Raider's Treasure (Alpha Barbarians Book 1)

10

***Since this is now the story I am working on finishing, I am going back and updating previous chapters. There aren't any huge changes except the characters now have names and there is a bit more detail and editing. Once I get the current chapters updated I will post chapter 10. I am aiming to release this story on Amazon by the end of the month, it just depends on how life goes and if the story cooperates. I will update the cover once I have the new one as well. As usual, this will end up with a HEA but I am trying to make it a bit darker than my others so bear with me! I am planning this story to be a standalone, but we will see what happens in the future. I still need to write The Legion Omegas book 4 as well as the other two stories I have planned to follow my newest release, Hired for Heat. If you would like a chance to help determine what I work on next, be sure to join my Facebook group Leann's Omega Den. ***

Raider immediately regretted his outburst. He didn't want to have this conversation with her at all, much less on the back of his horse after only knowing her for little more than a day. They had already started off on a bad foot with him shooting her in the shoulder, he couldn't now call her father a power-hungry thief and expect her to be happy with him.

"Don't worry about it. It's no longer a concern."

Growling, she attempted to turn and face him on the horse, almost falling off it's side in the process. Pulling the horse to a stop to open up a bit more distance between them and his men, Raider wrapped his arms around her and forced her to be still. Yelling, she struggled in his grip until he caught the scent of fresh blood.

"Stop!" he roared.

Freezing, her chest heaved for breath as he crushed her against him. He could still hear a low continuous growl coming from her though her body held perfectly still.

"Your father sent a group of his warriors to attack my village at the beginning of summer to try and steal our omegas and the furs we collected all winter as well as some of my southern lands. His men killed and injured a good portion of the men in the village, kidnapping a few of our women as well. I came as soon as I could to try and find my people, but with so many injured I had to seek help from my allies which slowed me down. I never would have attacked your village if he hadn't done the same to me."

She remained still for a few heartbeats before beginning to struggle again.

"My father would do no such thing. He didn't attack people to steal and kidnap others. You lie!"

Growling, Raider leaned down and bit into the nap of her neck, causing her body to stiffen. He could smell the salt of her tears as her body shuddered against him with sobs. When he thought she wasn't going to start struggling again, he slowly released her skin.

"I am sorry to tell you that your father was not who you thought he was, but do not condemn me for committing the same actions he did against me."

Sniffling, she hunched forward over the saddle horn, refusing to acknowledge him. Sighing, Raider tapped his heel against his horse to get him moving again, giving her time to come to terms with what he had told her. She wouldn't believe him right away, but he hoped his actions would show her that he was an honorable man.

"As to how I knew you were his daughter, I have been to your village before, when you were younger. You don't look much different than you did as a child."

She still refused to respond so he left her alone. Whether she chose to believe him or not wouldn't make a difference in the end. He had already decided that she was his. Once she went into heat she would no longer fight him, and after he bonded her it would make her love him whether she wanted to or not.

They road in silence for a while before he noticed the landmark he had been watching for. A large rocky outcrop rose above the trees to the north. Riding to the front of the line, he called out to his second.

"Bear, we're going to camp at the same spot as last time at the base of those cliffs."

"That's what I figured. Any sign of them?"

"There's a scout tagging along behind us. Picked him up by the river when we crossed over."

Bear grunted, neither of them surprised that they were being watched. They would have had someone doing the same if they knew another clan was passing through their land.

The little omega remained silent even after Raider turned and went back to his spot at the end of the train, and he was beginning to worry that she would do something foolish during the night out of anger. He knew it wasn't likely that she would forgive him and settle into life in his village without fighting it first.

Letting out a deep sigh, he continued to hold his tongue. If she still refused to acknowledge him by the time they retired to their tent, he would figure out something to force her to respond.

The sun was sinking below the treetops before they made it to the base of the cliffs. Creating a semi-circle against the rocks with the wagons so they would have a more defensible position if needed, the men began to pitch their tents and prepare for nightfall. There was a small steam not far into the tree line where a group of men took the horses before picketing them in the area between the wagons and the trees.

Raider oversaw the set-up from the back of his horse with the omega still held before him. When everyone else had dismounted she had attempted to slide off their horse as well, but he held tight to her and forced her to stay with him. Once everything seemed to be in position, he rode the horse into the center of the area inside the wagons where Bear had pitched his tent. His was no larger or more opulent than any of the others, but he had it all to himself unlike most of the others. Or he had until now.

Dismounting, he pulled her down with him and maintained his grip on her hips even after she had her balance. He didn't trust the meek way she held still and allowed him to move her where he wanted. He needed to talk with his men and check the camp, but he didn't want to drag her around with him.

Pulling her towards the wagon with the other omegas, he debated putting her inside it for the time being but decided it would be too difficult to get her back out if she decided not to listen to him. Grabbing a length of rope from the back of the supply wagon, he turned her to face him and backed her against the wooden slats that made up the bars of the cage.

"Since you have proven you cannot be trusted to stay where you are put, I have no choice but to restrain you," he said looking down at her as he wrapped the rope around the wrist of her good arm.

Though her eyes flashed up to his, betraying her anger, she remained still and allowed him to pass the rope through the rings on the side of the wagon before wrapping it around her waist. He would usually have tied both hands to her waist, but he didn't want to hurt her arm any more than it was, so he had to hope that she wouldn't be able to get free in the time he was gone.

"I will be back shortly."

Turning her head to the side, the omega continued to ignore him.