The Thief (Sahyo)

Chapter 3: The Village

Jihyo crept in the shadows as she began her long journey back to the outskirts of the kingdom. She had finally left the party after the king once again sent the two alpha's to collect the princess.

Her mind wandered to the princess. She wasn't anything Jihyo was expecting of a royal. She heard rumours of the royal family and their cold hearts and sadistic eyes, and after meeting the king, she knew those rumours had some merit to them.

But princess Sana was different. Her eyes were kind, her manners were soft and her voice was almost angelic. She was nothing like the king, the cruel king who grabbed her most intimate parts in front of a laughing omega crowd just to dehumanise her further. She got her revenge, however, when she stole his wedding ring and shoved it up the backside of a pig carcass at the end of his table.

Jihyo chuckled softly to herself as she remembered the uproar of the king finding the precious ring. Just before she took her leave, she glanced back at the table at the head of the room and watched him have a very public meltdown. She chanced a look at the princess too only to get a disapproving nod from her in return.

The journey back home was normally a long and hard one for the alpha, but today she was making record time. She almost bounced home. She put her extra energy down to the fact that she had stolen enough jewels to keep her safe haven going for at least another year.

The kingdom gates were locked and barricaded at nightfall to prevent other warring kingdoms from gaining entrance whilst most of the army was asleep. So, Jihyo had to sneak to the poor district, climb down the abandoned well and follow the tunnel she created many weeks ago.

Her village was located just outside the poor districts walls. It was close enough to the kingdom that bandits were too scared to raid but not close enough that the guards would bother them. There was a river that ran along side the village and continued through the kingdom walls. Trees concealed most of the village making it the perfect hideaway for alpha's.

A few alpha's stood guard around the village, it was a precaution. Wolves and boars roamed these lands and Jihyo would have to be an idiot to dismiss those dangers. The alpha's greeted her as she walked by, bowing to her and smiling warmly at their saviour.

In the middle of the village stood a huge campfire. Nearly every night the alpha's would surround it and take turns telling wild stories as they ate whatever food they caught from the river. It wasn't much of a life for them, but it was better than slavery.

As soon as Jihyo made her presence known around the campfire, every alpha stood to attention. Jihyo had repeatedly told the alpha's that she was not their superior but their gratefulness at being rescued made them treat her like she was a goddess herself.

"Jihyo !" An alpha called out to her.

The thief wheeled around in search of whomever called her before her eyes landed on Jimin.

"Ji!" She greeted, "How is everything?"

The man in question nodded his head, "Good. How was the party?"

Jihyo tossed her satchel at him, "See for yourself."

Jimin's eyes lit up with the sheer quantity of jewellery that was in the satchel. He could feel his mouth water at the amount of gold coins coming their way.

"My contact is in the next kingdom over," Jimin grinned, "It'll take a few days to get there, but we shouldn't be gone longer than a week."

Just as Jihyo was about to wish him and his crew good luck on their journey, an ear piercing scream was heard coming from Jihyo 's home. She turned in the direction of her wooden house and bolted. Two scared omega children quickly pulled the sliding door open and were ready to call for help. Upon spotting their sister, they ran towards her instead.