Chapter 35
Misty
There were protests.
Misty wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
She sat cross legged in her room, The General purring, curled up in her lap, as she absentmindedly stroked his head while watching a news program off her combot.
As much as the government had been split about the whole mating thing, the people were equally polarized. The program was doing street interviews, and for every person open to change, there was one who thought it was foolish.
The interviews literally cut from a male expressing his eagerness to witnessing the wedding and maybe finding his own mate to do the same, to a male who had to remind everyone that Do It For Her was their motto because their rut couldn’t be trusted. Then, it went right to a female who had been mated by accident talking about maybe having a wedding with her mate as well – though they were already bonded, it seemed like a fun thing. Then right to another female who promised that she would never want to go through such a thing.
“Not sure what I thought would happen, but it wasn’t this,” Misty mumbled to her cat.
The General just kept purring contentedly, completely unconcerned with her problems.
By all accounts, the wedding planning was going very well. She didn’t really have a wedding planner, but she did have an event coordinator. Which was practically the same thing since wedding planners were essentially just event coordinators that specialized in one event. Boktare was there to give his blessings, Davard was there to offer his historical expertise. Tsok and Misty were at the center of everything as well, but she only had to decide things, like colors, patterns, themes, etc, she didn’t have to actually do any work in getting them done.
She picked the location – Fellbud Manor – then picked designs and food and other opinion related things like that. But the coordinator was the one who actually went out to make it happen. It was probably the least stressful way to plan a wedding.
For the parts that were different from a human wedding, the others did the bulk of the choosing and she just offered her opinion.
They were planning on the rut taking place inside the manor itself. All the staff would leave when it was time for them to start, and they would lock themselves within. Only then would Tsok remove his nasal filter and then… things would go au naturale.
The rut, she was told, would last several days. Tsok wouldn’t be able to stop until he smelled that he’d successfully gotten her pregnant. A kreecharma female wouldn’t lose her mind in the rut like her male, but she would become senselessly horny and go into estrus in response. They weren’t sure if Misty would similarly ovulate in response to him. Humans adjusted to their mates, but the degree to which she adjusted was unknown.
So, she had to turn her ovulation back on. In case she didn’t go into estrus in response to him, she needed to be able to ovulate naturally, which she couldn’t right now. There were records of mated kreecharma being unable to get pregnant during the rut. Males and females who mated their own sex couldn’t do it, of course, but there were also couples that, for whatever reason, couldn’t get pregnant either. In those cases, the couple would fuck to death if they weren’t stopped.
That hadn’t been much of a problem even before mating became taboo though. They had pregnant pheromones to spray into the face of males to get them out of the rut if they became trapped. It was developed specifically because of cases like that. After the cultural rejection of mating, the pheromones became a way to stop the trigger when it was accidentally set off instead of letting the males just rut their mate as they would naturally.
They were stocking up Misty’s room with a vial of that pheromone. According to her health scans, she should have no problem ovulating, but it was being given to her as a precaution. The appointment to restore her fertility was in a few days. Misty was excited about the idea of getting pregnant. She’d finally get to really indulge her breeding kink and it was exciting. The idea of Tsok moving over her, pushing her legs up, pounding deep and creaming inside… She was horny just thinking about it. Then, when he was done, he would hold her legs up like that, allowing his seed to drain into her.
Claiming her as thoroughly as he possibly could. Leaving a permanent mark on her. Getting her pregnant and owning her womb. She shivered at the very thought.
And then, after that, she’d have a cute, furry kitten. Kreecharma kits were quadrupeds when they were born. They’d become biped as they got older, but as babies, they ran around, hyper and adorable, on all fours. She’d be essentially birthing her own kitten. She couldn’t wait to introduce them to The General and seeing her two furry babies together.
In other words, she was actually looking forward to that part.
But seeing all the reactions to the wedding planning put a sour taste in her mouth.
Weddings were supposed to be about love and togetherness. A fun party, friends and family living it up together, and enjoying being with your new spouse.
But her wedding was also a political divider. She had to sit there and watch as everyone freely and candidly gave their opinions on her marriage.
“Maybe I should introduce a Vegas wedding to this place after all,” she muttered. The General rolled over, his paws flopping, as he presented his belly. A tempting trap. Adorable, but absolutely unhelpful, really.
Thanks to all the people working together on it, and to make sure that the general population didn’t lose interest, the wedding ceremony would be taking place soon. She’d gone from despising her mate to counting down the days to when they’d be getting hitched so quickly, she had whiplash. She knew every step that led her here, but it was still unbelievable.
“And everyone and their mother has something to say about it.”
“What are you grumbling about so unhappily?”
The General righted himself on her lap. His ears dropped back and his fuzzy little body went tense as he glared at Tsok who neither of them heard approaching.
Her mate paid her grumpy cat no mind as he took a seat next to her. His arm easily slid around her shoulders, and she found herself leaning against his side. The General did not appreciate the new closeness, but he only raised his paw threateningly at Tsok’s thigh without batting at him. He also made no attempts to move away from her.
Tsok ignored her cat as he instead frowned at the people on the display. They were right in the middle of an interview with an older female who was espousing the many benefits of abstinence and how their people didn’t need to move on from that and anyone who said otherwise was actually still a slave to the instincts Boktare was claiming they were conquering.
“If anyone needs to get laid, it’s her,” Misty said, grumpy.
Tsok smirked, gently stroking her arm. “But what male would risk his cock getting close enough to try?”
She laughed, turning further into his side. The General hissed and jumped up, running away so he didn’t get too close to his hated rival. Tsok only chuckled at her cat’s behavior as he settled in, getting more comfortable with Misty.
“Is it bothering you?” Tsok asked, watching now as they began talking to an expert on historical mating of the kreecharma people. He looked very grand and self-important. Misty couldn’t really blame him as he was probably the first guy in his field interviewed on such a large scale. He must be feeling pretty important to know a lot about what most people didn’t anymore.
Of course, their wedding wasn’t going to be completely traditional, but he was giving important background information to help contextualize what they would be doing and changing.
“It doesn’t… bother me. Per se,” Misty finally said. “It just seems like this whole thing is less about us and more about what everyone thinks about us.”
“Do you want to call it off?”
Misty jumped, surprised. She leaned back, looking up at him. Shocked he’d even make that suggestion after everything.
“We can’t call it off,” she frowned. “Everyone is counting on us. You went through so much to convince Boktare to go through with it.”
“Yes, but none of that matters if you’re not actually happy.”
Misty balked at the suggestion of calling off their wedding, but she wasn’t actually surprised to hear the reason for it. Of course, he was putting her feelings first. He always did. Even if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing, he considered her feelings about it. Because he cared for her. Because she just meant that much to him.
She smiled, snuggling back into him. Putting her arm around his chest and pulling his robe open so she could put her face directly on his furry chest.
“No. I don’t want to call it off. I want to be mated and bred and happy. That’s all I want. They’re just getting on my nerves. You’d think they could mind their own business.”
“This is their business,” he said, nuzzling the top of her head. “We’re changing things. Of course, they’re going to be interested. Especially as it relates to them. That’s why they have their opinions, and why they’re so free with them.”
Misty sighed dramatically. “Oh, the burdens of the rich and famous.”
He chuckled. His chest rumbling deliciously under her. She smiled, snuggling further into him. This was nice. She should do this more often. His fur was so warm and soft, but he also smelled really good. Like a man, not an animal. Fresh and clean and woodsy.
It couldn’t be cologne. His people all wore nasal filters. They kept their bodies clean, but they certainly weren’t out here sniffing each other. So, this had to be his natural scent. The soap she used was unscented, so she imagined his was as well. Why make them scented at all, no one would smell them? She loved the smell of him though, so she was glad for it.
“Did you get everything done today?” She asked, thinking of the list of things he’d needed to take care of on top of all his regular duties. Some of it had to do with the wedding. Nothing that she could help with, so he’d insisted she keep her client appointments. She was doing a few last ones before she took a break for the ceremony.
And the rut.
Tsok was going to be her last client. She would be doing his braids the day before their wedding, so they’d be fresh and tight the day of. She spent her free time sketching designs and planning what she wanted to do on his fur. It was a surprise to him though, and she was looking forward to the time they’d spend together doing it.
“I finished most everything,” Tsok answered her as he put his arm around her waist. “The Imperium is going to be there for our wedding. I had to make some adjustments for them.”
“Did you tell Vigo about them messing with the servers?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“He’s not concerned.”
“Of course, not,” she rolled her eyes.
Tsok chuckled. “Vigo looked through the True Match servers. If the Imperium did something, he can’t find it. And it’s not affecting their operations at all if there is something. Maybe the Imperium just wanted to look.”
“I’m not going to get an answer to this, am I?”
“Trust the Imperium.” Tsok nuzzled the top of her head. “They are the leader of all the Coalition for a reason. And it will be a great honor for us to have them there for our wedding. It really will make the entire event that much more official.”
Misty almost argued further, but after a moment, she just gave up with a sigh. The Imperium didn’t seem willing to talk more about it, and no one else seemed very concerned. Maybe it was her human-ness that didn’t want to trust people doing shady shit, especially people in power. But if no one was even willing to look into it, what more could she do?
Worst case scenario, he just took down the whole True Match system. But even if he did, that wasn’t her problem, and she couldn’t stop it anyway. She gave it up as one of those things she’d probably never have an answer to as she instead focused on her soon-to-be-mate.
“Did you and Boktare finally get those details ironed out you were arguing about?”
“We did. The ceremony is going to take place over two days.”
“A two-day wedding?” She smiled. “Goodness. It’s Kree’s very first wedding and we’re already trying to go all out.”
“Nothing but the best for you,” he countered, nuzzling her head. “We think, based on what we studied and what you told us, that we’ve combined things fairly well. You and I will not see each other at all the day before the first ceremony, in accordance with your customs. Boktare really likes that one. He said it’s a good way to make sure that the couple can handle being apart. And it proves during the ceremony that neither of them has scented the other yet.”
“I feel like you could look at the male to determine that,” she mumbled, running her hand thoughtfully down his chest. “Are you going to get huge immediately after you scent me?”
“Yes.”
“As big as Boktare and Vigo?”
“Most likely.” He gave her an amused look. “Are you looking forward to it?”
“I don’t dislike the idea,” she grinned. “I mean, I like you as you are now, of course. But what girl wouldn’t like a little more to love? How long will it take you to grow?”
“The change isn’t instantaneous, but it is very fast. It will be done by the time the rut is over, but you might not notice a change at the start.”
“The rut only lasts a few days though.”
“It’s supposed to. It can be longer. It depends on how long it takes you to get pregnant. But even if it takes a full tenday, my growth will finish within a few days.”
“A tenday straight of fucking?” She grimaced. “Sounds like there will be some chafing.”
“There will be,” he assured her. “We’re both going to be exhausted and sore and probably a bit, er, injured. For lack of a better word. But the medirings will be able to fix everything except the general fatigue.”
“Is it healthy for you? To grow that quickly, that much, on top of the rut?”
“My body is designed for it,” he reassured her. “Males have special organs that store energy and resources specifically for the moment we scent our mate. They’ll all release the moment I scent you, and that will give my body everything it needs for my growth phase.”
“We’re going to have the best sleep ever afterward,” she hummed happily.
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Sorry, I went off on a tangent. So, we’re not seeing each other the day before the ceremony. Then what?”
“The day after our day of separation, we’ll have our first ceremony. That will be the day we swear our vows to each other. It’s also going to be a feast day. Combining your wedding reception ceremony with our family feast that would have once been held after the mating. We’re just pre-empting it. It’s meant to bring together all the people in our lives. To introduce them to each other. Both parts of that day are meant to be bright and open to as many people as possible.”
“Okay. Makes sense. Then, we mate?”
“No. That night, we separate again.”
Misty made a face. “I don’t like this no sex on my wedding day thing. Whose bright idea was it to put Boktare in charge of this?”
Tsok chuckled. “That night, there’s another sort of ceremony. We’re both to prepare ourselves for each other. I believe humans would call this the spa day before the ceremony. Our bodies are prepared, and we both need to eat so that we’ll be ready for day two.
“The second day, the ceremony is more intimate. We’re to present ourselves to our witnesses who will be able to verify that we’re both there, acting on our own free will. Oh, I’m also going to give you a nasal filter. I know that’s not how your people mate, but we’re both supposed to take them off together. So, we’ll model that for everyone.”
Misty cocked her head. “We’re taking our filters off in front of other people?”
“No. After our witnesses verify that we’re there by choice, with full and enthusiastic consent on both sides, we’ll lock ourselves into the manor. Then we take our filters off. After which, I will go into my rut. And the hunt shall begin.”
“I talked to Jeanie about it,” Misty said calmly. “About what it was like for her when she and Vigo were mated. She said it wasn’t the same as what we’ll go through. She also said that she never really lost her mind at any point, but that it did seem like her sex drive was stronger than usual. So, that’s probably a result of my body adapting to yours.”
“Most likely. I asked Vigo about his mating as well.”
Misty giggled. “We had the same idea.”
“Indeed, we did.” He ran his blunted claws down her back. “You and I are fortunate. We have others that mated before us to question. Jeanie and Vigo are the first human-kreecharma pairing, so it was a mystery to them. I’ll admit, I was concerned about your safety. I’m given to understand that my sex drive will become… insatiable. I was worried I might harm you by not stopping.”
“And?” She looked up at him curiously. “What’s the verdict?”
“Vigo said the mating heat never really abated until he scented his first kit on Jeanie, but there were moments it would lull while he was with her. When he felt her faltering and slowing, he would slow to match her. I will not stop. I won’t really rest until you’re bred. But when you need to rest, thankfully, I will give you that chance. I will also, apparently, make sure that you’re eating and drinking during that time. Though, Vigo says he doesn’t really remember doing that. Aside from the mating heat, he said, there’s not much else that’s going to concern me.”
Misty shivered. “Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’re going to be exhausted.”
“Heck yeah, I will.”
He laughed, nuzzling her head. “You’ll be sore. Chafed. Far too sensitive. I’m going to be ruthless. Vigo said he would rut Jeanie until she passed out, and sometimes past that. She gave him permission to do so if necessary, but just a fair warning…”
“Oh, I also absolutely give you permission to just keep going if I pass out.” She was practically salivating at the thought as she looked up at him. “To pass out to you fucking me, then wake up to find you never stopped? Damn, Tsok. I want that even if you’re not in a rut.”
Tsok blinked once, surprised, then he snarled, fingers suddenly tightening against her back. “Is that so, my little mate?”
“Not your mate yet,” she panted, grabbing quickly for the tie on his robe.