Verik's Price (Alpha Barbarians Book 3)

2. Verik

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers. The betas and women may not care about the omegas that had been paid to the clan, but everyone was eager for the land they were in desperate need of.

Their clan had started out as a small one, and they settled in the caves by the ocean as the most defensible place, but as years of peace had seen the clan grow, they were running out of space.

They also had almost no land that was able to produce crops. A good majority of his territory was coastline, or rocky cliffs offering little more than lichen and twisted ankles.

While his people fished when they could and took advantage of everything the ocean offered, they had reached the point where they would struggle to survive if nothing was done.

People stepped forward to take the good where they needed to be as the warriors moved their horses into the stable. His people had lived in the cave system for so long, they had areas for everything.

Turning to the omega still sitting on his horse trying to keep herself covered, Verik let his eyes roam over her body. She was tall and slim, her dark eyes trying to drill holes in him as he felt his cock stir.

The other omega was petite, with skin the color of cream, and hair like a fiery sunset, but the one before him was the one that stirred his interests. Her scent had distracted him for the entire ride, and he wondered if her skin would taste like the honeysuckle it smelled of.

Handing the reins to a boy that came to collect his horse, Verik strode the few steps to the girl and pulled her from the saddle. He chuckled at her scream of protest, taking her wrists and pulling them behind her back though she tried to fight him.

Verik leaned down and pressed his nose into her hair, drawing in a deep breath before whispering in her ear.

"My men need to see what they worked for. Fight me all you want, but I can smell you slick."

Her spine stiffened, thighs clamping together as he saw a look of horror pass over her face. Verik laughed again, pushing her in front of him through the crowd.

"Larok, bring the other one," he called over his shoulder to his Second.

Making his way to one of the tunnels that led off the main cavern, Verik continued to push the omega ahead of him as they worked their way deeper into the cave system. Every Alpha he passed flared his nostrils, scenting the omegas, and he found himself glowering at any that got too close.

The deeper in they went, the less people they ran into.

His people had improved the caves over the generations that had lived in them, but they began with the ones closest to the surface. As people moved deeper to find more room, they worked on the spaces they needed, but a lot of the caves farther in were still unfinished.

The tunnel they had taken ended in a round cave, barely large enough space for two people to lay on the floor without touching. Thrusting the omega through the opening, Verik released her, watching her stumble against the far wall before turning to glare at him.

Larok pushed the one with the fiery hair in behind her and stepped back, waiting for orders.

"Are we to be prisoners then?"

The omega he had brought wrapped her arms around the other though her eyes never left his.

"This is for your own protection. Wouldn't want anyone getting too eager to try out the new omega pussy before they have earned the right."

He grinned as her eyes widened. The girl she held whimpered, turning to face the back wall like the threat would disappear if she couldn't see it, but though he could see her tremble, her dark eyes never left his.

He'd never met an omega with her spine, and his stomach clenched with the need to see how far he could go before she bent. 

"There will be a guard posted outside to stop anyone from entering this cave, but if you decide to leave it..." Verik shrugged, "anything could happen."

Turning to leave, it surprised him when she called out again.

"What about clothes?"

He turned back to look at her with his brows raised.

"Blankets, food, water... are you going to leave us here to freeze and starve?"

Verik took in the trembling forms before him. While he was comfortable, he was wearing a layer of clothing beneath his leather armor. He was also much larger than the two women.

"Supplies will be brought to you."

Ignoring the urge to stare at her naked curves even longer, Verik turned, motioning for Larok to follow him back to the main cavern.

"Post two men just past the last cave. Betas. Tell them to let me know if one of them gets brave enough to make it to them."

"Two?"

Larok's eyebrow rose as he glanced at him.

"Yeah. That way hopefully one will be able to get away to warn us when the Alphas come."

Larok snorted, looking ahead again. When they made it back to the front cavern, he headed toward a group of men sitting around one of the cook fires while Verik made his way over to the women by the stream.

The stream ran through multiple caves in the system, and each one was reserved for certain things. The first two the water bubbled up in was where they collected their drinking water. The next two were for bathing, and then the main cavern, just before the water left to join the ocean, was where they cleaned.

"Frieda. I need you to take the omegas clothing and blankets. They're in the cell."

"Feed them too?" the older beta asked as she straightened from where she was mending and keeping an eye on the girls washing furs.

Since Verik wasn't mated, Frieda had taken over running the day-to-day in the caverns when his mother died. She had helped his mother for years and was the only one he trusted to keep everything running smoothly.

"No. Water only. They will come to dinner with the rest of us."

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do with those girls? There are already whispers..."

She trailed off, but he knew what she wasn't saying. Two unmated omegas would cause unrest until they were given to whoever would claim them.

"I'll figure it out soon, Freida. There's only two of them and a whole lot of us."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, the judgment in her eyes obvious.

"Don't give me that look. You know me," he said, turning away from her.

"I know how yer Momma raised you, but I also know yer an Alpha, through and through."

Flashing her a grin, he winked as she rolled her eyes, but he could see the corners of her lips twitching as he headed toward his cave.