Blizzards and Brews (Holiday Hollow Omegaverse)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lindsay

N othing says love like small town traditions.

"It's a red string!" Cassandra's voice echoed in the room. The young omega was so excited she was practically shaking as her pack moved closer, lifting her up on one of her alpha's shoulders and dancing around the room. Our bar was the last stop in their bonding scavenger hunt.

"Get ready for the speeches," Adam joked as he brushed past me to restock the bar.

We'd gone through double our normal supply of beer tonight. Then again, it was a Friday night in Holiday Hollow during winter. You'd think spring would be bonding season, but here, the omegas went crazy for the 'magic of the holiday season.'

Apparently, that extended toward all of the holidays. Our little town was known for celebrating each and every one, no matter how small and with that brought a never-ending sense of community. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Even the tourists who visited our town got into the swing of things, some even making the trip specifically for our famed bonding scavenger hunt.

Most of my friends were omegas and I still couldn't wrap my head around the way they turned into puddles of goo for their alphas. My beta side was always so rational it was hard to make sense of it all, but I smiled and said all the right things as the freshly bonded pack came up to the bar.

"First round is on the house," Adam told them. "It's a Holiday Hollow tradition. Want us to whip you up a special shot to commemorate the moment?"

Adam was a smooth talker and one hell of a businessman. He'd started this because if they accepted a 'signature' shot tailored 'just for them' then they'd be drinking them all night. We had a whole list of shots to choose from, all different colors and names to fit the moment.

"Gross," Dustin muttered behind me as he swapped out the soiled bar towels for clean ones.

"Oh my god, you can do that?" Cassandra asked as she bounced up and down and clapped her hands. "Something red to match our final piece?"

She held up the string and the room erupted into cheers. Adam gave her a wink and pulled me over to our bartending manual that held all the drink recipes.

"Let's do something sweet and red. It fits them, don't you think?"

"Sure," I snorted, flipping to the right page and pointing one out. "This is perfect."

"I knew you'd deliver for them," he said, giving me a hip bump. "I'll leave you to it. I better warn the kitchen to prepare. It's going to be another long night."

"Tell him to have coffee going for me," I pleaded. It was only eight and my feet were already aching and I was exhausted. Then again, sleep hadn't been easy lately. My life outside of this bar was a hot fucking mess. I still couldn't believe what my ex had done.

I swallowed down my frustration at the entire situation and shoved it aside. Tonight, I had to focus on work so I didn't lose my mind.

Shove it away, Lindsay, you don't need him.

If that wasn't my life's motto I don't know what was.

The next few hours were a blur of constantly serving drinks and cleaning up spills as the crowd grew more and more inebriated. Ollie had kicked the music up a few notches and turned our bar into a nightclub of sorts. By the time the newly bonded group had dipped out I was ready to hide in a quiet room.

"Last call!"

I'd never heard more beautiful words and I gave the alpha standing on the bar, yelling out over the crowd, a grateful smile. Adam winked back and I swallowed down the usual heat that sent through me.

They're not yours, Lindsay.

The voice in my head could be a real bitch. Then again... so was reality.

"They're gone," Ollie breathed out as he draped himself over the bar.

"You'll live, brother," Dustin laughed, clapping him on the back as he passed by.

"Kitchen is whipping us up some food. Drink some water, Lindsay, You haven't taken a break all night."

Adam's order was met by a raised eyebrow. Sometimes he liked to peacock his status and order me around, but I was not his beta. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"It's this or I’ll tell him to double the veggies on your plate."

I snorted. "It's a bar, Adam, not a restaurant. He doesn't do veggies."

Adam's smirk stretched across his gorgeous face.

It was crazy that the three triplets I worked with were so similar, yet so different. Not only in their designations, but their personalities as well.

Adam had bulk to him, his shoulders broad and his height a few inches above his brothers, there was no mistaking his alpha designation even from halfway across the room.

Dustin was in the middle of the road, holding muscle but not the same level of bulk given his beta genes. He smiled easier and was more laid back, a fact I very much appreciated. His rocker style and lip piercing matched his vibe.

Then there was sweet Ollie. He was softer than his brothers but no less attractive. His boyish features made him a highly desirable omega. Thank goodness he spent most of his time behind the bar, or he would have had to fight the tourist off in droves. At least the locals knew better and that he didn’t date.

Not that I was going to look into the reason why…

While they all shared the same facial features, Adam's jaw was cut from stone and Ollie's face had a bit more softness to it. What really got me was their stunning blue eyes and light-brown hair that shifted color subtly based on the season.

They were gorgeous... and off limits.

I wasn't their omega. Hell, I wasn't an omega at all, and that was enough for me to keep my distance.

Adam still hadn't looked away so I abandoned the glass I was cleaning and made myself a fresh water. He didn't relent until I'd put it to my lips and drained the entire glass. I'd never admit it to the alpha, but I was far more thirsty than I realized. Even I could admit the coffee from earlier didn’t help as much as I’d like. The cold water sent a shiver down my spine.

His smile broadened, making his face less harsh and more gentle.

"See, you needed it," Adam said triumphantly.

"Don't act smug, it's water," I snarked, rolling my eyes as I turned back to the dishes I was working on, adding the water glass to the mix.

He didn't argue as he went back to work. The four of us were a well-oiled machine at this point. I cleaned behind the bar with Ollie while Adam and Dustin cleared the floor, wiping and sanitizing tables, stacking chairs, and mopping the floor.

"Order's up, and I'm out!" our cook called.

Leander was an older alpha. He was like a sarcastic uncle you couldn't help but love. He tapped a plate and winked at me. It had less broccoli piled on than the others and I snatched it before Adam could protest. Leander's laughter was followed by the back door as he snuck out into the night.

"Don't think I didn't see that," Adam yelled out but I was already happily eating the wings and fries on my plate. Ollie grabbed his plate and joined me. It was hard when they were this close. When the bar was closed, their scents were stronger, making it so much harder to act like I wasn't affected.

Especially with Ollie so close, his omega scent sweet and heady right next to me. He smelled like a caramel-covered marshmallow, the ones that came in pretty shiny wrappers for the holidays. One I wanted to sink my teeth into and devour whole.

They’re not yours, Lindsay. No matter what they say, you know it wouldn’t work. You can’t give them what they need.

“Don’t make that face, buttercup,” Ollie teased, surprising me. He was usually the sweet one. “You don’t live with us, yet. Just wait until you get the full force of his alpha caretaking all the time. I’m his triplet, and even I don’t get a break.”

I shook my head at him. “Have you been hitting the hot sauce a bit too hard again?”

Ollie raised one of his drumsticks at me. “One time. It was one time and you still have yet to let me live it down.”

“That’s what you get when you’ve been best friends with someone since kindergarten,” I said with a laugh, bumping his knee with mine.

I’d shown up on the first day of school with my trapper keeper and root beer scented pencil and was immediately befriended by the brown-haired boy with the missing front tooth who sat next to me. I let Dustin borrow my special pencil and he dragged me to sit with his brothers during lunch and immediately shared his mom’s homemade brownie with me. It was all over after that.

They’d been there for me through all of my life’s biggest moments, and stuck by my side when I’d lost my parents right before my seventeenth birthday. When there had been so much darkness in my life, they had been my light.

For the longest time I thought we’d end up together. For Hollow’s sake, I’d daydreamed about it enough. But all of that changed when our designations set in and our bodies began to change.

“Best day of your life,” Dustin said, interrupting my thoughts and taking the stool on the other side of me. His lopsided, pierced grin was one of my weaknesses. “You’ve been a fiend for mom’s brownies ever since.”

“It’s the only reason I keep y’all around,” I shot back before devouring another wing. Those little green trees of death could go to hell and stay on my plate forever as far as I was concerned.

Dustin slid his plate closer to me, turning to ask Adam a question and blocking the view of his plate while I slid the dastardly things onto his plate. It was a fine-tuned dance we’d perfected over the years. One Ollie knew perfectly well to keep his pouty lips closed about unless he wanted me to revoke his movie night privileges.

As soon as I was done I brushed my hand against Dustin’s hip, letting him know I was finished. He leant into my touch for a moment and I had to force myself to turn away and back to my food. I really was famished, tonight had been one hell of a busy night.

“If business keeps on like it is we’re going to have a massive turn out for our Hoppy Holiday Brews launch,” I said, excitement filling me despite my exhaustion.

I lived and breathed Holiday Brews, the name of our local brewery that all four of us had poured so much into.

We’d been talking about launching our own set of seasonal brews that weren’t just available on tap at our bar, but packaged and distributed throughout the state. It would be the absolute next level for us and we were working diligently toward it this winter with our Hoppy Holiday Brews Bash.

“We need to pick a firm date to have ready to go for that consultant Janet is hooking us up with,” Adam said. “Linds, did you figure out what weekend Jason is taking you to meet his parents or did you finally come to your senses?”

I shot a glare at Adam, as my stomach dropped.

I couldn’t let them know the full truth of what happened, no doubt they’d ride in and use it as a perfect opportunity to try and convince me to officially join their pack again.

To give them hope, to give myself hope, would be cruel.

“I’m shocked with your lack of dates considering how charming you are,” I told him with an eye roll. “But I’ll have you know that isn’t going to be a problem anymore. Choose whichever day you think works best. The only obligation I have is helping Claire and Autumn out with the items for the pie sale.”

As I turned back to my food to pick up another wing I deliberately ignored just how quiet it got.

“What do you mean it isn’t going to be a problem?” Ollie asked softly. “Is everything okay?”

“When am I not okay, Roly Poly Olly?” I said, matching his tone and making sure not to worry him. “It’s not a problem because Jason is long gone. I doubt I’ll ever see him again and that’s fine by me.”

I should have known dating someone with the same name as a serial killer who wore a bloody hockey mask was a bad idea. But in my defense, he was definitely hot behind the mask and helped stave off the loneliness. If only I could have seen his deception coming.

If I did see him again I was going to make him rue the fucking day he set his sights on me.

The looks the guys exchanged didn’t go unnoticed by me but I chose not to call them out this once, refusing to make a big deal about the situation then.

“We’ll do it the Saturday night of the winter festival then,” Adam said after a while. “We’ll get a ton of traffic that evening.”

“The tourist season will be here in full swing, too,” Dustin pointed out before polishing off his plate.

A yawn slipped through my mouth and my body urged me to call it a night.

“I can take care of your plate, buttercup,” Ollie said. “We’re about finished here anyways, why don’t you go home and get some rest?”

“I’ll walk you out to your car,” Adam piped in. “Just let me grab your coat and purse.”

Dustin grabbed my hand, his blue eyes looking into mine questioningly. He knew me on a different level than the other two, and for a moment, I swore he could see through my entire fa?ade.

“Don’t forget it’s your turn to pick the game for family dinner on Sunday,” he said after a moment. “Mom’s requested the one with the colored shapes she kicked our asses in last month. She’s even bribing you with your favorite dinner.”

Fuck yes. She was a woman after my own heart. “I’ll give her a call tomorrow so we can plot your demise.”

As a joyous laugh fell from his lips I pulled him into a hug before doing the same with Ollie, who nuzzled his head against mine.

That sly, sweet man thought I didn’t realize he was scent-marking me. Something I’d never admit because of how damn comforting it was.

As Adam walked me to the door, I knew I had almost managed to survive the night scott free. But as he opened the door to my car and turned those steely-blue eyes on me, I felt my breath catch in my chest.

He leaned closer, using his large, muscular frame to cage me. His caramel and coffee scent grew thicker and more potent the closer he got.

“Drive safe and text me when you get home, Linds.” Leaning even closer, his lips brushed the shell of my ear. “And don’t think you got away with not eating your vegetables, firefly. You’ll be paying for it sooner or later.”

A shiver racked my body at the promise in his words, my core aching for more. As I slid into my car and watched the alpha close my door with care, it was clear to see that I wouldn’t be able to ignore the truth for much longer.

I was utterly fucked. And I had three triplets who were ready and waiting for me.