She spent her day mending again, thinking over what Freida said. She’d never really thought about what she wanted in a mate. She’d daydreamed of having a home filled with children, but her mate had always been the fuzzy idea of an alpha. Autumn had always known she’d never get to choose who she was mated to, so it didn’t make sense to waste the time on it.
Trying to think of qualities she desired was difficult, and Autumn brought it up to Freida that night as she joined her and Larok at the table for dinner. Freida laughed when she said it was hard to decide what she wanted, and even Larok let out a huff of amusement.
“Yer not likely to find what ye want, child. Not quickly anyway. But ye can get rid of what ye don’t want. That should be much easier.”
“You have a mixed group to choose from. Some are hunters, so will be home most days, but will be covered in blood and other not-so-pleasant things. Some are fishermen, who will be gone a few days at a time during the season and will come home stinking of fish. Some are as young as you, and a couple are old enough to be your father. A few eat mushrooms they should be avoiding just for the effect, or get too heavy in their cups.”
Larok grumbled the last bit, glaring at a group of men near the cavern entrance who were being loud. Autumn thought she recognized one of them, but she jerked her eyes away when he glanced toward the table where she sat.
Sighing, she pushed her plate away. Her stomach had finally demanded a decent meal, so she’d forced herself to eat, but the prospect of going back to the cavern with the alphas again had her tensing and feeling ill.
The only way out of the situation was to do exactly what she was scared of doing and approach the strange men. It went against every instinct she had.
All of the alphas had duties, so as appealing as sneaking off to bed sounded, evenings were the only chance she’d likely get to talk with them. Deciding the sooner she started the sooner it would be over, she sucked in a deep breath and pushed to her feet.
Autumn wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she was tired of having fear hanging over her head. She’d been taken and given to the Andtay, and there was no reason to fuss over it or fight what was going to happen. It was better to do what she could to affect her future instead of waiting for it to happen to her and dealing with the outcome.
One of the alphas she recognized from her group was sitting at a table alone near the edge of the room. He looked to be finished eating, so before she could talk herself out of it, she made her way over to him.
He wasn’t as bulky as some alphas, but his lean muscles looked just as imposing. His dark blonde hair hung down to his chin, though she remembered it being swept back from his face the night before.
Autumn’s confidence wilted when he locked pale blue eyes on hers. The intensity was intimidating, but she was already committed to approaching him.
Stopping beside the table, she licked her lips, unsure what to say. Blurting the first thing that came to mind, she felt her cheeks flush with heat.
“Can I sit with you?”
He gave a slow nod, gesturing to the chair she stood behind. When she sat, his lips pulled up in a smile, though he seemed as hesitant as she felt.
“I’m sure you were a bit overwhelmed last night. I’m Darcon.”
He was one of the alphas who had been on the backside of the cavern, and she recognized his wood smoke and honey scent from one of the furs on her bed. It had been one of the ones that called to her and made her want to bury her face in it. His voice was just as dark and smooth as his scent, raising goosebumps along her arms and causing other areas to heat.
“I’d like to get to know you.”
His smile spread, but she got the feeling he wasn’t the type to smile a lot. He kept his movements slow and careful as he slid his plate aside and leaned closer in his chair, like she was a rabbit he didn’t want to startle but was ready to chase if needed.
“What would you like to know?”
Autumn floundered, his steady gaze causing her heart to flutter as if she was a rabbit who knew a predator was closing in. Her brain was turning to mush and she couldn’t come up with anything important she needed to know, so she blurted the most harmless question she could think of.
“Do you have siblings?”
Darcon shook his head, firm lips parting to speak until another alpha dropped into the chair on Autumn’s opposite side.
Chapter Three
Darcon
Darcon’s mouth snapped shut as he cut a glare at Aesir. The other alpha’s arrival caused Autumn to startle, pulling her attention away from him. He was sure that was Aesir’s plan.
He let out a warning rumble, but Aesir only grinned wider as Autumn’s gaze bounced between the two of them. Her back stiffened, pulling her away from Darcon though he could still smell the acrid bite of her fear creeping into the air.
She seemed just as surprised and unhappy about the interruption as he was, which soothed a bit of his irritation, and he made an effort to cut off the growl so she could relax. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or she may decide not to approach him again.
“I’m a single child too. Dad died when I was a kid, so Mom was stuck raising me by herself. She did a pretty good job if I say so myself,” the blond announced.
Aesir tossed his long hair over his shoulder, winking at Autumn. Everyone knew he was full of himself, but Autumn probably hadn’t had a chance to talk to Aesir yet. She was still gaping at him, as Darcon assumed most women did when they first met the cocky alpha. The pretty boy strutted more than a peacock, and Darcon had seen more than a few beta women on his arm throughout the years since Aesir presented as an alpha.
Darcon caught Autumn’s change of expression as Aesir’s words sank in, and he cursed the man under his breath for being the idiot he was. After the recent raid on her village, bringing up death was the last thing Aesir should have done, but he never thought before he spoke.
Her shoulders drooped and she looked down at her hands twisting in her lap. Darcon tried to think of something to say to distract her but she spoke before he could. She was almost too quiet to hear over the noise in the cavern, but her words were like a punch to his gut.
“My father died in the attack. Mother probably did too since they were bonded. I don’t know what’s happened to my brothers and sisters.”
Aesir’s remark was even worse for her than he’d expected, and Darcon’s heart clenched in sympathy.
Aesir
Aesir winced, a bit of his confidence melting at the obvious sore spot he’d hit. He should have thought about what she’d gone through in the past few days, but his mouth ran away without his brain. He’d seen Autumn walk over to Darcon, and not wanting the other man to get ahead, he’d rushed over to interrupt.
Aesir was familiar with women throwing themselves at him, and he’d expected the omega to be the same, yet she cringed away as he sat down. He could scent her fear as soon as he dropped into the chair beside her, but he’d assumed she’d settle once she got a good look at him.
He’d never had to chase the women he wanted, but he doubted it would take much effort to woo the omega. They were naturally submissive, and her instincts would be urging her to give in.
Scrambling to erase his mistake, Aesir reached out and took her hand. The snarl Darcon let out caused Autumn to jump and try to pull her fingers from his grip, but Aesir didn’t release her. Ignoring the other alpha, he caught Autumn’s green gaze.