“That is how Alphas claim their Omegas for life. How they forge the soul bond. Can you sense him?” She cocks her head again, regarding me curiously.
I think for a moment. “Now that you mention it, I do sometimes feel like I can tell what he’s feeling.”
She nods. “That is the bond. You are his mate now. His queen. Now he's found you, and you are his Omega. It's so romantic.”
Ugh. “Okay, so this Omega thing. What am I supposed to do?” I ask.
Sian’s ears twitch again. “Do? You don't have any duties, per se. You attend to the king like we do. But there's no job or specific duty for you, other than to bear your mate's children.”
“Kids?” I squeak. I put a hand over my belly. I’ve been filled with enough hunter jizz to fill a bathtub. At this rate, I could be pregnant with sextuplets.
Why does this thought fill me with contentment? I should be making an exit through the nearest wall.Tiny grunty babies.
“Yes. You will bear the king’s children. They will be Alphas or Omegas. It is so romantic.”
There’s a twist in my lower belly. The thought of babies is making me horny. Goddammit.
“It’s less romantic when you’re sore,” I mumble.
“Oh!” Sian claps her hands. “There are salves for that! I looked in the archives and there are all manner of balms and unguents to help Omegas to stay in full health. I recreated the rituals for my own pampering—I can show you. Come.” She waves me to follow her through a set of curtains on the far side of the room.
My gasp bounces off the stone walls. Sian has led me to a bathing chamber.
ELEVEN
The Hunter King
Ulf only knowswhy my little lysia flower wanted to talk to Sian, but the Beta was easy enough to find. I had thought it would be much harder, but all I had to do was say her name, and she was brought to me. Turns out she works in the palace.
I don’t recall ever seeing her before, but then I tend to tune most things out whenever I’m here at the palace, with all the people chattering at me.
Now, I’m standing outside the door to my own chamber, listening to the conversation Sian is having with my new mate.
When I was a child, I would venture out of the forest, drawn by the scent of meat and grain roasting over a fire. To the villagers, I was a wild-haired, muddy creature who loped forward on all fours. An animal. They threw stones at me until I ran away. But the winters were cold and bitter, and I could not survive without the heat of a fire. I learned to live on the edges of the gatherings, lurking with the shadows, stealing what warmth I could.
And now I lurk outside my own kingly chambers, secretly soaking in all I can from my Omega mate. Her light, her warmth.
I must do everything I can to keep her. I will not survive without her fire.
I listen closely. I want to know exactly what’s going on in my Omega’s head, and she might speak more freely without me there. I want her to be happy, as her smile lights up my insides like a thousand suns.
I bristle when Sian talks about my childhood. My mate is upset because she thinks I refuse to speak. I must try harder. I cannot summon words as easily as Alphas like Brokk, or my Beta courtiers. It's not that I don’t want to talk to her. I just communicate better with my scent, my lips, and my eyes.
My little flower is bursting with questions, and I feel a pang of guilt for not telling her more, myself. I don’t know why I struggle so. But I’ve never felt this way for anyone before…
Then the Beta mentions recent sightings of the Slythin, and I ball my hands into fists. I never could prove the connection between the Stone King and the Slythin, but that twisted fuck was responsible. He must have sent them again—but why now? After all this time? So many moons have passed since I last defeated them, sending them slithering back to the Stone Kingdom.
I finger the fang I wear on a cord around my neck as a constant reminder.
Could it have something to do with my Omega appearing out of nowhere?
Or is it all merely a coincidence?
When Sian turns the tables and accuses my Omega of trying to seduce me, I’m torn between outrage and laughter. But the Beta does have a point. Where did the Hoo-man come from? Until Sian mentioned the other two Omega queens, I had forgotten the name of their species.
Hoo-man.
Haley.
