15. Well, Frick
Well, fuck.
“Seff,” Kiran purred. “Good morning.”
All Omegas—especially new ones—were to Kiran “Alpha” or “my lord,” as if he really was a king. “Good morning, Kiran,” Seff said, sidestepping him.
His hand lashed out, grabbing her upper arm. She froze, head whipping up. Her vision seemed to shutter; one blink, Kiran’s face was smattered with Hawthorn’s blood, the next…clear. It was only a dream. Hawthorn is alive. He’s safe. “I know you know the proper titles, Seff,” Kiran admonished, “but I will allow you to call me by my birth name.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling like the last thing she owed him was gratitude. “I’d like to go to my room now, please.”
Kiran clicked his teeth. “The day is just beginning! Take a walk through the orchard with me.” With no effort at all, he drew her in close, tilting his face inches from hers. Even his breath smelled like sweet, ripe apples. “We could…eat more than just fruit.”
Omegas did not possess much strength, but Seff put all hers forward to shove herself out of his reach. Kiran jerked upright, eyes widening in shock as if he didn’t believe she was capable of escaping him. Then they narrowed. Not a good sign.
He took a step forward; Seff slinked a step back. “What will it take to get through to you, Seff?” he asked quietly.
“Get what through to me?” she demanded. “You met me yesterday. What do you want?” Her back hit the wall, disturbing the edge of a tapestry.
Kiran loomed above her. “What do I want? I want you, and I am your master, and I can do whatever I want with you.” To prove it, his hands slipped under the silk to palm her breasts. Seff slapped his face. Horror shot through her at the knee-jerk reaction, but he retracted his hands to turn his head back toward her. He seemed torn between anger and…arousal. As if he liked her fighting back. “I get the sense you don’t want to fuck me, Seff,” he said slowly.
“No.”
“Hm.” Kiran tipped his head up slightly to appreciate her up and down yet again. “Your heart is racing, though. You’re attracted to me.”
It’s the fear, she wanted to spit. Yes, she admitted, he was incredibly attractive. His hair was untied and wavy, his scoop-neck shirt bearing much of his collarbone. But his personality far overrides any kind of desire she felt.
“What if I bedded your busty friend first, hmm?” he suggested. A fresh bolt of fear stabbed Seff’s heart. “What’s her name? Allium Ren?” Kiran cocked his head to see if Seff gave away the truth. “Ah, yes, I’m correct. She was impatient for me to give my attention to her instead of you. Jealousy is a great motive.”
Whatever Seff said, he would only turn it against her. He continued mercilessly, growling in a threat, “What if I brought her to my room tonight? You could watch us…” Kiran flicked his eyes downward toward himself; she kept her gaze resolutely forward. “…and see what you’re missing.”
It was sick and perverse. “No means no, Kiran Cyrus.”
He was as expressive as a mischief god. Now he looked amused by her defiance—he must be used to getting everything he ever wanted, especially when it came to his “property”—submissive Omegas bending over backward just to be in his presence. “You don’t like playing rough, do you, Seff?”
“I think it’s obvious.”
“Nippy, aren’t you?” he said, seemingly taking her response as banter. “Who were those males at the Choosing? Just curious.”
Her throat tightened. “My brothers.”
He saw past her deflection easily. “Those bastards that said you were unlucky? I don’t believe them. But the other one…the lesser Alpha who said he was in love with you? How interesting. What was his name? Do you love him back?”
Each sentence was a slap, the aftershock bringing fear, heartbreak, turmoil. She loved Hawthorn of course, but was she in love with him? Did she ever imagine herself mating with him—marking her shoulder with his teeth, and she claiming him for life with hers? All she could say for sure was that she wanted him alive.
“If you want me, you will never touch him.”
It was an impressive growl, but from an Omega to an Alpha, it was a threat not worth worrying about. Kiran straightened. “I think I will take your friend tonight. She’s the only one in the harem in heat right now, so best not to wait. I will see you…” Kiran’s hand lashed out to catch Seff’s chin between two fingers, “tonight, little white wolf.”
Seff jerked out of his grip with bared teeth. But he just laughed—and it was the most beautiful laugh she’d ever heard—and strode in the direction of the door to the orchard. Her veins pulsed with adrenaline—with guilt. Even if Allium wanted Kiran in more ways than one, Seff just doomed them both to his whim. He wanted to punish Seff for rejecting him, so he would use Allium as blackmail.
You don’t give me what I want, then your friend gets the punishment. That was what Kiran’s laugh meant. And I will make sure that lesser Alpha is on my hit list.
Well, fuck.
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