Page 15 of Bound to Four Alphas

“Calm yourself,” the high priestess smiled at Kaelen. “We will not bar you from her. If you’d like to follow me, there is much to be learned.”

Chapter 7 - Selena

Selena didn’t think she’d ever experienced such potent bliss as the bath prepared for her by the priestesses. She had lingered in the steaming water for hours, using every oil and cream left for her to scrub her skin until she was pink and raw. The priestesses had chattered away in the bedroom beyond, and Selena had dozed lightly as she listened to their whispered excitement about the magic, about her.

Soon enough, when her fingers had started to prune and the water began to cool, the priestesses bustled in to wrap her in a gloriously soft robe and sat her in front of a roaring fire to tackle her mane of black hair.

Perhaps she should have been slightly more wary of them, more cautious and alert, but she sensed no ill intention from them and found herself unusually warm in the face of the evident sisterhood between them.

They were all omegas for one thing, and the easy acceptance with which they drew her into their conversations warmed something deep inside her, something she hadn’t ever realized was there. She found herself flushing at the gentle compliments about her skin, her eyes, the length of her hair, her full figure; it was also distinctly calming to be surrounded by the soft floral scent of fellow omegas after days of practically drowning in the overwhelming scent of alphas.

Even if something curled unpleasantly within her at being so suddenly ripped away from the presence of the four alphas.

She shook her head, pushing away those thoughts. The past few days had been a complete nightmare. Apparently, none of them needed regular sleep, and kept up a constant, brutal pace. Until the last day, they had refused to put her down, andshe spent nearly all her time squirming in the arms of Ronan or Kaelen, fighting away the constant voice in her head that was purely omega urging her to relax, to lean into them, to bury her face in their necks and submit.

At least Elian had provided some measure of distraction, quipping jokes and telling stories of his home in the Marble Halls to the west. Even if he seemed to delight in flirting outrageously with her.

And Malek. She hadn’t seen much of Malek, but she knew he had been there. The unease caused by the monster made her somewhat ashamed of herself, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that of the four of them, he was somehow the most dangerous.

A few times she had thought about running away, escaping into the forest, but never had the opportunity to—and at any rate, Kaelen would have just dragged her back again kicking and screaming. But now that she was with the priestesses, even after only a few hours, a small flame of hope had been lit within her that maybe she could stay here. She was an omega, and as far as she could tell, some of the priestesses were human like her. It seemed like a nice existence, free from judgment or danger. There were even gardens that she might be allowed to help tend.

“How are you feeling, my dear?” The priestess with the silver circlet, a Fae named Rania, came to sit beside her as several pairs of gentle hands combed through and braided her hair.

“Much better, thank you,” Selena offered her a small smile. “The bath was lovely.”

Rania nodded, pleased. “I have sent for an evening meal to be delivered here to your rooms. I took the liberty of includingplenty of vegetables and fresh fruits. I am not sure what you had access to during your travels, but I suspect it wasn’t varied?”

Selena laughed softly, shaking her head as she remembered the various chunks of roast meat she had been given throughout their journey. At first, she was delighted at the novelty of so much meat, but it quickly became heavy on her stomach, so unused as she was to such rich food. Kaelen in particular had seemed very put out that all they could offer her was hunted game, grumbling often that he hadn’t had time or reason to adequately prepare for travel.

“Your alphas requested to eat with you tonight, but I turned them down. We have much to discuss Selena, and I would rather we talked undisturbed.”

“They aren’tmyanything,” Selena shot back with a warning glare.

Rania frowned delicately. “I trust they didn’t cause you any harm on your journey?”

“No,” said Selena quickly. “I mean, they’re alphas, aren’t they? Not always the gentlest. But they didn’t … that is to say … well—”

“They didn’t defile you?”

Selena was sure her cheeks were on fire, “No, I wasn’t forced to mate.”

Rania nodded once, seemingly satisfied. “Excellent. There would have been severe consequences if you had.”

Selena barely choked back a laugh but shrank under Rania’s cool stare as the high priestess said in a clipped voice, “You don’t believe they would be punished?”

“Well, no.” Selena looked down at her hands, picking slightly at a fingernail, all too aware of the curious eyes on her. “They’re alphas. Can’t they mate any omega they desire?”

To her surprise, it was Rania’s turn to laugh, high and silvery. “I forget how much the humans have forgotten about the old magic. Yes, it is broadly true that alphas may claim any unmated omega they desire, but the temple of the Forest God has long been a safe haven for us. Young and old, mated or widowed, any can request sanctuary here. If they are chosen, they may remain safe within our walls and serve the Forest God as a priestess. We have our own ways of ensuring our safety.”

Selena frowned. “I thought that the Forest God was gone.”

The other priestesses had finished braiding her hair and came to sprawl out on the plush cushions in front of the fire, their faces open and earnest as they listened to the high priestess.

“Have you ever heard of The Breaking?”

Selena shook her head. It had been mentioned a few times, mostly by Elian, but he always managed to dance around the deeper questions she wanted to ask him, and as such, she still had no idea what it truly was.

Rania folded her hands neatly into her lap, “Long ago, over five centuries, the Forest God that had governed the realm abandoned his throne. This event became known as The Breaking. Without his guidance, the very magic of the land became disrupted, wild, a force of its own. Nobody knows why he left, but it is rumored that he became angered at the fighting of the magical species he governed. The humans took advantage of the weakened state of the magical realm to grow stronger, forming a kingdom of their own, your Silverthorn Kingdom.”

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