Chapter Eight

When they moved away from Haravin, she got up and went to clean up. Her legs wobbled, but she made it. She cleaned up and sighed before going back to the bedroom where Kek and Alo were curled together and napping.

Poor boys were tired.

She got dressed and brushed her hair, lifting her head as she heard a slight polite scratch at the door.

She opened the door and retrieved the tray that had been left.

She put it on a low table, and despite being hungry, she didn't eat.

Hara wanted to join the pile of bodies, but she wasn't sure where to fit in.

She looked around in the cupboards and found spare sheets. It was twenty minutes before Kek opened his eyes, and Alo groaned under him. She smiled. "You two shower. I will change the bedding, and then food is waiting."

Kek got up, lifted Alo, and carried him to the bathroom.

She changed the sheets efficiently and pulled the previous ones into a wadded ball.

They returned from the shower and fell on the food with good appetites.

She pushed down her hunger and just sat silently nearby when they both sat back. "Is there any left?"

Kek chuckled. "As usual, they sent just the right amount. It was special. Did you like it?"

She cocked her head. "I didn't get any. You eat, then Alo eats, and then I eat. There isn't anything left. I will take the tray to the kitchen and see if I can get something there."

She smiled, got the tray arranged, and lifted it. There was a stunned effect on her senses right now, and she didn't know why.

She carried it out, walked to the kitchen, and delivered the tray. She stood in the doorway, and finally, a woman smiled. "Oh, thank you. So, did they like it?"

"They did. They pronounced it perfect for them." She inclined her head. "Is there some fruit or cold meat around? My appetite is a little larger than I anticipated."

The woman nodded. "Of course. Alo's portion had some of the royal birds from Emerald Island. They started sending them as gifts this morning."

"That is very nice for him."

"It is said that if they are eaten, they will help with alpha pregnancies."

"I am sure they will be helpful. May I have some fruit, please?"

An apple was pressed into her hands, and she tore it apart in seconds. Her stomach eased, and she found the compost bin and deposited the core. She washed her hands, but it seemed there wasn't any meat available. She would have to wait until dinner. Maybe she could go into the lagoon and catch some fish.

She tried to use the link, but it was muffled. She had done something wrong. Hara sighed and headed upstairs and found Kek and Alo cuddled together and napping again.

She moved around and found her phone and her new phone. She transferred a number from her old phone and crept out of the palace to make a call.

She smiled at the familiar cheetah-spotted features. "Hey, Ven!"

"Haravin! You are looking... not great. Have you gotten the fowl? It's really important."

"Fowl? The royal birds? Oh, no. They aren't for me. They are for the omega, Alohi."

"Great. The housekeeper and cook are playing games. I will be there tomorrow to officially greet you, and I will straighten things out. Don't worry, sweetie. We will get it straightened out, but we are foreigners in very tight communities."

Hearing that made things better. A little better. "Well, that makes it less horrible."

"Yeah, Syar tried to get me a makeover that turned into a torture session. His housekeeper was in charge of that as well. She got her brains blown out during a kidnapping. Of me. I was the one kidnapped." Ven smiled. "But in my case, the omega was in charge and the local, and his alpha was foreign, like me. Everyone was trying to find Reynaldo a breeder."

"Oh. Well, I was just the match for the other side of the alpha. He's metal. I am metal. Oh, hey, I can surf!" She laughed. "Naked."

"Oh, you met the ocean. Nice."

"Yeah, and then I got bodychecked by a dolphin and walked back to the shore."

Ven giggled, and they chatted for a while, and when they were done, Haravin felt better. She also felt hot. "Oh, damn. How long have we been talking?"

"Two hours. Why?"

"I scorched myself. Gotta go. Talk soon."

She hung up and headed upstairs. They had changed position but were still tangled. She got under the cool shower spray for a few minutes and then relaxed. She would get through the adjustment period, and things would be fine.

She headed back to the kitchen and found the housekeeper. "Hello, do you have anything for sunburns?"

The woman frowned. "No. I am afraid we don't have anything on site."

"Really? That isn't very smart. Even locals can suffer from sun exposure." She turned on her heel and went to the garden, snapping off an aloe leaf and squeezing out the gel.

The housekeeper came toward her. "Assaulting the royal gardens is a criminal offence."

"Great."

She got another leaf and put the aloe on her shoulders.

The housekeeper grabbed her arm. "That's it. You are out of here."

Amused, Haravin walked with her. There were men in loose uniforms waiting, which meant that they had to have been called earlier.

"Miss, who are you?"

"The king's beta. Haravin Dillard."

"There are no registries for the royal house."

"Of course, there aren't. If I get deported, where do I go?"

"Emerald Island and then the mainland."

"Cool. Cool. Let me grab my passport, and you can kick me off the island."

The housekeeper held it up.

The officer took it, verified it, and nodded. "Come with us, Miss Dillard."

She walked down the hill with them, and they took her to the docks. "So, as no charges have been laid and nothing is official, I am guessing one of you is related to the housekeeper?"

The one who had spoken to her said, "She is my mother-in-law."

"Well, when the king and his omega don't rise from their sleep, please charge her with poisoning. She fed them royal fowl from Emerald Island, and the hormone bomb she just gave them has knocked them out."

"If it was a gift, I am sure it was fine."

"It was marked like this." She showed the image that Ven had sent her. For King Kekoa's Beta. Betas only. Toxic to Alphas. Complete with a skull and crossbones on it.

"Make sure you go in person and tell him that you have ejected me from the island."

The ferry was pulling in, and a group of folks who looked eager to begin their holidays poured in.

The officers thankfully stayed with her until the ferry was clear. One of the officers spoke to the captain, and they settled her near the front of the vessel, loaded up, and then were on their way back to Emerald Island.

She called Alo, but there was no answer. His body was dealing with the high dose of estrogen and progesterone that the birds contained.

She called Ven and told her what was going on, so everything was in place two hours later when the ferry arrived. The phones out here really did have a solid signal.

King Syar and his alpha, Reynaldo, were waiting for her. Ven was in the helicopter, and she had two kittens with her as well as some care packages. Greetings were made, and they loaded into the helicopter, where the pilot took off, and they headed back to the Wonder Islands.

She had to wake up her sleeping beauties before the nap turned into a coma.

The helicopter lowered them into the open green space next to the palace. Reynaldo brought the med kit, and Ven took a royal fowl and brought the kittens.

Syar was stalking forward and said to the housekeeper, "Where is King Kekoa?"

The woman spluttered, "He's resting with his omega." She leaned forward and whispered, "I think he may be going into heat soon."

"He isn't. He's going to start kidney failure in a few hours if we don't start treatment. When something comes in addressed for a beta. Read the fucking page!" He roared. It was impressive from an omega.

Haravin walked toward the house.

The housekeeper stretched her arms out. "What is she doing here? She was deported."

Reynaldo pushed past the housekeeper. "She is an attaché of Emerald Islands and has diplomatic immunity. Stand aside."

The housekeeper stumbled to the side, and they walked quickly through the house and up to the second floor. The two were still there and breathing shallowly.

"How heavy do you think Kek is?" Reynaldo was measuring something in a syringe.

"Two eighty?"

"Close enough. Alohi?"

"One seventy-five."

"Low guess?"

"Low guess."

"Good. If it takes an extra day, it takes an extra day."

He rubbed alcohol on Kek's butt and jabbed the larger load of the two needles. He did the same to Alohi. "They will come up in a few minutes. Do you want to be here?"

"Uh, I don't know?"

"Why aren't you out?"

"Didn't eat it. There was only enough for two, and I eat last. Protocol."

"No, the link should have had an effect on you. They got sleepy, so you should have gotten sleepy."

She sighed. "I wasn't sure where to go, so to keep from waking them up, I blocked the link."

"You can do that?"

"Apparently." She looked at the guys who were getting more colour. "I will wait with them."

She knelt on the mat near the bed and rubbed the ankles of both.

Reynaldo shook his head and exited. "Ven is going to sic the kittens on you. Just a warning."

She nodded and kept rubbing as they started to move. "Yup. I am warned."

Alohi groaned, and she moved behind him, rubbing his shoulder. "Come on. Fight it. Come on, omega, your alpha is naked, and you are neglecting him."

Alohi grunted and started moving. "Hara?"

"Oh, there's my big, brave boy." She got him some water and held his head while she helped him hydrate.

"What happened?"

"Well, the delicious lunch had food in it meant for me. Royal fowl from Emerald Island. The wild cat there hunted it and told Ven it was for me." She chuckled. "Ven nearly had heart failure. She was supposed to be having a year off."

"The cat told her?"

"Have you seen Ven? Talking to cats is the least surprising thing." She got him to take more water and then tried to wake Kek up.

"Come on, Kek. Get up."

He wasn't moving. She shoved him, and there was no response.

She forced open the link between them and held it wide open. She knew this would work with an omega, but well, she could only try.

She sprinted down to the kitchen and got a bowl of ice. Then she returned upstairs and noted that Alohi seemed to be doing better, but he was sitting and holding his head.

She tried to wake Kek one more time, and when he didn't move, she grabbed handfuls of ice and inserted them into her.

She felt the pain of the ice inside her, and she gave it to him. He jerked, and his eyelids twitched, and the whole time she just had to focus on pain. She grabbed a chunk of ice and pressed it to her mark.

Kek inhaled hard and jerked up to sit.

She leaned over and got his cup of water. "Drink."

His hands flapped, so she moved behind his head and held the cup to his mouth. "There we go. How are you doing?"

He finished the cup. "You are in pain."

"Sort of. Not really. I gave myself frostbite." She chuckled. "Alohi is fine. He got the same dose you did, but his body already responds to estrogen. Yours... doesn't."

He looked at her. "What happened?"

"Royal fowl from Syar and Ven. It was marked for me. A warning had been put on it, and they still gave you two just enough for the two of you. You ate a hormone bomb."

He grunted. "I am going to have a chat with housekeeping."

"Don't bother. I am going to challenge her for the title."

Alohi shook his head. "Don't. It's a ton of work."

"I know. I took care of four alphas, two omegas, and two babies, with five to thirty-seven visitors per day."

Kek murmured, "It will tether you to the household?"

"So? I need an anchor point."

Alohi sat up. "Kek is your anchor point."

"He really isn't." She shrugged. "A baby might, but that is a long way away if I keep avoiding poultry."

She tidied up and got more water for them. "You should be up and around in a few minutes. The water will speed recovery. Kek probably won't be in the mood for sex for a day or two. Sorry, Alohi."

She stood up. "King Syar is here, along with Ven and Reynaldo. She brought some kittens for here."

Kek swallowed. "They brought kittens?"

"Yes. Baby black cats. They are cute with really big paws."

Alohi blinked. "Wait. How did they get here? Did you call them?"

"No, they met me at the ferry on their island and flew me back here."

Kek blinked. "Wait. What? Why were you on a ferry?"

"The housekeeper had me deported because I don't have a visitor's visa. Or any kind of visa." She chuckled. "Seems I go halfway around the world, and alphas are the same."

She got up and felt roaring and twisting in her mark. There was a lot of outrage in the reaction. She returned to the kitchen with the ice bowl and dumped it.

"They are going to need something moisture heavy to flush their systems. A soup or a stew alongside their meal."

The staff had been eyeing her warily, and she said softly, "Get started, or I will, and then you will be out of work."

They started moving.

She sighed and left to join her guests in the throne room. "Thank you, guys, so much for coming to the rescue. Kek and Alo are both up and getting back to themselves. Each has had a litre of fluids, and I got Kek mad, so that should speed his recovery."

Reynaldo was playing with the kittens. His hands were occupied with black fur. "That will work, but how does your mark feel?"

"Like someone is cursing me out from half a block away."

He blinked. "Oh. But you can still hear him, right?"

"I can feel him, not hear. It's getting quieter now." She smiled. "It's getting further away."

Ven nodded. "It's okay. What do you need?"

"Food? I am super hangry right now."

Ven smiled. "Is there anything in the kitchen that you want?"

"No. I had the apple they gave me earlier. It was green and gave me reflux."

"Right. Why don't you go out and get some street food from the main street?"

"No money."

Reynaldo handed the kittens to Ven and Syar. "I will take her, and I will get you guys something."

Reynaldo offered his hand, and she took it. They walked out of the palace and down the hill toward the town.

"Hara, this is a rough start."

"That is a fair assessment."

"Are you sure that this is the place for you?"

"Our other selves match. We don't have to be best friends. I just want to set up shelter and food. Anything else can be negotiated. Hey, a dance studio." She smiled.

He snorted. "Every town, village, and city out here has dance studios. You dance?"

"Not like what is probably custom here. I used to do ballroom, and occasionally, it comes in handy."

He chuckled and then sighed. "So, Kekoa is devoted to Alohi."

"Right. I know that."

"But, together, they can't have kids."

"Right. Can't one of them just get another of the other designation?"

"It isn't that simple. They are linked."

"So? It doesn't seem inconvenient to me. Mine is just a soft hum now. Easy to ignore."

"It isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be binding between psyches and life forces."

"I am sure it isn't that way for everyone."

They got to the food stalls, and she let her nose lead her around. Reynaldo produced a bag, and they started to collect food that was wrapped in different leaves in different styles. The bag was full when Reynaldo finished the last payment, and they headed back.

He pulled out one of her latest picks and handed it to her. "Eat this on the walk back."

She nodded and ate.

"Ven tells me that you met at something called Book Club?"

"Yes. I didn't know if I qualified for the club, but it turns out a collision with Kek and Alo in the city spurred my issue. I just bumped into them. Nothing major. Betas did the assault portion of my origin story."

"What?"

"They had me sewn so no alpha would possibly fit." She kept eating. "So, a narrow speculum was about all that would fit. The stitches were so well done, they were nearly invisible."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh sums it up. So, now I am here. Kek and Alo know what happened. I seem to be turning into a delightfully frisky beta, but I think that stopped."

"Stopped?" They entered the shadowed building.

"It was there, and then it wasn't. Poof. All gone. Oh, and I got tackled by a dolphin this morning, so all in all, not a stellar day."

They walked over to where low tables were set, and Kek and Alo were seated with their prepared meals. She got some more of the takeout packets and went in with ravenous intent.

She was hunched over her third packet when Kek's legs were next to her.

"You are not in your place, treasure."

She shrugged. "I don't like my place. Here, I get to eat when I am hungry, and no one smacks my fingers."

"You are to sit with your alpha."

She looked up at him. "You aren't there anymore. Isn't that weird? This morning, it was strong, and now, it's gone. Poof."

She started the fourth packet, and he crouched next to her. "That is one of my favourites."

"They are down in the main square."

"Can I have some?"

She paused. "No, I have given enough today. This is for me. I need to make more things for me."

He put his hand on her mark, but she kept eating. The wrapped pastry was really good and deserved more attention than she was giving it.

His fingers rubbed her mark, and there was nothing. Just pressure and friction.

His fingers trailed away.

"Did you want something, Your Majesty?"

"Alo wanted you to sit with us."

"He has you, Your Majesty. I am sure you are all he needs."

Her words were coming out weird, and she knew it wasn't right, but she looked up at him and smiled. "I have been an intrusion into your life, and I am aware of it. I am attempting to reduce my impact on your life. If there is some kind of guesthouse or something where I can reside, I will figure out a way to support myself if I can get some sort of resident status. If not, Ven has offered me a place in her household on Emerald, and you can just call me when you need me."

Kek stepped back in shock.

Syar slipped in with a strange expression on his face. He lifted his phone and used the light on her mark. "Well, that explains a lot."

She kept eating.

Kek scowled. "What?"

"Look at the mark. Actually, look at it."

Kek leaned forward and saw the light. "There is my bite, and... what the fuck is that?"

Syar turned the light off. "Which person with human dentition could have placed a mark over yours and stopped the progress of the link?"

Alohi was sitting with his fingers laced together. "The mark looked so good, I just had to bite it."

Kek thudded to his knees. "Alo, do you know what you did?"

"Something bad?"

Reynaldo said, "He didn't know. They don't really educate them, even if they have a centre in town. An interrupted mark is rare. Few bite directly on top of each other, even if they share a bond partner. If the mark isn't set yet, it shorts it out. So, she was linked, and then she wasn't."

Hara looked at him and cocked her head. "Oh, that would explain it."

Ven looked at Kek. "But she still took care of you, made sure your vitals were stable, and then she goaded the person who would get her kicked off the island. I had already been talking to her a little, but an hour after we spoke, she was on the ferry and coming for help. This is also the first food she has had since she had breakfast."

The kittens wandered over to Hara and investigated the leaf wrappings from the food.

She chuckled and played with them, opening the final fish stew in a pastry shell, and she offered them some food.

Alohi spoke, "What do we do? How do we fix her?"

Reynaldo sighed. "We need to start the connection again, but it takes another alpha to get it started."

Ven frowned. "I am gonna ask Ford if he has any candidates." She typed frantically.

Her phone started going berserk with incoming files. She laughed and raised her brows. "Oh, wow. Yeah, he's got one. It's a dance partner from a video, and wow, they are good together."

Syar walked up behind her and watched then grinned. "They are amazing together."

Syar turned to Kekoa. "Are you willing to take on another alpha in your pack?"

"Yes. She's my counterpart. Whatever it takes, I will do it."

Ven moved around to face Haravin. "Hara?"

"Yes, Ven?"

"Would you like it if Narro were one of your alphas?"

Hara shivered at the thought. "Only if he wants to. He was very popular with the other betas on set. If he doesn't want me, I can just hang out at the bottom of the lagoon until I am needed for something. I don't want to be in the way."

Kek crouched in front of her. "Would having him make you happy?"

"I don't know." She stared at him, and Alohi made a sound like a sob. "Are you unwell?"

Ven muttered, "I am fucking ordering an alpha... and send."

Alohi swallowed. "What happened?"

Reynaldo said quietly, "Her emotions were stretching and linking to Kekoa's. That process takes place while the mark heals. With the extra bite exactly over the alpha's mark, it severed the link before it had a chance to develop, so her mind is scrambling around trying to find a connection, and it can't find anything. Basically, she has been emotionally blinded. She's good at self-soothing, so she has gone cold. The other option recorded is for her to go mad. I think she made the right choice."

Syar sat next to Haravin and took her hand. The kittens tumbled toward her, and she scratched under their chins mechanically.

Now, she had to wait to find out what happened next.