The Country Alpha: Ned's Story: The Downing Cycle, #2

By Penelope Peters

After a devastating accident, alpha Jake Downing has set aside his dream of hockey stardom, and narrowed his choices down to one—life as a hermit on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, with no city, no strictures of society, and especially no omega. He just needs to take one trip into the city – and then he's free.

Within hours of his arrival, however, a single text message will twist the course his life takes, spinning his life in two alternate realities – determining not only the ownership of Jake's mountain, but also the person with whom he might end up sharing it.

In this reality, Jake gets his mountain, but he also gets Ned Reilly, an omega whose secrets have been ripped away one by one. The whole city knows why Ned's first alpha broke their bond—or thinks it does. The whole city is wrong. No one's ever taken Ned seriously before—except the one man Ned can't afford to ignore. Now Ned's life is at stake… and Jake's mountain might just save them both.

One night in the city, one inexplicable bond formed in a moment of passion, will bind Jake to the person destined to be his mate. Only their growing faith in each other will keep them from being torn apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penelope Peters
• Release date: Jul 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393672494

Book preview

The Country Alpha:

Ned’s Story

The Downing Cycle – Book 2

by Penelope Peters

The Country Alpha: Ned’s Story

One text is all it takes to spin a life into a different direction.

After a devastating accident, alpha Jake Downing has set aside his dream of hockey stardom, and narrowed his choices down to one—life as a hermit on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, with no city, no strictures of society, and especially no omega. He just needs to take one trip into the city – and then he’s free.

This is how the story begins.

Within hours of his arrival, however, a single text message will twist the course his life takes, spinning his life in two alternate realities – determining not only the ownership of Jake’s mountain, but also the person with whom he might end up sharing it.

This is how the story might go.

In this reality, Jake gets his mountain, but he also gets Ned Reilly, an omega whose secrets have been ripped away one by one. The whole city knows why Ned’s first alpha broke their bond—or thinks it does. The whole city is wrong. No one’s ever taken Ned seriously before—except the one man Ned can’t afford to ignore. Now Ned’s life is at stake... and Jake’s mountain might just save them both.

Sometimes love is just a matter of circumstance.

One night in the city, one inexplicable bond formed in a moment of passion, will bind Jake to the person destined to be his mate. Only their growing faith in each other will keep them from being torn apart.

The Country Alpha: Ned is m/m non-shifter mpreg romance set in the Omegaverse. It is Book 2 in the Downing Cycle, a companion to Book 3, and features an HEA for the main couple. It features self-conscious alphas, fashion-conscious omegas, and a digital mystery worth solving.

Table of Contents

A Note From the Author

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Epilogue

Thank You

About the Author

Also by Penelope Peters

Sneak Peek at The Country Alpha: Veronica’s Story

Copyright Page

A Note from the Author

Astute readers will notice Books 2 and 3 are both about Jake Downing and a different omega. That’s because when I started writing, I couldn’t decide if Jake was better with Ned Reilly, or Veronica Aletta. So I decided not to choose!

Feel free to read whichever pairing you prefer – or both in whichever order you like. While the stories begin the same way, and both end in an HEA, Jake has two very different journeys!

If you’ve already read Jake and Veronica’s romance, feel free to skip ahead to Jake’s taxi ride with Antonio. You’ll recognize a few scenes afterwards, but don’t worry – the vast majority of each story is very different. You’ll even get additional information about the characters in the two books, so if you want more of this world, I’d definitely recommend reading both!

To reflect the different presentations within the Omegaverse, my Spanish-speaking characters are using different gendered endings to some of their Spanish words. For example:

Male alpha – querido

Male omega – queride

Female alpha – queridu

Female omega – querida

Part 1

THE GALA

AS A KID, JAKE DOWNING had never minded the trip into the city. It was always long and boring, but Jake let the rocking motion of the train lull him into a sort of dazed coma, rested his head against the back of the seat, and stared at the houses and towns as they chugged along. He plotted out the next hockey play or worked his way through whatever paper he had due in class, and if time didn’t exactly fly by, it was at least bearable.

Now the rocking motion of the train was jarring, shaking every single one of his joints to the point of exhaustion. He couldn’t have closed his eyes or let his thought carry him away from the ache in his bones if he’d tried. It was exactly the way getting old felt, which was stupid, because Jake was only twenty-three, he didn’t have any right to be counted as old.

Every other week, for nearly two years, Jake had ridden the train into the city. He knew every single house he passed by heart, knew when they were repainted from blue to green, knew when the owners changed their curtains, knew what they looked like on sunny summer days, and in the dead of winter with snow threatening on the horizon. Every single trip was the same.

Even this one.

The only good thing about the enforced time on the train now was the destination. Not Ethan’s gala that night, either. The gala was, at best, a detour.

And by the time it began, Jacob Elijah Downing would have already accomplished his goal in coming to the city for what he hoped would be the last time.

JAKE SAW HIS OLDER BROTHER Ethan a full minute before Ethan saw Jake. It would have been difficult not to spot Ethan among the sea of people waiting in the train station, the way he kept bobbing up and down amongst the unfamiliar faces, as if he was continually stretching up to his toes to see over them. Besides, he was one of the few people in the lobby wearing grey and black. Typical colors for an omega hoping to safely blend into the background, but in a sea of blues and reds and greens, they were more like a beacon call for attention.

The moment Ethan spotted Jake, he broke into a wide grin and raised an arm to wave wildly. Jake rolled his eyes, confident that Ethan couldn’t see from that distance, and gave his brother a mock salute in response. Ethan sank back down into the sea of people, turning as if to speak to whoever had accompanied him to the station – his mate, Antonio, most likely. Surely Antonio didn’t work all of the time.

Jake let the flow of the crowd move him along, as he tried to shift his duffel bag to fall over his shoulder so that it didn’t continually bump against his knees. The sea of people moved slowly but steadily toward the turnstiles on the end of the train platform. They weren’t too tricky to navigate with the duffel and his rolling suitcase, though, particularly since at least half his fellow passengers were going through the handicapped gate anyway. Jake shoved aside the brief flash of annoyance, and followed them. At least they held the gate open for him. Sometimes, other people’s self-entitlement had its benefits.

Ethan was still bouncing on his toes when Jake finally reached him. You made it. We worried when the boards said the train was late.

Jake, said Antonio, and reached to shake Jake’s hand. When Jake had first met him, shortly after his unorthodox bonding with his brother, Antonio had seemed impossibly old and tall and sophisticated. Six years later, Antonio was still sophisticated and older than his thirty-one years – but he was also an inch shorter than Jake. The extra height didn’t make Jake feel any less like a younger brother whenever he was around, though. Antonio exuded alpha superiority, though Jake had never been able to determine whether it was Antonio’s bonded status or an inflated sense of self-worth. But for a guy who’d never had siblings, and claimed not to have missed having them either, he’d taken to big brotherhood like a duck to water, or at least a more Latino version of Ethan himself.

Or maybe Antonio was more like his father, Héctor, than either man would ever care to admit. Antonio was just a bit better about pretending that he wasn’t trying to control the people he considered his subordinates in the family hierarchy.

Case in point, the way he stood so close to Ethan – not quite hovering, but close enough that there was no doubt they belonged together. As if the way they looked at each other wasn’t a dead give-away.

I can take your bag if you want, offered Antonio.

I’m fine, said Jake curtly, his fingers tightening on the strap. Ethan frowned, a clear rebuke for Jake’s perceived rudeness, but Antonio only nodded, as if he’d expected that response already.

We’ve got your room all set up for you, said Ethan, still in mothering mode. I cleared out some drawers for you and everything.

Mami is particularly excited, said Antonio.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You’d think you’re the prodigal son, the way Yolanda’s been going on. She insisted on new sheets, new duvet, new towels. I think she’d have bought new curtains if she thought she could get away with hanging them. I don’t know why, they were new to begin with. She bought a rug for the floor too, but I kicked it under the bed so it won’t give you any trouble."

I can handle a rug, said Jake, testy patience personified.

I know, but it was one of those little round ones. I slipped on it myself a half dozen times yesterday.

Ethan, the time, said Antonio, ever stoic. Ethan nodded, his cheeks going pinker.

Right, sorry, he apologized. For a moment, Jake thought Ethan would take his hand, or loop his arm through Jake’s. It was the sort of thing he would have done when they were growing up in New Belford, where strict rules about touching between different presentations didn’t exist. Instead, Ethan shoved his hands deep into his pockets at the last moment before turning to head for the doors on the far end of the station.

Antonio’s mouth quirked at Jake, as if sharing a private, alpha moment. He took Jake’s rolling suitcase and set off next to Ethan. Jake opened his mouth to protest, but gave up before he even began. It wouldn’t have done any good, and anyway, the main lobby of the station was much more crowded and chaotic than the platform had been. Much as Jake hated to admit it, trying to navigate the complicated pedestrian flow of traffic with both the suitcase and the cumbersome duffel bag might have done him in.

Jake stifled a sigh and shifted the duffel bag on his shoulder. Ethan almost immediately held back to walk alongside him, allowing Antonio to take the lead.

I’m glad you made it, Ethan confessed. I was worried, when your train was late.

Eh, you’re the last to play anyway, said Jake, shrugging as nonchalantly as he could, just to watch Ethan glare.

Rude to come in halfway through a performance, Ethan scolded him. Jake grinned. I was more worried you’d miss your doctor’s appointment.

Jake pretended to concentrate on keeping his balance so he wouldn’t have to look at Ethan, who could surely spot guilt with a glance. It’s just a routine thing. It won’t take ten minutes.

Still, better not to reschedule, said Ethan. Not when you’re going to be so busy next week with the new job—

So what are you going to do with your sabbatical, anyway? Jake interrupted. He was rewarded with Ethan’s scowl.

"Forced sabbatical. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; I’m going to end up missing spring gala and half the workshops. It’s ridiculous."

I thought it was required?

"Required," scoffed Ethan.

Jake stumbled as someone brushed too close to his arm. He would have fallen, but Ethan reached out without even thinking and provided a counter-balance, letting Jake lean against him long enough to regain his footing.

Thanks, mumbled Jake, feeling the frustrated heat in his cheeks. He stepped away from Ethan, suddenly conscious of the people around him – not that anyone had noticed. He didn’t think. They were nearly out of the worst of the crush anyway.

We should have taken a different exit – I mean, Antonio’s going to get us a cab anyway, it doesn’t matter which one we use.

You don’t need to get a cab on my account.

You’ve got luggage, Ethan pointed out. The apartment is on the other side of the city and it’s supposed to rain.

I’m just saying, I could walk.

I know you could, said Ethan patiently. "I’m just saying – no point in getting wet if you don’t need to."

Jake tampered down the urge to scowl. I like walking.

And I like setting up my brother’s room myself, said Ethan. Which is why I kicked the rug under your bed. Sometimes the path of least resistance is satisfying too, you know. Especially when it keeps you dry on rainy days.

Ironic, thought Jake dryly, especially coming on the cusp of Ethan’s forced sabbatical, but Jake let that slide.

The crowd thinned at the doors, which didn’t make much sense. At least Jake didn’t have to worry that he’d be knocked over at the last minute. The sidewalk was empty, but he could see that the pavement was damp from an earlier rainstorm, even if it wasn’t actively raining just then. Antonio was already at the curb, hand raised as he tried to signal a cab.

He usually has better luck getting a cab quick, mused Ethan with a frown. Everyone in town wants a ride today.

Path of least resistance proves to be popular, deadpanned Jake. Ethan snorted lightly just as a cab pulled up near Antonio.

Jake realized the other advantage of walking in the midst of several hundred people when he started to follow Ethan to the waiting taxi. For one thing, a crowd of people naturally moved a little bit slower, just to accommodate everyone. But walking by himself, on wet pavement, without anyone nearby – it was obvious how slowly Jake moved. He didn’t dare try to go faster, not with the heavy duffel over his shoulder, or the chance that he’d step on a stray puddle the wrong way and go flying. Instead, he gritted his teeth and kept going, as Ethan looked worried and guilty over his shoulder before slipping into the backseat of the taxi. Antonio stood on the pavement, one hand on the door, watching Jake approach.

I’ll put your bag in the trunk for you, he said, reaching for Jake’s duffel. Jake didn’t bother to protest.

Two years ago, he would have rather walked, in order to stretch his legs after the long train ride into the city. He still wanted it. His muscles ached and cramped after the shaking motion of the train. All the same, it felt good to sit, and Jake leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Better than to endure Ethan’s sympathetic looks.

Two years ago, he probably wouldn’t have been on the train with half his clothes shoved into suitcases anyway.

And he sure as hell wouldn’t have an appointment he intended to keep before Ethan’s performance that night.

I’m trying to think, when was the last time you saw me play? wondered Ethan.

Jake didn’t open his eyes. Before the accident, not that he was going to say it. He’d discovered the hard way that bringing up the accident seemed to overcome everyone’s hesitation to mention it – and without the hesitation, they’d always want to discuss some aspect of the event. And if he tried to shut them down? But you brought it up!

Couple of years, probably, said Jake, which at least was true.

That long, really? You’ve been in the city since, I wonder why we couldn’t fit it in.

The car swayed when Antonio slammed the trunk closed, and gave another gentle lurch as Antonio settled into the seat next to Jake.

"Leave him be, queride, he’s tired," said Antonio as he closed the door. Jake felt the taxi vibrate as it pulled into traffic. It was almost a relief after the bone-jarring shake of the train.

Faking, said Ethan, with the authority of an older brother. Jake obligingly let out a very fake-sounding snore.

Antonio’s sigh filled the taxi.

When Jake opened his eyes, Ethan wasn’t looking at him at all, but at his watch. I should probably go straight to the concert hall, he said, worried. And Jake’s appointment is in less than an hour. Maybe we should take him there now.

No, said Jake quickly. "It’s just around the corner from your apartment, I can walk. I should walk, he amended quickly. If I’m going to trip on that rug under my bed, better to do it before I see the doctor anyway, don’t you think?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. Fine, fine. But I should get to the hall sooner rather than later.

"You’re going to play in your jeans, queride?" asked Antonio, amused.

Shut up, said Ethan with a grin. I took my tux to the hall yesterday during rehearsal, just in case. It’s not like I’d wear it in the taxi, anyway. Yolanda would fuss about wrinkles for a week.

Antonio nodded. It’s on the way, we can drop you off. He leaned forward to the driver and began speaking in rapid Spanish.

I’m sorry, Ethan apologized to Jake. I really should make sure you’re settled first, and I want to hear all about the new job—

It’s fine, there’ll be time later, said Jake quickly.

I just wish your train had been on time so I didn’t have to rush to the concert hall. Or you to your appointment.

"It’s fine, repeated Jake firmly. Even if it meant he’d be alone with Antonio – at least Antonio wasn’t as likely to look at Jake and see the guilt he wore like a scarf. You can leave two alphas alone for ten minutes, I swear we won’t burn down the house."

Ethan laughed. "To be fair, that only happened to Fa once. And the kitchen was only a little bit singed."

And Mom is never going to let him forget it.

Don’t burn down my apartment though, said Ethan. I’ve only just figured out how I want it.

It only took four years, said Antonio as he settled back in his seat.

"As if you were any help! It wouldn’t have taken two years to finish the renovations if you hadn’t kept changing your mind about colors and flooring and where you wanted the walls."

Very important things, walls, said Antonio mildly. You were in school that second year, you don’t remember.

Just because I was in school doesn’t mean I was oblivious. And no fair throwing the second year at the conservatory back at me, you were just as excited as I was when they offered it.

True, said Antonio, smiling, and Ethan smiled back. For a moment, Jake felt supremely uncomfortable sitting between them. He could almost smell the pheromones in the air.

Dimitrov said if you play the Shostakovich that I’m supposed to boo and walk out of the auditorium, he blurted. Ethan, still smiling like an idiot in love, started to blink. Antonio began to laugh.

He would, Ethan said finally, a bit wryly. I’m not playing the Shostakovich. Maybe you should tell him I did, though.

Lizst? asked Jake.

Ethan blushed a bit. It’s a surprise.

Oh, fuck, groaned Jake, and let his head hit the back of the seat. "It’s Glass. Couldn’t you have picked out something less like scales since I’m going to be there?"

Ethan laughed as the taxi pulled over to the curb. "It’s a surprise. And don’t you tell him, Ethan warned Antonio. I’d give you a kiss but I think Jake here would be uncomfortable."

Very, said Jake firmly.

"Go, queride," said Antonio warmly, reaching out to brush his fingers against Ethan’s hand. Jake caught a glimpse of the blush on Ethan’s cheeks at the gentle touch, and with one last grin at them, he got out of the taxi.

Jake slid over to take Ethan’s vacated seat as the taxi moved back into the flow of traffic, just in time to see Ethan disappear into the glass front doors without so much as a backward glance. The doors mirrored the taxi and the city backdrop for a moment as they swung closed.

He’ll be all right, said Antonio as Jake repositioned himself in the taxi.

Are you telling me, or reminding yourself? he asked.

Antonio raised an eyebrow before chuckling. You’re very clever, aren’t you?

So I’m told.

I thought your doctor was located closer to the train station.

The spike of fear that he’d been found out went straight down Jake’s spine. There were pins and needles in his right leg, from the knee to the toes. But Jake squashed the feeling and kept his voice even.

New doctor. New location.

Hmm, said Antonio, thoughtfully, in a way that made Jake think that he wasn’t fooled in the slightest – but at least wasn’t going to press the point.

Better to change the subject.

Ethan’s not too happy about his forced sabbatical.

Antonio sighed, and the impassive façade dropped a bit. No, he’s not, he admitted, a bit ruefully. He’s determined that every person in a ten-foot radius knows it, too.

Why’s he taking one, then?

"There is a rather old legal clause that says bonded omegas in the workforce must be given the opportunity to have a stress-free estrus at least once every two years. The definition of stress-free being that they have the chance to take a vacation for a certain period of time both before and after estrus. Supposedly it aids conception. I don’t understand the medical details."

Jake frowned. Ethan’s always said he wants to focus on his career before kids.

It doesn’t matter. His estrus has always fallen at a somewhat inopportune time in regards to the orchestra’s season, and therefore he’s been unable to take the extra vacation time allotted to him. At least, he never bothered to request it. Once the musical director realized this.... Antonio shrugged. Ethan acts as if it’s the end of his career. But he has always been one for drama, and he has not had a quiet moment to reflect since he left school four years ago. This sabbatical is a good thing for him.

Especially if he falls pregnant? asked Jake, unable to resist goading Antonio, just a little.

Antonio, however, wouldn’t be goaded. He shrugged, all Latino indifference. Then he falls pregnant. More important that he return to the stage relaxed and rejuvenated.

Not very relaxing if he’s unhappy about it, observed Jake.

No, but then the Downing sons are never very pleased with the status quo, are they? said Antonio pointedly, and let Jake stew quietly for the rest of the ride.

ANTONIO INSISTED ON PAYING THE taxi to wait for Jake while they took the bags upstairs.

Ethan will be very upset if I do not, said Antonio while he handed the driver an extra twenty, despite Jake’s protests, and if you send the driver away when you return, I won’t know about it.

Jake snorted. It’s a waste of money.

My money to waste, was all Antonio said.

The taxi was still sitting on the curb when Jake returned ten minutes later, and he stared at it for a long moment. Pride insisted he tell the driver to keep the money and find another fare – but his leg was beginning to ache, the office was at least three blocks away, and Jake wasn’t even sure how to get there without consulting the map he realized he’d left in his suitcase upstairs.

And it was already five minutes to his appointment time, anyway.

Jake cursed, and climbed into the cab.

1470 17th Street, he told the driver. Without a word, the driver pulled into traffic.

Jake settled back against the seat. He rubbed his fingers deep into the muscles of his right thigh, wishing he could go a little lower and around his knee. The pins and needles from earlier hadn’t really stopped, despite his determination to ignore them. As it was, his impromptu massage didn’t help much; the touch didn’t do anything except increase the pain and leave tiny tendrils of burning sensation along his skin. What he really needed was to lie down and take the weight off his feet, but—

We’re here, announced the driver. Jake lifted his head, frowning.

That was quick.

Wasn’t far, said the driver with a shrug.

The little brick building housing the law offices of Ruiz Bailey and Mason would have been out of place in the center of the city, surrounded by shiny, reflective skyscrapers and people scurrying from Point A to Point B. On the quiet side-street, it looked fairly non-descript, bricks and mortar and concrete window sills that in summer might have sported brightly-colored flowers. In the dead of January, they looked barren and more of