Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Fawn
I wake up to the sound of voices, low rumbles that I cannot quite make out into words. Different timbres… calm and a little less so.
Blinking my eyes open, I find myself lying in a cloud-soft canopied bed with cream-colored silk. I stretch, gazing up at the swags above me before peering around the room. To the right, double doors rest ajar, hinting at the adjoining room where the voices are coming from.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
My ears prick up as a voice raises enough for me to make out the words. That is Wolf’s stern voice. For once, it is not directed at me… a low rumble is the reply,
I sit up slowly.
“Oh?” Finding myself to be in a state of complete undress, a hot flush sweeps over me.
I draw the covers over my chest and glance around the opulent, pale stone and marble room, complete with a vaulted ceiling from which hang two candelabras. A huge window on the left rests open, with flowing transparent drapes billowing in the gentle breeze. Ornate gold tables sit to either side of the bed, bearing intricate candelabras that twist and turn like branches, complete with iron leaves and blooms.
The bed is palatial—you could fit five of me in here…
The low drone of voices draws my focus back to the open doors. Pushing the covers back, I slip quietly out of bed, wanting to get closer and snoop but also not liking that I’m undressed.
The scape of claws and a wet nose against my thighs startles a gasp out of me.
“Blue,” I squeak-whisper, petting his head and seeking to calm him as his tail beats wildly from side to side. “Good boy. Sit.”
He sits, his tail still beating and his soft brown eyes full of adoration as he gazes up at me.
I pet his ears how he likes best and stroke his noble brow. He will be alert in this strange place with all these new scents and people.
“I need to peek,” I whisper. “Stay here.”
My clothes are missing, but a long silk garment rests over the bottom of the bed—a beautiful robe trimmed with embroidery at the collar, cuffs, and hem. With nothing else to wear, I slip it on and belt it around my waist.
Blue watches me as I sneak over to the door. I signal him to stay when his ears raise, and he looks after me. My footsteps are silent as I draw closer to the side of the door, where the rumbles of conversation emanate from.
“She is the future queen…”
I don’t recognize the voice, nor do I know who this future queen is, although something about it seems familiar. Did Wolf say something about it when Seven first arrived?
There is a little crack where the door meets the frame. I position myself so I can peek through it. I catch a blur of movement and hear the sound of footsteps as Wolf paces past. He is dressed in the pants and boots we brought in the satchel. His big body radiates edgy energy.
I move a little to the left, and the dark-haired stag, Nox, comes into view.
His eyes shift and lock with mine. A slow smile tugs at his lips before he smooths his expression and turns to his left. I move further over, trying to see what he is looking at, and find him sharing a look with Eiden, the herd omega.
I thought omegas were always female and feel a little thrown by Seven’s announcement that they are common among stags.
“It’s done now,” Seven says, his deep voice calm. “And as Nox has pointed out, she’s destined to be our queen.”
I clamp my hand over my mouth when I nearly squeak. Why do I feel like they are talking about me?
Eiden leans in to say something to Nox, and then he turns and strides toward the door I hide behind.
I gulp and turn a full circle as panic grips me before I dart for the bed like a thief caught in the act, giving serious consideration to throwing the covers over my head, which is ridiculous, I know.
The urge is too strong. But Eiden’s footsteps are drawing closer, and I dive for the bed.
A strong arm snags me around the waist and a hand closes over my mouth.
“Hush, little doe. It is only I, Eiden.”
The silk dressing gown I wear is sheer; he is wearing only pants and boots, leaving his lean chest naked. I can feel every delectable inch of his hard body where it presses up against mine. His scent reminds me of cherry blossoms and rain, pure and sweet all at once—a flush sweeps through me, triggering a tingling sensation in my core.
He eases his hold, releases me, and steps back, allowing me to settle my pounding heart and turn around.
He smiles. I get a little lost in his pretty, warm brown eyes. He is the most beautiful male I have ever met, and his scent, unlike that of Wolf and Seven, has a sweet, enticing note.
“There, we do not have much time before your mate realizes I’m doing more than merely checking on you sleeping. He is protective of you, which is admirable.” He shrugs. “But also possessive, which is not, especially given your nature as an omega and a doe.”
I blink a few times, trying to stir myself from the daze I’ve fallen into. Being close to him calms me and makes me want to nestle in his arms. “Are you really an omega?”
“I am. Most herds have one, although some have none. We are unusual, much like yourself. Not all does are omegas, just as not all humans are.”
His ears seem slightly more pointed and elongated than Seven’s, and I immediately want to pet them. I wonder what his antlers look like… if he has any.
“Do you have antlers?” I blurt.
He chuckles, seems to catch himself, and glances over his shoulder.
When no one comes, he turns back and dares to run his fingertips down my cheek. “Yes, I have antlers.” His lips twitch. “I am still a male in all the usual ways.”
“What the fuck is going on?!” At Wolf’s roar, Eiden steps aside with a wink for my benefit.
“The doe is only curious,” Seven says, following in after Wolf, who is stalking me down. “A perfectly natural reaction to meeting some of her kind.”
Reaction?
“I think she might enjoy a bath,” Eiden says as Wolf snatches me into his arms, putting his body between me and the other occupants of the room. “It would help with her scent, which entrances us all. I am somewhat skilled in the art of bathing females—relaxing them. I would consider it an honor to be able to tend to her thus.”
“I’ll just bet you fucking would,” Wolf growls.
I peer over his shoulder, trying to process everything Eiden just said. My legs and arms wrap around Wolf. I snuggle him, calmed by his familiar scent even as I peep over his shoulder at the three other men.
Eiden is smiling kindly. Nox has folded his arm with one hand rubbing his jaw and radiating brooding interest. Seven has narrowed his eyes on me, and his antlers have fully formed.
Goodness. They are imposing males.
“I think I should like a bath. I’m a little tense now that I think about it.”
“Let him tend her in the bath,” Nox tosses the words out in a blunt challenge.
Wolf stiffens. Then makes a scoffing noise and suddenly turns, which means I can no longer see the other occupants of the room. “And what exactly does tending involve?”
“It involves whatever she needs,” Eiden says as though this is reasonable.
“He is very skilled at tending,” Nox says, and in a way that sounds like he is making another challenge.
Wolf growls.
When I twist to look back, I find Nox smirking. Seven places a hand on his shoulder and the smirk drops.
“Eiden is sensitive and gentle in nature,” Seven says. “Fawn would benefit from some gentle care after the constant and vigorous mounting she has suffered on the way here.”
Oops. I wince a little at Seven’s distinctly combative tone.
“Did she seem in distress to you?” Wolf growls back.
To my shame, my pussy begins to weep with interest at the mention of mounting… It might also be the potent masculine scents that suddenly flood the room.
Wolf growls, one hand lowering to cup my ass possessively.
“I am a bit grubby,” I say, mostly to distract myself from the urge to grind against Wolf.
Wolf sighs and slowly lowers me to my feet. He tucks a fallen strand of my hair behind my ear and leans down to kiss me. His scent hits me anew, and I swoon a little, distracted by the kiss, forgetting about the bath I proclaimed to want because it would wash my body’s reaction away.
He lifts his lips as though reluctant, cups my cheek, and searches my face. “You wish to go with him?”
I nod. “I have never met a male omega before.”
Wolf’s fingers tighten around my chin before he leans in to kiss me hard on the lips. “Don’t fall for his air of innocence. He still has a cock.”
“Subtle,” Nox drawls.
“Nox,” Seven says in warning.
“It’s fine,” Eiden says lightly, and his voice is close enough that I know he is right beside me.
Wolf releases me and straightens, his expression turning guarded.
I miss his touch.
“Do anything she does not want, and I will rip your antlers off and shove them up your ass.”
Eiden blanches.
Nox surprises me when he chuckles darkly.