Page 10 of Thief

“What?” I look down, and yes indeed, I am naked and hard, my dick red and angry I haven’t fucked my mate, who descends the steps, throws a towel over my shoulder, then continues past me.

“Where are you going?” I strap on the towel and round her, blocking the exit.

Gaze on the sky, she says, “Kitchen.”

“What for?”

“Coffee.”

My translator takes a moment to process she’s asking for morning brew. I thrust my inder at her. “Here.” My entire household watches our exchange. I give them my fiercest glare, a promise I will be in foul disposition for a while, warning them to go on their way.

Kate sips inder, makes a face, and hands the cup back to me. “Thank you.”

She’s sweet, this girl. Far too sweet for her circumstances. Which reminds me— “Nolis, what of the trader?”

“Dead.”

“And his son?” my girl asks.

“Presumably dead.”

I take notice of the small white hairs on her body standing on end. Her skin prickling, Kate rubs her arms. A whiff of her scent tells me this body response is… discomfort.

“Horde leaves no survivors,” I say and throw an arm over her shoulder.

Omega nods, seemingly more comfortable.

I lean in and whisper, “I know you yearn for outdoors, and I keep my promises. I’ve got some business to attend to, and I’ll take you for a walk afterwards.”

She steps back and laughs. “We take dogs for a walk.”

Dogs are hounds. “Why, yes. We have that in common. We also take hounds for walks.” More or less, depending on if the hound is an Alpha hound or not.

Kate shakes her head. “Never mind. The kitchen?”

I stretch my arm. “This way.”

We walk past my stunned household—who is still not working—and into our kitchen, which takes up the largest part of the ground floor. It wasn’t always this big. When I bought this home, it was a regular house, for a family, but as the king taxed us to fund his many armies and wars, intent on seizing independent provinces beyond Regha’s borders, the people grew poorer. When I was about seven, Nolis came looking for a job, in exchange for a place to live. His now wife, Uliya, came next. By the time I declared as an Alpha male, my staff had grown in number from two to twenty to two hundred, and later into thousands as I supplied the entire village.

“Ah, thereisone occupied person in my house,” I say at the kitchen door.

Chef Kenn steps aside and wipes a knife on an apron. He is a short and stocky Beta with a large egg-shaped head he hides under a white hat. “Etin Reg, Alpha. What can I do for you?” Eyes on me, he’s not looking at my girl. Smart, this one.

At the door, Kate is unmoving, her gaze on the knife in his hand.

I flick my wrist.

Kenn drops the knife inside the sink. Like I said, a smart male, growing smarter with age.

“Kate,” I say, "what do you want to eat?”

“Eggs.”

“What kind of eggs?”

“Um… chicken.”

“Chicken,” I announce. Whatever kind of egg that is.

---