Chapter Text
Katsuki stomps through the market. The old hag’s voice echoes persistently through his skull. If you want to take my place as the next Chieftain, stop being a dumb brat and take a mate already! His scowl darkens and anger radiates off of him, scattering his fellow tribesmen out of his path. Why the fuck does he need a mate? How the fuck does a mate prove his worthiness?
“Hey, man, chill,” Kirishima’s calm voice cuts through the sludge of rage. “You’re setting everyone on edge.”
Gritting his teeth, Katsuki closes his eyes and breathes slowly through his nose. After a moment, the waves of pheromones he’d been leaking taper off. He reopens his eyes with an annoyed huff, and his gaze lands on a nearby Omega female, Naora, who’s standing in front of a jewelry stall. She squeaks, immediately dropping to her knees and baring her throat.
Disgust twists Katsuki’s stomach at the sight of her easy submission. There isn’t an Omega in the Ryuuchi Tribe with a backbone to challenge him.
Maybe he should try courting an Alpha like Kirishima’s doing. It isn’t too late for the old hag to have another kid to pin the succession on, right?
“What Chief said is really bothering you, huh?” Kirishima remarks.
Katsuki grunts.
A hand settles on his shoulder and squeezes reassuringly. “Don’t worry, man, your mate is around here somewhere. Any of them would be lucky to have an Alpha as manly as you!”
Yeah, right. Katsuki snorts. All the Omegas around here are too chickenshit—
Around here.
“Hey, Hair-for-brains,” Katsuki says, his heartbeat picking up speed, adrenaline flooding his system. “Didn’t the scouts bring back a report the other day of a village about a week’s ride away? Towards the mountain?”
Kirishima’s expression softens, turning dopey. “Yeah, Mina said—”
But Katsuki tunes out the rest of his words. If he can’t find a Mate here, then he’ll just have to find one elsewhere. The Tribe could use a wave of fresh blood anyways and Katsuki’s always itching for a good fight.
“Send out the Call, Kirishima,” Katsuki orders with a sharp grin. “We’re going on a Raid.”