Mated and Alone (True Match)

Chapter 10

Tsok

It was the way of females to put their males through a trial.

That was directly from the published report on humans that had been completed some time ago. It was a fact that human females would test their males, sometimes without even realizing they were doing it. A human female demanded fealty from her male, in all things. She would test him to prove his loyalty and satisfy her own inner urges. Not all females would do it, of course, and not every female would do it to the same degree, but they all felt the urge at some point to put their male to the test.

Clearly, his female had decided to test his strength of will today.

She came down the steps – wooden rails carved to resemble the fellbud trees that gave it its name – her new robe splitting with each step she took. Granting him teasing, tantalizing flashes of the smooth, dark skin of her legs accented by the shiny black leather sandals adorning her adorable, human feet. Her toe claws had been painted a bright, metallic blue, that matched perfectly to the blue coloration of the underside of her hair.

She’d changed it since he last saw her. It was purple before. Blue now. Beautiful. He loved that color on her. He loved the purple on her. He couldn’t think of a single color she wouldn’t look good in.

The robe she chose was in the formal style, meaning it was completely off her shoulders. The sleeves flared out a bit at the top, revealing the blue lining of the otherwise white robe. It was tied on her body around the waist, the sash thick, black and blue. The white of the robe shimmered as it trailed slightly behind her. Open at the front, he could just barely see the bottom of the short black skirt she wore underneath. It didn't fully cover her thighs. Elegant embroidery, in black, blue, and silver, covered the skirt of the robe, depicting a beautiful bird flying through fellbud trees. It was so detailed and intricate, but he almost didn't even notice it because of her beautiful face.

She had sparkling diamonds on her eyebrow piercings, while the silver of the fang piercings glinted in the light, extra long and gorgeous. Her nasal ring had a chain that hooked onto one of her earrings, while pretty ear cuffs clung to her lobes, shining brightly. She had painted her lips blue, but her eyes were darker, making the color of her green irises just pop in her face. Her hair had been pulled up into a complicated, flower-like knot on her head, with a jeweled pin on one side that had chains on it that wrapped around the back of the bun.

She was stunning. An absolute vision. The combination of bright and dark colors created such a beautiful contrast, he couldn’t look away. The heel on her sandal clicked in the most satisfying way as she approached him, an aloof, untouchable expression on her face as she looked him over.

Tsok had chosen a yellow robe today, gold and white combining together with embroidery done in gleaming, gold thread, depicting a mythical beast that was birthed by the sun. It descended down his back, to the skirt of his robe, long claws reaching out, red eyes gleaming. The male formal robes didn't come off the shoulder like the female style, but he did have a jeweled shoulder piece, gold, mostly covered in diamonds, with only the occasional red gem to add more color.

Golden jewelry shined at his ears and over his muzzle, a golden chain around his waist, dangling down his front. He was the height of fashion for a male, but he felt absolutely slovenly next to the vision that came to stand beside him.

“You’re lovely,” he said, trying to keep himself calm. Not sure how well he was succeeding with most of his attention trying to keep his cock from extruding.

This was his mate. The most beautiful creature on this planet.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked, offering her his arm. Eager for her to take it.

She took it without a word, keeping her eyes forward. Not even gracing him with a glance. Maybe she was nervous.

“Don’t worry about anything,” he assured her as they walked out. “You only have to be polite and kind. I’ll handle everything else.”

“Alright,” she said, her tone as neutral as her expression.

Look at her control! Her class! He really had the most superior mate.

His pride only continued to grow as they flew to Boktare’s home – where the party was being hosted, as it was his own charity. Misty sat primly in the hover at his side, looking out at the city as they passed over, quiet wonder in her eyes.

Was she always this restrained, or was she behaving this way for the occasion? He genuinely didn’t know enough about her to guess, but the fact that she was so wonderfully proper only pleased him. She was beautiful, she was purposeful, not at all lazy. She was untouchable, but not so aloof that she couldn’t appreciate the simple beauty of Stutgora – the planet’s capital.

It was truly the greatest city on Kree. Serving as the seat of their government, possessing a bustling space port, and being more advanced and wealthy than any other city, it was a wonder. To an alien, it must truly be incredible.

But Misty looked on with impressed interest without it turning into overwhelmed excitement. She was the perfect female to stand beside the char. Tsok found himself just staring at her throughout the entire ride. She never once looked his way, allowing him to just admire the picture she made, seated and dressed like a queen.

Boktare lived on the outskirts on the other side of the city, in a beautiful, sprawling manor with a rounded dome in the center, right over the ballroom in which this event was being held. There was already a steady line of hovers arriving as they did, each taking their turns to descend on the landing pad at the front that could fit three hovers at once.

It didn’t take long for them to be summoned for their turn. Tsok exited first, turning and offering his hand to his female. She took it delicately, her slender, long fingers warm and soft against the rough pads of his palm as he helped her out. He knew there were others – important people that he should be talking to – but he couldn’t tear his eyes from her as they stepped away from the hover, allowing it to lift off so another could take its place.

He still didn’t look away as he followed a familiar path around to where Boktare was greeting his guests as they arrived.

Boktare was an older male, dull orange in coloration thanks to the abundance of gray dimming his once bright coat. He stood tall and proud, only a couple rings in his ears, but multiple necklaces hanging from his throat. He was taller than Tsok, broader in body, muscular even despite his advancing age.

“That is Boktare,” Tsok whispered to Misty as they stood in the line of those that were greeting him before heading inside.

Misty blinked, surprised. “He’s huge.”

“Of course. He’s a mated male.”

“Huh?” She gave him a look.

“See there? At his side? That female is his mate. Fia.”

The person talking stepped aside, granting his little female the space she needed to view Boktare’s mate. Comparing Fia to her mate was like comparing Misty’s height to his own. Males got bigger once mated. Females, in contrast, developed wider hips and a new softness to their belly. It was a very attractive feature, even as it felt wrong seeing such a thing. He was aware enough to know that it was a dissonance in his brain between what he, instinctively, found attractive and what society told him was wrong.

Notably, neither of them were wearing nasal filters. They were mated now; they didn't have to protect themselves from the scents of other people.

“You’re not huge,” Misty remarked, giving him a look. “I mean, you are compared to me, but you’re not huge like that.”

“I see your confusion. He is a properly mated male. He has scented his female and bonded to her. I am not bonded to you.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“What?”

“So, a properly mated male gets… huge?” She asked, ignoring his question at her grumbled statement.

“Er, yes,” he frowned, trying to puzzle out what she meant, but not reluctant to answer her questions first. “It’s an accelerated growth spurt that our bodies are designed to go through once mated. It makes us bigger, stronger, more capable of protecting our mate and young.”

“That’s pretty cool,” she admitted with some reluctance, though he didn't know why.

“Senior Boktare is something of a political rival of mine,” Tsok continued despite the sudden sense of unease that began twisting in his belly. Like something was wrong, though he wasn’t entirely sure what that could be. “He is opposed to the efforts and strides I’ve made towards making mating a more common, socially acceptable thing in our society.”

Misty frowned and, for the first time all night, actually looked at him. And while her bright eyes were so incredibly beautiful, somehow her gaze hurt. And he didn't understand why.

“Wait, he’s against mating?” She asked.

“Most of my people are. It’s considered a backwards, primitive way to go about reproducing. There is a growing movement towards returning to the old ways – with some safety precautions in place, of course. It’s new but gaining momentum. I am trying to spearhead that movement. Traditionalists like Boktare are standing against me and trying to keep to our current ways.”

She blinked at him. “Okay, I’m just going to ignore the fact that the idea of ‘traditional’ reproduction isn’t the good old fashioned in and out.”

“What?”

“Let’s go back to the fact that he’s mated. And he’s against mating. That doesn’t seem just a little bit hypocritical to you?”

Tsok’s ear dropped and he leaned down to whisper to her. “They are not mated by choice. It was a mistake that he scented her and triggered their bond. They are quite fond of each other, but the beginning of their mating was not a happy one.”

“Oh…” She mumbled, her cheeks darkening.

“It is alright,” he assured her quickly. “You didn't know. That is why he stands opposed to me. Mating is dangerous. It is barbaric in its way. There is no one who would know that better than one who was mated against their will.”

“He doesn’t look barbaric to me. Neither do you. I guess the barbarism comes after…” Her voice trailed off, as though waiting for him to fill in the gap.

“The scenting,” he finished. “That is why we wear the filters. The moment we scent our mates for the first time, it kicks off a series of reactions within the body that will result in my accelerated growth, your enhanced fertility, and a… let’s call it an irresistible urge.”

“Urge to what?”

He leaned down, putting his muzzle right next to her ear, and whispered-

“Breed.”