Page 36 of Choosing Her Alpha
*
The rest of the appointment went by in a blur. Her brain was shutting down and her body taking over, her first heat firmly taking hold.
Sara brought more broth, which Kane made her drink like water, forgoing the spoon.
A whole handful of colorful pills was given to her, like candy, with room temperature tea to wash them down. There was more talking, but Sasha hardly listened. She heard phrases like “extremely uncomfortable” and “very painful.” But that kind of talk was almost comforting. What did these people know of pain?
As the itchy heat became fire—her bones shattering over and over again—her belly twisted as if cut by claws. The worse the pain got, the stronger she was. She knew this place. She could handle this pain.
What she couldn't handle was a man—a stranger—a damn arrogant prince who was at least a century older than her, being kind and gentle to Maura's demon spawn daughter.
At some point she ended up in his arms again, in his lap. He told her to do things like sit on the toilet, wash her hands, drink more water, and she did them without any embarrassment, because he was a prince and could just boss around whoever he liked.
How stupid and silly he must have thought her, sneaking into his compound, his palace, taking the place of a drone and making it into his meeting with an Administrator. Certainly, behind his stoic face he had been laughing at her offer of a bond and a pub when he’d sat her down in that chair behind his messy desk.
He must have thought her the most foolish girl in the world. She was a dirty, pudgy rat from the slums, an eighteen-year-old child who lived in a brothel. Oh, her boldness must have been hilarious to him.
Sasha had thought she was something special. Breeders were rare. Her mother was the only breeder she knew. Even in school, she had been the only breeder of her age. She’d thought she was bringing a valuable commodity to the bargaining table, only the table had already been laid with gold dishes and the finest food. This man could have any beautiful, wealthy, respectable female he wanted.
No wonder her father complained about Constantine. He was a politician; everybody complained about politicians. If Merrick had seen Kane as a rival, it was no different from every alpha in the 12 Sectors.
But Kane wasn’t just a rival. He wastherival. To best him in any way would be a victory like none other.
"I want to go home," she moaned.
"Shush, Beauty. I will keep you safe." Kane was so close, hovering at her ear. That voice of his—only the alpha of alphas could have a voice like that. It was alright that it made her gush and tingle. It must have made every female feel that way.
"Don't want safe. Take me home."
"I will have your belongings brought to you. Will that make you feel better?"
"Only being home will make me feel better. I want to go home."
"Alright, Beauty. I will take you home."
He took her right back to his home, to a room that smelled like him, but also like vanilla cakes with pink frosting.
*
Sasha slept. When she woke, there was a female in the room with her.
Sasha was all pain and instinct. She didn't know the woman, only that she didn't belong to Sasha, and she didn't want the wrong female anywhere near her.
She attacked like a crazy person, with viciousness learned at her mother's knee. Then she attacked the bed she had slept on, tearing it apart because it had come from a wrong woman and she would not share. She would rather be dead than share.
Kane came. His voice and his purr. He brought new bedding and her own bedding, pillows and stuffies from home. He brought her clothes. He brought two of her females, the ones who belonged to her and who she loved.
She made him take off his shirt. He wore another kind of shirt under it, tight and close to the skin. She hadn't known that, but she decided she wanted that too. Then she took off what she was wearing and put on the button down shirt. Her friends fed her, and she slept again.
She slept and woke up with the pain. They gave her handfuls of pills. She ate something and peed a lot. Her body leaked even when she wasn't on the toilet, black blood mixed with a shining, nasty fluid streaming down to her knees. Then she would sleep and wake again.
She lost track of time until her internal clock told her that she hadn't seen Kane for several hours. She didn't know where he was.
For Sasha's animal brain, this was not okay. She was not having it. She wanted his voice, his purr, his smell, and she would damn well have it because this was all his fault anyway. She started demanding. Her friends—her females—tried to shush her. Kane was away and please don't call him because he is terrifying.
Sasha knew she was being an infant. She felt like one, but she had put up with the pain and she would not put up with his absence.
She decided to leave the room and look for him. The door was locked. She pounded on it. She screamed like a wild thing at it. When the wrong alpha opened it, she attacked him with teeth and clawed hands because he was wrong. He was not hers, and how dare he come into her space?
