*
The dining room was tastefully furnished, a hearth fire stirring at a corner with roaring flames, the occasional blue flare of burning material gave the stone walls its colour. A long mahogany table was placed beside this fire. And the six other men sat at the table already eating, and eyes turned to her as they entered, cutlery scraping plates of rich stew and bread. The room was flavoured with the aroma of food, but it was the sweetness that had her breathing in deep—the smell of Omegas.
Solar and Zen had cleaned themselves up, and she noted the push of wet hair out of Solar's eyes—soaked from a shower. The others stared, expressions shifting from confusion to understanding, and Quinn felt the urge to look away from the heavy eyes of six of the most beautiful men in the country. She heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back against the floor.
"Sit down," Icarus barked, and from the corner of her eye she saw Zen drop back down into his seat. He released her with a scoff, pressed her down to a chair, and stalked back to his seat. She was oddly allowed the chair at the end of the table, facing Klaus at its head.
A plate had been placed, already filled with food. A rich, hearty stew Quinn found to be chunks of the softest meat caramelized and sticky in a spicy, tangy thick sludge of vegetables poured over a bed of steaming fluffy potatoes. It was warm and drenched in the comfort of home. But despite the good food, she found her appetite to be lacking.
"You took too long," Elysian's voice called from his corner, voice a melodious hum, and she stiffened at the sound of his voice.
"Her shirt wouldn't close, tits too big," Icarus answered with a shrug, heaped food on his own plate with a shrug. "Had to fucking pull it shut myself. We've got to look into a different set for her." And now all eyes were on her, staring as she sank to look at her food. It was odd to have all seven scrutinizing her body, and it was strange that instead of fear, Quinn's heart fluttered, cheeks growing warm.
Solar frowned. "That's standard uniform for all women with packs."
"They didn't account for bigger tits," Icarus answered through a mouthful of food.
Zen chirped then, and she glanced at him, at the sweetest smile he gifted her with eyes that wrinkled at the corners. "For now, she can have some of my things."
"A King giving out clothes?" Helios let out a low bark of laughter. He caught her eye then, a strange look flickering through them, a dart of hatred. "You must be fucking joking." Quinn pursed her lips, quiet at the end of the table.
"Perhaps…" she said, "with a needle and thread, I could try to fix it."
"If it doesn't fit," Icarus snapped through a mouthful of food, "you will not wear it. We will find something else for you." His eyes caught hers then, dark with promise. "We are kings not peasants scrimping for cloth."
"Eat," Rowan stated from her side, and she raised her fork, tucking in to what must be extravagant for people of this time, but was a simple meal for her. But the food tasted like ash on her tongue, registering flavours but never truly appreciative due to the churning in her belly.
Quinn struggled to swallow it all down, but she noticed quickly that the boys were done, sipping from goblets almost as if they were waiting. And then she was polishing it off as fast as she could, scraping at the plate just to get it over with. A gulp from the cup of water by her side, poured and provided by Rowan and she finally looked up at seven pairs of eyes, and seven devastatingly gorgeous faces.
Klaus began with a cleared throat, resting his hands on the table at the end. "I trust the meal was to your liking?"
"It was good," she stated simply, a pause and she continued. "A lot of heart was put into this meal, to render marrow into butter, and for meat to fall off the bone. My thanks to the chef." Klaus smiled, dimples flashing, and she watched as his eyes darted to Elysian, who looked away with a flush on his cheeks as if she'd said all the right things.
The head Omega continued. "As a servant of our House, you shall report directly to James, our housekeeper, who will find you work but also teach you our ways. Occasionally, you must follow us to do your duties as our Alpha in public." Klaus drummed his fingers on the table. "It will not be too difficult."
Elysian nodded. "I hold speeches to encourage the union between Alphas and Omegas. Appearances will be necessary, and you must play your part."
Quinn remained quiet, and Klaus continued. "Of course, you will be paid monthly in gold for your work. And you will be rewarded for good behaviour." He paused then. "You may leave our home on your off days, if you wish. But know that our soldiers track your steps."
"If anything," Solar murmured. "It is for your safety. There are many in the city that would pounce on an Alpha."
Quinn pursed her lips, surprised by the work ethic. But of course, they were giving her to a manager of sorts. It was understandable that they didn't want to see her, that they did not have the time to look after her. And all they wanted to do was feast from her body whenever they needed to. And Quinn relaxed into her seat, knowing that the year would pass quickly with quiet, mind-numbing work.
And then came the details of their needs. "Every night you will dine with us for dinner. And after that, one of us may follow you to your room." Klaus didn't need to continue for her to understand his implications. "You should feed all seven of us in a week, one for each day."
Quinn spoke then. "Will I have no choice in who?"
Klaus raised a brow, head tilting slightly. "You want to choose?"
"If I can get it over with," she answered. "I'd take all seven in a night."
This had Zen choking a guffaw from Icarus. Helios snapped. "You think you can feed us all in a night?"
"Why not?" she answered. "After that, you won't have to see me. I won't have to see you. Pleasant times." She raised a glass to them. "I will have the other six days to recover. And it will be systematic, simple and efficient." There was a dip in Klaus's brow, a thump of his fingers.
"You seem to have gotten this wrong. We need you to spend time with us."
"Why?" She pressed.
"Our Omegas," Elysian answered for him then. "They do not enjoy feasting from one that does not fully appreciate our advances." Quinn blinked at his choice of words, at the power she now understood that she held. They wanted her to enjoy it? Her mind leapt to Icarus and his comments on her scent and its ties to her emotions. "They will not allow a strange mate into our nest. Be as systematic as you want, but the time spent together will be necessary. And we will seek you out to deepen that bond."
"You need me for your Heats?" Her gasp echoed in the room. And Helios seemed to snap at that, glaring furiously at her.
"You will only need to sit at the corners of our beds and provide us with your scent and the nourishment we need," Helios answered with a scowl. "We want an Alpha, not a new servant." Quinn parted her lips, struggling with his words. The flush on his cheeks grew darker as if rage boiled his blood.
"We will choose," Klaus agreed. "But if you are open to more than one, then we will consider that option. For today, you may rest." His eyes swept over the room. "You've fed three of us after all, we will make do with what they have."
She rose then, eyes shocked to see Elysian sinking his teeth into Icarus's neck. The vampire arched, eyes rolling back as the other suckled at his throat and her cheeks grew warm. Quinn retired to her bed early that night. And in the quiet of her room, she pulled Float open. The interface had transformed, hummed with new shades of pink. There were names now on the menu for hearts. Seven names that pulsed and spilled with a growing number of hearts, and a percentage.
Helios 15%
Solar 30%
Rowan 50%
Elysian 10%
Icarus 30%
Zen 60%
Klaus -10%
Helios
He was hungry, they always were. But tonight, his mates glowed with health, pink dusting their cheeks. Their bodies were warm from their orgy, and sweet from their new Beta. But Helios was twisting with a strange rage that boiled from deep within him.
"Why can't we just take her suggestion?" he grouched. "I do not want to see her fucking face again."
The room was doused in her scent from the remains of her juices that had stained Solar's beautiful face. They'd mopped it all up with a rag that they placed carefully in their nest like the dearest of treasures. For as much as their minds tried to hate her, their Omega loved her scent, and Helios's purred deep within him whenever she got close.
He hated that she was beautiful, and she looked like the most gorgeous of creatures when she'd stepped into the room. Skin flushed the colour of summer carnations from her embarrassment, spreading to the tips of generous milky breasts. He hated that she looked like the most gorgeous of springtimes despite dark hair and dark eyes, and that his eyes had glazed and slowed time when hers darted up to almost meet his. Her voice seared his soul—soft, warm, poetically feminine.
He thought her eyes looked like the flecks of gold in sand, the feathers of the sun. Like stone, like cognac, like whisky, when really, it should like shit and dirt to him. He'd never admit it, but sex that night had been drenched in his fantasies of her naked in his arms, and he'd came with the remains of her orgasm against his face. Rowan biting into it from the other end. They'd fought for the cloth, almost tearing it into shreds.
Gods, he'd do anything to have her panties—He stopped himself then with a scowl.
The excuse Elysian had made about their Omegas needing the time was all utter bullshit. One step into their home and their Omegas were already arching their backs and ready to let her take their slippery holes. Hell, he'd leaked when she'd laughed. The fucking sound was glorious to his cock.
It was all excuses, excuses that had flown out of Elysian's mouth in an attempt to spend time with her. Their Omegas begged for it, wanted to splay themselves before their Alpha, show their bellies and try to get her to like them. Time spent with her seemed to be the only way to get her to like them. And he knew Elysian had adored it when she'd wolfed down his food like a starved animal.
Their Omegas wanted her fed, and to see her eat seemed to bring a rush of euphoria through their souls. Helios groaned. "And why can't we just kill her now? She doesn't mind us, we can just eat her heart—"
"It won't work. She'll taste absolutely foul," Icarus answered, soaked in cum, face buried in the damp neck of his lover. "Even now, her blood's not sweet. She doesn't trust us and she's all bitter with detest," he snorted. "Thought to try it when she wasn't too angry, and yet my body struggled to gulp it down without her clear consent. One mouthful was all I got before I had to stop." Icarus cursed. "Her Alpha's too strong."
Helios snarled. "Beta," he corrected. "She's a weak little Beta."
"It will be difficult," Elysian nodded with a sigh. "I can confirm that she tastes the sweetest in Zen. The flavour of her blood at the office was all wrong.I only drank because I was surprised and starving. And it was better than anything else."
Their youngest shrugged, trying to wave off the praise. "She thinks we're friends," but Helios could see the flush of pleasure on his cheeks. His eyes glazed with excitement. "It's easier when she trusts me. And if you kiss her, she becomes indescribable." His voice grew soft, eyes far away. "The flavour is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It grows in depth from just peach , to a taste that seemed aged. It was as if I were experiencing the depth of my carnality on my tongue. I thought I wouldn't be able to stop," he whispered. "But her surprise, just a coat of dislike, and I had to stop."
Klaus nodded. "We will aim for her to feel safe. And if she falls in love with one of us, we will know. As new research states, her blood will become ambrosia, and we'll do what we've come for and be rid of her curse." He turned back to his books, penning down his observations in his journal like a mad scientist. "It is interesting that we do not affect her as much as she affects us. Do you think it's because she's not familiar with an Omega's touch as Zen says?"
Solar shook his head. "I think it's because she's Beta."
Rowan shrugged, closing his eyes. "They said it wouldn't be easy."
Helios groaned. He hated it, hated her. And yet he found himself later in the wee hours of the morning searching for clothes. He picked out the softest, most worn-out things, things he loved dearly, things he used for his nest. He was closest to her height, and he knew without a doubt that it would be better if she wore his things. He placed the heap in a basket at her door and his Omega purred, pleased, in his throat.
Alpha's going to be happy to have our clothes. Alpha's going to be drenched in our scent.
Alpha is going to be our mate.
Alpha is ours.
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