Fighting beta, p.4
Fighting Beta, page 4
She made a face. “Fine. But whoever spoons me is going to have to deal with the hair.”
She left Feng’s lap and scrambled to get under the blanket with her head on the pillow roll, and the blanket pulled over her shoulder.
The guys all discussed things and made calls. She fell asleep, remembering that she should have showered before going to bed.
She felt hands moving over her and couldn’t see who they belonged to. Her breasts were lifted and teased, her sex stroked until fingers moved easily, and then a low voice murmured, “Do you consent, mate?”
She nodded, and one of her mates pressed into her. Feng. The ridges and scales gave it away.
She held onto him and rocked slowly with him. He held her around the waist and kissed her jaw as he moved into her. She gripped his wrists as he slowly moved against her, gasping and moaning softly, aware of the other two people in the room.
She knew she hadn’t been quiet enough when Benjiro kissed her and caught her flexing hands when Feng shifted his hands.
Her sighs and moans were caught by one mate while the other slowly brought her higher and higher until she shrieked when the knot wedged inside her. Fire spilled through her and caused a deep shudder inside that made her hands flex and body shake.
“There’s my mate. Just a few thousand more like that, and I will have made up for the first time.”
She was going to snap back, but Benjiro kissed her again. It was only a few minutes until Feng’s knot released her, and he removed himself. She twisted away from one mate and kissed the other.
She felt lips next to her ear. “You sore?”
She broke the kiss with Feng. “If that is what counts as foreplay, you need to try harder.”
He chuckled and rolled her to her back, diving beneath the covers. She felt his mouth on her breasts, drawing hard on her nipples. She covered her mouth to stifle the moans that started the moment he started to play. When he got down between her thighs, she bit her hand as pleasure peaked sharply. She thought he was going to give her a break, but he started again, and between his tongue and fingers, she came two minutes later.
Feng growled and took her hand from her mouth as she sobbed. He blew a stream of fire across her bite and kissed her while Benjiro rose out of the blankets and spooned her. Feng released her, and she leaned back into the thunder beast.
Olly sighed and relaxed against her alpha. Benjiro murmured in her ear, “We won’t always all share a bed, but you can always choose your partner for the evening. Just make sure it’s me.”
Feng snorted. “Sneaky bastard.”
Olly giggled and yawned as she slipped back into sleep. She definitely needed a shower in the morning.
Chapter Four
Olly smiled as Feng asked, “Why do you wear traditional clothing?”
Minoru smiled. “Because I spent half my childhood in Japan, my grandmother’s home was always traditional, and I find it soothing to come home to the trappings of my youth.”
Benjiro smiled. “I do it as well.”
Feng snorted. “Of course, you would.”
Olly perked up. “Why of course?”
Benjiro grinned. “You will see.”
Taio smiled. “I looked up some of your competitions. No one even came near you, and then you retired. Why?”
“My family concerns here needed me.” He looked at Olly. “I am very glad that I was here now.”
Olly frowned. “What did you do?”
He sipped tea, and Minoru covered his mouth with his hand. Polly was still staring at Olly’s physical transformation.
Olly poked Benjiro in the arm. “What was it?”
Polly interrupted as Olly was about to get really annoying. “Olly, when was your last doctor’s appointment?”
“The pregnancy test.”
“You had a physical?” Polly had a hopeful expression.
Olly snorted. “No. I went to a clinic, got a blood test, and they gave me the report.”
Feng frowned. “When was your last full physical?”
“Well, I have been away from the arena for over a year, so... seven years ago?” She nibbled at a biscuit.
The room froze.
She looked around. “What? Aside from a few bruises, head injuries, and dislocations, I am healthy as an ox.”
Minoru winced. “Right. Why do you have a different last name than Polly did?”
“Oh, because she used to call me a pain in the ass, so I thought Thorn was appropriate.”
Polly smiled.
Feng scowled. “So, not even a blood pressure test. Nothing?”
“No. Why?”
Polly said, “You are going to need a full prenatal scan. You aren’t going to like it.”
“I don’t want it then.” Olly frowned.
Feng sighed. “I will ask my cousin where his omega goes.”
“Oh, omega places won’t see me.” Olly nodded. “I found that out the first time I went into heat.”
Minoru nodded. “Polly has a doctor. I will give you the information. It is at the Mckenna Centre.”
Polly smiled. “The doctors are alphas, so they give out treats.”
Olly blinked. “Treats?”
Minoru flipped through his phone, and Benjiro’s phone chirped. Feng’s chirped a moment later.
Olly muttered, “I can just find a regular clinic.”
She remembered how much the bloodwork had cost and tried to work out how much it would cost for a full workup.
She saw Polly looking, and her sister leaned forward and whispered to her for a moment. When she sat back, Olly asked, “Why?”
“Because once they mark you, most of what a doctor will need to see is due to them.”
Minoru paused, frowned, and then nodded. “She isn’t wrong.”
Benjiro frowned. “What is her concern?”
Polly shrugged. “Who will bear the cost of the medical treatment? Betas don’t make as much as alphas, no matter how good they are at fighting unless they are paired with an alpha.”
Taio nodded. “Even then, it is around eighty percent if you win a lot.”
“Forty percent if you are a female. Plus, I have been living off my savings for a while.”
Polly smiled. “I have a bit saved if you need it. I did some modelling for a tea shop, and the campaign was well received.”
Olly blinked. “Wow. Even with the mark on your back?”
“Yeah. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
Polly brought something up on her phone and handed it over. “Oh, wow. This is pretty.”
“The photographer did most of the work.”
Benjiro looked over her shoulder. “Is that one of the kimonos from my collection?”
Minoru grinned. “Figures that is what you were looking at. Yes, it was.”
Polly smiled. “It is a lovely one.”
“Well, Loki asked politely, and my household drinks a lot of tea.”
Minoru laughed.
Benjiro smiled and got to his feet. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Olly felt the strangest thing. Benjiro was talking to Feng through her. Feng replied, and the other alpha left the room. “Oh, that was weird.”
Feng stroked her neck and his mark before he turned her face for a kiss. Coolness and warmth spilled through her. A short blast of a horn made her jerk. Minoru sighed and got up, walking to the front door.
Olly snagged another biscuit. “What do you think that is?”
“Caber, Melbourne, and Jess. They got an early start.” Polly smiled.
Olly tried to stand, but Feng held her. “Wait. Finish your biscuit. You didn’t eat nearly enough.”
“I am not in training, Feng.”
Taio chuckled. “You sort of are.”
Olly frowned and then covered her abdomen. “Oh, right. Forgot about that.”
Voices approached, and Nari came in with a grin and a full tray of baked goods and herbal teas.
Nari grinned. “More visitors in two weeks than in the previous three years. This is fun.”
Jess and her centaurs came in, and Olly stood and was hugged as her change in pigment was admired.
Olly introduced Feng and Taio, and Benjiro when he walked in.
Jess was fed, and then Olly and Polly took her for a walk to the lake while the alphas talked about whatever they liked.
Jess couldn’t get over the change in Olly, “Okay, so how the hell did that happen?”
“My body decided that it needed more than Feng’s dragon, so I grew another mark on my back.”
“Anymore morning sickness?”
Olly shook her head. “I was fine this morning.”
Jess’s smile was knowing. “I see. Oh, speaking of, can I see your back?”
They were near the bridge, so she loosened her robe and slipped it to her waist.
Polly gasped. “Wow. That is so much detail. Storm clouds and a dragon. Lovely.”
Jess chuckled. “If I was sporting that, Caber would paddle my butt.”
Olly slid her robe up over her shoulders. “Considering what this one means, yeah, I think it would be deserved.”
Jess smiled as Olly tied her robe. “We brought your bike.”
“Yay!”
“We gave Benjiro the keys.”
“Boo!” Olly snorted.
Jess chuckled. “Once we had settled in, the guys hid my keys. Thankfully, Thea didn’t mind being my transport until they trusted my driving. It was a chance for girl time.”
Polly blinked. “How long did that take?”
“Um, six weeks?”
“Oy.”
Jess looked at Olly. “Do you have any questions about multiple mates?”
“Do they always sneak up on you at night?”
Jess frowned and then grinned. “Yes. And in the daytime and when they are bored. Do they both sleep with you?”
Olly nodded. “They said that there would be other rooms available, but no one said where.”
Polly smiled. “Benjiro’s place. It is twenty minutes away from here. He has offered you a driver, an allowance, and a new wardrobe.”
“Offered?”
“Well, Minoru is your brother, so he has the ability to act as head of the house with my consent. I consented on your behalf.” Polly grinned.
“Wow. You look so innocent.” Olly sighed. “Pimping your sister out to alphas.”
“I am handing my job over. I needed a new hobby.” Polly smirked.
Jess asked, “Who is the beta?”
“Taio. He’s Feng’s... apprentice? They say they aren’t lovers.” She shrugged.
Polly smiled. “Do you care?”
“No. It might give me a break.” She smiled and tilted her head. “I can feel that Feng’s beast isn’t going to wait much longer. A distraction would be good.”
Polly blushed. “Oh, yeah. Right. Forgot about that.”
Jess grinned. “Not an issue. I am not fucking horses, and we got that out of the way right off the bat.”
Olly blinked. “You can tell them when you don’t like something?”
Polly stared. “Of course.”
Footfalls made her turn to a gaggle of alphas. “Polly, is it a gaggle of alphas? What is the term for a group?”
Jess opened and closed her mouth then said, “A bully. A bully of alphas.”
Polly smiled. “I think it’s a parade.”
“Oh, that’s good, too.”
“A stride.” Olly smiled. “That sounds right.”
Feng smiled. “We have an appointment to meet my grandmother later this afternoon. We wanted for you to get an appropriate wardrobe before the meeting.”
Olly froze. “Uh, what kind of wardrobe?”
“Some suits, dresses, high-heeled shoes.”
“Oh. That’s not going to turn out well.”
Polly shook her head. “It really isn’t. She doesn’t do well in heels?”
Minoru frowned. “You are fine with them.”
“When was the last time I won an MMA fight, dumbass? We are not the same person.”
He picked her up and brought her nose to his. “Fair point.”
She kissed him quickly.
Olly smiled, and Feng pulled her up against him. “Okay, shorty. Go get dressed. We will see what we can find.”
“Uh, I just have jeans, and half of them need to be washed.” She frowned. “Maybe all of them.”
Polly smiled. “Nari did your laundry yesterday.”
Olly flipped her off.
“Come on, shorty. We will get you dressed, and then we can go to a seamstress that my family frequents.” He tugged her hand.
She groaned. “Fine, but you are going to be very disappointed in my clothing choices. The only thing I have focused on is my workout uniform.”
Polly whined, and Jess laughed. “Just got your sister back, and they are taking her away?”
Polly nodded. “Yeah. Years apart, and now she going again.”
Olly sighed. “Dude, I am going to get girly clothes. You should be happy.” She walked to the front of the house with Feng. “Hang on. I need to get changed.”
He looked at her, then looked to Benjiro. “Can she go out like that?”
“Sure. As long as we can stop at a shop that I like.”
“What? This?” The cotton kimono was weirdly formal, and her hair was still in the thick braid.
Feng nodded. “It will make the aunties extra eager to get you into something else. Delun has his omega dressed by the Russians. If they agree, you will be dressed by our people.”
Benjiro smiled. “And mine. Mine will not care that you are a beta either.”
Feng frowned. “Will that matter?”
“Ask them. We can go to my people first. They are waiting.”
Olly rolled her eyes. “Of course they are. Let me get my phone.”
Feng pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Just this. No wallet.”
“Why not? Are you planning to time how fast I can run or something?”
He tapped her nose. “Consider this a test to see how much you trust your alphas.”
“Oh geez. I hate tests. It was almost a relief to leave school.”
A large SUV pulled up, and they loaded her into it. Taio was grinning at her expression. She made a face.
When they were on their way, and she was mashed between Feng and Benjiro, she asked, “So, why do I need fancy clothing?”
Feng shrugged. “I would like to kiss you on the winner’s podium. And in front of the cameras and in that dark hallway next to the change room. And in the change room.”
She rolled her eyes. “You want to show me off.”
“Yes.”
“Benjiro?”
“Same premise. I want you next to me when there is a winner from our stable. I would like to go shopping with you for baby stuff.”
She looked down. “This would be kinder as maternity wear.”
Benjiro chuckled.
Feng smiled. “Let’s see what the aunties can come up with.”
“Right, but jeans and tees the rest of the time, right?” They were quiet. “Right?”
Taio smiled. “Looks like you are going to be stuck as a pretty beta.”
“Fuck off and die, Taio.” She folded her arms across her chest.
He cackled, and she sulked in her borrowed geta all the way to downtown. Well, at least, no one would recognize her.
The shop was pretty and quiet, but when she lifted her head, the owner and staff went dead silent. “Miss Polly?”
She was startled into a grin. “No, I am her twin, Olly Thorn.”
There was a clatter from the back room, and a young man came out, and his eyes were wide. “Olly Thorn? You have been missing for two years.”
“I wasn’t missing. I had to leave.” She smiled. “You watch the fights?”
“Yeah. You were great. What happened to your hair, and are those contacts?” The young man drifted toward her.
Taio stopped him from making contact as he reached for her hair. “No touching, please.”
The young man looked at Taio, then Feng, and finally Benjiro, and if Olly wasn’t mistaken, she thought he might have just orgasmed on the spot.
She looked to Benjiro. “Okay. What the hell sport do you play? Did you play? If he looks at you the way he looks at Feng, it has to be combat.”
He sighed, picked her up, and kissed her until she clung to him. He set her on her feet and spoke in rapid Japanese to the proprietor, who opened design books that included a lot of mid-thigh jackets. She liked the jackets.
Finally, he was asked for the pattern he wanted to be dyed and embroidered into the clothing. Benjiro looked at her. She caught on. “Oh, right. Is there a place I can take the robe off without flashing the room?”
She was led to a change room, and she opened the robe and worked it down to the top of her hips. She brushed her braid over her shoulder and said, “Um, okay, I guess.”
Benjiro gasped, and then the proprietor did the same. She asked her alpha, “Why are you surprised?”
“It’s moving.”
“Of course, it is. There goes my plan to pass it off as a tattoo.”
She heard the phone clicking several times. When he told her he had it, she tried to struggle into the robe, but she had pulled it too far down and had to undo it completely to tie it up.
She heard a click, turned, and saw the dark brown eye of the super-fan. “Hey. I don’t really want this out to the public yet.”
“Your fans deserve to know.”
“My fans? All three of them?”
“No, there are online forums devoted to analyzing your bouts and wondering where you went. I found you. Do you know how much cred I am getting for this?”
She closed everything and turned toward him. “Wouldn’t you rather have an actual photo with me instead of the cheap shot of a private moment?”
“I don’t want to be online.”
She sighed and deliberately didn’t smack him.
Taio said, “What about her and her alphas?”
It was agreed, and they posed for a family portrait with Taio next to them. The nerd took the picture, and then his grandfather gave him hell. Their phones started going off immediately, and they had to turn the notifications on silent until they finished their business.
She was measured, and Benjiro spoke to the shopkeeper and flipped through the design book while speaking in rapid Japanese. When he finished, he smiled. “You are racing the Zhang family. Whoever gets something ready first gets to clothe Olly.”
She left Feng’s lap and scrambled to get under the blanket with her head on the pillow roll, and the blanket pulled over her shoulder.
The guys all discussed things and made calls. She fell asleep, remembering that she should have showered before going to bed.
She felt hands moving over her and couldn’t see who they belonged to. Her breasts were lifted and teased, her sex stroked until fingers moved easily, and then a low voice murmured, “Do you consent, mate?”
She nodded, and one of her mates pressed into her. Feng. The ridges and scales gave it away.
She held onto him and rocked slowly with him. He held her around the waist and kissed her jaw as he moved into her. She gripped his wrists as he slowly moved against her, gasping and moaning softly, aware of the other two people in the room.
She knew she hadn’t been quiet enough when Benjiro kissed her and caught her flexing hands when Feng shifted his hands.
Her sighs and moans were caught by one mate while the other slowly brought her higher and higher until she shrieked when the knot wedged inside her. Fire spilled through her and caused a deep shudder inside that made her hands flex and body shake.
“There’s my mate. Just a few thousand more like that, and I will have made up for the first time.”
She was going to snap back, but Benjiro kissed her again. It was only a few minutes until Feng’s knot released her, and he removed himself. She twisted away from one mate and kissed the other.
She felt lips next to her ear. “You sore?”
She broke the kiss with Feng. “If that is what counts as foreplay, you need to try harder.”
He chuckled and rolled her to her back, diving beneath the covers. She felt his mouth on her breasts, drawing hard on her nipples. She covered her mouth to stifle the moans that started the moment he started to play. When he got down between her thighs, she bit her hand as pleasure peaked sharply. She thought he was going to give her a break, but he started again, and between his tongue and fingers, she came two minutes later.
Feng growled and took her hand from her mouth as she sobbed. He blew a stream of fire across her bite and kissed her while Benjiro rose out of the blankets and spooned her. Feng released her, and she leaned back into the thunder beast.
Olly sighed and relaxed against her alpha. Benjiro murmured in her ear, “We won’t always all share a bed, but you can always choose your partner for the evening. Just make sure it’s me.”
Feng snorted. “Sneaky bastard.”
Olly giggled and yawned as she slipped back into sleep. She definitely needed a shower in the morning.
Chapter Four
Olly smiled as Feng asked, “Why do you wear traditional clothing?”
Minoru smiled. “Because I spent half my childhood in Japan, my grandmother’s home was always traditional, and I find it soothing to come home to the trappings of my youth.”
Benjiro smiled. “I do it as well.”
Feng snorted. “Of course, you would.”
Olly perked up. “Why of course?”
Benjiro grinned. “You will see.”
Taio smiled. “I looked up some of your competitions. No one even came near you, and then you retired. Why?”
“My family concerns here needed me.” He looked at Olly. “I am very glad that I was here now.”
Olly frowned. “What did you do?”
He sipped tea, and Minoru covered his mouth with his hand. Polly was still staring at Olly’s physical transformation.
Olly poked Benjiro in the arm. “What was it?”
Polly interrupted as Olly was about to get really annoying. “Olly, when was your last doctor’s appointment?”
“The pregnancy test.”
“You had a physical?” Polly had a hopeful expression.
Olly snorted. “No. I went to a clinic, got a blood test, and they gave me the report.”
Feng frowned. “When was your last full physical?”
“Well, I have been away from the arena for over a year, so... seven years ago?” She nibbled at a biscuit.
The room froze.
She looked around. “What? Aside from a few bruises, head injuries, and dislocations, I am healthy as an ox.”
Minoru winced. “Right. Why do you have a different last name than Polly did?”
“Oh, because she used to call me a pain in the ass, so I thought Thorn was appropriate.”
Polly smiled.
Feng scowled. “So, not even a blood pressure test. Nothing?”
“No. Why?”
Polly said, “You are going to need a full prenatal scan. You aren’t going to like it.”
“I don’t want it then.” Olly frowned.
Feng sighed. “I will ask my cousin where his omega goes.”
“Oh, omega places won’t see me.” Olly nodded. “I found that out the first time I went into heat.”
Minoru nodded. “Polly has a doctor. I will give you the information. It is at the Mckenna Centre.”
Polly smiled. “The doctors are alphas, so they give out treats.”
Olly blinked. “Treats?”
Minoru flipped through his phone, and Benjiro’s phone chirped. Feng’s chirped a moment later.
Olly muttered, “I can just find a regular clinic.”
She remembered how much the bloodwork had cost and tried to work out how much it would cost for a full workup.
She saw Polly looking, and her sister leaned forward and whispered to her for a moment. When she sat back, Olly asked, “Why?”
“Because once they mark you, most of what a doctor will need to see is due to them.”
Minoru paused, frowned, and then nodded. “She isn’t wrong.”
Benjiro frowned. “What is her concern?”
Polly shrugged. “Who will bear the cost of the medical treatment? Betas don’t make as much as alphas, no matter how good they are at fighting unless they are paired with an alpha.”
Taio nodded. “Even then, it is around eighty percent if you win a lot.”
“Forty percent if you are a female. Plus, I have been living off my savings for a while.”
Polly smiled. “I have a bit saved if you need it. I did some modelling for a tea shop, and the campaign was well received.”
Olly blinked. “Wow. Even with the mark on your back?”
“Yeah. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
Polly brought something up on her phone and handed it over. “Oh, wow. This is pretty.”
“The photographer did most of the work.”
Benjiro looked over her shoulder. “Is that one of the kimonos from my collection?”
Minoru grinned. “Figures that is what you were looking at. Yes, it was.”
Polly smiled. “It is a lovely one.”
“Well, Loki asked politely, and my household drinks a lot of tea.”
Minoru laughed.
Benjiro smiled and got to his feet. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Olly felt the strangest thing. Benjiro was talking to Feng through her. Feng replied, and the other alpha left the room. “Oh, that was weird.”
Feng stroked her neck and his mark before he turned her face for a kiss. Coolness and warmth spilled through her. A short blast of a horn made her jerk. Minoru sighed and got up, walking to the front door.
Olly snagged another biscuit. “What do you think that is?”
“Caber, Melbourne, and Jess. They got an early start.” Polly smiled.
Olly tried to stand, but Feng held her. “Wait. Finish your biscuit. You didn’t eat nearly enough.”
“I am not in training, Feng.”
Taio chuckled. “You sort of are.”
Olly frowned and then covered her abdomen. “Oh, right. Forgot about that.”
Voices approached, and Nari came in with a grin and a full tray of baked goods and herbal teas.
Nari grinned. “More visitors in two weeks than in the previous three years. This is fun.”
Jess and her centaurs came in, and Olly stood and was hugged as her change in pigment was admired.
Olly introduced Feng and Taio, and Benjiro when he walked in.
Jess was fed, and then Olly and Polly took her for a walk to the lake while the alphas talked about whatever they liked.
Jess couldn’t get over the change in Olly, “Okay, so how the hell did that happen?”
“My body decided that it needed more than Feng’s dragon, so I grew another mark on my back.”
“Anymore morning sickness?”
Olly shook her head. “I was fine this morning.”
Jess’s smile was knowing. “I see. Oh, speaking of, can I see your back?”
They were near the bridge, so she loosened her robe and slipped it to her waist.
Polly gasped. “Wow. That is so much detail. Storm clouds and a dragon. Lovely.”
Jess chuckled. “If I was sporting that, Caber would paddle my butt.”
Olly slid her robe up over her shoulders. “Considering what this one means, yeah, I think it would be deserved.”
Jess smiled as Olly tied her robe. “We brought your bike.”
“Yay!”
“We gave Benjiro the keys.”
“Boo!” Olly snorted.
Jess chuckled. “Once we had settled in, the guys hid my keys. Thankfully, Thea didn’t mind being my transport until they trusted my driving. It was a chance for girl time.”
Polly blinked. “How long did that take?”
“Um, six weeks?”
“Oy.”
Jess looked at Olly. “Do you have any questions about multiple mates?”
“Do they always sneak up on you at night?”
Jess frowned and then grinned. “Yes. And in the daytime and when they are bored. Do they both sleep with you?”
Olly nodded. “They said that there would be other rooms available, but no one said where.”
Polly smiled. “Benjiro’s place. It is twenty minutes away from here. He has offered you a driver, an allowance, and a new wardrobe.”
“Offered?”
“Well, Minoru is your brother, so he has the ability to act as head of the house with my consent. I consented on your behalf.” Polly grinned.
“Wow. You look so innocent.” Olly sighed. “Pimping your sister out to alphas.”
“I am handing my job over. I needed a new hobby.” Polly smirked.
Jess asked, “Who is the beta?”
“Taio. He’s Feng’s... apprentice? They say they aren’t lovers.” She shrugged.
Polly smiled. “Do you care?”
“No. It might give me a break.” She smiled and tilted her head. “I can feel that Feng’s beast isn’t going to wait much longer. A distraction would be good.”
Polly blushed. “Oh, yeah. Right. Forgot about that.”
Jess grinned. “Not an issue. I am not fucking horses, and we got that out of the way right off the bat.”
Olly blinked. “You can tell them when you don’t like something?”
Polly stared. “Of course.”
Footfalls made her turn to a gaggle of alphas. “Polly, is it a gaggle of alphas? What is the term for a group?”
Jess opened and closed her mouth then said, “A bully. A bully of alphas.”
Polly smiled. “I think it’s a parade.”
“Oh, that’s good, too.”
“A stride.” Olly smiled. “That sounds right.”
Feng smiled. “We have an appointment to meet my grandmother later this afternoon. We wanted for you to get an appropriate wardrobe before the meeting.”
Olly froze. “Uh, what kind of wardrobe?”
“Some suits, dresses, high-heeled shoes.”
“Oh. That’s not going to turn out well.”
Polly shook her head. “It really isn’t. She doesn’t do well in heels?”
Minoru frowned. “You are fine with them.”
“When was the last time I won an MMA fight, dumbass? We are not the same person.”
He picked her up and brought her nose to his. “Fair point.”
She kissed him quickly.
Olly smiled, and Feng pulled her up against him. “Okay, shorty. Go get dressed. We will see what we can find.”
“Uh, I just have jeans, and half of them need to be washed.” She frowned. “Maybe all of them.”
Polly smiled. “Nari did your laundry yesterday.”
Olly flipped her off.
“Come on, shorty. We will get you dressed, and then we can go to a seamstress that my family frequents.” He tugged her hand.
She groaned. “Fine, but you are going to be very disappointed in my clothing choices. The only thing I have focused on is my workout uniform.”
Polly whined, and Jess laughed. “Just got your sister back, and they are taking her away?”
Polly nodded. “Yeah. Years apart, and now she going again.”
Olly sighed. “Dude, I am going to get girly clothes. You should be happy.” She walked to the front of the house with Feng. “Hang on. I need to get changed.”
He looked at her, then looked to Benjiro. “Can she go out like that?”
“Sure. As long as we can stop at a shop that I like.”
“What? This?” The cotton kimono was weirdly formal, and her hair was still in the thick braid.
Feng nodded. “It will make the aunties extra eager to get you into something else. Delun has his omega dressed by the Russians. If they agree, you will be dressed by our people.”
Benjiro smiled. “And mine. Mine will not care that you are a beta either.”
Feng frowned. “Will that matter?”
“Ask them. We can go to my people first. They are waiting.”
Olly rolled her eyes. “Of course they are. Let me get my phone.”
Feng pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Just this. No wallet.”
“Why not? Are you planning to time how fast I can run or something?”
He tapped her nose. “Consider this a test to see how much you trust your alphas.”
“Oh geez. I hate tests. It was almost a relief to leave school.”
A large SUV pulled up, and they loaded her into it. Taio was grinning at her expression. She made a face.
When they were on their way, and she was mashed between Feng and Benjiro, she asked, “So, why do I need fancy clothing?”
Feng shrugged. “I would like to kiss you on the winner’s podium. And in front of the cameras and in that dark hallway next to the change room. And in the change room.”
She rolled her eyes. “You want to show me off.”
“Yes.”
“Benjiro?”
“Same premise. I want you next to me when there is a winner from our stable. I would like to go shopping with you for baby stuff.”
She looked down. “This would be kinder as maternity wear.”
Benjiro chuckled.
Feng smiled. “Let’s see what the aunties can come up with.”
“Right, but jeans and tees the rest of the time, right?” They were quiet. “Right?”
Taio smiled. “Looks like you are going to be stuck as a pretty beta.”
“Fuck off and die, Taio.” She folded her arms across her chest.
He cackled, and she sulked in her borrowed geta all the way to downtown. Well, at least, no one would recognize her.
The shop was pretty and quiet, but when she lifted her head, the owner and staff went dead silent. “Miss Polly?”
She was startled into a grin. “No, I am her twin, Olly Thorn.”
There was a clatter from the back room, and a young man came out, and his eyes were wide. “Olly Thorn? You have been missing for two years.”
“I wasn’t missing. I had to leave.” She smiled. “You watch the fights?”
“Yeah. You were great. What happened to your hair, and are those contacts?” The young man drifted toward her.
Taio stopped him from making contact as he reached for her hair. “No touching, please.”
The young man looked at Taio, then Feng, and finally Benjiro, and if Olly wasn’t mistaken, she thought he might have just orgasmed on the spot.
She looked to Benjiro. “Okay. What the hell sport do you play? Did you play? If he looks at you the way he looks at Feng, it has to be combat.”
He sighed, picked her up, and kissed her until she clung to him. He set her on her feet and spoke in rapid Japanese to the proprietor, who opened design books that included a lot of mid-thigh jackets. She liked the jackets.
Finally, he was asked for the pattern he wanted to be dyed and embroidered into the clothing. Benjiro looked at her. She caught on. “Oh, right. Is there a place I can take the robe off without flashing the room?”
She was led to a change room, and she opened the robe and worked it down to the top of her hips. She brushed her braid over her shoulder and said, “Um, okay, I guess.”
Benjiro gasped, and then the proprietor did the same. She asked her alpha, “Why are you surprised?”
“It’s moving.”
“Of course, it is. There goes my plan to pass it off as a tattoo.”
She heard the phone clicking several times. When he told her he had it, she tried to struggle into the robe, but she had pulled it too far down and had to undo it completely to tie it up.
She heard a click, turned, and saw the dark brown eye of the super-fan. “Hey. I don’t really want this out to the public yet.”
“Your fans deserve to know.”
“My fans? All three of them?”
“No, there are online forums devoted to analyzing your bouts and wondering where you went. I found you. Do you know how much cred I am getting for this?”
She closed everything and turned toward him. “Wouldn’t you rather have an actual photo with me instead of the cheap shot of a private moment?”
“I don’t want to be online.”
She sighed and deliberately didn’t smack him.
Taio said, “What about her and her alphas?”
It was agreed, and they posed for a family portrait with Taio next to them. The nerd took the picture, and then his grandfather gave him hell. Their phones started going off immediately, and they had to turn the notifications on silent until they finished their business.
She was measured, and Benjiro spoke to the shopkeeper and flipped through the design book while speaking in rapid Japanese. When he finished, he smiled. “You are racing the Zhang family. Whoever gets something ready first gets to clothe Olly.”
