The natural progression of reading the Mercy Thompson novels was diving into the Alpha & Omega series. Anna is an omega wolf, which is very rare to find. She mates with Charles, the stoic Native American werewolf enforcer for the entire US territory. He is who you call upon when alpha wolves get out of line. He is the son of Bran, the Marrock. He is the ruler of the US werewolves and helped raise Mercy. Charles is sort of a brother to Mercy in this way. Charles is painted as scary but wise in the Mercy books. In this series, we are shown his romantic side and vulnerabilities through his relationship with Anna.
Alpha & Omega is a novella that introduces us to this side universe. Anna attempts to calm down a raging Charles. He has been injured protecting her. We learn why through flashbacks that Anna was turned against her will by a Chicago werewolf pack. The Alpha allows other pack members to abuse her to keep her pliant. He forbids anyone to tattle to the Marrock. Luckily, word gets to Charles. He starts snooping around and soon meets Anna. He immediately recognizes that she’s an omega. Omegas are neither dominant nor submissive. They can help tame dangerous emotions in the pack and bring balance. Charles rarely wants to tame his wolf like this, so meeting her knocks him off his game at first. His wolf also recognizes this woman as his mate. Due to how Anna was turned, she knows nothing of omegas and barely what it means to be a werewolf. She is clueless about the mating process but senses Charles isn’t there to hurt her. Things with her Chicago pack come to a violent conclusion. Anna leaves with Charles and The Marrock to join their Montana pack.
Cry Wolf is the first full-length novel in the series. Anna arrives in Montana and meets Charles’s pack. The Marrock’s wife is icy and not pleased to have an omega here. Charles is so used to being alone. He gives Anna an awkward welcome. Their wolves chose each other, but the humans are still figuring out this mating thing. The first quarter of the book focuses on their relationship. Anna needs time to understand what it means to be an omega and part of a non-dysfunctional pack. We meet Asil, who is very old. Almost as old as Bran. His wolf has been unpredictable. He has temporarily joined the Aspen Creek pack to allow Bran to watch over him. Asil notices what Anna is. This is because his mate was an omega. He taunts Charles about his mate like he has a death wish. Charles soon realizes he won’t fall for his games. Bran suggests Anna accompany Charles on an errand into the woods. There are rumors of a rogue wolf attacking humans. Charles isn’t fully healed from the Chicago incidents. He thinks he can handle one rogue wolf on his own. But Anna coming with him to track gives them some bonding time. Unfortunately, there’s something more sinister in the woods.
Anna is more fierce than she appears. She is treated like a rare jewel to be protected, but she can defend herself. Learning about what an omega is through Anna’s interactions was intriguing. She doesn’t quite know what she’s capable of yet. She has so much potential but also needs to heal from the trauma her pack inflicted upon her. Also, Charles has lived long without a mate. It was interesting to see such a strong wolf in love. Anna makes him vulnerable but also more whole. You can start with this book if you don’t feel like reading the novella. I did read this first before discovering there was a novella.
Hunting Ground is when Briggs expands the universe of the werewolves even more. Charles is sent to Seattle for a conference with the European alphas. The Marrock doesn’t like that Charles is surrounded by so many of their enemies. Bran is from Europe but settled in the New World centuries ago. The packs discuss how to tell the public that werewolves are real. A Fae friendly with Bran’s father is enlisted as an impartial moderator of the proceedings. They plan to go on group hunts outside the city. Apparently, this is how werewolves relax. Anna accompanies him in hopes of honing her wolf skills. She is still skittish after her Chicago pack experiences. Of course, things go haywire almost immediately. Vampires attack Anna and try to kidnap her. Charles is stretched thin between protecting her and figuring out what these sneaky European wolves are up to.
I devoured this book in a few days! I loved seeing Anna and Charles as a couple interacting with the world. Charles takes her shopping and spoils her. Living a long time means he’s rich. He thinks she deserves everything. He’s also afraid of Anna seeing his dark enforcer side. He must let the wolf take hold and instill fear in their enemies. Anna doesn’t understand at first, but their relationship becomes strong by the end. Compared to Cry Wolf, the action and romance are balanced more evenly. We’re deep in were-politics. I was intrigued by how deftly Briggs introduces so many characters and their histories. Bran has been alive a long time, but so have most of these enemies. Anna and Charles must strengthen their mate bond amidst double-crossing and kidnap plots.
Fair Game is when we see Anna take the wheel. Charles is off his game. His wolf is acting weird. He hasn’t touched Anna in months. She only just found her mate and fears she may lose him. Not without a fight. Bran has been working Charles overtime policing wolves after they’ve come out of the supernatural closet. Charles would never admit it. His mind understands the reasoning. His heart disagrees with the harsh methods. To give himself a break as an executioner, Charles and Anna go to Boston to help the FBI with a serial killer case. The killer is hunting supernatural beings and has recently taken the daughter of a Fae Gray Lord. Lots of government agencies are involved. One is interested in locking up monsters. When these humans meet beautiful Anna, they can’t reconcile that this unassuming woman is deadly. They reluctantly let Anna and Charles consult on the case. A keen FBI agent who has met a Fae as a child has always been suspicious of anything other. When lives are on the line, she welcomes any help she can. Most of the book focuses on solving the case, but Charles’ internal struggle with his killer nature is woven throughout. I liked how Briggs layered the police procedural elements with the fantastic. I love this genre mix when watching shows like Grimm or The Dresden Files. They have a case to solve. They can’t do it the conventional way when monsters are the killers.
As you can tell, I will keep binge-reading this series for CBR15. Anna’s omega nature makes things tricky. It’s also what makes her strong. I’ve enjoyed seeing her character grow over these books. Charles is such a romantic too. I wouldn’t have guessed he was such a softie! We only hear mentions of Mercy in this series, which works well. The universes organically complement each other. I do like how much Bran we get. Anna isn’t afraid to speak her mind to him, especially in this last book.
I highly recommend this series if you’re into werewolf romances with a healthy dose of action. You don’t necessarily need to read the Mercy books. We have a unique couple navigating their relationship in a world that only recently has learned the Fae and werewolves exist. Life won’t be boring for these two.
Read more of my musings on my blog.