Chapter 16
The alpha shifted while sitting across the oracle. It was her own little meeting with her since Minji had suggested it.
“So you’re the famous alpha everyone here has asked me about,” Dong chuckled. “The feared… highly aggressive alpha…” she smiled at her.
“Yes…” Siyeon whimpered.
“Don’t fear me,” Dong smiled. “Now, you have a lot in your mind and your heart… Which shall we start with?” She asked.
“Can you really see things?” Siyeon asked.
“My predictions are accurate, however… Not everyone wants to hear them,” the beta shrugged her shoulders, glancing down at the fire in between them. “You… struggle a lot. And it’s worse now that there is a pup in the palace,” Dong frowned, finally keeping eye contact with the alpha. “You think the pup will be taken away?” She asked.
“If the pup presents as an alpha… she’ll be taken…” Siyeon whispered.
“You and Bora have the same concerns.” Dong couldn’t help but chuckle. “This palace has never taken a pup from its mother. When alpha staff has children, they’re raised to be royal staff,” She explained. “Not a prediction, fact. However, if this pup presents as an alpha, the princess will be expected to have another pup to present as an omega to take her place for the throne. Another fact,” She added.
Siyeon nodded her head, happy that the pup wouldn’t be taken, but still confused.
“You miss your family greatly,” Dong frowned.
“I do… I wish to know if they're okay…” Siyeon whispered with a frown. It had been years, she didn’t know how her compound was doing. She didn’t know anything.
“They are thriving. A harsh winter, but they made it through,” Dong smiled.
“Really?” Siyeon gasped, glancing up to look at the beta.
“Yes, really,” Dong smiled. “Your sister, the youngest. The pup that was born just before you were taken. She’s a spitting image of you and it makes your mother both sad and happy. Sad to be reminded of you, but happy to have another you running around,” she explained.
Siyeon couldn’t help but tear up at the thought that her baby sister was just like her. The pup was barely a few weeks old when she was taken. Happy that she was going to be okay.
“And the rest of my family?” Siyeon asked.
“All healthy. Your cousin, the one that was taken with you…” Dong watched as Siyeon nodded her head. “He was taken to another facility… Placed on a plantation… He does hard labor,” She sighed. “But he has a mate, no pups yet,” she whispered.
“But he’s okay?” The alpha frowned, watching the oracle nod her head. “Oh, good,” She sighed in relief. Her family was okay. A dark, heavy feeling could be lifted finally.
The beta smiled at the alpha, watching her physically relax. A different aura around her now.
“You’ve taken to the omega’s scent,” Dong whispered. “Just as she’s taken to yours,” She chuckled. “A little late, but it works,” she smiled. “You’ve both reached status,” she sighed. “It’s about time honestly.”
“Status?” Siyeon frowned. She had heard the word thrown around while in the palace but no one explained it to her.
“Usually reserved for omega couples that are taking the throne. But if you wish to be bound to the princess, then you would need to take to her scent and her to yours.” Dong explained. “You took to her scent the day she was being threatened by her father. She took to yours the day you scented her,” She smiled.
“How do you know all of this?” Siyeon glared.
“I’m an oracle. I know all,” Dong winked.
Minji sat on a bench near the oracle building. She watched as different staff wandered through the fields, prepping them for the new season. She saw the other alpha staff in the gardens, picking the last of the winter flowers and everything for their soaps and decorations within the palace.
Her eyes landed on the clouds that moved slowly above her in the sky. The snow had melted away, a chill still hung in the air as she sat. It wasn’t spring yet, but it was almost.
She recalled the days with her sister, running through the gardens after their classes, giggling and screaming with her. Even running with Dong before she presented and became an oracle. All three of them were inseparable before they grew up.
Who would’ve thought that Dong would’ve ranked in her place before Yoohyeon was bound? That Yoohyeon would’ve been the one to be bound and have a pup before Minji.
“Did you freeze to death?”
The alpha was standing in front of her, watching her as she rested against the building.
“I did not,” Minji smiled, opening her eyes to look at her. “How was your meeting?” She asked.
“Very good!” Siyeon smiled. “I learned a lot and I have answers for a lot of questions I’ve had,” She sighed.
Their walk back to the palace was enjoyable. Minji held onto Siyeon’s arm as they kept their slow pace, allowing themselves to enjoy each other before walking inside.
They decided to visit Yoohyeon since it had been two weeks since their pup was born. They gave them time to relax and get used to the new pup before visiting and Minji was anxious to see her sister again.
“Is it safe?” Minji whispered as she peeked inside the bedroom.
“Yes,” Bora smiled when she heard the familiar voice.
The older alpha only made small appearances in the palace, mainly to relay information to the queen or fetch the queen when Yoohyeon needed her. The younger princess had yet to step out of the room, not once making an appearance.
“Where is she?” Minji asked.
Bora pointed at the bassinet across the bed, allowing Minji to hurry over and look at the newborn pup.
“Where is your mate?” Siyeon frowned when she didn’t see her anywhere.
“She’s getting bathed while Gahyeon sleeps,” Bora whispered. “The servants promised to keep an eye on her… But we’ve… Been cautious…” she muttered.
“As you should be,” Minji whispered. “Oh look at her… Her little cheeks… oh she’s adorable..” She cooed quietly. “She smells of you Bora,” Minji chuckled.
“I scented her this morning,” The older alpha explained nervously. “I… didn’t… she didn’t smell like Yoohyeon and she was sleeping…”
“I’m not going to be upset. I think it’s cute,” Minji smiled.
Siyeon kept her distance, in case Bora didn’t want her near the pup. Minji, however, was already cooing over her, touching her little cheeks and hands, completely entranced with the pup.
“I thought I heard voices.” Yoohyeon had joined them, a tired smile on her face as she walked to her sister.
“I wanted to see you and the pup,” Minji blushed, a little embarrassed they didn’t give her more time to recover.
“It’s okay, mother visited yesterday. She was worried I hadn’t walked around enough,” Yoohyeon sighed while climbing back into the bed. “I walk into the room, I don’t want to take her out yet. It’s warm in here, and it’s not in the halls,” the younger omega frowned.
“Take your time. The fewer chances she has at being sick, the better,” Minji whispered.
The eldest looked back into the bassinet, smiling at the pup. She watched as the little baby started to wake up, making tiny faces before letting out the tiniest yawn. She could practically hear her heart shattering at how adorable it was.
“Is she waking up?” Bora asked the second she saw movement in the bassinet.
“She is, she’s looking at me,” Minji smiled. “Hello, I’m your auntie,” She cooed.
Siyeon smiled as she watched the two. She saw the little pup’s hands and watched the little fingers wrap around Minji’s finger. It did tug at her heart a bit, but not as much as it was tugging at Minji’s.
“I’m going to cry if she is this cute all the time,” Minji whispered.
“She’s my pup so she might…” Bora whispered, earning a laugh from her mate.
Their stay wasn’t long, Yoohyeon was feeling tired and Minji didn’t want to keep her up if she needed to rest. The two went to Minji’s study, and Siyeon hesitated while sitting in her spot. Minji was already sitting at her desk, scrolls unfurled and already getting to work on what she needed to do for the day.
The alpha watched the flames dance on the logs in the fireplace before looking out the window, watching whatever went on outside. She’d been at the palace for almost a year. The end of summer would mark a full year. A full year of being with the princess. Of course, some of it was locked in a room and being aggressive, but she spent a lot of time with Minji now.
She didn’t stay in one spot for long, deciding to just sit under Minji’s desk and rest on her lap. The light wasn’t too intense, it was warm and soft. Perfect for hiding. She was completely content, kneeled down in front of her, arms crossed and head rested on her arms.
Except the omega kept shifting. Shifting her legs, moving them, crossing them, uncrossing them. It agitated the alpha, wanting to be lulled into a nap, but was awakened by the omega’s movements.
She let out a small growl before escaping the desk, deciding to lay on her pillow pile before looking back at the omega.
Minji had an unreadable expression on her face, but she looked stressed. Siyeon wondered if it dealt with whatever she was working on, and she wished she could help. But she couldn’t. She didn’t know how to read or write. She barely knew how to talk and even then it was only with Minji and Bora.
By dinner, Minji had excused herself early and abruptly, causing Siyeon to be entirely confused. She didn’t move from her spot under the table, a new habit she developed. She didn’t kneel next to Minji. She would hide under the table or desk or somewhere she could stay that didn’t allow her to be seen.
“Siyeon?” The alpha froze at the sound of the queen’s voice. She didn’t dare move, hesitating slightly before she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the stone. “Dear, why don’t you come here.”
Siyeon turned, seeing the queen peeking under the table.
She listened, finding the queen’s side, and knelt next to her. She was right between the king and queen now, feeling incredibly terrified at her own position.
“Did you eat?” The queen asked.
“No, your majesty,” Siyeon whispered.
“Minji didn’t feed you?” The king frowned.
“She didn’t eat her own food,” The queen muttered.
The alpha kept her eyes trained on the floor, feeling a little antsy the longer she stayed there. She had never been left alone with the monarchs before and didn’t know what to do. Minji was lax with her training and Bora never told her what to do.
They continued talking, conversing before the queen held out a small piece of bread for Siyeon to take. She took it gently, still confused and terrified. Her heart was racing and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do.
Once the bread was gone, she shuffled under the table, trying her best to hide from the prying eyes. She didn’t like this. Minji was gone and she didn’t take her with her.
“Where did she go?” The king frowned.
“Siyeon?” The queen called out.
It sounded similar to Minji, the queen reminded her so much of Minji. And her body reacted out of normalcy.
The alpha moved quickly and carefully, peeking under the table, and right in front of the queen. The tablecloth hung over her head, causing the queen to stifle a laugh.
“Oh my, I see why Minji adores you now,” she smiled before placing a hand on her cheek.
“What is she doing there?” The king frowned.
“Oh calm yourself,” the queen scoffed. “She’s harmless now,” she whispered before feeling the alpha nuzzle into her hand. “You’re like this with her… aren’t you?” She asked.
“Yes…” Siyeon whispered.
The queen allowed Siyeon to stay where she was, letting her rest just as she would with Minji during their dinner. Siyeon felt entirely content after that. She caught the queen’s scent for the first time, smelling the lavender scent that relaxed her almost immediately.
She didn’t care about the conversation going on above her. She was getting the same treatment as the queen just as Minji would. The queen mimicked everything almost the same, the fingers threading through her hair, the small scalp scratches… the only thing that was different was the scent.
The queen took Siyeon with her to one of the smaller libraries, enjoying the grumbling of her husband as she sat on the couch. Siyeon was draped over the couch with her, head resting on a pillow on the queen’s lap, getting more head scratches while she paged through a poetry book.
“This is ridiculous,” the king scoffed.
“Oh, really?” The queen smiled. “I see why Minji adores her very much,” She chuckled before trailing her hand lower, her nails gently grazing Siyeon’s back, watching her stretch out and relax completely. “I might want to get an alpha for myself at this rate, just for these moments,” the queen smirked before hearing a baffled scoff from her husband.
By the time Siyeon was allowed to go back to the princess’ room, she was tired, but not terrified of the queen anymore. She made the connection as to how Minji was brought up, acting as such, everything was all from the queen. It made it more comfortable and now she was ready to go to sleep.
She pushed the door open, stepped inside, and frowned. She was hit with an overwhelming scent, causing her to snap awake. Not that it was a foul smell, honestly, she liked it a lot. She saw the omega laying in the bed, a thin nightgown over her with no blankets.
“Get out,” Minji whimpered. “You need to leave,” she turned away from the alpha, curling into herself as she held her stomach.
“But why?” Siyeon frowned as she stepped closer. She couldn’t help but feel a rejected feeling at her words, not wanting to be rejected again. Everything was going well, why did she reject her so suddenly?
The princess let out a growl, turning to face the alpha before catching the scent. Almost immediately she calmed down, frowning.
“Why do you… smell like that?” She whispered. “Did my mother scent you?” She asked.
“I think so,” Siyeon shrugged. “Why did you tell me to leave?” She frowned. “Did.. is that why you left me at dinner?” She whispered.
“No…” Minji frowned while sitting up. She didn’t smell the usual alpha scent on her, only her mother’s lavender scent. “I should’ve waited to see the pup… I triggered a heat…” She sighed. “Pup-induced…” She muttered.
“Oh… you were pretty close,” Siyeon chuckled.
“How could I not be?” Minji laughed quietly. “Mother must’ve known… and scented you so I wouldn’t react to you,” she sighed.
“Oh…” Siyeon’s smile faded, frowning at the thought of the queen just keeping her nearby to scent her instead of actually liking her. “I… that makes sense…” she mumbled.
“Was she nice?” Minji asked.
“Yes… she treated me like you would… and after dinner it was very nice as well,” Siyeon sighed. Minji tilted her head, frowning at the thought of after dinner. “She took me to another place. The king wasn’t happy at all. She let me on the couch and let me rest on her and said that she would get her own alpha just for those moments,” Siyeon repeated quietly.
“Oh, she really likes you then,” Minji chuckled. “She loves to rile my father up like that. Expect her to do it more often now that you enjoyed her company,” she smiled. “And since you don’t have your usual scent… we can stay in the same room tonight. It should all go away by morning so I won’t jump you,” the princess chuckled.
Siyeon smiled, happy that she was able to stay. Happy she could sleep in the same bed as Minji for the night.