Page 3 of Alpha Hunger

The prince observes me, head tilted as if I’mthatinteresting. “Is it on my list?”

“No.”

“Then no.”

“Do you mind if I have some?”

He shakes his head, and I look around for a coffee machine. Probably in the break room. I march for the door and trip over something, hurl forward, flailing my arms trying to catch myself. I land on all fours. Quickly, I get up, fix my hair, spin around ready to kill the object on the floor.

“Are you all right?” the prince asks.

“Yes, sir. I mean prince. Boss?” I’m a mess!

On the floor is a round metal Telean thing called a vacuum cleaner. Inside the clear glass core is my black leather shoe. Bending, I curse and pick up the vacuum. Or try to. I groan, straining, lift the thing an inch off the ground.

The prince rounds his desk and lifts the vacuum as if it’s a feather and examines it, then looks at my feet. “I wondered why you’re barefoot.” He smiles, showing me all his teeth, including the canines that should scare the crap out of me. But I’m not really seeing how scary and large and intimidating he is. Instead, I stare at the genuine smile and how it lifts his eyes at the corners so when he looks at me, the serpent on his face makes me forget what he asked. Did he ask anything?

“Yes,” I say firmly. When in doubt, nod and smile. I do that.

The prince unscrews the top of the vacuum and hands me my shoe. “Do you have another?”

“Yes.” That’s all I’m capable of at the minute. I dig inside my purse and slip on both shoes, then walk slowly, deliberately, to the door.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“To grab a cup of coffee.”

“Tamika girl.”

“Boss,” comes from the speakers.

Ah, it’sboss.

“Show my assistant around the floor.”

“Say the magic word.”

“Pussy.”

Wow, I think I’m gonna like working here.

Chapter 2

Raven

As we discuss the details of my interview with the national paper, my new personal assistant sips the human morning brew and fidgets in her chair. Early this morning, Tamika prepared a list as she has done with any other past assistants of mine.

Right now, I made my own list.

1. My PA is an Omega.

2. Someone set me up with an Omega assistant. Possibly a House from the Human Alliance I’ve either not aligned with or have allied with and now they want something from me.

3. Having an Omega around twenty-four seven is not something I desire. They are distractions I can’t afford.

I narrow my eyes. She’s a pretty little human Omega with abundant brown hair she wears in a bouncy ponytail. Big submissive eyes framed in long black hairs they calleyelashesas if they’re gonna lash out at something. The English language fascinates me. With so many inconstancies, I wonder how they understand each other at all. I also wonder about her first name.

“Tamika girl.” I scratch my com unit just to annoy my secretary. Tamika girl is a Beta in her midfifties, with a mouth bigger than her curves. She hides neither, and we work well together mainly because she’s loyal to me. I picked her up from a house of human gangsters, and she stuck with me.

---