus terminal, he thought, before drifting off to sleep.

  Two

  Sparrow

  Well, he was finally here, Sparrow thought, taking a look around the bus station he had just gotten off at. It was small compared to the one where he’d changed buses earlier in the day.

  He’d had to change buses in Albuquerque before ending up in Hidden Valley, New Mexico. Thankfully he’d managed to ditch Madam Crazy Pants back at the bigger bus terminal. The bus that went through Hidden Valley wasn’t as full as the one to Albuquerque, so Sparrow had a moment to question his sanity more than he’d liked. But after stressing himself out he’d decided to just hope that finally, the universe was looking out for him.

  He didn’t sleep on this bus ride because he didn’t want to miss his stop. Besides, the bus from Houston to Albuquerque had taken almost a full day and he’d managed to get some sleep there. Hidden Valley was only about five hours outside Albuquerque, and so far, it looked exactly like what he thought a small town would.

  After he stepped off the bus and it drove away, there was only one pickup truck in the parking lot. He assumed it was the person he’d texted when his phone had told him he was an hour away from his destination.

  The man who was waiting for him was average height, but broad in the shoulders. Sparrow's flight response was kicking in, with being alone in a parking lot with the unknown man, but he swallowed his fear and picked up his one suitcase, making his way towards the man, the stranger, who walked up and met him halfway. Up close, Sparrow could see that he had a kind face that immediately put him at ease. His instincts were proven correct when the man greeted him with a wide smile, his tan face creasing.

  “I’m Micah. I’m a be… I mean, I’m one of the people that live at the house you will be working at. Is that all you have?” he asked, pointing at the suitcase in Sparrow’s hand.

  “Yeah,” Sparrow replied, looking at his one suitcase. He understood the man's surprise. How could his whole life fit into one suitcase? But at least it was better than the garbage bag that he’d left the foster system with, so he wasn’t complaining. “I’ll need to get some new stuff,” Sparrow added as he pulled his suitcase behind him when they started walking towards the car.

  “Well, we don’t have much in the way of shopping around here. But further up that way,” Micah pointed to the way the bus had gone, “is a bigger town where you can buy some clothes and everything else you need. But we just order everything on the internet nowadays.”

  Sparrow nodded. Of course they did. If you lived out this way you would definitely be a fan of internet shopping instead of constantly having to go to bigger towns for everything you needed.

  Sparrow stopped at the newish looking truck, it was big and he was about to lift his suitcase into the back when Micah stopped him. “Someone in your condition should not be lifting anything that heavy,” Micah said, taking the suitcase out of his hands and telling him to get in the truck.

  Micah got into the driver's side after putting Sparrow’s suitcase in the back. Before he even started the engine, Micah looked to see if Sparrow was all set, checking he had his seatbelt on and everything.

  Sparrow blurted, “It wasn’t that heavy, I could have lifted it myself.” He didn’t want the guy to think he was lazy or something. That wasn’t the best first impression to give now, was it?

  Micah looked at him and smiled. “I’m sure it wasn’t, but an omega in your condition shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier than…” Micah paused like he was searching his mind for something light enough, but when he couldn’t come up with anything, he simply said, “Pregnant omegas are a treasure. It was my pleasure helping you.”

  Sparrow didn’t know what to say to that. Frank hadn’t treated him any differently when Sparrow had told him he was pregnant. Sure he’d stopped throwing him around, but he’d still expected the house to get cleaned and his food to be on the table on time. Sparrow wasn’t used to this sort of… kindness.

  “Oh, uhh… thank you, I guess,” Sparrow said.

  The man nodded and started the car. “The ranch is about a fifty-minute drive, so feel free to rest up while we make our way.”

  Sparrow nodded, but knew he couldn’t just fall asleep. Sure, Micah was being nice, but he was still a stranger. Sparrow wasn’t scared per se, but he was a little anxious being in the car with someone he had just met less than ten minutes ago, kind eyes or not.

  Almost like he could read Sparrow’s mind, Micah said, “So you’re a friend of Bradley’s?”

  Sparrow turned from staring out the window and smiled on hearing his friend’s name. “You know Bradley?”

  “He’s my nephew,” Micah replied, smiling. “My older brother’s son. His father, my brother, passed away a long time ago,” Micah said, and Sparrow didn’t miss the flash of sadness that came over his features.

  “I’m sorry,” Sparrow said.

  “Oh, thank you, but it was a long time ago,” Micah replied.

  “Yes, I’m a friend of Bradley’s. We met one night when he came into the diner I worked at. He was kind to me and he kept coming back, over and over again, and I guess we became friends.”

  Micah grinned. “He was always friendly that way. Has good instincts that boy,” Micah said, and Sparrow could hear the pride in his tone.

  “He’s a good friend. Helped me through some tough spots, even though he thought I was doing the wrong thing.” Bradley had hated Frank. Every time Sparrow had said the man's name, or showed up at Bradley’s house, he would growl and curse Frank. He’d even begged Sparrow to let him deal with Frank, but Sparrow had refused. Bradley was an omega and Frank was an alpha who had almost thirty pounds on him and three feet in height. Sparrow hadn’t wanted his friend getting hurt because of him.

  “He’s a good boy,” Micah said, that same pride in his tone.

  Sparrow wondered what it would feel like to have someone, a fatherly figure, speak that way about him. He sighed and looked out the window at the town they were passing through.

  The drive from the bus station to the compound was quiet after that, and like Micah had said, it didn’t take more than fifty-minutes. Micah pointed out a few places on their way, and Sparrow was surprised to see that the town wasn’t as isolated as he’d expected.
There was a store that looked like it sold clothes, a bookstore, a coffee shop, even a cinema – even though it looked like it was six months behind on the movies they were showing.

  “Ah, we’re here,” Micah said as they pulled into a dirt driveway leading up to what he assumed was the compound. On both sides of the driveway there were lush trees. For a city boy who had never been to the country, Sparrow looked at everything with a hint of wonder.

  Whitewashed fences lined the road and he could see several men in the distance, although he couldn’t figure out what they were doing. They kept driving, the driveway longer than he thought, until they suddenly came into a wider clearing and a huge house came into view. That was the only way to describe the house. It looked like something out of a movie.

  He had never seen anything so majestic in his life. It looked like it had been there for years and had somehow become a part of the scenery. It was the biggest wooden structure he had ever seen. Sparrow thought cabins were small and by the lake, but this one looked friggin’ supersized. He would bet his bank account that it could house at least fifty people.

  “Wow, it’s beautiful,” Sparrow said in awe.

  Micah looked at him, then at the house. “I guess it is. I’ve lived here so long I probably take it for granted. Alrighty, let’s get you in so you can meet the alp… I mean Hunter.”

  “He’s the one who owns the house?” Sparrow asked as he opened the door to the truck, still trying to take in the house and everything around it. The land was beautiful. He had never seen so much green in his life, and the air was like nothing he’d ever breathed before. For some reason, he felt like howling at the perfection of everything. There was also this tingling sensation at the base of his spine he couldn’t quite understand, but now wasn’t the time to figure it out.