Page 7 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

"You're his alpha. He would want to please you, even if that wasn't his personality."

I snorted. "Fat chance he can please me. I'll let him down easy," I promised.

She must have given up on me from the way she sighed. "Do you know your way to the alpha gym?"

"Yes." My class and I had lifted weights this morning to test our newfound strength.

"I'll have him meet you there for lunch tomorrow. You can let him down easy then."

I regretted my words the moment she threw them back at me. The scent of his pocket square haunted me all the way through the halls. I swore I could smell him outside, and again when I reached my cabin.

As one of the older alphas who had returned from Earth after the changeling circle was broken, I was given an available cabin outside the fortress. Most were occupied by adult alphas still looking for their mates.

My little cabin was cozy for one person. I doubted it was big enough for two, let alone a family. Merritt had said there might be construction work for me once they started building new cabins for families. It would be something for me to do after I'd finished kobold alpha training, at least.

In the confines of my tiny bathroom, standing naked in front of my mirror, I wanted to watch how the pocket square's aroma affected me. I inhaled deeply and let it wash over me. Yeah. It was like that. My cock was hard already, and I hadn't even touched it.

I had been attracted to Rosanna. I'd asked her out, after all. I'd initiated our first kiss. I'd asked her to move in with me. Ours wasn't a one-sided relationship. The sex had always been a delicate dance, since I was so much bigger than her five-foot petite frame, but it had been enjoyable.

I sniffed the pocket square again and drooled. I had never felt desire on this basic level before. I didn't care who this omega was or what he looked like. I wanted to fuck him senseless.

Mindful of my claws, I first palmed my cock. Then, I gripped it, careful to dig the points of my claws into my thumb so they wouldn't cut me. My grip was almost too tight, but I didn't care. I needed to come.

My hand flew on my cock in a rhythm faster than I could have moved as a human. I imagined a hole slick for me, deep moans in my ear, and the cutest snout pressing into my neck, biting down where it met my shoulder, connecting him to me forever. I decorated the mirror with a sticky white mess, but it wasn't enough. I was still hard.

I needed more. Needed him.

Nothing had scared me so much in my life.

Chapter 3

Tuft

Istopped by the cafeteria to grab lunch. Today's fare was Cobb salads and deli meat sandwiches. I didn't know what Axel would want, so I grabbed enough food for four humans. Two salads, four sandwiches, two apples, four bags of chips, and a choice of chocolate pudding or cheesecake for dessert.

I hadn't been able to sleep last night after I received Priestess Alma's text asking me to meet Axel for lunch in the gym. The room was spacious enough it would keep my scent from overwhelming him, and there was a table big enough for the meals I brought. While I waited for his class to finish, I had time to set it all out on the banquet table like the feast it was.

Instead of barging in like any old alpha, I heard a knock at the door. I was disappointed to see Priestess Alma, not Axel.

"His class is running a little late," she said, though I could smell Axel on her.

"He doesn't want to see me."

"He's scared," she said. "He's been through a lot these past few months, and then he was pulled here to Ignitas before his time."

I didn't know his specific situation, but I had heard similar ones from the new omegas. It was August back on Earth, time tostart a new semester of school or a new job. I didn't want to be insensitive to Axel's needs.

"How is he adjusting to being an alpha?"

"I've seen alphas take it better," Priestess Alma admitted. "But I've seen worse. Weld was one of the worst, if you must know. He showed up and tried to take over. If Lark would have used his magic to put him in his place, things might have been different."

She shrugged. "I'll let Axel explain his situation when he arrives." She turned toward the door, and I could smell him there, too.

"Here he is, now." She took my hand and dragged me to the double doors.

My alpha stood tall, his shock of yellow hair bright in the fluorescent overhead lights of the gym as he walked inside. He wore a sweatshirt with a sports logo on the front and a pair of well worn jeans that hugged the curve of his ass. Then he turned, and I got a glimpse of the bulge in his pants before I forced my eyes upward, only to find his eyes wandering over my body, as well.

"Hello, Axel," Priestess Alma said, jarring his attention back to her. "You two haven't been properly introduced."

---