Wednesday, December 31, 2025

πŸŽ…πŸŽ„6th Day of Christmas Author SpotlightπŸŽ„πŸŽ…: Lucy Lennox



Lucy Lennox
After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!




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EMAIL: lucy@lucylennox.com



Hashtag Holidate
Summary:
I came to Legacy, Montana, to sell a fantasy—twelve Insta-ready #Holidates of Christmas. One career-making brand deal. Zero drama.

Then my videographer bailed, and in walked Maddox Sullivan.

Grumpy. Gorgeous. Growly. A mountain man with zero chill and even less tolerance for influencers like me. He agrees to film my content—off-camera only—but when my first date cancels, guess who ends up in front of the lens?

Cue the fireworks.

Our chemistry is instant. My followers are obsessed. #TeamMaddrian starts trending. Suddenly, all my dates are mysteriously dropping out, and Maddox is reluctantly starring in every single holidate—sleigh rides, snowball fights, cocoa by the fire, kisses under the mistletoe.

And I… I’m starting to forget this was ever supposed to be pretend.

Because every time Maddox looks at me, I feel something real. Something lasting. Something terrifying.

I came here for curated content. Now I’m dreaming of a life I never thought I wanted—with a man I never saw coming.

But am I falling for the picture-perfect holiday fantasy? Or could this be the start of my real-life happily ever after?







Facing West
Summary:
Forever Wilde #1
Nico:
I left my family and tiny Texas hometown fifteen years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I’m shocked out of the steady life I’ve built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco.

The thing is: I don’t do babies. And I don’t do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don’t do family. My plan is to go back to Hobie just long enough to sign adoption papers, giving my niece the kind of stable, loving family I could never provide.

But the moment I meet my niece in the arms of Weston Wilde, my sister’s best friend and the town’s handsome doctor, my plans begin to change. Because suddenly, I see a different future. One with the very thing I thought I never deserved: a family. If only I can convince West that I’m not the same good-for-nothing kid ready to bolt when things get tough.

Weston:
There’s one thing I know for sure about Nico Salerno: he was a good-for-nothing as a kid and judging by the purple-haired, tattoo’d punk who shows up at his sister’s funeral, he hasn’t changed. There’s no way I’m letting him take custody of my best friend’s baby.

But the more time I spend around him, the more I realize that his rough exterior is just a shell and that beneath all the tattoos is a scared, insecure man searching for a place to belong. And pretty soon I know exactly where he belongs: in my bed and by my side.

The problem is, he abandoned his family once before, how do I know that if we become a family he won’t do it again?

Facing West is the first in the new Forever Wilde series about the huge Wilde family from Hobie, Texas, whose patriarchs aren’t above a little meddling if that’s what it takes to help their grandkids find true love.







Ski Patrol
Summary:
Aster Valley #4.5
BJ came to Aster Valley to find a man. Okay, not just any man, a specific man. Namely, the man who accidentally dropped his To Do list in the Denver airport, thereby revealing he's the absolute best, most perfect match for BJ.

But after almost a week of... uh... kissing too many of the wrong guys, BJ realizes it's not meant to be. To add insult to injury, he gets an actual injury on the slopes, putting a wrench in his plans and his job at risk.

When Dallas, the sexy ski patrol responder, arrives on his snowmobile, BJ barely gives him a second look. He's in too much pain and he's sworn off all men, sexy or not.

But when Dallas shows up later that night at the hospital to offer BJ a ride home, BJ wonders if maybe he had it all wrong. Maybe he should give Aster Valley one more chance to make his To Do List dreams come true...









A Very Marian Christmas by Lucy Lennox
Summary:
Made Marian #7
12 Marian Men-A-Mating... I mean, A-Meeting

11 Blind Dates-A-Blinding

10 Lords-A-Leaping (to conclusions)

9 Ladies Dancing (okay, maybe that's Griff)

8 Kids-A-Complaining

7 Changes-A-Clothing

6 Love Junk Gadgets

5 **DRA-AAG QUEENS**

4 Calling Neighbors

3 Nosy Grannies

2 Men Falling In Love

And a partridge in a pear tree.

A Very Marian Christmas tells the story of a crazy family who goes to great lengths to find Noah a boyfriend in time for the holidays. But as Noah goes on date after date with these perfectly nice strangers, all he really wants is to return home to be with his roommate, Luke, who just so happens to be his brother's BFF and the man he's wanted for years.







Prince of Lies
Summary:
The Billionaire Brotherhood #1
Rowe Prince is many things.
Gorgeous? Yes.
Unintentionally hilarious? Absolutely.
The hottest, sunshiniest virgin to ever set foot in Manhattan? Oh, yeah.

One thing he’s not, though, is a reclusive billionaire named Sterling Chase who supposedly founded my company. So when the man (literally) stumbles into a charity gala saying precisely that, I do what anyone would: I set out to prove he’s a liar.

Except it turns out Rowe’s ridiculous falsehoods are surprisingly… enchanting. The heart of gold beneath his borrowed tux makes even a jaded businessman like me start to believe in fairy tales. And there’s no faking the heat between us when the man’s in my bed.

But when it turns out Rowe’s lies conceal a secret that threatens the company I’ve spent years building, I have to choose: say goodbye to the sweet pretender I’m falling for, or risk everything for a man who just might be… the prince of lies.






Hashtag Holidate


Ski Patrol
AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK  /  B&N

A Very Marian Christmas

Prince of Lies


Tuesday, December 30, 2025

πŸŽ…πŸŽ„5th Day of Christmas Author SpotlightπŸŽ„πŸŽ…: Toby Wise



Toby Wise
Toby Wise is a stay at home parent who hails from a tiny town in Wisconsin. Contrary to popular Wisconsin stereotypes, he’s not a cheese-head who enjoys beer but rather an introvert who spends all his time on the internet, drinking coffee, spending time with his kid, and cooing about his adorable cat, Pikachu.

In April of 2019, A Collection of Strays was born after the world of fanfiction drew him back into his love of writing. Now he’s writing all things omegaverse and paranormal as long as it includes silly moments and found family.





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EMAIL: tobywisewrites@gmail.com




Love's Unexpected Gift
Summary:
Something Unexpected #1
Pining after your best friend and roommate is all fine and dandy until you’re faced with tragedy. Then it kinda loses its appeal.

It’s always been me, Hayden, Jeff, and Tristen for as long as I can remember. The four of us against the world. But now that Jeff and Tristen are gone, I can’t help but think about all of life’s ‘what if’s’. Could I risk it all at a shot at love? ~Matt

Jeff and Tristen named us their daughter’s guardians if anything should happen to them. Matt and I have gone from two alphas who live together to a family of three. We love Emma like our own, but my heart longs for more. When I offer to help Matt with his rut, boundaries lose meaning and I fall even harder. What will it take for me to find the courage to tell him my true feelings? ~Hayden

This 26k omegaverse story is a standalone about two alphas finding love in the midst of loss. It’s filled with best friends becoming lovers, only one bed, adopted family, and more pining than a Christmas tree farm. Love’s Unexpected Gift contains knotty fun and therefore is intended for those 18 and older.







Chasing Magic
Summary:
A Collection of Familiars #1
After receiving a magical compass that’s supposed to lead him to his spark, Willow embarks on the road trip of a lifetime. He just didn’t realize it would take over five years of chasing to finally meet his spark, Nash and he certainly wasn’t expecting his spark’s brother to be his true mate.

Callan, a hawk shifter, is used to his life on the road. He’s always found joy in helping his brother, Nash, travel from place to place, helping sparks learn more about their magic. On one magical stop, Callan and Nash run into Willow and realize he’s exactly what they didn’t know they were missing.

Chasing Magic is book one in A Collection of Familiars series. Inside you’ll find true mates, found family, an alpha hawk, a bluejay familiar, mpreg, magic, and of course, a happily ever after!












Snowed in Sucker
Summary:
Tinsel and Tentacles 3
When Landon goes for a run, he has no idea a snowstorm is supposed to hit. Finding himself too far from home, he changes course and runs to his neighbor’s house instead. Not only does he find safety from the snow, but he also finds safety for his heart.

Jett is used to being alone, prefers it even, but there’s something about Landon that changes that. He develops feelings he’s never felt before and they all have to do with the alpha wolf in his home. At the same time, Jett’s octopus pheromones are causing big changes to Landon’s body.

The two of them have a decision to make at the end of their snowed in time; will they stay apart until the pheromones settle down? Or will they embrace these changes together?

Snowed In Sucker is a standalone story in the Tinsel and Tentacles 3.0 Series. Inside you’ll find tentacles, true mates being snowed in, first times, eggpreg, oviposition, supportive dads, meddling pheromones, and of course, Toby Approved happily ever afters in time for Christmas.







A Layperry's Tradition
Summary:
For A Chance At Us #1
It turns out every sci-fi movie was wrong when it comes to the whole ‘alien takeover’ thing.

On a drunken dare, Miles signs up for the Human Layperry Exchange. To Miles’ surprise, he and his best friend, Christian, are both accepted. Three years on an alien planet, learning their ways and experiencing their culture. Falling in love wasn’t part of the program but that’s exactly what Miles does.

The Layperry people have rituals and traditions when it comes to finding their mates. Timalah has always trusted these traditions, even as he falls hopelessly in love with Miles. On the day of Timalah’s mating ritual, he stands before his people, praying that Miles decides to take the leap.

Will Miles jump head first into Layperry tradition for a chance at love? Or will their differences be a bridge too long to cross?

A Layperry’s Tradition is book one in For A Chance At Us series. You’ll find mpreg, alien traditions, snarky best friends, and of course, a happily ever after.







Prancer
Summary:
Mated at the North Pole #3
Can a mis-booked hotel room be the makings of a Christmas miracle?

Dominic Prancer comes from a long line of reindeer shifters responsible for pulling Santa’s sleigh every Christmas. When he’s not flying the sleigh, he’s helping keep the sleighs in tip top shape. He works too hard, which is why Santa demands he take a mandatory vacation.

Silas has been planning this vacation for six months and refuses to let something as silly as a breakup keep him from enjoying it. When he overhears Dominic’s room has been double booked and the omega has nowhere to stay, he offers to share his room with the reindeer shifter.

The two spend an entire week together, enjoying a vacation they both desperately needed. When they need to go their separate ways, Dominic back to the North Pole and Silas back to his suburban home, they realize just how deep their feelings have grown. Can they find each other again in time for Christmas?

Prancer is the third book in the multi-author M/M Shifter Mpreg Christmas romance series Mated at the North Pole, featuring Santa’s reindeer who find their mates while on a mandatory vacation. Prancer features an omega reindeer, an alpha who takes care of everyone but himself, a hotel mishap, and the best kind of present ever—true love, fated mates, an adorable baby, and a guaranteed happily ever after.





Love's Unexpected Gift

Chasing Magic

Snowed in Sucker

A Layperry's Tradition

Prancer


Monday, December 29, 2025

πŸŽ…πŸŽ„4th Day of Christmas Author SpotlightπŸŽ„πŸŽ…: Davidson King




Davidson King
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.

She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.

If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.





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EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com






Snow Falling
Summary:
Haven Hart #1
After running from a past destined to kill him, Snow has been hiding on the streets.

Tell nobody your name.
Tell nobody your secrets.
Trust nobody!
These are the rules of the streets.

His entire life changes when he saves an eight-year-old boy from a violent end.

Christopher Manos is one of the most powerful crime bosses in the country.

Don’t ask anyone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.
Secrets can get you killed.
Trust nobody!
These are the rules he lives by.

When his eight-year-old nephew disappears, he never expects the boy’s savior to end up being his own.

A man with a dangerous past and a man with a dangerous future find love amidst murder and mayhem. But with Snow's life being threatened at every turn, will Christopher's best be enough to prevent Snow Falling?







Jurassic Measures
Summary:

Jason McPherson loves his job and his life. There’s no drama, he has the love of his parents, and an assistant that gives him all the friendship he needs. Yeah, life is good…calm.

That is until Landry Astor storms into his tailor and design shop making demands and unknowingly steals Jason’s heart.

Landry isn’t all he seems to be and soon enough, Jason’s once quiet life turns upside down. It’s going to take some Jurassic measures to make sense out of everything…but that’s okay, because together, they’ll have forever to figure it out.

Jurassic Measures was part of the Cretaceous Crushes Charity Anthology which is now unpublished. This was my contribution to that anthology. Nothing has been added or changed from it’s original version.











Once Upon a Second Chance
Summary:

Once Upon a Holiday Story #1
Can two men weighed down by their pasts find a future with each other?

Daniel Laverton is a wealthy man who was born into privilege. His family helped build Everlasting Springs, and he spends his days ensuring it prospers. The town is in his veins, the love he has for it keeping him there, happily. In his big house on the top of a hill he resides—just him, his cat, and his past. With middle age knocking at his door and the holidays approaching, loneliness is creeping in.

Aaron Darwin is used to struggling. He lives a moment at a time, traveling in his not-so-trusty car, going from place to place and looking for work. When a huge storm looms, Aaron’s luck goes from bad to worse and his vehicle decides to die. With no shelter, very little money, and a town ahead that is closing down, Aaron has no idea how he will get through this impending disaster.

Perhaps it’s the jingle bells in the air or his own solitude, but there’s no way Daniel can leave the man stranded. When he takes a reluctant Aaron in to hunker down and ride out the storm, the two get more than they bargained for. It is easy for them to see all the reasons they shouldn’t work and overlook all the ways they do, but it is holiday season in Everlasting Springs, a time for miracles and second chances. A time for two lonely men to realize they’ve already received the best gift for Christmas: each other.

Once Upon a Second Chance is a part of the multi-author series Once Upon a Holiday Story. Each book can be read as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Hook’s Book Nook Traveling Library, a library on wheels owned by two old ladies in love.







Slay Ride
Summary:
Saint Brothers #1
Christmas is a time for joy, family, and friends to gather around the tree and fill their hearts with love. Unfortunately, there are some people who don’t deserve happiness during the holidays.

Mason keeps to himself. His best friend, JJ, is the only one he chooses to be close to, plus his job keeps him busy. Excitement isn’t something he needs or wants in his life. One night, that all changes when he’s cornered, and his life is threatened. His saviors? Well, they turn out to be just as dangerous, and the mysteries surrounding them soon flip Mason’s world upside down.

Gabe and his brothers spend their lives making sure those who deserve death get what’s coming to them. The one person they never see coming is Mason. What for them should have been a simple rescue turns into even more chaos than they ever thought possible.

Enter the Saint brothers’ dark and twisted world on a slay ride that will have you on the edge of your seat, swooning for the bad boys, and trying to survive the fall of revenge.

**This was originally a short story that was part of the Christmas Anthology O Deadly Night Vol 1. It has since been expanded to a full-length novel. No Cliffhanger!








Hurt Me Not
Summary:

As a lieutenant at the Fool’s Pass Fire Department and a single father, Easton Kooper’s life revolves around his children. When he receives an urgent call from his son’s doctor, it upends Easton’s world. Suddenly, barreling into a burning building sounds like a piece of cake. With no idea of what to do or where to turn, he’s never felt more lost. And then in walks the answer he didn’t know he needed: a gorgeous fae with an angelic smile, bearing grand promises to turn the Kooper family’s life right side up again.

Finch knows the rules: don’t fall in love with a human. That’s always been simple enough to follow—at least until the Kooper family. Despite his best efforts, Finch grows attached to Easton and his children…attached enough that he’s tempted to turn his back on the fae and their laws completely.

Before long, the pair must brace themselves as both their worlds seek to destroy them. When the darkness crashes down, it’ll take every ounce of defiance and magic Finch has to keep the Koopers safe. Faced with immovable magic and unspeakable danger, is there really any way Finch and Easton’s love can prevail?

Fighting it is hopeless, but embracing it could mean ruin for them all.

Hurt Me Not is a standalone MM urban fantasy. Guaranteed HEA. No cliffhanger.

Click Here for My Review and Excerpt.




Snow Falling by Davidson King

Jurassic Measures

Once Upon a Second Chance


Hurt Me Not


πŸŽ…πŸŽ„Monday's Mystical MagicπŸŽ„πŸŽ…: His Accidental Christmas Omega by Ava Beringer



Summary:
Omega Holidays #1
A fire took everything…except my unborn child, due Christmas Day. When the alpha of my dreams temporarily takes me in, can I resist falling for him?

Hapless rookie FBI agent Shane Hawkins loves showing off his badge to impress to omegas. When he falls in love with a vulnerable omega on the news, he rushes to find a safe place for him. When a mix-up makes him responsible for Drew Darling and his unborn child, Shane has to become a stand-up alpha quick. Can he figure himself out before Drew and his baby leave forever?

Omega military widower Drew Darling’s house just burned down. Oh, and he’s eight months pregnant. With a baby due on Christmas day, he has no place to go and no one to turn to. FBI agent Shane Hawkins comes to his rescue, and Drew falls for him on day one. Shane’s irreverence grates on him, but there’s no denying Shane’s heart of gold, or the immediate animal attraction. Will Drew’s grief stop him from embracing a brand new love?

Can Shane sacrifice for a life of love? When the new year comes, will it be time for Drew- and his newborn- to go? Will the baby really arrive on Christmas day?

This book is about 37,000 words and has a HEA. 18+ readers only please! This book contains occasional strong language, MPREG/Omegaverse, and hot, spicy grownup stuff. The omegas are heating up and the alphas are very knotty boys. 




This is only the second story in the author's Omega Holidays series I have had a chance to read and loved it just as much as the other, if not more actually. Perhaps it is just the Christmas element that put this above His Accidental Memorial Day Omega but I have loved them both.  

As for Accidental Christmas Omega, this is a sweet and fun read, despite the heartache that puts Shane and Drew on the same journey. Drew, having lost almost everything is facing a lonely and long road ahead and Shane is a very brash, act before thinking things through FBI agent. When fate brings them together, the author provides a story of healing and discovery, with just the right blend of heart and romcom, making for a very enjoyable, emotional at times, entertaining read. Being Christmastime is just icing on the Christmas cookie that will put a smile on your face.

RATING:






1 
DREW 
A sound; Plunk. A whisper; Drew. Wake up. 

“Not yet. Five more minutes, you drill sergeant,” I groaned. A laugh. Come on, I wanna get some of those tamales at the farmer’s market and they sell out early. 

“Not yet.” Plunk. Drew! “Five more minutes, then we’ll get your special tamales.” Plunk. Drew! Wake up. He grinned and shook me. “Drew! Wake up!” 

I shot up in bed, expecting darkness, instead hell was waiting at my door. 

My neighbor Helga was under my window, throwing rocks and screaming frantically. The air was thick with smoke, billowing all around. 

“My house is on fire,” I said out loud, dumbly. “Help!” I yelled, but the roar of the flames, trying to break through my door, swallowed my voice. 

“Don’t open a door when there’s fire on the other side,” Jimmy used to say in his serious, soldier-y way. “When it gets more oxygen it’ll really go up.” 

“I got it, I got it,” I would tease. “I promise not to get cooked in a house fire. Thanks, baby. I’m keeping that promise. But if I couldn’t go out the door, how did I get out?

I cradled my belly, big and round with my husband Jimmy’s baby, thirty-seven weeks along. I have to save our baby. 

“The balcony.” I leapt out of bed, tripping on the sheets wrapped around my legs, uncoordinated because of my size and precious cargo. I paused a moment, grabbing Jimmy’s working parka and slinging it around my shoulders as I ran. Some nights I liked to put it in his spot and pretend he was still with me; luckily, I did it tonight. 

I burst out of the French doors onto our balcony. Its view was nothing special, just the cul-de-sac in our quiet, sleepy little neighborhood in the hills beyond the state park. There was pandemonium in the street as my neighbors screamed and fires raged all around. I truly had woken up in hell. 

A late season wildfire. The park rangers usually did an excellent controlled burn; what could have possibly happened to cause this? I had to get down from this balcony. I was low enough that if I jumped I would live, but it wasn’t gonna be pretty. 

I had a choice to make. The heat cooked my back and more smoke poured out of my room as everything my husband and I had worked for went up in smoke. The fire ate through my door and crept up behind me. 

Helga and a couple of my other neighbors gathered beneath my balcony. 

“Drew, you have to jump! We’ll catch you! Jump, we have to get out of here!” Fire engines screamed in the background. Help was on the way, but how far were they? Not close enough. The fire finally ate away at the door and smoke poured out of the windows on my lower level. 

“The fire’s eating through the house!” Helga yelled, hands cupped around her mouth. “The walls aren’t gonna hold!” My baby. With a final rub of my belly, I lifted a leg over the railing, then the other one. I held myself out over the open air, my heroic neighbors waiting for me with their arms outstretched.  Gripping the railing for dear life, I slid down into a crouch. The railing groaned and heated up; it was starting to warp and melt; I didn’t have much time. I let my feet dangle, then slid off, still holding on. I went too fast, the angle nearly wrenching my shoulders out of their sockets when my arms were extended. My neighbors gathered below me. 

“Drew, let go!” Helga called. I let go and fell…it felt like forever, but I was caught by four pairs of waiting arms. My ankle hit the ground at a bad angle and I rolled it, but the pain didn’t register. A fire engine roared up my street, calling for us to evacuate. My car was in my garage, already gone up in flames. Firefighters burst out of their engines and red-painted SUVs. 

“In the truck, let’s go!” The closest fireman roared. He didn’t need to tell me twice. He jumped down to help me into the cab, his hands strong but caring. Everyone loaded in, slamming the doors. It was a tight squeeze, but the truck immediately did a three-point turn and raced out of our cul-de-sac. 

“Who’s missing?” The driver, a muscular alpha woman, demanded. 

“My wife,” One omega man piped up. 

“My son and my dog.” Another voice said. 

The firewoman got on her com. “Echo, we’ve got at least three missing. Woman, man, dog. Stand by for addresses…” 

“We’re taking everyone straight to the hospital.” The fireman said, with the kind of authoritative voice that put you at ease. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now. I’m Jamison and this is Kelly with Primrose Keep Fire and Rescue, and we’ll be taking good care of you.” He turned to me. “Sir, are you hurt?” 

I blinked stupidly. “I, um…yes?” 

“Kel, radio it in. Pregnant omega male incoming, priority…” He started talking again, but it was like I was walking down a tunnel and couldn’t hear him. “Sir? Sir?”

“I think he’s in shock, Jamie.” The sound was far away. All the voices faded. I turned my head to look behind me. The last thing I saw was the home I shared with my deceased husband being swallowed by raging red flames. 

Everything went black. 

A few hours later, I woke up in the hospital under a mountain of pain, hacking and coughing from my battered lungs. The white lights were too bright and the sterile smell irritated my nose. My ankle throbbed and my shoulders were killing me, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the black hole inside my gut. 

Knock, knock. A woman’s head poked into my emergency bay. The curtain hissed as she pulled it back. 

“Mr. Darling, I’m Dr. White. I’m glad to see you awake and alert.” I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn’t come. I could only stare at her face, haggard from the frenzied rush and lack of sleep. 

She took a step inside. “You’ve got a sprained ankle, but it isn’t broken. You suffered mild smoke inhalation. Other than that, a few scrapes and bruises-” 

I found my voice then. “My baby?” My throat was raw and sore from the smoke. She offered a soft smile. 

“Initial signs say perfectly healthy.” I let out a long, whistling breath from my inflamed lungs and laid my head back on the bed. The most important thing was safe. My precious child, healthy and whole. “We called your emergency contact; your grandmother in Augusta, Georgia, correct? Do you have any relatives or friends you can spend the night with?” 

“No.” All I had was Jimmy and he was gone. I lifted my arm. His coat was still on me, but it was torn, singed, and streaked with smoke.

I broke down and wept again, but this time with an audience. 

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Darling. Truly, I am.” She patted my hand, and in that moment her genuine sympathy made me angry, because what was I supposed to do with it? Was it going to fix my ruined life? “We’ll be able to discharge you soon. Survivors like yourself are generally being sent to the Omega Center, and if not there than to one of the center’s trusted host families. You’ll be safe and warm and get good food and adequate care for your baby. It’s a safe place to start to make sense of all this.” There is no sense to this, I wanted to say, but all I could do was cry harder. The doctor set a box of tissue down by my side and tucked a couple in my hand. 

“Zach Morrey’s on his way. He runs the center and as my kids would say, he’s the chillest guy I’ve ever met. You’re in good hands with him, you’ll see.” After another couple of arm rubs, she took her leave, probably to take care of the next wretch who’d lost everything tonight. 

The baby stretched out inside me, turning my belly into a funny oblong shape, more like an oval. I let myself smile and ran my hand over the little bulge that I took to be their hand. 

“Not everything,” I whispered. “I have the most important thing.” 

Knock, knock. I jerked my head up. There was a man in the doorway; an omega with a backwards PK Thorns snapback and blond hair that reached the nape of his neck, wearing a t-shirt with the collar cut out. He was broad-shouldered and had some muscle on him, and along with a relaxed half-grin, looked more like a guy I’d see on a skateboard riding along the beach. 

“Mr. Darling?” I nodded and he took a slow step into the room. “I’d ask you how it’s going, but that’d be a pretty dumb question, huh, man?” I snorted a bitter laugh. “I’m Zach from the Omega Center. We’re gonna get you down there and get you some hot food and rest. How’s that sound?” He smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world, one of his front teeth slightly overlapping the other, and I wanted to escape into that world. He held a hand out for me and I took it. He treated me carefully and gently, and I wondered how many times he’d done something like this, and for how many years. 

It was a short drive to the center as we were already downtown. Smoke smothered the city like a sinister brownish-gray blanket. The building was nothing special, just an older seventies-era elementary school that had been repurposed. It was the energy that hung over it that bothered me. 

Inside, I was greeted by misery and grief. 

“I didn’t know the fire took so many homes,” I whispered. 

Zach nodded as he led me through the cafeteria. “Yeah. Too many families suffering tonight.” It was mostly omegas and tons of children, but a few alphas were sprinkled here and there, huddling with their families. So many empty eyes stared back at me as I checked out the scene. 

“Can I get a hot plate out here, boss?” Zach called into the doorway, like he wasn’t the boss. Food. My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten in ages. Zach chuckled. “Two plates.” Zach took the plates of what smelled like pasta from the cook and carried them for me. 

“Why don’t we go straight to your room so you can have a little more quiet time?” 

“That would be great, thank you.” The sadness, the weeping, and the boisterous kids were frying my nervous system after I’d already been traumatized. There was a massive Christmas tree, maybe twenty feet tall, in the corner of the cafeteria. 

“Just put that up yesterday.” 

“It’s nice.” It was a beacon of hope for me, a bright spot in all the gloom. 

“Perfect timing, then. I’m gonna have you in a room with three other pregnant omegas. I apologize for having to squeeze you in like this.” 

“I’m just happy to have food and a place to sleep. I can’t thank you enough, Zach.”

Zach shrugged, the half-smile on his face. “I’m just a guy who wants to help. I’m looking for host families and I’m prioritizing pregnant omegas and those with little babies. I’m hoping to get you someplace where you can be at ease real soon.” He stacked a plate on his wrist like a waiter, so he’d have a hand free, and opened a door into what probably used to be an office. There were four beds crammed inside. A pregnant woman was sleeping with her back to the door and the other two beds were empty, those omegas probably in the cafeteria. Zach set my plates down on a little side table and straightened up to leave, giving me a little smile. 

I didn’t know why, but suddenly I was hugging Zach. He didn’t act surprised, just held me for a long time. I sniffled and a few tears fell, but I pulled myself together when the baby moved and the smell of lasagna and garlic bread called my name. 

Zach left to go run other parts of the center and I inhaled both plates of food, trying to keep my lip-smacking and fork-scraping quiet. 

Belly full, I laid down and rested a hand on my side. Grief, misery, shock, and terror for what the future held for me and my unborn child overtook me. I wept again, big, sopping tears that stained my clothes. My sore chest shook and an ugly whine snuck out of my mouth. “I have my baby. I have my baby,” I chanted. I curled up around my belly, determined to protect them from any harm that could befall them. “We’ll be alright. Me and you, we’ll be alright.” 

I wrapped Jimmy’s coat around me tighter and cried myself to sleep.






Ava Beringer
Ava Beringer is a major-league nerd who started off writing fanfiction and fell in love with mpreg and omegaverse. She loves to heat up a slick omega and a knotty alpha. By day she’s a good thirty-something midwestern girl, but she has a dark side. Okay, not really. She’s as bubbly as champagne but she can be pretty darn cheeky when you get her going.

She’s a digital nomad who’s traveled to thirty-five countries and counting. If she’s lucky, a cat will adopt her along the way.

Pick up your FREE SHORT STORIES, hear about her new releases and misadventures here, and tell her about yours! ❤


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His Accidental Christmas Omega #1

Omega Holidays Series