Page 39 of Choosing Her Alpha
Her dark blue eyes sat bigger in her face under arching brows and over cheeks that had lost their apple shape. Her chubby butterball of a face had become delicate and lovely, except for her mouth, which was still too plump for Sasha's liking.
The last time she looked in the mirror, covered in a rainbow of sparkles, her face had been that of a plump little girl’s. Today a beautiful young woman looked back at her. She had reached her maturation, and she looked exactly like her mother.
"That's why you need a check-up. You breeders get all the perks. I'll never have a shape like yours. You're still tiny, though." Lanny stood up on her tiptoes to look down at the top of Sasha's head.
A female voice called from the other room. Sasha recognized it as the servant Davila’s, who she'd met shortly after her arrival here.
"Hello? I brought breakfast."
The twins helped Sasha finish in the bathroom, picking out clean clothes for her. Sasha took the underthings, which were new, and the fitted comfy pants, but kept the top she had slept in. It fell past her knees and the neck slipped over her shoulder, but the fabric felt perfect against her skin. She couldn't bring herself to accept anything different.
When all three girls gave her knowing grins, she let her eyes slide to the food, pretending she was hungry.
Sasha was going to introduce everyone, but it seemed the drones had already made friends. Being of a similar age, they were comfortable like they had known each other for years.
When Davila tried to leave, Sasha made her stay. With enough food for all of them and at least three alpha soldiers, Sasha pulled all the girls into bed with her to talk and eat.
She had so many questions for Davila. She knew nothing about this house. What was expected of her now? What had been going on?
Lanny poked at Sasha's belly. "We have so much on you, you will have to do our laundry for the next ten years."
Sasha winced at the poke. Her muscles hurt like she'd stretched and pulled them repeatedly.
"We knew you could be bossy," Lilla said.
"I didn't know. I've never seen anyone boss Alpha Kane. That's suicide," Davila said.
Lanny grinned and grabbed up a piece of fruit. "Sasha is always getting in trouble for trying to boss the alphas."
Sasha grimaced. "And how is Merrick? How did you two get here? How is Silas and everyone at home? What happened after I left?"
"Everyone is fine at Dover's End. Merrick was scary for a bit, but instead of hurting anyone, he made Silas and Patrick take him to where they'd last seen you. They came back that night without him. He was still looking for you. We haven't seen him since. Then the alpha’s men came."
"The alpha? Constantine Kane?"
The girls looked at each other, then at Sasha with helpless shrugs. An alpha had told them not to say anything. So, they wouldn't.
"You can ask Ruell Zinanno," Davila offered.
"Who?"
"He is the new Terasa, the new secretary. He's not really new, though. He was the house controller. Extremely organized. A perfectionist. He's not a terrible person, but he is hard to please. If you are feeling up to it after your check-up, you can meet him today."
"Where is Terasa? Kane was mad she put me in the harem. He didn't kill her, did he?"
"Kill her? No. But she needed a healer when he finished with her. The alpha always inflicts corporal punishment upon his breed. Drones just get fired, unless they’ve done something bad like lying."
Sasha remembered the mess she had gone to clean up her first day here. "How many people got in trouble that day I got into Kane's meeting?"
"What do you mean?"
Sasha thought a moment and rephrased the question. "I snuck in to see Kane eight—no, ten days ago. It feels like a lifetime. Has anyone else been punished in that time? Is the housekeeper named Mary okay?"
"Oh. Mary is fine. She did get a scary lecture from Terasa. I remember that. In fact, all us drones have a 'security essentials' meeting coming up."
Sasha continued to stare at Davila, waiting, knowing there was more.
Davila shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but three guards had to be replaced. Two betas and an alpha."
