Chapter 31
Laro’s head was a mess as he ran. Aggression trembled through him whenever he scented another male. All he knew was his female and his need to get her away from all others. There was something else missing, but any time he tried to focus on it, it drifted out of his grasp. Some of the tension running through him settled, however, as he entered the woods with his female securely in his arms, the scent of rivals fading off into the distance. Even the sounds of the other males were dulling due to the distance he had quickly put between them during his escape. Their screams had started to quiet, but he was not interested enough to care. All he cared about was the female in his arms.
His muzzle lowered as he sniffed the top of her head. She smelled a little like the others, but he did not care about that either. She smelled familiar. She was his. He rumbled happily as she stroked his fur, her voice warbling indistinctly in his mind but soothingly. Suddenly she made a noise and patted his chest as she pointed toward the trees.
She wanted to go that way.
His ears pricked, listening for signs of further pursuit, and he nodded. He needed to get somewhere safe. His cocks had already extruded and engorged to the point of leaking. He was desperate to breed his mate, but she was not safe. He whined in his throat, the sound deepening to a growl. He would not let anyone harm her, not even himself by trying to rut in a place that was not safe from other males who might try to harm her or steal her away. He did not trust any of them.
She made another insistent sound, and he grunted in agreement. That way. He did not scent anyone that way.
Adjusting his hold on his mate, he turned in the direction she indicated and raced into the thick growth of trees. He ran, dodging branches and vaulting over fallen trunks. He ran until his legs began to tire. He did not know why she wanted him to run toward the mountain but there were no males and so it was as good a place as any other.
He slowed as he came upon a soft mossy spot. There were several fallen trees and others that were leaning at odd angles in their growth. Laro walked in a slow circle, sniffing around before finally carefully lowering his female to her feet. Steadied, she peered up at him with a smile and stroked the fur on his arm. He grunted, pleased, and lowered himself to a slight crouch, bringing him eye level with his mate. Her smile widened as she brushed a hand along his cheek up to his ear. He patiently leaned into her touch, savoring the connection. He did not wish to rush the moment. He wanted to enjoy every touch, but his primary cock jumped with a fresh stream of seed as it seemed to swell further, and he released a soft sigh and grunted. There was no delaying it.
Gently nudging her back, he reached and gripped the material covering. His mate gasped, her hands coming over his to cover them. She pushed his hands away and scowled at him as her lips began to move. Shaking his fog from his head, he leaned closer, his ears tipping toward her attentively to catch her words.
“Hold on, honey,” she murmured, her own hands going to the material when he would have reached for it again. “I don’t think you are in the right mind to keep yourself from tearing these, and I still need to be able to wear them.”
Laro settled back on his haunches and watched as she peeled off her coverings, bearing every inch of her skin. It was marred in several places with old scars, but each one left an intriguing new pattern, adding adornments to his mate that spoke of her bravery and strength, and her suffering. He did not like the latter, but he could not hate the scars. He loved each of them because he knew that they were part of what her the female she was.
Reaching over, he ran a claw lightly over a large scar on her breast as he raised a hand to touch the wicked scars violently slashed into his own hide. His mate’s lips curved, and she placed her hand on his chest beside his and stroked a finger over the largest of the scars.
“We are both a bit messed up, aren’t we?” she murmured. He frowned at her word choice, but she chuckled and shook her head. “It’s not a bad thing, sweetheart. It just means that we both survived some shit that made us stronger and better able to protect those we care for.”
“I will protect you,” he rumbled slowly, the words thick on his tongue.
“And I will protect you,” she assured him. “We will protect our family together. You will never hurt again if I have anything to say about it.”
Laro winced and sighed, his eyes going back to the material hugging her legs as his cocks surged with their demand. “I hurt.”
Her eyes drifted down, and her expression softened. “Yeah, it looks like you do. And you are being impressively calm despite that. I’m going to take my pants off, but let’s keep my tunic in one piece and on my body, okay? I don’t want my breasts shredded on anything out here.”
He nodded. Yes. Her skin was soft. She did not have the tough hide or thick pelt of a Ragoru. At his nod she smiled and removed her belt that kept her upper covering cinched around her waist. It dropped away and thudded with the clatter of the belt against the weapon it held. Her belly was bared enticingly for a moment as she lifted her tunic to loosen the ties on her pants, pushing them down with a slight wiggle of her wide hips. Long brown legs were slowly revealed, and Laro restlessly shifted his weight in excitement. The moment she kicked off her foot coverings and tugged the material free from her feet he lunged for her, lifting her up off her feet to drape her over a fallen tree.
His mate gasped in surprise but there was no fear in her scent. Only her desire filled his nose, and he rumbled with pleasure as he pushed closer, spreading her legs wide for him. The dark hue of her sex was different from that of a Ragoru, though it was also surrounded by fur. He touched the dark curls with his fingers, brushing his claws through them before dipping his fingers inside, angling them so that his claws would not catch the soft skin there as he slid them over her wet sex opened for him.
She sighed softly, her hips arching into his touch and then jerked with a small cry when his tongue found her heat and lapped her essence from each delicate petal of her sex. Her taste burst over his tongue, so familiar and sweet. It tasted like the best thing in the world to him—like the taste of home—and he lapped it eagerly until she arched with a cry, her hips shooting up as her cunt fluttered around his tongue that he had thrust into her to gather more of the sweetness straight from the source. Her nectar instantly flooded his tongue with her release, and he growled and crowded closer.
She was ready for breeding now.
Pressing closer, he lined his primary cock with her entrance. The tip of the ruffled head grazed her clit and he angled it lower, and his mate shivered and whimpered as it pressed in ever so slightly. Grunting in satisfaction, he rocked his hips forward, sinking his cock into her heat with a single thrust. His mate’s hips arched to meet him, her cry of pleasure sweet in his ears as her cunt stretched around his length, gripping it and pulsating around his cock in a way that was hot and snug.
He shuddered with pleasure and pulled out just enough to shove back in with a growl as her hips jumped and her fragrant wet heat spilled around his cock. Her channel squeezed him, demanding more of him as she moaned beneath him. Digging his claws into the tree on either side of her to anchor himself, Laro rocked into her again, driving the full length of his primary cock in and out of her as her body drew on his in a primal demand for his seed. His growl grew louder with his excitement. He had never felt his cock so full before. Already he could feel his knot starting to bulge as he drove into her again. He shifted, eager to get into her before it grew too large for her small entrance to accommodate. It wouldn’t swell much more yet, not without both of his cocks buried within her, but he couldn’t ignore his primitive drive to have it rooted within her.
Shifting his angle again, he withdrew to the tip so that his secondary cock brushed her lower entrance. He rocked forward and growled loudly as both of his cocks sank into her. She gasped softly with excitement at his invasion, her fingers gripping his fur to pull him in closer even as she rocked up into his thrusts, meeting him. The cries mingled as he drew back his hips and thrust again, his lower hands gripping her sides to pull her to him as he worked her on his cock. His hips moved quicker as his urgency rose within him, clawing at his gut with the need for release. Each thrust came quicker and went deeper, and his second cock began to pulse and vibrate within her at every thrust, drawing sharp cries of need from his mate.
He bent over her, adjusting his grip on the tree so that he covered her completely, the short fur on his chest and abdomen gliding against her skin with every forward motion. The new angle allowed his hips more freedom of movement and he snapped them eagerly, his tail stretching out behind him as he rutted her, his growls and moans blending into a single long, harmonious sound as he felt his knot finally ballooning.
Her cunt clenched repeatedly around him with fresh floods of heat, her cries louder as his knot continued to expand to bulge within the tight clench of her channel. He ground against her, stimulating the bulge with small yanks even as her cunt pulsed tightly around him in rhythmic squeezes. He knew she was coming close to her release, and he could feel his own rising up from his sac and into his lower belly and spine. Laro growled with pleasure and instinctively pressed his muzzle into the side of her neck, inhaling deep as their bodies slapped together.
Her rich scent drove his desire higher, but with it came a need that started deep in his gut, one that sent small warnings through the murk of his mind before quickly disappearing again. Their scents were mingling, but it was not right. She was his mate. She should smell more like him. His muzzle brushed her shoulder as he rutted into her desperately, gently mouthing the tender flesh. No mark. He had never marked his mate!
His female shifted beneath him with a small sound, but he growled, his mouth tightening on her. His! She was his mate! He had to claim her now. His cock jerked he slapped forward with the first spray of his seed, his teeth sinking deep even as his secondary cock pumped a thick spray of its pleasure fluids. Her cry of startled pain morphed into one of ecstasy, her body writhing against his with delirious pleasure. Laro snarled with his own release but dragged a hand away to bite into the flesh of his palm. Blood welled up in a pool, and he dripped it into her open mouth. It splattered in crimson rivers over her tongue and over her chin as his blood was fed into her and disappeared down her throat. She didn’t even fight it, her entire body lost in pleasure as his cocks continue to release within her in thick sprays.
His musk welled up around them and he dragged in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of his seed mixed with her essence.
Even after he stopped releasing, his cocks did not soften. Need spurred him harder as he continued to rut her pinned against the tree. The sun slowly shifted through the trees as it made its way across the sky as he rutted his mate with the desperation that came with the breeding season. Uma’s cries filled the air but if he worried that he might have been hurting her, every time he attempted to withdraw she dragged him back to her as if she too were affected by the heat driving him. It was as if they were caught within the same fire as they desperately came together again and again against that tree.
Was it the Withering Days, he fought against the haze in his mind trying to remember. No. The Withering Days had been spent confined with his triad. It was already long past.
His triad! Laro slumped against his female, his cock giving one last shuddering jerk with the last of his seed spent. He slowly lifted his head and looked around tiredly, exhaustion dragging through his body. Drawing back into a seated position, his gaze fell to his primary cock slicked with her heat and his seed still buried in her cunt.
His eyes widened in shock. He had bred her! His eyes flew to her shoulder and then down to his aching hand, a low groan rumbling in his throat. He bred and mated her in his frenzy. True, she had said she wanted to be with them, but they had not even discussed what was involved in mating or if she even truly wished to mate in the Ragoru way. He had not even given her the proper words oath as her mate.
Laro cleared his throat and pulled awkwardly away, his cocks sliding free from her body. “My apologies. I was not in my right mind.”
Uma stretched as she sat up and winced slightly, her hand going to her lower back, but the look she gave him was one surprisingly filled with amusement rather than chastisement. She leaned forward to lay across his thighs, a yawn escaping her.
“Heat definitely packs a powerful punch,” she agreed.
His blood chilled. He only had vague memories of pink powder rising around him, its sweetness filling his nose. No wonder he had not been able to think properly. Everything had been a fog in his mind—everything except her.
He let out a slow breath and shuddered. “I am glad that I did not harm you. But my males...”
She stroked the fur on his side. “Relax, they are fine. I warned them so they were able to put distance between us before you could do anything.”
The tension bled out of him, and he nodded gratefully. There was still the mating matter, however. He was not sure how to tell her, so he just came out with it.
“I mated you... and bred you,” he added with a wince. “I know we did not speak of such things yet, but you should know I have bonded you with a lead male incapable of siring rogs.” He swallowed hard, some small part of him withering at the thought of no longer being the protector and leader of his triad. But he would do it for his family—and for Uma. “If it would please you, I can ask Vrin to challenge for lead. He was unable to do so for Ekeren, but in time he may heal enough with you as a mate to be able to take leadership of the triad.”
Uma looked up at him and frowned. “I don’t want that. More importantly, I don’t think Vrin wants that either. He relies on you—we all do. You are lead for a reason, because that is who you are.”
Laro’s heart clenched, hope rising unbidden within him with a rush of warmth. But still it pained him to know that they would never have rogs.
“You do not mind not having offspring?” he rasped.
His mate snorted with laughter. “We have Kam. He is a handful of mischief all by himself.” She grinned as he chuffed in agreement. “Honestly though, I never really thought of it. Children never seemed to be in the cards for me, especially since I couldn’t see myself going through the process that is common around the citadel.”
He gave her a questioning look, and she grimaced.
“Since there are so few men, most women have children in the citadel by going to donors. They never really meet the man and never speak to him. A sheet hangs over her upper body so that they don’t even meet eyes as the male breeds her. It is all very perfunctory, as he is always someone married, usually into one of the founding families or with some sort of means. It means nothing other than to help keep the population from collapsing. Some of the higher-ranking men have campaigned to allow males to have multiple wives in order to help population recovery within the citadel, and I know that some western citadels have taken to do that, but it has always been shot down at Old Wayfairer Citadel.” Her lips tilted in amusement. “The wives aren’t too interested in the idea of sharing their men.”
Laro grunted in sympathy. Females were few among Ragoru, but he did not think he would easily welcome other males outside of his triad.
His triad! Laro groaned as his thoughts turned to his brothers again. At Uma’s questioning glance, he sighed heavily.
“How do I explain to Vrin and Kam that I have already mated them?” He scowled slightly. “Mostly to Vrin.”
“You can just admit that you are a greedy fool who cannot wait for his brothers,” Vrin barked.
Laro’s head swung in his direction in shock as both Vrin and Kam stepped out of the brush. “How long have you been there?” He frowned, puzzled. “And why couldn’t I scent you?”
“A while,” Vrin grumbled. “We saw everything and already know. We have just been waiting until your sanity returned. As for scent,” he shrugged casually, “we met with the guardswoman before that triad she was with whisked her away. She gave us the scent cover so that we could safely follow you.” His expression sobered. “And do not even think of ever asking me to challenge you. I am broken, we both know that. Even if I heal, I will always be broken in some way. You are a good lead, Laro, the one that we willingly follow. Rogs do not matter, though I know that this matter has often been in your heart and a source of pain for you. We have our mate. That is enough.”
Kam nodded. “We would not change anything.” Then the male broke into a grin. “And I just want to add that your mating was a lot of fun to watch. I’m not even in rut and I think I spilled twice while watching.” He rubbed his swollen sheath and winced in a gesture of sympathy. “Though I cannot say that I would wish Heat on any male now that I am getting a good look at you. Not to mention that you forgot the most important part, which you should really correct before we have our turn. After all, you are the lead.”
A smile creased Laro’s face as Vrin nodded in agreement. Chuffing softly, he stroked his mates back and drew out the pouch nestled within his fur. He had been prepared for this moment before they left the citadel, and yet somehow, he still messed it up. He was fortunate to have such an understanding family. Reaching inside the pouch, he pulled at the delicate green stone. It was shaped simply like a disc with a hole carved through the center through which the leather was looped and yet the stone was just a flawless pure shade of pale green that he was unable to imagine anything more worthy of his mate’s beauty.
He held it clasped in his hand for a moment before gently looping it around her neck and gently lowering it against her skin until it rested comfortably just above her breasts. Uma’s fingers flew to it, a look of delight lighting her face.
“This... this is what you bought at the market? You got it for me?”
He nodded. “I knew even then that I wished to have no other for my mate,” he rasped, brushing a hand through her head fur. She leaned into his touch, a smile curling her mouth. That smile shined in her eyes so that they shimmered with love and happiness within their depths. Captivated, he reached deep inside of himself for the words waiting there that would finally join them.
“Through blood we are born, and through blood we are born again. You have chosen, we are yours.”
Vrin and Kam rasped the oath in turn and stepped forward, each of them slashing their palms in offering. Laro watched sedately, pride filling him as Uma straightened and drank from each of their palms in a silent pledge of their mating.