Mated for the Holidays: A Holiday Mpreg Romance in the Hemlock Mpreg Universe Read online

  Mated for the Holidays

  A Hemlock Mpreg Universe Holiday Romance

  Maggie Hemlock

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Maggie Hemlock. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

  Chapter One

  Aidan

  “How’s the envelope stuffing going?” I asked Gloria.

  My sister looked at me and scrunched her brow. She lost the coin toss and was stuck with the job of stuffing the five hundred envelopes addressed to our clients. Our list grew every year, but this year the boom was massive. Our advertising campaign over the summer doubled our client list.

  “I’m going to put you in an envelope and ship you off,” she rolled her eyes.

  “Hey! Don’t be a spoil sport. I always get stuck doing it and Mated for the Holidays is my brain baby,” I told her.

  “Maybe, but who runs security and ensures all your little omega friends get to where they’re going safely?” Gloria laid aside the envelope she just finished.

  “I’d be lost without you, Sis,” I grinned at her, “but I’m still happy not to be stuffing envelopes this year. I’ll tell you what. When you’re finished I’ll run them to the mailbox.”

  She nodded and went back to work. I headed into my office and double checked the computer was still running my latest simulation. For over a decade I studied programing, algorithms, and the like trying to create a program which mimicked fate. I wanted to predict who belonged with who in a true-mate fashion. None of my attempts came close. Even after interviews and gathering data from over a hundred true-mate pairs the computer rarely matched true-mates together. I was still missing the X factor. There was a variable I didn’t understand.

  “Fate is fate. It is what it is,” my wolf sat on his haunches and squinted at the computer screen. “I don’t think fate is a supercomputer matching people based on variables. It’s fate. It does what it wants to.”

  “There has to be some rhyme or reason to it, though. True-mates almost always work out. I’ve never heard of anything except death parting a pair,” I said aloud.

  “Fate knows what it’s doing. Computer science can’t compare to love and magic.”

  “It can. I just need to understand how to put their values into the program,” I frowned at the screen.

  My laptop buzzed signaling a new e-mail for the company. I swerved my chair and slid in front of it. The office was fully equipped with two desktops. One running the program for my research. The other ran the matchmaking database for Mated for the Holidays. The laptop was for e-mails, videos, and random web surfing. I had a phone in my pocket, and another plugged into the wall charger. I also had two back up tablets in case something failed. They were all dragon made. They’d survive the apocalypse. Gloria, my older Alpha sister and current envelope stuffer, complained whenever she came into the office. She hated the buzzing computers. They ran on crystals and magic, but she claimed the buzzing gave her a headache. She was right about the buzzing. It was audible when I ran everything at full speed. Only it didn’t give me a headache. The gentle crystal hum soothed out my edges and reminded me I’d be the man to solve fate’s dilemma. Then I could input every client into the system and know instantly if their true-mate was also in our system.

  For now, Mated for the Holidays was just that. We operated as a matchmaking company that connected single or widowed Alphas and omegas for the holiday season. The omegas packed up and went to live with the Alphas from around Halloween through the start of the New Year. It helped fill the lonely void on both sides. We screened clients carefully to ensure no one was up to some shady business. We’d yet to encounter a bad client, though. Everyone just wanted to spend the colder winter months with someone even if it was only pretend. Sure, some of our clients hit it off in a romantic sense. We even lost a few clients when they decided to tie the knot as chosen mates, but we never turned down a wedding invitation. Each success story was free advertisement for the company.

  We weren’t a sex service. Our contracts stated any sex happened outside of the service we provided, and any non-consensual sexual behavior would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If the land was lawless the crime would be punished to the fullest extent of my sister. As Gilmore Witches our heritage still held some water even if our coven was no longer closely knit since Grandma Rosa moved on. Ours was a line of proud female Alphas who didn’t shy away from battle. Gloria was no exception. Lucky for us battle didn’t knock on our door often these days.

  We were two of the handful of Gilmore Witches who still lived in Springfield. Most made their way to other parts of the country. Missouri and Oklahoma stayed with those with magical powers after the human government failed. It was easy to keep the coven’s enemies at bay during the more trying times. The flat lands made the perfect canvas for conjuring tornadoes to deter would be invaders. We still had our ancestral house situated near downtown Springfield. It was home and always would be.

  “Last minute client!” I called out to Gloria down the hall. “Do we have any unmatched omegas left?”

  “I don’t think so, but you might wanna double check!” She called back. “I’m just about done with these damn envelopes. Were you serious about running them to the mailbox for me?”

  “Yeah. When I finish putting this guy in.”

  Lucian Montero was a hottie. He listed his height as a bit over six four. In the mandatory photograph he included with his application Lucian leaned against a pillar wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The name didn’t match the man, but the man wore the name well. He had short black hair and deep blue eyes that didn’t shy away from the camera. His t-shirt clung to the sculpted muscles of his chest and shoulders. His name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Where had I heard about him before?

  “Tell him to send nudes. A wolf wants a peek,” my wolf said.

  Stop looking over my shoulder. You know how much that annoys me. And stop talking about our clients like that too.

  “Do you know how long it’s been since we had a romp?”

  Seven hundred and eighty-four days.

  “I thought I was bad for keeping count. I was just going to say two years.”

  Shush up. Let me put him in the computer.

  “Fine, but just so you know, I can’t not watch over your shoulder. I’m inside of you.”

  Ignoring my wolf’s rambles, I rolled the chair in front of the desktop and put in Lucian’s information. It would take the system a while to see if he matched anyone. The omegas were matched already, but if we had another latecomer, we might be able to squeeze him in. I’d poke a few clients that didn’t return this year to see if they were available if all else failed.

  “They probably found their true-mates,” my wolf said.

  Thanks, Captain Furry Obvious Pants.

  Chapter Two

  Luc

  The fog of sleep clung to my brain and pulled on my eyelids like heavy weights. The edges of the world blurred together. Three pots of coffee hadn’t done much to chase away the two years of sleep I just woke from. As a pot a day wolf I was hundreds of cups behind that morning.

  “Damn Montero genetics,” my wolf swore under his breath. “Putting people to sleep. Why the hell would that be the trait that carried on through generations? Survival of the fitt
est my furry ass!”

  Only I wasn’t exactly asleep. My wolf missed the roaming of Earth when my magic determined it was time for my spirit to roam the Other World. I never minded the trips much. There was a lot to learn from over there. Every Montero who didn’t find their true-mate by four hundred fell into what I called the ‘Other World Slumber.’ It was a genetic failsafe to ensure the magic passed on to the next generation. A sleeping Montero only woke when fate deemed it was time for him or her to meet their true-mate. I wasn’t sure that was going to happen unless they knocked on the door trying to sell some magic magazine subscription or other useless thing.

  “Magi Montero,” my apprentice, Barric, walked into the dining hall.

  “Shut up. I still haven’t forgiven you for burning through my whole stash of dragon scales in your little experiments. You’re wasteful. Refill my cup.”

  My wolf grumbled under his breath. We traded off several of his hunting trophies, antlers, and hides for those scales.

  “Magi Montero, I’ve nearly perfected the shield, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about. My carrier is pregnant. The baby’s do any day now. This is my parents’ third in as many years. I don’t understand why they waited until my career was well underway to have more children, but they need my help.”

  “Your career is non-existent, apprentice. You owe me for those damn dragon scales you wasted.”

  Barric said nothing as he refilled my cup with coffee. That was the problem with non-shifting mages. They didn’t understand the value of scales, fur, and horns. To them it was just another animal bit. Shifters knew the value both in gold and magic of such personal items. They were bits of people and spirits. They deserved better use than being wasted in some apprentice’s experiment.

  “Remind me again why you agreed to take him on as your apprentice,” my wolf grumbled under his breath.

  Because four years ago he was a promising young mage. He thought he had free reign of my home while I was asleep.

  “He thought wrong,” my wolf growled.

  I swallowed down the sound and sniffed the air. Barric was nervous. Which was the correct way to smell when you’ve risked your magical education by wasting dozens of jars of dragon scales. It was difficult for humans to find a teacher willing to take the risk these days. The tables of my childhood had turned. When I was a pup, shifters from all over the stateside territories came to request my father’s knowledge because human teachers turned them away. I took a risk on Barric, because I remembered how those young mages wore the burden of being outcasted from the society to which they belonged. My father taught every mage he could. Then he taught me too as my magic bloomed.

  “Can’t your carrier hire a nanny?” I asked Barric.

  “With what money? It’s not like I’m making a fortune here.”

  “Magic isn’t about money. It’s about controlling the force within you, so you don’t explode some random guy for bumping your cart at the supermarket.”

  “I’ve never done that,” Barric said.

  “Not yet.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll only be gone through the first of next year. I’ve taken care of getting you someone to help out around the house while I’m gone.”

  “How so?” I leaned forward ready to box his ears if he went into my coffers.

  “I signed you up for some matchmaking service online called ‘Mating for the Holidays.’ Don’t worry the omega will come here. You can make him or her keep house while I’m gone.”

  “You’re still a pup,” I sat back in my seat. “You know that service is about celebrating the late autumn and winter holidays, right? About forging some sort of pretend connection to mimic a family bond. For the love of the old gods and the elves, it’s about celebrating the day Juda and Frost met.”

  It was mostly their descendants who celebrated Frost and Juda’s meeting. My study of the lore led me to believe the dragon and wolf shifters were truly the first Alpha and omega true-mate pair this side of the Other World.

  “They’ll be here. They can keep house,” Barric said and refilled my once again empty mug.

  “You are the most conservative omega I’ve ever met. Omegas pay to be matched to dreamy eyed Alphas to call their own for the holidays not to clean house.”

  “It’s just another part of having a mate,” Barric said.

  “You’ll see differently when you meet your true-mate.”

  “This coming from a man who’s magic knocked him unconscious because he hasn’t found his yet,” Barric huffed.

  “I’m awake. The time is near. How do you think the omega who paid for a mate for the holidays will feel when my true-mate shows up?”

  “That’s his problem. Not mine.”

  “What’s your issue today?” I asked him.

  “Family obligations. You finally wake up and now I have to run home to take care of my younger siblings.”

  “I’ll be here when you return. Though, you’ll be scrubbing the walls to pay for those damn dragon scales. I can’t believe you burnt through them all.”

  “The potion for the forcefield shield is harder than it looks,” Barric looked down at his feet.

  For a second I felt bad for giving him a hard time, but then remembered just how many dragon scales his failed attempts ate up.

  “That’s a Gilmore spell. There’s always an ingredient left out of them.”

  “Do you know it?” Barric asked.

  “I figured it out back in the day when I ran in the same circles as Rosa Gilmore. May she rest in peace and raise hell in the Other World.”

  “What is it?”

  “If you waited until I woke up, I might’ve told you. Now, I’m not so sure you’re ready to know.”

  “Sage. It’s sage. All their potions use sage. They think every witch should know to purify every potion. You’re really not going to tell him?”

  Maybe the Gilmores are right, and every mage should know to cleanse and purify their potions.

  “You know I hate you somedays, right?” Barric sighed.

  “Then I’m doing my job right. Think about it over the holidays. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  Leaving Barric to clean the kitchen I made my way to my office. The door was still locked up tight.

  “Didn’t you claim your monthly allowances while I was gone?” I called down the hall to him.

  “I wasn’t breaking into your office so you could kick me out on my ass.”

  “Then how’d you eat?”

  “I did small jobs for folks around town,” Barric said as he walked down the hall to join me.

  Inside the office, I gathered the envelopes I prepared in case my Montero genetics knocked me out. As my four hundredth birthday approached, I carefully separated ten years’ worth of allowances out for Barric. I grabbed twenty-four of the monthly envelopes and handed them to him.

  “What about the dragon scales?” He asked looking down at the hardwood floor.

  “Consider them a holiday bonus. You’ve proven trustworthy, apprentice. You didn’t even come into my domain to take what was rightfully yours.”

  “Thanks, Magi Montero,” Barric grinned.

  “Don’t give it all to your parents. Start saving up now. Your future self will thank you.”

  “Yes, sir,” the apprentice nodded. “I’ll leave some in my safe here.”

  “Good thinking. Any chance you can stay on long enough to aid in preparations for the omega’s arrival. This was your idea after all. They paid good money to use that service. The Gilmores charge an arm and a tail for everything. The least I can do is make it pleasant for them.”

  “You’re not angry?” Barric asked his voice high with surprise.

  “You should never sign someone up for a matchmaking service, but the damage is done. Some poor omega is stuck with me for the holidays.”

  “What should I do?” Barric looked around.

  “Clear out one of the old bedrooms and make it nice. You can go into the good furniture storage to find
some stuff.”

  “You didn’t even let me use what’s in there,” Barric crossed his arms.

  “You’re my apprentice. The poor omega matched with me will be a guest.”

  “Fine,” Barric sighed. “I’ll get to work, Magi Montero.”

  I chuckled as Barric left the office. Everything was exactly where I left it. Sitting down behind my desk felt like coming home. I picked up my quill and made a quick shopping list for Barric to pick up before he left for home. My attention would be on trying to garner another Moonscale trade to replace the scales he ate.

  “Why are you so calm about that furless cur inviting a stranger into our home?” My wolf growled.

  Relax. I’ll get you some brandy soon.

  “It’s not about brandy. It’s about letting a stranger into our territory.”

  You forgot what Rosa Gilmore told us.

  “What? Which time?” He cocked his head to the side.

  She said she’d bring us our true-mate.

  “She was drunk. She’s gone now. That was one of her few false predictions.”

  Mated for the Holidays is a Gilmore company. Perhaps her prophecy hasn’t come to fruition yet.

  “I hope you’re right. I don’t want to be locked out of Earth again.”

  Chapter Three

  Aidan

  The chilly autumn air played at the back of my neck sending a chill down my spine. I passed a couple walking hand-in-hand. The omega’s baby bump was barely visible under his plush coat. The Alpha pulled him a bit closer when they passed. He flashed me an apologetic smile. Most Alphas were territorial over their pregnant mates. It was a hot topic debate of nature vs. outdated traditions. With wolves it was nature. The whole pack had to protect the unborn pups.

  “Lucky,” my wolf whispered.

  They are and just think when I figure out the missing variable, we’ll be able to make those matches happen much sooner in life. The world will be happier.