Chapter 7
The last two weeks for Dove had been horrible. The rest of her heat was excruciating and the only thing that comforted her was the thought of May holding her during her orgasms.
The days after May left her, Dove couldn’t stop crying. All she wanted was May, her arms around Dove with soothing words being whispered in her ear. Instead, all she heard were her own tears.
She had curled up into a ball on day two, refusing to eat anything brought to her. Kelsee had prepared her favorites, but the thought of eating made her sick.
By day three, she was just angry. She couldn’t even think about May without wanting to punch one of her walls. No thoughts could soothe her fury at the Alpha. The one who promised to give everything she needed and then bailed when Dove tried to get serious.
By day four, she realized her mistake. She could barely process any of it. While most Omegas were in tune with their bodies, Dove had her days when she didn’t know herself, so when she felt her body change the smallest bit, she realized she had forgotten to take the herbs May had sent her.
In her blind rage she decided not to take them, and now she may have a pup in her belly. Some would say it was too soon to tell, but Dove knew it. She could feel the life—or lives—inside of her growing. The ones her and May made together.
“How are you, Dove?” Taylor’s piercing gaze read right through Dove. “I know May helped you through your heat, but—”
“I don’t want to discuss May, Taylor. Everything that happened was in the past. I would rather talk about your honeymoon.” Dove spoke with a slight eyebrow wiggle. A blush colored Taylor’s cheeks at the mention of Eveleen. She had been that way ever since the two met over three years ago.
“Eveleen is perfect as per usual. She is slowly getting into her role as Queen.” Eveleen grew up in a small village far north of the palace name Jaeredale.
She had come to the Queen after her mother passed, and they had met months before.
Taylor was instantly drawn to the Omega when they met and refused to take anyone else as her Queen.
“That is a very formal response, Your Highness. I was more interested in the physical aspect of your honeymoon.” Dove led her to the back of the spacious place where all ingredients were kept.
The royal kitchen had multiple larders and pantries for various items. Dove had been in the livestock pen gathering fresh eggs and milk for a meal she was preparing to make when she was summoned. Her father had been out of the castle for a few weeks, and he was coming home soon.
While she didn’t live with her parents anymore, she still ate weekly meals with her family.
She didn’t live in the designated servants’ corridor that most of the palace staff lived in.
Instead, Dove had her own room located in a nice wing that was close to Taylor.
She served her duty to the throne, earning her spot, but sometimes she did soak up the perks of being close friends with the Queen.
Dove spent most of her evenings on the balcony overlooking the garden, watching the animals who played at the edge of the forest. At least, when she wasn’t reading.
“Eveleen wanted to try using a few explicit items, which was definitely a smart idea from my wife. We barely left the sheets. Is that what you wanted?” Taylor stopped when Dove grabbed some of the supplies she needed for her recipe.
She had grabbed two eggs and a pail of milk before pouring it into a jug for safe storage.
“That is exactly what I wanted.” Grabbing her ingredients, she marked them up for personal use and for not the palace staff.
She placed them in the cooling area, feeling Taylor’s eyes on her.
Dove never kept anything from Taylor, and assuming how May reacted to her coming in from outside, she could only assume Taylor was smart enough to piece together their current tension after her heat.
Letting out one deep sigh, she turned to her friend.
“I can feel your desire for questions, but I refuse to talk about it here. If you want me to discuss it, you’ll need to stop by my room later tonight.”
Taylor pursed her lips, but Dove could read her like a book. Before Taylor could speak again, her head of staff entered.
“Your Highness, there are a few officials looking to speak to you.” Taylor glanced back at Dove before giving her a slight nod, following him out the door. Her scent made it clear that this conversation wasn’t over.
Dove’s official job was gathering ingredients and food throughout the day.
She wasn’t head or keeper of the livestock, but she made sure that everything went according to plan and what they produced would be suitable for everyone the kitchen fed.
Sometimes she focused on the garden, which had their own servants.
She was also responsible for making food for the army staff a few times a week, but all the main cooks shuffled around who they cooked for to keep things entertaining.
She went through her day, prepping what she usually did and making sure everything was up to quality. Kelsee came and checked on her before sunset, making sure she had everything set up for the next day and dismissing her.
“Dove. Before you go, I noticed you haven’t been enjoying your usual meals. Was there anything going on that I need to be concerned about?” Kelsee had always looked after Dove like a second daughter, but sometimes she went a bit far. Right now, she was over being the fragile Omega.
“I am all right, Kelsee. If there were any problems with the kitchen, I would let you know. I must be going, though. I have a meeting with the Queen.” Dove went to exit the room, carrying a small knapsack of food she could properly dice up in her room and cook.
While most living quarters didn’t have a kitchen, Dove’s had a small area to prepare meals and a hearth where she could cook meat.
Dove walked the corridors of her home. The old stone that was built a few hundred years ago crumpled in some places, but the floors under her feet remained as well constructed as the first day. Guards were placed evenly apart to make sure everyone was safe. They all greeted her with a simple nod.
The kingdom she lived in wasn’t too populated, unlike outside countries. The castle itself housed less than a hundred and fifty people on staff, excluding the army. They all knew each other fairly well, and while Dove typically never left the safety of the castle grounds, she had a community here.
She continued her journey to her quarters while her mind raced. What was Taylor going to ask her? Had May said anything about their night together, or maybe Taylor had just pieced it together. She hadn’t been able to look May in the eye earlier. Maybe that gave her away.
As she neared her room, her thoughts became too overwhelming. Taylor was her best friend; she could be honest with her. They had grown up together and Dove could barely remember a day apart from Taylor. She pushed her door open, finally breathing easier for the first time since seeing May.
After cooking up some potatoes and lamb, Dove gathered her book and made her way to the balcony.
The spring air filled her nose. Even this late in the evening she could smell the dew from the grass below.
The sky was a mix of orange, violet, and pink, small clouds floating in the upper atmosphere as she watched.
Her mind started conjuring up images. If she had a pup soon, would she sit here at night with her little pup in her lap?
With the pup lazily looking up at the stars while she curled the soft hairs around her fingers?
A tear slid down her cheek at the thought.
She had always wanted a family, but she never expected it like this.
Would May accept her and the pup with open arms, stepping up, or would she be angry and want nothing to do with them?
Dove couldn’t fathom the thought of finding out she was pregnant and having May hate her.
She had made this decision for them, whether it resulted in pups or not, she felt like she owed it to May to tell her.
And whether Dove wanted to admit it or not, even as anger clouded her judgment, she wanted May in her life.
Much like Taylor, she couldn’t remember a day without her since she turned fourteen.
Dove had always been frustrated with May.
Taylor was an Alpha but because they were so close she never felt their natural roles dominating their relationship.
When May made captain, she noticed the Alpha more.
The one who commanded people while not taking the Omegas around her into consideration.
During her heat, she realized that was what drove her to hate May. It was what she did, not who she was.
She set the leatherbound book aside when a small knock filled her ears.
“Dove, may I come in?” Taylor’s voice filled the silence in her room.
But before she could stand up, the Queen entered her room, dressed in a soft colored tunic that reached past her knees.
This was the side of the Queen no one was allowed to see.
Dove hadn’t seen this her side of Taylor in a while.
Both of Taylor’s parents had died during the war.
Her mother when she was thirteen and her father at sixteen.
Her mother had been poisoned, sending the king into a blind rage that got him killed in battle.
While Taylor had spent her whole life being raised for this role, she had been only nineteen when she was crowned.
Since Dove’s parents had been secondhand to the Royal family, and Taylor was her best friend, they adopted her into the family, metaphorically.
Whenever Taylor needed a motherly figure or hard advice from a father, Dove’s parents were there.
Taylor was more like a sister to Dove than a best friend, and it would always be that way.
She was able to comfort Dove in a way others could never achieve.
“Did May hurt you in any way?” Taylor’s first concern was always her safety.
May and Taylor had always treated her like a delicate little flower.
Sometimes she thought it was fair since she barely left the castle, and they had seen war, but tonight she wasn’t in the mood.
The pheromones that ran through her revealed her frustration.
She didn’t need protection! All these emotions had been cooking inside her for weeks.
“Everything that happened between May and I was consensual.” She slammed her book on the bed before padding into the kitchen to clean the mess. Taylor’s own pheromones that were meant to soothe Dove pushed her further into rage. She didn’t need any Alphas to comfort her, not even her best friend.
“Are you sure it wasn’t your heat?” She drew closer to Dove, gathering the utensil and placing them where they could be cleaned. Dove practically ripped them out of her hand to scrub them with the water she had.
“Sure, my heat may have clouded my judgment and chosen the closest Alpha, but I don’t think I could have survived it without May.
No matter how mad I am at her. She was sweet, but then she got up and left me as soon as she got her release.
” That wasn’t the entire truth. She didn’t need to tell Taylor about their passionate and intimate night together and how May hadn’t left her until Dove threw pressure her way.
“I think May—”
“No Taylor, do not speak for her!” Dove faced her friend, almost yelling. She hadn’t even noticed that tears were streaming down her face. Two weeks of emotions finally broke free. “We had sex but at one point it felt…”
Taylor’s brown eyes held worry when Dove collapsed into her arms. Taylor held her friend as she cried furiously.
They sat on her fur rug, Taylor’s scent creating what felt like a safety blanket.
As they sat, Taylor ran her hand up and down Dove’s back, telling her it was okay.
After a few minutes, Dove finally gathered the courage to speak again.
“It felt like she was making love to me. I got a glimpse into what she was feeling, or what I thought and then she left me there. Alone.” With a sniffle she pulled back as Taylor tucked a stray strand behind her ear.
“We let our guard down during our heats and ruts. She could’ve been revealing how she felt for you without realizing.” Taylor spoke as if she knew what May really thought, but Dove refused to tap into it.
“I know I’ve been hard on May and over the years I’ve spent a lot of time complaining about her, but this was a side of May I hadn’t seen.
At least not since we were younger.” She pushed off Taylor’s body, moving towards her bed.
The fur felt good against her feet before she collapsed on her soft bed.
“I know how you feel about May, Dove. You don’t have to explain, but I also know that May isn’t all that you think she is.
You know I love you, and I love her but after that one incident May asked me not to interfere anymore.
” The incident in question was about five years ago when Dove was in heat and May had been super sensitive towards her.
Her heightened emotions made her upset because she had had a brief argument with May earlier about a woman.
From that moment on she had stayed away from May and was aggravated at everything she did. Now she was wrong.
“It must be hard being friends with both of us.” Sniffling, Dove pulled at the furs on her bed. She had washed the thin sheets on her bed after their passionate night, but she couldn’t get the smell of May out of her room. Off of her.
“It is hard sometimes.” The Queen padded towards her, grabbing the water chalice Dove had poured for herself earlier.
“But I know things from both of you.” She arched an eyebrow at the same time gesturing to her belly.
“I understand why you are upset and maybe that led to some…illogical thinking, but communication is the key to any relationship. Eveleen taught me that.”
She dropped to eye level in front of her friend. “I don’t know what is going to happen, but I think I know how you feel or want to feel, so talk to her.” Handing off the chalice, she watched as Dove downed the rest of the water. She heard what Taylor was saying.
“I have to go now, Eveleen is a snuggler.”
Taylor patted both of Dove’s knees and gave her a tender kiss on the top of her head. “By the way, if you and May have pups together, they’ll be the sweetest pups I know.”