Since I wasn't moonstruck by the 1st of the mercy thompson series, i was reluctant to open this one. 
 But wowza! what a book! 
 It was a really short novella, but nevertheless packs a punch. 
 The characters were great, and the story was simple and well-told. So well-told in fact that I was completely blindsided by the twist, when it came. It was brilliant. 
 I spent half the book frustrated because i didn't know what an omega wolf was in the context of this story. Then Charles finally explains what it means, at the perfect time. 
 I am definitely going to continue with this series. I enjoyed it a lot. 
 I hope this is the start of a long and beautiful friendship with Patricia Briggs!! 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UPDATE 
 I am upgrading the review fro four stars to 5. I just re-read this, and it was wowza!!! All over again. here's the review I posted for the anthology after re-reading this one: 
 Alpha and Omega - 5 stars 
 This is my second read of this novella, the intro to Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series, and I am upgrading my rating to 5 stars. I loved it! And I had more time to notice other things since I was already familiar with the storyline, and oh, the things I noticed! I LOVED Anna's first impression of Charles, and the descriptions she gave of him were KILLING ME SOFTLY!!! And Charles, being all studly on Anna made me giggle (and melt), LOL! You stud, you. 
 And of course I loved the three references to Samuel. He wasn't there in the book, but his father and brother's perceptions are so telling. From them I caught a glimpse of the 'lighthearted person who "had joy in abundance"' (in spite of his past) and had taken the time to teach Mercy to be joyful too. I saw him how he should be instead of the sad person he is now, bowed under the weight of so much pain. And my heart broke all over again. 
 Bran must have some amazing genes to have created the offspring that he has! Patty sure knows how to write those Cornick men!