Page 44 of The Alpha's Fake Mate

“Ah, he’s got a few more years left in him.”

A pang of sadness wavered in my chest. I wanted to go to the cat and pick him up, hold him until the pain inside me vanished.

Orion squeezed my hand.

I looked up at him. “What?”

“Nothing. You can pet him. He’s friendly.”

I glanced down. Not yet. Not so fucking much yet.

“I want to see where I’ll be sleeping.”

“All right.”

Orion led me into the house, still holding my hand. Two servants, both smaller Alphas, rushed up and offered to take his jacket. Behind us, the driver entered with my box of personal items. One of the servants took it from him.

Orion said, “You can bring that up to the guest room next to mine. We’re headed there.”

“Yes, sir.”

The inside of the house glistened and gleamed with marble tile and columns and gilt frames with abstract artwork inside. Two big crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light in the foyer and the large front room. A huge staircase with polished wood steps faced us. A rectangular, wooden table stretched along the entry wall. More beautiful furniture spilled across the big room before us: plush green and blue chairs, a long white couch, high tables with ornate lamps.

The air smelled of wood polish and faintly of lemons.

I pulled my hand from Orion’s grip and turned to face him.

“You live here alone?”

“Not alone.” He shrugged. “There’s a staff.”

“I know you said your dad is dead, but what about your Omega-dad?”

“An accident. He died in a fall when I was two.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Now you do.”

Frowning, I tried to take it all in. Orion headed for the stairs, pulling me along. He was going too fast. I needed to wrap my mind around this.

I could see beyond the staircase a hallway that seemed to go on forever. I was used to big complexes. The farm was pretty huge, but the hundreds who lived there filled up all the space. I had my own room, but it was eight by ten feet and nothing special. But this—

“You inherited all this?”

Orion turned on the bottom step. “Yes. You know I did six months ago. You coming?”

“But it’s so big--”

“Yeah, it’s kind of huge. I thought about selling the place, but I grew up here. I got used to it.”

“It echoes,” I said.

“I know. Come on.”

The Alpha servant holding my box had also paused. He said nothing and kept his gaze averted from us.

I had never been around Alphas. Now I had Alpha servants? I wondered what made me safe from them? But I wasn’t going to ask in front of them.