Page 15 of The Alpha's Fake Mate
Chapter Five
Holland
Six foot three. Beautiful brown wavy hair. Bright, dark eyes. Muscles like chiseled marble that pulled and tugged at his sleeves, his shoulders, his thighs.
The new boss who now lorded over us all, who did the unthinkable and actuallytouredthis place which no owner in my lifetime had done before, had the looks of a prince but more naiveté than an Omega sixth year schoolboy.
I’d smelled him on the breeze as he approached the pool. Earth. Fire. Rain. Alpha strut and Alpha privilege.
Danger.
My body, frozen to see him come close, closer, couldn’t move and I watched from the shadows like some trapped animal hoping he’d wander off.
But he didn’t. I had to make myself known to warn him away. But then, fuck all, he’d wanted to talk.
Typical behavior from what I knew about Alphas though I’d only ever met one. Taking what he wanted. No concern that I’d maybe come out there to be alone.
When I ran back inside the dorms, I still didn’t feel safe.
Harly was there and he’d tried to talk to me.
“Isn’t it great? Actual Alphas came for a tour. The owner himself! I’ve never seen one outside the mating hall.”
“Yeah, wonderful to see our jailers in person.”
“It wasn’t like that. Why did you yell at them? I mean, that’s maybe a little stupid, maybe brave, too, but mostly stupid.”
“You calling me stupid?”
We had never fought before in all our years as friends, but at that moment we exchanged more not so nice words until his cheeks reddened. I wanted to slap them and redden them some more. Never until I’d turned eighteen and been attacked had I felt such violence in me.
Harly was pretty. Sweet. And he loved the sex he was allowed to have now. Completely opposite of me. He didn’t deserve my ire.
“Just leave me alone!” I pulled away from his grasp and headed for my room.
I knew I’d hurt his feelings. He deserved better than me as a friend these days.
I couldn’t be out there with the rest of them. I couldn’t just join in the crowd, or just be me. I didn’t know who “me” was anymore.
The Alpha had called himself Orion. His scent still stung my nose. His face, his hair and his whole body wouldn’t leave my thoughts. Standing like he was in the sunlight, surrounded by green lawn and blue sky, like some kind of god just risen from the earth. I hated it. That image invaded my mind, taking over.
I threw myself onto my bed, hugging my pillow. My body shook.
He’d been big. He could have thrown me easily over his shoulder, taken me out into those pine woods and kept me there at his whim so I’d never be seen or heard from again. Instead, the arrogant prick had asked me questions like he fucking cared. It made me mad.
We told ourselves pretty little stories when we were young. Comfort stories about how great life could be for us. As Omegas, we would never have to worry about the stressful things like bills or complicated paperwork, taxes and politics and hard labor.
Our lovely heads need only focus on our mate, treating him well, keeping his house, raising his—hopefully Alpha—children. It was a joyful life we faced. But only if we were good and kept ourselves in shape so we would be chosen. So we could find a rich, caring Alpha bond-mate and live our happily ever after.
Such fairy tales. Stories to brighten the shadows and make our prison with its green lawns and lily pad ponds and warm beds less a cage and more a right.
How easily we believed how lucky we were to be naturally attuned to service such wonderful men during their poor, uncontrolled Alpha Burns. We helped them. We gave them peace and pleasure, and a reason to create such a lovely world so when their favor dictated we could partake in it as their beautiful and pampered other halves.
Or as I liked to think of it now, as their doting pets. Like dogs, we were trained to take a punch and come back, grudge-free, all doe-eyed and loyal.
Orion was only the second Alpha I’d ever met in my life. I hated him almost as much as I hated the man who’d raped and tortured me.
Why, then, as I fell to sleep that night, did I dream of him all the way until the next morning?
