Choosing Her Alpha

by Isoellen

  Sasha continued to stare at Davila, waiting, knowing there was more.

  Davila shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but three guards had to be replaced. Two betas and an alpha."

  "I'd feel bad if he killed them."

  "You would. But since you didn't do the action, then you don't bear the responsibility," Lilla reassured her.

  Sasha smiled weakly. It was something she would say to the twins because it was something her dad said. Don't take on someone else's trouble—he was always telling her that.

  The box on the wall spoke up then, startling them all. The twins squealed like yipping puppies and Davila jerked as if she'd been caught away from her duties.

  "Miss, the nurse is here for your checkup. Can we send her in?" a man asked.

  Sasha wondered why someone in Kane's household was asking her permission for anything. What would happen if she said no?

  But Davila went over and pushed the button before she could think on it longer. "Yes, she's ready."

  Davila returned to the bed to gather up the remains of their meal. "I’ve got to take this tray down and bring more food. Will you let me get the laundry later?"

  "More food? I'm stuffed! And yes, take the laundry. Do you want help? Why wouldn't you just take it if you want it?"

  The twins laughed and Davila smiled big enough to show her teeth. "Because you go crazy and scream, 'That's mine!' when I try to change your sheets."

  "I do not!" Sasha gasped. She wouldn't.

  In unison, they all said, "You do too!"

  Sasha was making faces at them when the door opened, and Sara entered.

  Sasha greeted the kind lady, pleased to see her. She had a calming way about her that put Sasha instantly at ease.

  "Sweet girl, look how beautiful you are. Now your outsides match your insides." She took Sasha's hands in hers. "What a traumatic cycle this has been. Do you mind if we do an exam? Your alpha has been very worried about you. Eight days was rather a long cycle for your maturation, but we suspect that it is because of your unique background."

  "He's not my alpha," Sasha said. Why did people keep saying that?

  "Yes, dear," Sara answered patronizingly.

  Lilla and Lanny giggled. Sasha shot them a quelling look.

  She let Sara do all the prodding and poking she wanted. The woman asked questions, but Sasha couldn't remember most of what had happened to her in the last week.

  Sara listened to her heart and lungs and ran some sort of medical device over her from head to toe, smiling reassuringly the whole time.

  "Every girl is a little different, you know. The transition into maturation isn't an exact science. There are just too many variables. It is how the breeds came into being, after all. Science expects one outcome, nature decides on another."

  "The whole process is rather miraculous, I think." Sara continued, showing her dimples.

  "Now, because of the stress in your life and you not taking the HealthyB's supplements, this stage will be a little different for you, I think. Often there are six months to a year between the first estrous and the next, plenty of time for choosing a good alpha. But I'm not sure what your body is going to do. Do you mind if my Bruns comes to see you again?"

  "No, I don't mind."

  "Good."

  Sara went on to tell Sasha of things she could expect, that she wasn't through the full change yet. Her body was still developing and changing on internal levels.

  Her eyes heavy, ready to sleep again, Sasha picked out the what she thought were the finer points of the woman's words. The physical changes would be an accelerated development. In drones, this was a two to five year process. For Sasha it would be months, no longer than a year, and Sara thought as little as three months was very possible.

  Because of this, Sasha would feel moody and achy. There may continue to be spots of blood in her secretions. There was a chance she could start lactating.

  Half asleep as she was, it was the twins’ reaction of shocked gasps that made Sasha perk up. "Lactating?"

  Sara had a motherly smile that oozed comfort. Sasha thought she smelled like cookies. "It means when the breasts produce milk for babies. You are a breeder, dear. Making babies is what your body is preparing for."

  Sara's expression said that this was the most amazing and wonderful ability ever, and she was so excited for Sasha.

  Sasha felt a frown pinch her eyebrows. She glanced between the twins. "It's not... gross? I'll be like a milk cow or a goat."

  The older woman shook her head. "No, absolutely not. A woman's ability to produce sustenance for her children is sacred. Not to mention the bond it will create with your husband-mate."

  Imagining Kane nursing at her swollen chest caused a not unpleasant kick in her womb. She made a breathy sound and felt the spurt of wet that she had thought she was done with.

  Her eyes got wide as shame and embarrassment filled her. It was one thing to be in estrous with her body taking over, but her cycle had ended. This problem of dripping bodily fluids whenever a certain male was mentioned should also be done.

  Sara could smell her slick and see her mortification. She gave Sasha a quick hug, drawing her near. "Breeders are very sexual creatures, Sasha, with high libidos. There is no getting around it. The best way to control this is choosing your husband-mate early and trusting his protection.

  "Your nature can be used against you, but you don't have to be ashamed. You are the future, in every sense. Without breeders, we lose our best leaders, our best warriors, our consciences, and our hearts."

  She took blood, had Sasha stand naked on the box that took all her readings, and left two bottles of pills. "The brown ones are just vitamins. Take them daily with food. The little white ones are for discomfort. Take no more than two a day and be ready to sleep when you do."

  Sara looked between Sasha and the twins when she gave instructions. The drones had proven themselves to be good caregivers and would be sure her instructions were followed.

  Then Sasha gave in to the need for more sleep.

  *

  The twins woke her for lunch. Sasha decided to leave the room and eat in the small dining hall with Davila where the rest of the household drones ate in shifts.

  She knew Kane's complex was massive, and she had yet to see even half of it or meet most of the people who worked there. It made sense to her to start with the drones.

  She stayed in the laundry room and the kitchen, getting in the way more than helping. They made her sit and eat again.

  Late that night, she and the twins made their way back to her bed. She hoped Kane was going to appear soon.

  He didn't.

  Chapter 12

  Sasha didn't know what she should be doing. Kane's absence left her in limbo. After three nights of waiting for him to appear, she’d received a note delivered by Zinanno.

  A mated and married beta with gray hair at the temples and a data pad full of pictures of his grandchildren, Zinanno only smiled when asked about his family. Taking on his new role as Kane’s secretary with sober attention to detail, he kept his posture straight and his manner official.

  He handed her a folded piece of paper with writing in bold, black ink.

  Looking for Merrick. Stay out of trouble.

  —Kane

  Merrick was out there somewhere, not handless as Sasha had thought, but hiding. Likely he was in some beta’s bed, using his looks and charm to manipulate others and make his life easy while he waited for his chance. Sasha shivered in dread at the thought.

  With no purpose and no Kane, Sasha fell into a daily routine. She found comfort in the familiarity of household chores. It was a massive home comprised of masses of people—guardsmen, the secretary, his under-secretary, official Administration staff, housekeepers, kitchen staff, garden staff, and their family members. There was always laundry to do, food to cook, and dishes to clean.

  Zinanno tried to get her inside in the library. He offered enrichment classes like painting and dancing and invited her to
tour the children's wing. He gave her a data pad of her own. He offered shopping expeditions. But when she asked to go to her own compound in Sector 10, he said no.

  She lost the data pad somewhere between her room and the drone quarters.

  Washing all the laundry for the house was an ongoing chore. The head washer was an older drone who should have retired years ago, but refused. Hands swollen with arthritis, she was happy to boss around whoever came into her domain, and Sasha was no exception.

  When the days were warm, they hung the linens out on lines in the sun. Sasha loved it. She loved that even a prosperous sector did this like she did at home in her poor one.

  Wearing a light dress, the water soaked her as she hung wet sheets, table linens, towels, and cloths. With the day being so warm, the cool, wet fabric of her dress felt so good she didn't think about it much.

  Her dress grew more damp, clinging. The fine, light cloth became see through, exposing the bright teal support wear cupping her breasts, her now tight nipples poking at the chilly air.

  She didn't notice the alpha guards noticing her.

  "You have just become a shameless hussy, haven't you?" a bitter feminine voice said behind her.

  The wind coming from the opposite direction, Sasha hadn't heard or smelled the approach of a breed predator. Bella, dressed in dark ruby, her hair covered with a matching silk scarf, stood behind her. Sasha tensed, cautious, not liking that a viper had approached her unprotected back.

  Beyond Bella, the other brightly colored flock of jewels were getting out of a transport. They had market bags in their hands and a small army of drones and guards with them who carried more.

  "You were such an innocent thing. Now look at you. A few days in Kane's house, and you're showing your assets off like a prostitute from the slums. That's where you're from, isn't it? The slums? You had a gin house there or something."

  Bella’s eyes held haughty judgment; her aggressive smell made Sasha want to sneeze.

  "How was the shopping, Bella? Did you get everything you needed?" Sasha couldn't stay silent in the face of the other woman's challenge. She wasn't afraid of her, but she didn't quite know how to respond.

  "What do you know about needs?" Bella snapped. "Is that why you are out here showing off for the guards, giving them all erections? Is this what it takes to make a slut—one heat and a month in a warlord's house? I thought it was a longer process. You don't need that, though, do you? Girls from the slums are born sluts. All the drone slaves teach you how to spread your legs and show your tits."

  "Careful, Bella. Your ugly is showing."

  Bella growled, a territorial sound that raised the hair on Sasha's arms. "He isn't here, so that means he doesn't want you. A good alpha stays with his new little fuck. He knows you're defenseless and at the mercy of your body, but he doesn't care. How many of his men have you fucked to fill the ache?

  "Poor breeder, Kane's left you already, his attention elsewhere. You thought you had his attention because you made him take you to one appointment. That's nothing. He's left you all alone now. I'm not new. We have been together longer than you have had hair on your pussy. He will be back for me."

  Sasha winced at the vulgarity.

  Bella saw the reaction and thought she had scored a hit. "I have a contract with him. You, darling, have nothing. Isn't that right? That should worry you, that he doesn't respect you enough for a contract. What are you going to do when he sends you from here with a one sided bond? You'll be a poor broken little Sasha. He doesn't need you. He doesn't want you. You know you are not the only omega in this house, right?"

  Bella laughed; a pretty, tinkling sound that didn’t match her words. "He can have anyone. There are three omega breeders fostered here from other sectors. Daughters of high birth, wealth, and accomplishment tucked away in the children's wing. Sheltered and protected, unlike you.

  "They can do more than laundry too. All of them are so smart they take upper level training. They will be a help to their consort. You? What do you do? He was so furious when you went into heat, trying to trap him."

  Sasha listened. It was odd how some of Bella's words reminded her of Maura. Sasha didn't like stooping so low. She felt bad for her unfounded jealousy of the other omega.

  Emotions out of control, she had hated the older woman for touching Constantine Kane from the beginning. But the truth of the matter was that Sasha had only had two conversations with the man. She didn't know anything about his life, his women, or his plans for the future. She had no claim to him.

  But the betas Merrick brought to Dover's End had taught Sasha all about responding to catty behavior. "Oh, you don't know where I've been sleeping, do you? The big room where you stay is so pretty. I love the colors and those marvelous glass windows. But it smells like other women. Don't you think?"

  She watched Bella's cheeks redden as she absorbed the question. Sasha tapped her lips. "Hmm. Yes, it smells like lots and lots of other women. How old is that platform bed? That bed has had more than just five women on it. I don't know how anyone can stand it. No prostitute from the slums would touch it even if they were desperate. They get their own beds, you understand. Fresh. They choose how and where they do their... work. Just like free women choose."

  Furious was not a good look for Bella. Her perfect eyebrows came down and her painted mouth twisted into an unattractive slant.

  "Do you know where I've been sleeping? Where I had my heat?" Sasha asked. "Where I leave my scent every time Kane makes this slick come out of me?"

  She sent Bella a glance over her shoulder. The other omega looked afraid. Bella knew, after all. Her loyal drones must have informed her that Sasha had free access to Kane's wing of the house.

  During Sasha's heat, that section of the house had extra guards. Currently a revolving shift of two males kept an eye on Sasha and blocked all but a select few from entering that wing.

  She left the words hanging in the air between them, letting Bella imagine more than there was.

  Looking into the depths of the folded laundry, Sasha kept her back to Bella and raised her voice to be sure that everyone heard her next, insinuating question.

  "He has never given you his knot, has he?"

  *

  Bella's words worked like acid against Sasha's thoughts.

  Before, she'd lost herself in the routine of mundane chores and making friends with everyone who lived in the compound. The occasional headache, her lower back and her hip pain, and unexpected bursts of arousal caused by her transition were all just little nuisances.

  She had been doing fine. Nurse Sara came weekly and praised her for her mettle and ability to just go with the flow of changes happening in her body.

  But Bella knew the truth. She could see the invisible mud on Sasha's clothes. She could see Maura's legacy in Sasha's body.

  Sasha had put all of that out of her head, determined to just wait out her full transition until her next cycle in the safety of Kane's home, trusting him to not use and discard her, trusting him to honor the laws regarding breeders.

  But he left her.

  Weeks. She hadn't seen him for weeks, and that turned into two months.

  All she had was his smell, and that was fading.

  Sasha made it back to her room and the safety of her bed. She had come to love her bed, padded with Kane's shirts—all ones he had worn—as well as pillows and sheets pilfered from his personal sleeping platform in the other room.

  No one was allowed to touch her bedding. She couldn't help it, she went crazy when they messed it up. It had to be arranged perfectly; a safe, cozy nest, so that her body was cradled in scents she loved.

  The twins teased her about the stuffies from her childhood, and the quilt she had made with her friend Silas when she was young, or sometimes the blanket she had made out of Kane's coat, but Sasha just laughed with them. Her odd bedding made her feel safe.

  Usually when she dove underneath the blankets and between the pillows and stuffed things, she felt untouchab
le. But Bella's words followed her now, embedded in her skin, digging deep, playing on all her uncertainties.

  She had come to the compound with a plan. Now she had nothing.

  And he had left her.

  The tears started. As much as she hated to lose herself to them, once she started crying, she couldn't stop.

  Lilla and Lanny came back from the laundry house, wondering where she had gone, only to find her red faced and snot nosed, bawling her eyes out with her fist wrapped in one of Kane's shirts and pressed to her mouth.

  They couldn't cheer her up. Davila brought a meal, but Sasha wouldn't eat.

  They tried to distract her with their own woes, but she turned her back.

  They threatened to call the nurse, and Sasha wailed that they should leave her alone and let her die.

  When Zinanno heard she had missed a snack and a meal, he called Sara, who reminded him that they could give her the little white pills. So they did.

  Sasha slept five hours.

  When she woke up, she'd made a decision. It settled like a hard little rock in her belly, firm and resolute.

  She needed to leave.

  *

  To go back home, Sasha would have to ditch her guards and then get past the gates. When she’d snuck in before, she entered with work shift drones. But after the retraining and punishments the staff had received, and with security heightened, the guardsmen would be watching carefully.

  She told Zinanno she wanted to go shopping. He was thrilled. It was as if she had given him a gift—finally the breeder wanted to do something he expected a woman to want to do. She said she wanted to buy gifts for her friends and asked for her wages for helping with the laundry.

  Zinanno glared at her, offended on behalf of his alpha. "You think that necklace means nothing, my dear? You are under the protection of the alpha. You don't work. Whatever you wish is at your fingertips. How much do you need? What can I give you?"

  Sasha felt like this was a lecture he'd been longing for the opportunity to give.

  "I don't need very much," she said. "I have money of my own, an inheritance, but it's in holding until I'm married. I just need it for gifts. And I want to go alone so I can surprise them."