The Kitty Cat's Mates (ManxMen)

24 | Son of a-

"Could you hold this for a sec?" Bryce handed Peter's plastic container over to King when he carried the heaviest box they had.

King cocked a brow, a disgusted look on his face. "Dude, why the heck did you even bring this t— you know what, whatever." King didn't even bother. He just hooked his finger on the bottle strap and went on with it.

King and the others huffed along the staircase when they climbed up to the high castle. They wound around long strides of the hall, endless doors greeting them side to side in rows. King wondered what was beyond each and all of it. Some could be free spaces, workshops, library, study, or it may even be a standard bedroom with couples banging just by the bed. He shivered from the mystery.

"If they had informed us that these guys lived in a palace, I wouldn't have been against it!" Constantine tried to whisper against his excitement, although his voice bounced around the stone walls.

"You've never been against it." Donna shushed and elbowed him in the stomach. He winced.

Gabriela, the girl with the eyeglass that bumped into Pandora on the ascension night, discreetly studied them over her shoulder with a cautious look, before she pushed her glasses back again on the highest peak of her nose and looked back in front. They followed her as she led them to their assigned rooms. If you were wondering where the alphas were, well, they were caught up with Hugh and the other high-ranks, and Gabriela stood as one of the many guides for an endless stream of werecats.

"You guys built this thing?" Stan talked again, now directing it at Gabriela since he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Plus, he noticed she seemed shy. He thought this could act as an icebreaker. Or as a reason to open his mouth.

"T-this place didn't really belong to us," Gabriela replied. They drilled holes behind her back. "We were, uh, how do I say this... Well, we were the, uh... slaves of the people who lived here."

"C-cool," Stan awkwardly said, realizing he had touched a taboo spot. Stan finally kept his mouth shut after Donna made him with visual threats.

Then they reached the middle of a hallway, from god knows where in this maze, where an arch stood. Beyond it was a circular pathway with the gaping hole in the middle, just like you'd see in the mall. King held the stone fence and peeked down, seeing flits of people now and then.

"T-these are your rooms," Gabriela gestured at the four doors around the circle.

Constantine gasped in excitement, and Donna slightly chuckled at him. Then he blinked.

Four doors.

"Who's going to share?" he asked. Despite being a pair, Donna and Stan still decided to keep their last barrier up before they get married.

"Pandora and I could share," Donna suggested, eyeing Dora, who gave an approving look.

"A-actually," Gabriela's fingers knotted. "W-we have another room for, uh, M-mr. Stefen?" she sounded unsure. Then she took a paper stashed in the pocket of her tan culottes and swiftly stashed it back. "Stefan," she repeated, fixing her glasses, this time a bit firmer.

Gabriela flushed and felt naked when they drilled a barrage of holes at her using their eyes.

"What," King forced a chuckle, "did I do to deserve such special treatment?"

"U-um, w-well," Gabriela's pitch heightened. She gestured her hands around as it'd help in explaining. "b-because t-this s-spot is jammed! S-so t-the a-alph— I mean, I!" her hand unconsciously drew back to her pocket, but she realized it midway and stopped.

King's smile went rigid.

"U-um, I... w-well, I..." Gabriela looked like she was about to cry. King felt guilty, despite being innocent himself. Though he knew one thing: