Verik's Price (Alpha Barbarians Book 3)

3. Iris

Iris looked up when she heard footsteps coming down the tunnel outside their little cave. Her and Autumn were huddled against the back wall, doing their best to keep warm even as the rock tried to leach their heat away.

It hadn't been long since Verik left them, and she was surprised when a woman came into sight.

"Oh, did he not even give you curtains?"

The woman looked across the top of the opening as she stopped just outside it. Her accent was a bit thicker than Verik's, but since the Andtay spoke the same language as her clan Iris could still understand her.

"That damn man. I'll take care of that for you."

The smile on the woman's round face was warm as she sat the basket she carried down next to her.

"I've brought you clothes and blankets. Yer slight enough that I think these will fit, and if not, we will figure something out."

At the mention of clothes, the girls looked at each other before beginning to stand.

"Come now, I know yer freezing and you ain't got nothing I don't. Let's get you dressed."

Taking Autumn's hand, Iris pulled her to the opening of the cave, there not being enough room inside it for the woman to enter with her basket of fabric and furs.

"I'm Freida. What should we be calling you two? I'm not much for referring to girls by their dynamic," she said, passing a tunic and pair of pants to each of them.

"I'm Iris. This is Autumn," Iris said as she pulled the top over her head.

Wiggling, she tugged it over her chest and frowned down at it. It was tight around her breasts, but she couldn't loosen the laces without exposing more skin.

Brushing it off as better than nothing, she stepped into the pants and looked back up at Frieda.

"Well I understand that the circumstances may not be the best, but I'm glad to meet you. I brought a blanket for each of you, and I'll send one of the kids down with mats as soon as I have a clean pair."

Iris's chest tightened and she blinked quickly to fight back the urge to cry. Just having clothing made her feel better than she had in days, and the woman was doing her best to be kind to them.

"Don't get in trouble over us," she said as she took the blanket Frieda held out.

Frieda huffed.

"Verik knows better than to mess with the person who cooks his food. He won't say a word."

Giving her a smile, Frieda lifted her basket back to her hip before reaching inside and pulling out a clay jug.

"This has fresh water in it. He says you're to join us for dinner, but I squirreled away a couple of rolls for you too."

Taking the jug as Autumn reached for the bread, Iris smiled back.

"Thank you."

Nodding, Frieda turned and walked down the tunnel as the girls retreated back into their cave. Wrapping their blankets around themselves, they settled against the back wall again.

Autumn handed over one of the rolls once Iris sat the jug on the ground between them.

"What do we do now?"

Autumn's voice was soft. Fourth child of six, she had been sheltered and soft-spoken, and Iris was surprised she had held up as well as she had.

"For now, we wait. Find out what they plan for us."

Autumn's soft snort made her raise her eyebrow.

"We're omegas. You know what they plan for us."

Iris gave a small smile as she conceded the point.

"Yes, well... how they go about it is the more important issue. You know as well as I that we would have been given to an Alpha eventually, even at home."

"What is going to happen to the people left behind?"

Iris almost missed the whispered question, and she took a deep breath as she tried to figure out how to answer.

"They'll pick up the pieces and start over. Maybe since the land belongs to Verik now, he'll send help."

She could see the tears shimmering in Autumn's green eyes, and she leaned forward to wrap her arms around the younger girl.

"Your family?"

While they were cousins, they hadn't been particularly close. Lyric's father had been a harsh leader, and most people had little time for anything outside of work. Even though they had lived in the same small village, she hadn't seen Autumn or her other cousins in months, and her aunt in even longer.

"I don't know. Dad... is gone, but I didn't see the others before I was taken."

Autumn sniffled, and Iris had to blink back tears again.

She was an only child. Her father was an Alpha who resented his beta mate and had made himself scarce. Her mother was the only one she had been close to, and she didn't know what had happened to her either.

She promised herself she would find out what happened to all of them and get them help if she could.

Leaning back, she pushed Autumn's hair behind her ear and put on the best smile she could manage.

"Your younger sisters presented this year. Omegas, right?"

Autumn nodded.

"They weren't taken with us, and no one would have harmed young omegas. Once things settle a bit, we'll try to find out about the rest of them."

Another nod and a shaky smile, but it was better than tears.

Nibbling on their bread, they had nothing to do besides wait, but Iris quickly grew agitated. She wasn't used to sitting idle, and she couldn't stop the urge to fidget.

When she glanced over to Autumn, she realized the girl had fallen asleep. The stress of the last few days had taken its toll, but Iris was too wound up to give in to the pull of exhaustion. She needed to know they were safe.

She decided the only way she would be able to rest was to be sure Verik had done as he said and placed guards to keep anyone from bothering them. Standing as quietly as she could, she crept down the tunnel until it began to curve.

Slowing, she pressed her back to the wall, holding her breath to see if she could pick up any sounds. The only thing that met her ears were indistinct scuffs and the quiet echoes of voices that could be from anywhere.

With a deep breath, Iris poked her head around the curve, looking as far ahead as she could before inching her way forward. She froze when a man came into view, facing away from her.

He was leaning against the wall, a pouch full of feathers hanging from his belt and a stack of arrow shafts held between his legs. As she watched, he fletched the arrow and held it out in front of him to someone she couldn't see before grabbing another.

Satisfied that Verik had kept his word, she worked her way back along the wall until she felt it was safe to walk the rest of the way to their cave. Autumn was still sleeping as she took her place beside her and leaned her head back, finally able to close her eyes.