The Alpha King's Hunt

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Gabriel

The man out in the courtyard – who was he? Why had he touched her like that?
I shoved the plate of danishes aside, not realizing that I'd voiced the questions aloud until Ana answered, glaring at me.

"Judging by the reaction she had to that touch, I'm assuming he's someone she knows. Someone important."

"An Autumn omega," I bit out, fingers tightening on the edge of the table. "A useless, lower class –"
"Really?" Ana interrupted. "You've never been one for judging by the hierarchy, Gabe."

She was right, but I was too blinded by anger right now to admit it. I didn't like the way the omega had grabbed Valarie's hand. I didn't like the way her face had opened up, emotions rippling across it as their eyes locked.

"This is ironic, no?" Ana asked slyly. "You go through all that effort last night to make a point for her. And here she is, seeing someone else already."

Ana jumped when I slammed a stool to the side, hearing one of the legs crack. But she knew I'd never hurt her or anyone else. She watched me go as I stormed out of the kitchen and back toward my rooms.

Surprisingly, she still wasn't locking the sitting room window. It didn't make a sound when I pushed it open that evening and I reminded myself to thank the cleaning staff for that. They were keeping everything well-oiled.

I glanced to the right, checking that Sophia's door was shut. It was, and no light came from the crack at the bottom. Was she always so early to bed? How boring.

But Valarie's door was cracked open and I could see low light there, spilling out onto the hardwood floors. With careful, quiet steps I moved toward it, making my way around the couches and end tables.

Before my hand even touched the knob she was there. In a long t-shirt that covered her to her thighs, and no pants. Underwear? I wondered briefly, glancing down at her exposed legs.

She colored and backed up, eyes wary.

"What're you doing here?" she whispered.

I stepped forward, closing in on her so that she had to back further into the room and let me in.

"How did you know it was me?"
She glanced at my chest and then away. "I could smell you."

She said it quietly, almost sadly, and for a moment the anger I'd felt since this morning quieted. I had smelled her, too, the moment I stepped through the window – disrupted by the overly floral scent of Sophia and the myriad of products she used. Val smelled real. Natural.

"Valarie?"

Our eyes widened as we stared at each other, frozen with the door still ajar. Her mouth parted but it was a moment before she said anything.
"Yes? Did you need me?"
I could hear that the slightly higher pitch was unusual, but Sophia didn't seem to notice as she continued on.

"That gown your mother made – I forgot to check if we had any shoes to match it. Could you take a look, and if we don't, go down to the shops first thing?"

"Of course!"

We waited for a few moments, listening to Sophia shuffle around in the living quarters. Then her footsteps receded, and her door clicked shut.

Valarie glowered up at me, her chin sharp with defiance. "You shouldn't be here. It's too easy for you to get caught."
"Will you come with me?" I asked abruptly, just surprised by the question as she was.