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The Stars of the Pack #1

Omega for the Pack

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One day, Ray is an overburdened young man; the next, he is ready to mate.

Raymond Halley is used to doing his duty to his family; he’s helped raise his younger siblings since his Dad died in a freak accident when he was thirteen. But when he presents as a rare male omega, he is asked for something he’s not sure he can give; to take on five alpha mates and have children with them.

Feeling stripped of his masculinity and his freedom all in one go, Ray retreats into his mind even as his body’s new instincts allow him to go through with what must be done. But as his family grows, he cannot help but slowly realize the five men who are now his partners don’t want just his body, but his happiness too.
In the end, can he be brave enough to open his heart?

“Omega for the Pack” is the first book in The Stars of the Pack series, an emotional rollercoaster and coming-of-age story featuring explicit relationships between men, powerful instincts, and the healing that only comes from deep transformation.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2016

590 people are currently reading
800 people want to read

About the author

N.J. Lysk

94 books274 followers
N.J. Lysk (pronouns: whatever) is a queer one—in almost every sense of the word—for whom stories have always been their one true home. She studied linguistics and literature (which is to say, someone offered him a genuine excuse to read professionally) and ended up teaching, but writing is their one true love.

Addicted to angst, enamoured of mpreg and always ready to try a new kink (in a book, that’s it!) she became hooked into the Omegaverse through fanfic (but he doesn't have the patience to write other people's characters) and has recently expanded from werewolves to hockey players.

Check out my shelves if you want some recommendations, including books that inspired me ;)


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5 stars
230 (15%)
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335 (22%)
3 stars
508 (33%)
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296 (19%)
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145 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
Profile Image for ⚣Michaelle⚣.
3,662 reviews233 followers
September 12, 2017
3.4 Stars

I admit, I picked this up for the "warnings." (Seriously, those are more likely to entice me than warn me off.) That said: How the fuck do I keep ending up with feelz in my porn? I wanted orgiastic werewolf knotting & mating...and got an emotional read that really made me think.

I mean, it's not ground-breaking (I've read others that go into more depth and detail on the Omegas' second-class status and supposed lot in life) but still, really interesting because this one was less a statement on their society's expectations and more on ONE Man's feelings. Ray's dislike for the position he's forced into due to biology, his fear of the changes in his body, the irritating way he wasn't consulted (much) on who would be his FIVE (5!) alpha mates, his mental detachment from what his body/wolf wants, the confusion and despair at developing into an Omega rather than the Alpha he's grown to expect (and having to abandon all his personal goals/wants), his withdrawal from his birth-family and previous friendships...and the almost heart-breaking way he really can't connect to the babies (almost like PPD, but he was severely depressed before giving birth).

What I'd really like is to see more from the Alphas' POV. They are all trying so very hard to make the best of a bad situation. They want so desperately to show they love him, try so hard to be what he wants and give him the space he asks for. They're also constrained by biology, needing to mate with him regularly and you can tell it's just torture for them since Ray just basically checks out to let it happen...especially Josh (his best friend).

Definitely gonna pick up the next one because it looks like more people are joining the new pack and that means at least one more alpha to service (as well as having 5 infants to take care of). Can't wait to see how well that turns out.

(I do hope that something positive happens to make it less depressing because my body is so confused by all the horny + sadz.)
Profile Image for Shonee.
379 reviews44 followers
April 21, 2024
Warning: This could be a VERY depressing read for some, possibly even triggering.

I don't think I've ever read something where the omega didn't magically start loving the assigned alphas/pregnancy forced upon him.

Ray is pissed, miserable, doesn't want anyone to touch him, hates when anyone puts his unborn before him, and just wants to be alone.

Have I found my spirit animal? If anyone can relate to having the chesticular fortitude to be a miserable bitch no matter the circumstance, IT'S ME.

Part of me understands why this book received such low ratings - people want a happy ending, where everyone's fine and accepting of their lot in life, even if it starts off angsty. This book is NOT that. I love it even more for that very reason.
Profile Image for Jenni Lea.
801 reviews301 followers
December 14, 2017

This was really good, and totally not what I expected. This is no normal shifter fluff + mpreg with bonus KNOTTING. This wasn't fluff at all. I especially liked how it skirted the same ol' tropes and delved into darker emotions. I really felt for Ray and the guys. Imagine growing up thinking you know who you are and seeing such a bright future ahead only to have it all come crashing down in an instant. And your new life, the one you're destined for, is repugnant to you.

Lots of feels in this one. The ending made me reach for book two instantly.

Recommend.
Profile Image for Mimi.
2,458 reviews
September 28, 2017
2.5 sad stars

This is the first and last time with this author. I was looking for Ray to finally stop being an ass because he presented as Omega instead of the Beta they thought he was.

This wasn't a dark romance. Their wasn't any love that I read in the whole story. He mated with five Alphas, one was his best friend and one of the others was his cousin. I continued to read this dumb story thinking that Ray would come around to getting use to the idea of his new role as pack Omega but he was a whiny self asshole who didn't realize that ALL the Alphas wanted was to protect, cherish and love him, even if one was his cousin.

Sorry this first go around with N.J. Lysk didn't make me a fan
Profile Image for True Loveislovereview.
2,859 reviews1 follower
January 16, 2018
4.5 stars
The more I read stories with alpha's and omega's the more I love them.
This one included.
Ray...always thought he would be an alpha.....but no.... he is not... he is an omega.
Now has to gain his own pack. In line there are five alpha's and he just don't want them. He is confused and angry. He only can resist them for a while.
After they have all their turn on Ray they just are sweet as sugar trying to make it as comfortable as possible for a pregnant omega. Ray still resist them hard.... until he can't anymore....

Great written story. I love the concept of Ray against himself and his alpha's.
Ray felt a bit as an ass, you almost could dislike him.... not really :) He has is difficult
The alpha's were just... whooop I loved them.... a m/m/m/m/m/m !!
I enjoyed this one very much... the writing was captivating and entertaining!
Can't wait to read the next one....

Kindly received a copy from the author
Profile Image for Nora Phoenix.
Author 129 books2,201 followers
September 17, 2017
Let me start off by stating that this series is unique. I’ve never read a book where the main character had five lovers, or mates in this case. The story gives a solid reason for this, which is the need to start a new pack and a shortage of (male) omegas. So far, so good. I’m cheating a little here, by the way, because I’ve already read the three books available in this series (Alpha for the Pack and Protectors for the Pack) and will say something about the other two books as well in this review.

Ray, the omega and the main character, turned out to be my biggest issue. With six people in a relationship, distinguishing one person from the other is usually hard. The writer made the smart choice here to tell the story strictly from Ray’s POV, allowing us to get to know the other through his eyes. It made it relatively easy to get to know the other five men, but…having Ray as the only voice also turned out to be the weakness in this book.

I get that him presenting as an omega was a huge disappointment for him. I also understood that having five mates shoved down your throat was less than ideal. However, when the main character remains whiny and bitchy, it makes the story a hell of a lot less enjoyable than it could have been.

In book two, this is still going on strong. Book three was a surprise, since it focuses on two of the five characters mainly, who develop their own romance within the bigger relationship (pack) of the six men. While this made the concept of the six men together more bearable, it also raised some questions about earlier statements of one of these men with regards to his feelings for Ray. However, that wasn’t a biggie, and I liked where the author was going with this.

Going back to the first two books, there’s some dubcon and some definitive noncon sex in there. If that’s not your thing, you may want to stay away from this series. There’s also a pregnancy, lots of wolf babies, and all the complications that brings.

As for the writing, it’s decent but there are tons of spelling mistakes and typos. The books really could have benefitted from a solid round of editing and proofreading.

All in all, I have mixed feelings about this series. The premise was intriguing, but Ray didn’t really grow on me, and some stuff in book two (keeping it vague here to avoid spoilers) felt unnecessary to me. I like where the story is heading towards the end of book three, however. I’m guessing there will be more books, and I’ll probably read them since they’re on KU, but so far, I’m not a huge fan.
Profile Image for Liza.
512 reviews14 followers
April 26, 2021
Congratulations to the author. This was the worst book I've read the entire year. It was so goddamn awful I don't even know where to begin.

First of all I would have refunded this book if it wasn't for free. I rarely do that but this book puh. The first book is free and the others in the series are 3 bucks each. Nice marketing strategy. I don't like it.

Here is the premise: Ray thinks he will be an alpha but becomes an omega instead. So far so good. In this universe the omega is treated like a breeding machine. Ok. I can live with that under certain conditions. So 5 alphas from the pack were chosen to be with Ray. They are mates now. Hmmm okay.

So now it gets awful and I will hide the next part as spoiler.



So in conclusion. I hated this book. Would never recommend.
Profile Image for Mike.
1,174 reviews30 followers
January 16, 2018
Another dark, forced omega breeding story

My true reaction: I hated it (hence the one star).

Omegaverse stories usually focus on the sexy fetish (knotting, mpreg) and/or an erotic romance (often a strong Alpha rescuing an oppressed Omega), instead of darker or horrorific themes. Readers who want to delve into the more oppressive (and less romantic) truth of forced relationships and breedings may appreciate this author’s more realistic approach to the realities of non-consensual activities logical in an Omegerverse setting. This story provides a different, interesting, and perhaps "realistic" take on the position of a non-consenting/oppressed Omega. While I find this idea to be very intriguing, the author's exploration is just too non-consensual and depressing for me to enjoy.

On the one hand, this is a distinct, novel (and very non-romantic), and much more realistic result than usually seen in most non- and dubiously-consensual tropes in all types of "romantic erotica" stories. However, for me it's just plainly too dark and bitter from all sides (protagonist and "allies") for my tastes. In this forced breeding story, the pheromones and hormones rule the day. While a few characters may feel uncomfortable about how society and biology forces them into controlling/non-consensual roles, no one is really dedicated/wise/strong enough to address the problem. Other readers may find these personal struggles to be intriguing, and they do represent a more realistic and oppressive side of the Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics (paralleling historic arranged marriages) found in many Omegaverse settings.

For me, a deep exploration into the depressed mind of one resisting the worst type of sexual slavery and oppression, wallowing in bitterness and unable to truly accept comfort/assistance provided, is basically horrific (and I am *not* a fan of horror). It's another story about one who has to accept their lot in life and is basically (and understandably) extremely bitter, while those who need to support him are relatively helpless to ameliorate anything beyond the highest level of coercion. All are thralls to their own mating drives and pretty clueless how to really provide any significant comfort to an extraordinarily wounded person fighting against the sexual enslavement of being a breeding omega.

Recommended for: those wanting an exploration of the dark-side of forced/arranged/non-consensual aspects of romantic erotica tropes (in this case, Omegaverse Alpha/Omeage breeding)
Profile Image for Jennie.
209 reviews9 followers
April 10, 2017
Even though I was intrigued by the story line, the constant forced matings with the depressed omega that my heart went out for..., just made me sick to my stomach. I think the problem for me was that the matings were so animalistic. None of the alphas really thought of wooing the omega, it was all just about needs-mostly their needs for mating (only once did one of the alphas even give the omega a blow job, and even then it wasn't for the omegas benefit, really.) That would work if these were just wolves. but they have a human side and I rarely felt/saw that side from the alphas (I mean they barely ever talked). I don't know, this is one of those stories where I don't really know what to feel.

But even so, I found the story well written, there were a few grammar problems here and there but nothing major.
Profile Image for Ronie Reads.
1,560 reviews28 followers
June 17, 2024
Talk about comming to terms with one's situation. Shoot! If this wasn't a European Werewolf story. I'd swear this was a sister-wife situation. It sure is coded that way.

Yet if one goes back to the early movie Wolfman. This community wouldn't make sense. Yet for an omegaverse book with fanfiction beginnings.

It is a very brave narrative.

In a world where one wouldn't know if they were Alph or Omega. Because all start out at Betas. So they hear the stories of Alphas protectors and Omegas heat. Who wouldn't want to be an alpha or stay a beta.

The moon sees what the community needs. Their is a shift in hormones. Poof, you present as that which the moon saw fit. Except in book one...there isn't that one or several that Fate says is your perfect match.

I bet if you've only read the fated mates storyline. This wouldn't be the book for you.

For all others and a few more...this narrative is a but too close to home. Females only good for one thing Sigma male speak in the 2000s. It's their right...why even ask.

Because all should have the right to choose, Periodt!!! Besides consent is sexy!
Profile Image for Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~.
2,241 reviews260 followers
May 22, 2019
3.5 stars

This was a quick read with an interesting premise. It was also just a sad read all the way through. Ray unexpectedly presents as a rare male omega and it is decided by his alpha Uncle that he will take 5 alpha mates to start a new pack. Ray is not dealing well with the situation that he is forced into, especially since one of the alphas is an older cousin and another, his best friend.

I wouldn't say this is a romance. Ray is not handling his new situation well and there is the constant struggle between his wolf biology/instincts and his human life which was suddenly taken out of his control. He is depressed and hurting throughout the book as he sees his situation go from bad to worse. We only have Ray's POV, and we are aware he doesn't want any of the matings to happen, but he doesn't communicate at all with any of the men around him and they don't ask him much about things either. It is clear that the alphas are not there to use him, but truly care for his well being and are doing what they can to make things easy for him, even though they are all subject to the biology and instincts of their wolf nature. Everyone seems to be somewhat clueless in how to handle things and Ray can't see anything through the depression.

The book doesn't resolve anything and Ray is still in bad shape at the end, but I am still intrigued by the premise of the story and will move onto part 2 in the hopes things will get better for him. The book could definitely use some tightening up with an editor as there are spelling issues and some sentences that just didn't make sense, but not enough to really pull me out of the story.
Profile Image for the kevin (vaguely alive).
970 reviews177 followers
June 7, 2022
This is very existential erotic horror, right on brand for what I expected from a Lysk book. Especially when it's coupled with gender and gender roles in a society and not being in control of your own person.

The horror of being slave to biology, being a slave to your own biology, trapped by society in a role you don't want but can't avoid...too real. The wolf thing added an interesting component of struggling within yourself, while also giving the world some framework.

This had some degree of weird romance(?not the right word) - the alphas were all trying (well except maybe Gabriel, idk about him, I am suspicious) to help Ray adjust and be happy and take care of him...but Ray is still trapped. He adjusts a little by the end, in a way thats just too oof on the nose of old timey gender roles. A little less bleak at the end since he has some biologically driven distraction even as he dislikes it.

Lysk's works sit with me for a very long time, there's something about the totally matter of fact way this is all approached in-universe that makes it extra insidious and creeping horror. So well done.

HRT-signature-3

Read more reviews on my blog: 
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for m.
822 reviews70 followers
May 3, 2024
I’m not new to Omegaverse and the ONE thing I liked about this is that male omegas experience some gender fuckery during pregnancy and when they shift its into a female wolf (which is also how they give birth). Not the reality of this because Ray was scared and upset but the concept is unique and could’ve been really interesting.

That said the whole book came across really rape-y esp in the beginning when Ray would just close his eyes and pretend to sleep while each of his 5 mates (that he didn’t even choose for himself) took their turnS plural. 🤢 Josh was my favourite out of the not so great bunch, Sergi/Alec/the guy with the unusual name were fairly neutral but slightly positive, and Gabriel I fucking hated for just about the entire book.

But of course ten seconds after being forcibly mated, Ray is pregnant with 5 babies. The ending is him basically accepting that this is his life now but there’s no love/romance/happiness.

I spent so much time frowning while I read this - I’m obviously not going to continue on with the series.
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,525 reviews322 followers
September 11, 2017
This was a pretty good read. Ray grew up thinking he would be an alpha but when he presents as an omega instead his whole world his turned upside down. Male omegas are rare so instead of one mate he is given 5 to start a new pack. I had a love hate relationship with Ray he took it out on his mates Josh was his friend they grew up together and he had feelings for him. Alec who is a doctor Gabriel who was a distant cousin Iesu and Sergi are all his alphas and they all tried there best not to hurt him, but Ray was in denial of his situation. Ray didn't know a lot about omegas he thought that he had to be submissive and he wasn't he thought they would force sex on him. When they all mated him he tried to put it out of his mind when he knew he was pregnant and Alec tried to talk to him about it he wasn't opened to hearing what he had to say and I wanted to shake him because he wouldn't listen to what anyone had to say. The sex scenes were hot. This book was not as dark as I thought it would be. This was my first time reading this author and this is a new series to me. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Mr.Rainbow.Pages.
197 reviews59 followers
December 21, 2021
Hi everyone, Its Christopher the reader here and the book we are here to talk about tonight is Omega for the Pack. This book is the first in the series. I read this book in December which took me a day to read. I am now going to talk about some of the book details. It was rated mature, and was first published on the 16th of September in 2016. It was told using 3rd person with it following Ray's point of view. The book had 11 chapters. with each chapter being around 10-16 pages long. All together the book had 243 pages which also includes a epilogue at the end. (I own two copies these details are from: The Volume 1, book)


- I found the storyline interesting, I liked that the book felt new, I think it was kind of different to other wolves story's that I am use to reading.

- I think that this book was written really well, I loved how the story first started. It just let us dive right in. It felt realistic. I liked that the story was told from Ray's POV as it allows us to get to know the others through his eyes as well as his thoughts and feelings on most things, I also like that we were on the ride with Ray. I enjoyed that there was side plots within the story, which was more than I was expecting. I liked the pacing of the book it was pretty fast which I think it fit well with the book. I would have liked for the book to have been a bit longer though as it was a short read. There were times when it was hard to read, because Ray was hurting a lot. I just wanted to read about Ray finally falling in love and being happy.

I liked the world building but I would have liked to have read about wolves living upon humans in the world of the book as I don't feel like the story told us much about all the history and facts. I would have liked it more if we got to read scenes of Ray's and Josh's friendship as well as Ray's and his second cousin and the others that he had met before. Maybe through flashback memories brought on by stuff like scenery. I think I would have liked it more if it had some extra character details, both in human form and wolf. I would have also liked it more personally if this book had some funny scenes in places as I think it could have helped balances things out a bit.

- I liked that this book had wolfing out. As with some of the physical books that I have like these types of stories they don't always actually have characters transforming into full wolves, four paws and fur. it just mentions that they are wolves and add some stuff in. Like some of the wolf characters in the TV Show: Teen Wolf are seen as. Although I like them types too. I prefer the full transform, wolfing out more.

- I liked that all of the Alpha's were different, I found it pretty easy to tell each of them apart and I was happy that they didn't all blend in with each other near the end of the book. I think that I would have liked it more if the Alpha's had pushed Ray a little more with the talking, about things as they didn't really have a proper conversation about everything.

- After reading this book I would like to hear the story maybe re-told or something in the Alpha's POV as we don't get much of an insight of how they were feeling and also there thoughts on things. I loved that this book was turned into an audible book as personally when I listen and read along I find that I gain a deeper experience with the book. I really liked the sound of the voice narrator for this one. After reading this book I will be carrying on reading the rest of the series. I would like it if this book series was turned into a TV Show, If it ever does I would definitely go and watch it.


For each book that I read, I rate it out of 10, so for this I'm going to give it 8.9. Remember this was what I thought about the book personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
Profile Image for tfadius.
186 reviews
August 4, 2021
A few stray thoughts entered my head while I read this. Some were: "Man, this guy is depressed" or "Is this a metaphor for being a sex slave?". The main character Ray, is straight up depressed throughout the whole book. He doesn't like being an Omega and he doesn't really like his pack or his kids. He's just stuck with it because his body demands it. It's a depressing read. There are numerous sex scenes, but because he's so depressed you end up feeling weird about reading them. Or at least I did. I can't say that I enjoyed reading this.
Profile Image for thosemeddlingkids.
800 reviews78 followers
July 7, 2022
3.5 stars - such a sad and dark omegaverse. A pack of wolves and a very sad omega who is theirs. Lots of emotions and parallels to normal society.

Casually sobbing over here. Check all the cws.
Profile Image for Denise.
826 reviews161 followers
Read
April 25, 2022
This was much more angsty and sad than I had expected. Ray's feelings and unhappiness are very understandable, considering he was forced to take five alphas after unexpectedly becoming an omega, and you cannot help but feel for him.

I'm not sure I would necessarily classify this as a romance - perhaps it becomes one in the future books? Only three of the alphas were really differentiated enough to stand out in my mind: Josh, Gabriel, and Alec. Sergi and Iesu were forgettable for the most part. I love Josh, who is Ray's best friend. Gabriel gets on my nerves as he seems a bit selfish. Alec is shy and pretty timid around Ray, but nice.

I've seen some mild spoilers for how the series evolves, some of which made me question if I want to finish it. However, I think I'll try at least the next book.
Profile Image for Kristina.
1,589 reviews74 followers
Read
August 1, 2021
Non/dub con can be hot as it feeds the not-so-uncommon rape fantasies many (including myself) seek in darker books. This book is only told from the Omega, Ray’s POV, and we’re immersed in his absolute despair and intense anger. Unlike many other omegaverse books, the five alphas here are decent and caring, trying so hard to be as understanding and compassionate as they can towards their omega.
But Ray never seeks comfort or acceptance in or for his situation. He does not attempt to look at it objectively or from a rational standpoint. Instead he broods, blames, avoids, and deflects.
While I completely sympathized with Ray’s plight and felt for him, I needed some sort of reprieve from his bitterness and anger which never came. While Ray’s alphas maintained an impressive level of patience with him, I did not. Ray’s lot in life can never be changed and running away would cause him to go insane or literally die. There’s no one to blame and no undoing what life made of them all.
Rather than find a way to move forward and persevere, Ray instead stews in his bitterness, making everyone around him unsure and unhappy as well. If he wants to be an asshole in life and hate the world, that’s his choice. But making everyone around him just as miserable is no longer okay and my empathy turned to disappointment and sadness.
Profile Image for Ryland.
76 reviews9 followers
March 25, 2021
spoiler alert for this review

this was rather entertaining. i liked the setup and i enjoyed the characters. sometimes i can understand noncon/dubcon, and i was kinda expecting it with the whole 'unexpected omega presentation' and 'undesired alphas' part, but this book took it a little bit far. felt too much like the mc, ray, was under duress the whole time and didn't have a choice in his mating. he then spent most of this book and the rest of the series so far moping and hating his life and it's just a little... meh

if he had grown into loving his alphas quicker, maybe i would have liked it more, but as we stand, i'm several books in and he's still hating life.

still, i was intrigued by the story enough that i kept reading the series. i'm still interested to figure out what happens with ray.
Profile Image for llv.
2,321 reviews14 followers
August 21, 2020
Rating: 3 stars
I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It was a bit painful to read. Ray is just so unhappy throughout the whole thing. There is absolutely no love between Ray and his alphas. (At least on Ray’s side.) It doesn’t help that the story is very short and incomplete. I wouldn’t continue the series, but I like the characters enough that I want to see it through to hopefully a happy ending.
Profile Image for Maureen Neil.
84 reviews
Read
August 15, 2017
I really did not enjoy this book and had to put it down from time to time just to get through it. This is not a romance book, this is a story of repetitive rape where the mc eventually gets used to it and accepts it for the sake of his pack. I am surprised that Ray was able to emotionally get through it without self harm.
Profile Image for Jenny (Nyxie).
932 reviews74 followers
July 1, 2022
This was well written, and I enjoyed reading it based on that, but the omega MCs depression and struggles to accept his role as omega, his pack, pregnancy and kids was a Lot. I think I could relate too much to the helpless lack of control, and it took some of the enjoyment out it if for me.

I’m pretty sure I won’t continue on with this series, but will definitely be reading more by the author.
Profile Image for Feel The Book.
1,739 reviews55 followers
May 18, 2019
Recensione a cura di Raksha per Feel the Book

Ray pensava, crescendo, di diventare un Alpha, di non avere nulla di diverso rispetto a tutti gli altri lupi che vivono nel suo grande branco. Quando invece la sua natura di Omega viene alla luce, la batosta emotiva è tremenda.

Per chi legge il genere, è ben chiaro cosa sia un Omega; per chi avesse dei dubbi, invece, chiariamo che è un lupo molto prezioso che, per istinto, si accoppia con uno o più partner, viene ingravidato (sia esso uomo o donna) e si dedica alla continuazione della specie.

Ci sono caratteristiche di questo genere di storia che vanno accettate senza fare domande, che vanno date per certe. Sono narrati momenti, come rapporti sessuali, gravidanze, allattamento, che sono diversi eppure simili a quelli umani e, vissuti da un uomo, appaiono talvolta “strani”.

Per Ray, accettare di essere un Omega vuol dire accettare di abbandonare ogni libertà, di dedicarsi solamente ai suoi Alpha, di dover sottostare alle loro richieste fisiche e ai loro ordini verbali. Ray è un ragazzo cocciuto, sicuro di sé e allo stesso tempo molto fragile. Fin da subito non riesce a trovare un equilibrio tra ciò che il suo corpo pretende e ciò che la sua mente desidera. Ray cede il suo corpo ma, allo stesso tempo, resiste con la mente, non abbandona di un passo il suo cuore nel quale si è segregato, non lascia entrare nessuno degli uomini che ora vivono per lui in un modo molto diverso da quello che ci si aspetta all’inizio. Per loro Ray non è altro che un tesoro da proteggere.

Josh. Iesu. Gabriel. Alec. Sergi.

Ogni Alpha che entra a far parte della vita di Ray è diverso. Ognuno di questi uomini, a suo modo, gli vuole bene, vuole dare un contributo e trovare un equilibrio per creare questa nuova piccola famiglia.

Lo ammetto, il mio preferito resta sempre Josh perché è quello che conosce meglio Ray, che si sobbarca dei suoi rifiuti, delle sue insicurezze, di tutte le sue paure. Gli altri danno un contributo materiale, ma è Josh che va sempre ad affrontare Ray quando sta per crollare, quando la situazione sembra troppo disperata per poter essere superata.

Durante la storia ogni Alpha trova un piccolo spazio per mostrare qualcosa di sé al lettore, ma quasi tutta la narrazione è concentrata sullo stato emotivo e fisico di Ray, sui suoi cambiamenti e i suoi sentimenti.

Le premesse erano tutte presenti, tanti dettagli erano lì pronti per essere ripresi e ampliati, ma le pagine sono volate via troppo velocemente e le parole erano troppo poche per spiegare tutto. L’autrice ha lanciato molti sassolini ma ha ritirato troppo velocemente la mano.

Cinque Alpha hanno un ruolo fondamentale in questo racconto, ma di loro si sa poco o nulla. Si alternano, comparendo in qualche dialogo o nelle descrizioni dei rapporti sessuali, ma chi sono veramente questi cinque lupi? Non è solo la vita di Ray a essere messa in gioco, non è solo il suo cuore. Di Ray sappiamo tutto ciò che pensa, tutto ciò che fa e perché agisce in un certo modo, conosciamo molto bene il tormento che lo divora. E gli uomini che si stanno mettendo in gioco per lui? Certo sono Alpha, dovrebbero essere grandi, grossi e senza paura, ma hanno anch’essi dei sentimenti, dei pensieri, dei caratteri da scoprire.

Questo aspetto non sviluppato mi ha lasciato un sapore amaro in bocca che spero sparirà con i prossimi romanzi della serie.

La narrazione è scorrevole e anche gli aspetti più inusuali vengono raccontati con delicatezza. La capacità dell’autrice di mescolare alla perfezione gli aspetti animali dei lupi con quelli umani ha reso anche i momenti più difficili molto fluidi e facili da accettare.

La storia è bella ma, ampliata nei momenti giusti, poteva essere perfetta. Manca qualcosa che soddisfi a pieno la curiosità del lettore: dei semplici gesti, una parola, qualche pensiero.

Attendo con ansia i prossimi volumi.

Editing a cura di Cleo per Feel the Book
Profile Image for —lex♡.
196 reviews25 followers
April 9, 2024
Estaba gratis, no me juzguen.
Hay cosas que están bien y están mal, como casi siempre pasa con este tipo de historias.
Por un lado, me gusta porque siempre había tenido acercamientos a omegaverse fluff, en donde el omega podía o no estar en conflicto con su lugar en la sociedad, pero lo aceptaba con facilidad finalmente. Aquí no, aquí el MC, Ray, odia su condición de omega. Odia que por eso esté obligado a aparearse y odia la idea de tener bebés. Lamentablemente, en este mundo los omegas masculinos son poco más que máquinas de cría, por lo que sus deseos no son tenidos en cuenta en el aspecto sexual y en la decisión sobre su cuerpo. Si bien le dan márgenes de decisión en otras cuestiones, esa, la que en mi opinión es la más importante, es dejada de lado.
Ray es obligado a aparearse con cinco alfas de su manada, para empezar una propia. Josh, su mejor amigo; Gabriel, su primo; Sergi, un chico que estaba enamorado de él, pero le hacía bullying por ser hombre; Iesu, un chico que conoció en un partido de fútbol; y Alec, un extraño que se escogió porque tenía habilidades médicas. Algunos, como Sergi, tienen sentimientos por Ray, pero evidentemente la relación es rara y el desequilibrio de poder es terrible.
Los alfas no pueden contener sus instintos, aparentemente. Tan pronto como ven a un omega, sus sentidos les obligan a tratarlos bien y a encontrarlos atractivos y querer aparearse con ellos, independientemente de si el omega quiere o no. Esto nos lleva a un montón de situaciones de violación. Lo que es triste. Ya Ray lucha contra su estado de omega, y de repeso tiene cinco alfas sobre él casi todo el tiempo.
El primer apareamiento tiene como consecuencia un embarazo. Y, de nuevo, tenemos a Ray lidiando con algo más.
La verdad sentí muy desesperanzadora esta historia. Todo lo que Ray es obligado a dejar atrás, como lidia con su evidente depresión mientras los demás parecen no interesarse en lo más mínimo en eso. O en él, para el caso. Sus deseos y sueños son dejados de lado, con el fin de expandir su manada y satisfacer a cinco alfas, que ni siquiera está seguro de que lo quieran lo más mínimo, para los que solo es una máquina de cría.
La parte que me gusta es lo poco convencional que es su historia como omega desde mi experiencia. Pero, mirando a fondo, todo es terrible y cuestionable.
Profile Image for Badh.
3,311 reviews66 followers
November 1, 2021
intersting

This was a really interesting story. There were times when it was hard to read, because Ray was hurting so badly.
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