The guards had transported me to the royal fae palace to meet their monarch.
An archaic system I had learned about in school growing up.
The fae queen had taken one look at my large stature and muscles and made me an offer I couldn’t resist.
I’d joined her royal guard and never looked back.
Sure, the queen wasn’t the best employer, her temper was unmatched, and she had a cruel streak a mile wide. However, she gave me the freedom to fight and work as a man, not an omega.
I wasn’t a possession.
Plus, when I disagreed with her harsh edicts, her realm was so large and there was so much to deal with that she granted me leniency to make my own decisions.
When she ordered me to execute people for questionable reasons, I banished them or set them up under aliases.
My life wasn’t perfect, but I had a life and the freedom to fight for it.
In the beast realm, I was a piece of property to be used and abused by the highest bidder.
In the fae realm, I was the right hand of the queen. A feared soldier who could make a difference.
It didn’t matter that she had banned shifting into animal forms; my kitten form was small and pathetic.
I wasn’t even a cat…I was a fucking kitten. All it was good for was fleeing like a coward.
I hated it.
Now as I stood in the training gym in the village and twirled my knives, I ruminated that there was only one thing I loathed more than being helpless: alphas.
Lately, I’d been surrounded by them again, and it was slowly driving me crazy.
The harsh scents of the half warriors burned my nose and brought back awful memories.
Weirdly, Jax’s, Cobra’s, Ascher’s, and Sadie’s scents didn’t irritate me like the half warriors’.
For the first time, I could stand in the presence of alphas without wanting to hack in disgust at their harsh scents because they triggered my memories.
But it didn’t matter.
My mission was to keep them in line and then return them to the beast realm. I would accomplish it and forget about them.
They would be easy to forget: the men were tolerable and didn’t interest me in the slightest.
Sadie was the problem.
My body responded every time she was in my presence.
Worst of all, I had the most disturbing urge to shift into a kitten and sit on her lap. I wanted to purr and comfort her. Cuddle against her and fall asleep.
It was horrifying.
In my shifted form, every alpha, male or female, laughed at me. Alphas were too macho and strong to be interested in weak animals like kittens.
It was their predatory nature.
Back in the shifter realm, the plan had been to sneak into the training compound and watch the alphas from the shadows.
Instead, I’d been scooped up by a blue-haired boy that smelled like icy death, and he’d brought me straight to Sadie.
It had shocked me when a delicate alpha held me to her chest. She’d cuddled me under the blankets while kissing my head, cranberries and sunshine flowing off her like a warm summer day in the fae realm.
Until Sadie, no alpha had ever embraced my kitten form.
She hadn’t just embraced me; she’d smothered me. Constantly kissing my head, petting my white fur, and holding me like a common pet.
It had been embarrassing.
At one point, she’d sobbed under the covers and held me against her while mumbling nonsense.
None of the other alphas had realized she was crying silently.
My gut had sparked with an emotion I’d never felt before, and it had taken all my willpower not to transform back and hold her against my chest.
Which was completely irrational because she was a fucking alpha.
My insanity was probably a result of my kitten brain being confused. I’d enjoyed her pets and snuggles just a little too much.
Now I shook my head as Sadie failed to dodge another telegraphed blow. I swallowed the urge to yell at her to put her fist up in front of her face.
I helped train fae guards to fight because my skill with blades was unmatched. That was the only reason I wanted to correct her form.
She was just a student I wanted to teach. Every time I remembered she was an alpha, the urge to help her fled my body. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
At their cores, all alphas were the same, and I didn’t know what Sadie’s angle was.
I needed to find out why she acted so…weak.
Why didn’t she posture and assert herself over others like alphas always did?
Why was she constantly saying the strangest things, making inappropriate jokes and sassing people with no genuine anger?
Half the time, she was completely pathetic.
Her tendency to appear weak had distracted me from her true nature. When it had come time to bring her into the fae realm, a small part of me had wanted to disobey the queen and protect Sadie.
But the queen had saved me, so I couldn’t. My life was hers. So I’d gone through with the mission.
Thank the sun god I had.
Sadie had stabbed her shoe’s heel into my arm, and the deceptively sweet alpha had shown her true fucking colors.
I’d kept the heel in my arm to remind myself that all alphas were the same; they were all violent and ruthless.
She was no different.
Therefore, when the queen had delayed the mission to return them to the beast realm and ordered them to fight in the Fae Games, I had thought nothing of it.
The Fae Games were a bloodthirsty, violent event, but alphas could easily handle it. There was a reason the half warriors were the hundred-year champions.
Overall, the fae were violent, but individually, beasts were unmatched warriors.
It should have been a simple mission: monitor the four alphas while they competed and then escort them to the beast realm.
I gnawed on my lip with frustration; if Sadie didn’t start training better, then I wouldn’t be bringing all the alphas back.
My gut burned with an unfamiliar sensation, and I twirled my knives in my hands to comfort myself.
I reminded myself that I didn’t fucking care if she wanted to act like it was a joke and get herself killed.
Alphas were not my concern.
Therefore, I said nothing as Cobra barked instructions at her for hours as he tried to improve her abysmal hand-to-hand combat skills.
She’d shown her skills before, so it was obvious she was lazy and didn’t take training seriously.
Jax brought her a water bottle and dabbed at her face with a towel during a break, while Ascher stood next to her and glared at Cobra.
It didn’t escape my notice that the alphas were completely obsessed with her, in a way that made them act…less like alphas.
They doted on her with more attention than I’d seen alphas give omegas. It was confusing and weird.
That night at dinner, Sadie pushed her food around her plate instead of inhaling it like usual.
She mumbled something about running ruining her appetite, and I swallowed the urge to yell at her.
It’s not my fucking concern. She can starve to death for all I care.
It didn’t matter, anyway; Ascher cut up her meat, while Jax and Cobra alpha-barked at her to eat.
I fought the urge to whine at their alpha barks.
It took all my years of training to calm my racing heart and sit casually at the table.
You’re in control.
I gripped my knives tightly in my hands; omegas were overly sensitive to alpha barks. It was in our nature to want to please alphas.
Rationally, I didn’t give a fuck about any of them or what they wanted. But my body was still overcome with stress at the sound of an alpha’s distress, regardless of what I wanted.
Blessedly, the dinner was a mostly silent affair, with everyone eating and slumped over tiredly after training.
Later that night, when all the men went to shower, Sadie lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling fan while I sharpened my knives at the table.
Her cranberry scent was tangy with distress and filled the room.
I held my breath and tried not to breathe it in.
When the alphas came back from their showers and filtered back into their bedrooms, Sadie looked at their toweled forms longingly.
It dawned on me that the showers were open, so anyone could see everything.
I don’t fucking care.
She flopped backward and gnawed on her lower lip. Melancholy practically radiated from her.
My gut filled with inexplicable rage.
She was so pathetic. It was embarrassing.
I snapped at her, “I’ll guard the door as you shower. You fucking reek. It’s disgusting.”
Stupid omega instincts. She smells, that’s why I offered.
Sadie looked up at me with a tentative smile, her ruby-red eyes sparkling on her golden face. You would have thought I’d offered her the world. Not a single shower.
“Let’s fucking go. I don’t have time to babysit you.” I stalked out the door, and she hurried after me.
Outside the shower room, I stood guard with my blades drawn.
A few fae who worked in the village walked past and gave my blades questioning glances but said nothing.
Water slammed against the tile, and I couldn’t help but envision Sadie’s naked body under the spray.
Back at the palace, I’d quickly looked away when her body had been projected on the screen. The fae realm’s love of broadcasting people was one thing I loathed most about this place.
Still, for a split second, I’d seen the awful scars that covered her torso.
They were more proof that she was a classic alpha. A seasoned warrior, she’d likely gotten them while torturing innocents on a battlefield or terrorizing nulls.
With how badly she’d fought today, it made sense that she’d gotten herself scarred. She’s just another monster.
A water fae competitor came up to the door with a huff and glared at me. “I need to shower,” they demanded.
“It’s occupied. Wait your fucking turn,” I said softly.
The fae looked at the queen’s symbol on my chest and paled. He nodded and quickly hurried away down the hall.
If I hadn’t been here, he would have walked in on her.
A sudden burst of rage burned my chest, and I twirled my knives to calm myself.
The next person to approach me was a pretty fae female. She sauntered forward in a short, shimmery dress. “Hey, you work for the queen, right? Will you be free…later?” She fluttered her sultry eyes at me.
I twirled my blades faster. “No.”
She pursed her lips but shrugged and continued down the hall, unperturbed by my rejection.
I sighed heavily at her retreating form. I had nothing against women, and she had been pretty.
The problem was, at my core, I was an omega.
It wasn’t in my nature to fuck someone casually and walk away.
I didn’t want to be touched by just anyone. The few one-night stands I’d tried had been anxiety-inducing.
How could you explain to a stranger that you needed to be cuddled and praised? That you wanted to take your time worshipping them and being worshipped?
A hot fuck wasn’t what I needed.
I wanted more.
Therefore, I didn’t bother trying.
My right fist was relieving enough. It was better than having to explain my unique nature to a stranger.
Suddenly, Sadie opened the door.
A large, baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants dragged across the floor, and her long white hair was plastered across her face.
“Thanks, I appreciate you standing watch.” Sadie’s voice was low and raspy, and she smiled up at me tentatively.
“Whatever.” I stalked back to the room and refused to look at her.
That night, I lay down on my makeshift bed on the floor in the common area and punched at my pillow.
I didn’t mind sleeping on the ground, but my omega nature still whined at the lack of comfort.
The couch was too short for my large body, so it was just easier to lie on the floor.
It didn’t mean I liked it.
“Here,” a soft, raspy voice whispered down to me. Sadie handed me two pillows and two soft blankets.
Her rough voice sent chills down my spine. It was pure seduction.
Before I could do anything, she draped both blankets over me and put the pillows next to my head.
“It’s stupid that you have to sleep on the floor because of their dumb sex pact. Classic males acting like they can’t control themselves if they share a bed with a woman. It’s so embarrassing for them.” She rolled her eyes. “Hope that helps make you more comfortable. I get chilly at night and have experience sleeping on the floor. Sometimes…it makes the nightmares worse.”
A haunted expression flashed across her face. For a second, she was transported somewhere else.
I wasn’t the only one who suffered from bad dreams.
Sadie shook her head and smiled like nothing had happened. “Although, sleeping on the floor can be a vibe. My sister always says it helps center you.”
I stilled in shock as she tucked a soft blanket around my wide shoulders.
“I don’t need your fucking help.” I yanked the blanket out of her hands.
Instead of getting mad, she shrugged and smiled. “Sleep tight.” Then she wobbled away, because she couldn’t even walk properly after training. Pathetic.
Instead of throwing off her blankets and pillows just to spite her, I turned over and shoved my nose into the pillow and tucked the blankets under my chin.
They reeked of cranberries and sunshine.
For the first time in my entire life, an alpha scent that wasn’t manufactured comforted me.
She’s a monster, I reminded myself. All alphas were.
Still, I couldn’t stop myself from sniffing the blanket one more time before I fell asleep.
