4's Company

by Eve Vaughn

  Trina wondered how something that had started out so right could have turned out this way. It wasn’t that she’d left anyone special back at home. She’d been taking care of herself since the age of seventeen, had no attachments, and had quit her job before traveling to Chimera, but still, she’d given up everything she was familiar with to come here.

  “I hope you’re not suggesting that you want to leave us because we won’t let you go.”

  She looked up into his aqua eyes. Even though her heart ached right now, her love for Bayoh and the others still burned. “Didn’t you say I could be banished for what I’ve done?”

  “You could be, if we wish it. Some of our people may call for it, but it’s not something we can’t handle.”

  Trina didn’t know what to say to that. In one breath Bayoh spoke of banishment, yet in another he talked of not letting her go. It was no wonder she was in a state of confusion. She turned away.

  “Trina, please try to understand our point of view.”

  What exactly was there to say? What it all boiled down to was that she was failing miserably in her role as the Alpha fem and had to toe the line. She stretched out on the bed, shutting her eyes against the light and him. Lying still, she waited until she heard him leave to move again.

  The more she thought about it, the more something didn’t feel right. Why had Reyo kept quiet? He didn’t seem like the type to allow someone to decide his fate, yet he’d let Roar, Bayoh, and Talh rip into her and him. If she did nothing else, Trina planned to get to the bottom of this.

  * * *

  Roar was only seconds away from tearing a chunk from Reyo’s hide. The dark-haired warrior stared back at Talh and him with a knowing smirk on his face. “What’s there to tell, Alphas? You saw with your own eyes what was going on.”

  Roar didn’t want to believe him, but why had he been holding Trina? Why else would she be alone with him in his hut? Instinct told him that Trina wouldn’t do this to them, but her behavior of the past month coupled with what they’d walked in on left him unsure.

  “Reyo, do you understand that you could be put to death for what you’ve done? She’s the Alpha fem. You’re just a citizen of this village,” Talh said quietly.

  Roar recognized that voice and realized his companion was close to his breaking point. Reyo obviously didn’t because he continued on arrogantly. “Doesn’t my status as a warrior put me above being a mere citizen? It did before.” He tossed his long dark hair over his shoulder with a smirk.

  Talh shook his head. “Correction. You were a warrior. Now I don’t want you serving beneath me. I need to be able to trust my men. Time and time again you’ve let me down, but this is the final straw.”

  The smirk fell from Reyo’s lips to be replaced by a look of astonishment. “You can’t be serious!”

  Talh marched over to him, standing nose to nose with the defiant man. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. You’d like to think that being a warrior places you above our laws, but it doesn’t. How soon you forget that you were spared from the same fate as the rest of your Triad. The three of you challenged us, tried to raise the people against us and gave me this scar, yet I defended your right to stay among us because you claimed the other two were responsible. Something we couldn’t refute with them dead. It was our good grace that saved you from death.” Talh paused, his eyes raking the trembling Reyo from head to toe before continuing.

  “You must have also forgotten how you pleaded so eloquently for your life. Did you not pledge loyalty to us? Reaffirmed yourself in front of the entire village? Yet now you stand here in front of us with no contrition for what you’ve done.”

  “Am I to be condemned without a hearing?” Reyo asked.

  “You’ve been given a chance to explain,” Roar said, growing tired of this back and forth.

  “No. You only assumed that I’ve done wrong, but I see I… I must tell you the truth.”

  “That would be nice.” Roar’s fists itched to slam into Reyo’s face. He’d never liked him or the rest of Reyo’s Triad when they were alive. It had been Talh’s decision to spare the man’s life, and it was one Roar was sure the redhead now regretted.

  “Please, Alphas, may I speak freely?”

  Roar nodded, knowing that if he spoke he’d end up saying something he shouldn’t. He wondered where this contrition in Reyo suddenly came from. Reyo was about to speak when the door opened. Bayoh entered, a wary look on his face.

  “How is Trina? Did she say anything?” Talh asked.

  “We’ll speak of it when we’re alone. How do you two fare in here?”

  Roar crossed his arms. “Reyo was about to tell us something.”

  Bayoh walked further into the hut. “Well, it seems like I’ve come at just the right time.” He turned to Reyo, one dark brow raised. “So what were you going to say?”

  Reyo bowed his head almost in a sign of defeat. “Forgive me, Alphas, for what I’m about to say, but I was only trying to protect her.”

  “Protect who?” Roar asked, the blood pounding in his ears.

  “I feel like such a traitor for saying this.” Reyo’s eyes darted between the three of them but not quite meeting anyone’s eyes. “Trina and I have formed a friendship. As I’m sure most of you have noticed, she hasn’t really fit in with the rest of our tribe. I don’t know why she singled me out, but she sought my advice. I only tried to be an ear for her to talk to and she asked me how to go about winning over the people. I explained to her that she’d need to make friends and show everyone she was receptive to their ways. I don’t think it sat well with her. I sensed a lot of anger in her. She told me they would have to accept her because she was the Alpha fem.” Reyo paused to clear his throat before continuing.

  “I tried to tell her she was the newcomer, not the other way around. I don’t want to speak against her because I honestly believe she’s not a bad person, but I think she finds us beneath her. When you came upon us, we were simply hugging because… forgive me, Alphas, but she was upset because I wouldn’t fuck her. When she started to cry, I felt sorry for her. It was only a hug of comfort, I swear. Please don’t be angry with her. I don’t think she knows any better. She’s confessed to me that she hasn’t been receiving the attention she feels she deserves from the three of you.” Reyo dropped to his knees, stretching his arms out in front of him in a reverent bow to show his submission to them.

  Roar stood frozen, not knowing how to respond to this so-called truth. He wanted to deny that Trina would do these things, but it almost seemed to fit with the strange way she’d been acting. He turned to his companions who had the same stunned expressions on their faces.

  “I think it would be best if we discussed this matter elsewhere,” Talh said. He turned to Reyo. “As for you, we’ll discuss your fate later. Roar, Bayoh, let’s go,” the redhead commanded, not waiting to see if they followed or not.

  Roar turned to the other two Triad members when they were outside. “Did you believe him?”

  Bayoh frowned, rubbing his chin. “Something doesn’t ring true with his words, but there’s something Trina said that makes me think he may be telling the truth after all.”

  “What did she say?” Talh asked.

  “She made it a point to say that she was the Alpha fem and the people had to listen to her, or something to that effect. It sounded very arrogant on her part. I can’t help but think there’s some deeper issue here though. How can one person change so drastically?”

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Roar vowed.

  * * *

  Nika walked into Reyo’s hut unannounced. She knew he’d be here; she in fact had watched the Alpha Triad leave minutes earlier. Reyo lay naked on his fur-covered bed, his arm flung over his forehead, his eyes wide open. He didn’t bother to look her way although she knew he was aware of her presence. She slowly undressed and climbed onto the bed. Sidling next to him, she grasped his cock in her hand and lowered her mouth over it. Reyo’s shaft was long enough,
she supposed, but it didn’t have the thickness of any member of the Alpha Triad. It would do for now though.

  Nika figured she wouldn’t have to fuck him much longer before his usefulness ran out. Her head bobbed up and down over his cock. She closed her eyes, imagining it belonged to one of the men who should have been hers.

  Reyo grabbed her head and thrust his hips up, driving his cock down her throat. She gagged, but forced herself to continue. He bucked against her mouth relentlessly, making her throat ache. Tears stung her eyes yet she still couldn’t stop. She needed his complete allegiance.

  He had no finesse whatsoever and she wished he would hurry up. He grunted, shooting his cum into her mouth. It tasted horrible, more so than usual, as if his diet consisted of nothing but rancid meat. She made herself swallow every drop before finally raising her head.

  Nika plastered a smile on her face. “Mmm, I love doing that to you,” she lied.

  He smiled. “Give me some time, woman, and I’ll use this rod to fuck that sweet pussy of yours.”

  “I can’t wait.” For this to end. “So,” she said to change the subject, “is everything going according to plan?”

  “Yes. I have poor Trina so confused she doesn’t know which way to turn. I’ve given her bad advice like you said I should, and I’ve dropped hints about not bothering her mates unless she wanted to look incompetent. She hasn’t. As a matter of fact, the Alphas now believe she’s betrayed them. I told them she wanted me to fuck her.”

  Nika threw her head back and laughed. “Nice touch.”

  “Just as you said they would, our people hate her.”

  “They do, don’t they? Of course I made sure to tell a few tales about her,” she said with satisfaction. She wasn’t about to let some human bitch stand in the way of what was hers.

  “We’ll drive that human off of our land just like we did the other one. You will, of course, honor your pledge to me, won’t you? You’ll remain unmated so we can continue our tryst. After all, I could lose much from our little deception. Besides, had Hehl and Megah survived, you’d be our mate anyway.”

  She placed a finger over his lips, not really to silence him, but to keep herself from needlessly lying. What kind of fool did he take her for? Once Trina was gone, she’d cast Reyo aside and then she’d be the Alpha fem as she was always meant to be.

  Chapter Six

  Trina felt an impending sense of doom, almost like a criminal waiting to be sentenced. But she’d done all that she was supposed to do, or at least what Reyo had said she should. Reyo. Surely he would clear things up. It was odd how she’d drawn close to him, especially when it was difficult for her to trust in the first place, but it was so easy when that person was the only friendly face among a bunch of hostile eyes.

  She paced the floor, wondering what was happening. What was taking the men so long? She normally wasn’t the type to wait around and let someone else decide her fate, but where else could she go? It was clear she’d no longer be allowed to associate with her only friend in the village. Now what?

  Her head shot up when the door of her hut flew open. She turned to her mates expectantly. Trina thought they would have calmed down by now, but instead they seemed just as angry as they had before. The scary part wasn’t their stormy faces, but the fact that none of them said a word.

  “Did Reyo clear things up? Did he tell you what happened?” she asked, hating herself for sounding so weak.

  They still didn’t speak. “What’s going on? Why won’t you talk to me?”

  It was Talh who finally stepped forward, a pinched look on his face. “Have a seat, Trina.” The way he said it had alarm signals going off in her head.

  “I think I’d rather stand. I don’t know why you look so angry, but I would think after talking to Reyo things would be settled.”

  “Is this the first time you’ve visited his hut?”

  “Yes. I’ve met with him several times by the lake, but today was the first day I actually went inside his home. I haven’t tried to hide it. I don’t understand what the big deal is.”

  “And as I’ve said earlier, it’s against our customs for a mated female to be alone in an unmated male’s home. Your commentary isn’t needed now. We’ll ask the questions.” Bayoh snapped the last part of his sentence, making her gasp.

  She was too stunned to reply. Was this truly happening?

  “Is it true that you’ve asked him for advice on the ways of our people?” Bayoh continued his questioning.

  Were they so angry because her asking showed weakness? Reyo had told her it would be looked upon as that. He’d also told her he’d keep her secret safe. She supposed under the threat of death, she couldn’t exactly blame him.

  “Yes, I did seek his advice.”

  Bayoh’s lips tightened. “What did you think of the advice he gave?”

  “I thought it was stupid, if we’re being honest here. I’m not trying to knock your people’s customs, but as Alpha fem, must I really act like that? I don’t understand how someone in a leadership position can act like that if they want people to look up to them.”

  “It would behoove you not to mock our customs. Reyo did say you took issue with what he told you,” Talh said more to himself than to her. He looked disappointed. She knew with a certainty that she’d failed them.

  “Did you also seek comfort with him?” Bayoh asked.

  Trina pursed her lips. She knew exactly what he meant and she was mad as hell that they’d even think she could do that to them.

  “Trina.” Roar said her name with a warning note.

  “Roar,” she mocked.

  “We’re trying to get your side of the story. You’re not making this any easier.”

  “What do you want me to say? That I’ve been fucking Reyo? That the comfort I sought was of the sexual nature? Fine. I did. I betrayed you. Now, can you send me home?” She threw her arms up in the air in defeat.

  She knew very well that she could protest her innocence until she was blue in the face, but the fact that they believed she could betray them hurt her more than any wrong ever done to her. They looked at her as if trying to figure out whether she spoke the truth, but at this point, Trina couldn’t have cared less. Screw them.

  “If you’re joking, it’s in poor taste. You do realize the penalty for breaking trust with your Triad?” Roar asked.

  “Breaking trust? Me breaking trust? I guess I was just following the Alpha Triad’s example because you broke trust with me first. The three of you have been so busy with your duties that you forgot your duties to me. You leave me alone for most of the day. I only see you when we talk at meals or at night. You’ve left me to flounder on my own and you wonder why I feel the way I do? I’ve broken trust with you? If that’s what you want to call it then go ahead. Whatever penalty I must face, it can’t be worse than this hell I’ve already suffered.”

  She didn’t want to cry anymore, but she couldn’t help herself. She angrily wiped away a tear. Why hadn’t she just left Chimera when she’d spotted these three? Then she wouldn’t have experienced this piercing pain in her heart.

  “I see,” was all Roar could say.

  “Do you? Do you really see? So what’s going to happen to me now? Will you let me go?” she asked, feeling numb.

  “Surely you must know that we could never do that. No, letting you go would be too difficult.”

  She snorted. “So I guess it’s true then.”

  “What’s true?” Bayoh asked, scratching his head.

  “It’s true you’ll lose your Alpha status if I’m sent away.”

  Roar walked over to her, stopping short when she glared at him. “I suppose this was also something Reyo told you.”

  “I couldn’t have heard it from someone else, could I?”

  “It’s true that once a Triad has chosen their mate, we can’t choose again. That is, unless another unmated female chooses us.”

  Trina didn’t know about that part. She saw the way some of the women looked at her m
ates when they walked by. Any number of them would probably be happy to take her place. As much as she loved all three of them, Trina realized she could never truly fit in their world. Not as things stood now.

  They deserved someone who wouldn’t make a mess of things. Someone who knew their customs. Someone other than her. She’d given her heart and because of it, she’d left herself open to hurt. There was only one thing left to do. “Knowing that I’ve betrayed you, what will you do to me?” All the fight had left her. It was hard to fight when you kept getting knocked down.

  “That’s something we’ll have to think about. In the meantime, we ask that you don’t leave the hut. When we’re not here guards will be posted outside to ensure you don’t leave. We’ll send someone to help you with the upkeep of the place and with meals,” Roar said almost emotionlessly.

  Her humiliation was now complete. They would hold her prisoner here. She walked over to the bed and plopped down, trying desperately to think. She stiffened when the bed dipped on either side of her. Oh, hell no. Surely they didn’t expect to have sex with her after punishing her like some errant child.

  Hands fell on her body, rubbing her shoulders and back, but she remained still, willing herself not to respond to their touch. She kept her head bowed, taking the route of passive resistance when the ties of her top were undone. They pushed her back on the bed and to her surprise flipped Trina on her stomach. Still she lay there unmoving even though it was becoming harder not to respond.

  Hands were everywhere, her back, neck, legs, and ass. When one of the men pulled her legs apart and rubbed her suddenly moist slit, Trina bit her lip to stifle a moan. No. She couldn’t let them do this to her, but already her traitorous body began to warm up.

  A large palm cupped and squeezed her ass cheek, massaging the tender flesh until she couldn’t help but cry out. “Please, don’t do this,” she whispered.

  “We must. You have no idea the effect you have on us. Don’t you think we hurt too -- want to find the answers you seek to deny us?” Roar groaned, leaning over to brush the side of her neck with his lips.