Chapter 10

Sorcha

I twisted around in the bathing tub to stare at my sister, flabbergasted. "Varkaan did what ? That—that bastard !"

But Roxanna merely clucked her tongue and went back to massaging the soap into my hair. "I could say the same thing about Drakolt."

I began to shake my head, but halted the movement when Roxanna tugged at my hair. "Nay, he is not like that. He is…kind. Gentle." To me, at least. "Honorable."

"An honorable, gentle beast who is going to fook you in front of his entire clan," my sister murmured drily.

Our entire clan .

A big part of me had accepted that my future was with Clan Bladesedge. I suppose it would depend how tonight went, and if I was accepted by them.

How to explain to Roxanna? "'Tis part of their culture…their society."

She stooped to fill the pouring bucket. "Aye, and have you noticed aught about their society?"

They treated their women as equals, revering them for their capabilities.

They embraced sensuality, not feeling shame about their bodies.

They didn't lust after gold and power, the way humans did.

They believed the clan and family was the most important structure, and they were loyal and honorable to those they loved.

Loved .

Much of what the orcs believed came down to love , and I couldn't deny that was compelling.

When I emerged, sputtering, from the rinse water, Roxanna was speaking. "And have you noticed where you are? This is the chief's home, Sorcha."

As she stepped from the tub, I did my best to peer around the simple hut. "I did not know," I admitted, allowing my sister to wrap me in a warm, dry tartan. "Drakolt said naught when he dropped me off with you."

"Och, he said plenty," Roxanna said with a sparkle in her eyes. "You just did not notice. Come sit in front of the fire so I can dry and plait your hair."

‘Twas comforting to chat with my sister as her leisurely brush strokes relaxed me. I could even forget what was coming. She told me of her journey with Varkaan, and while I wasn't certain I could forgive the smiling male for his actions, I had to admit Roxanna did not seem to mind them, judging from the way she blushed and changed the subject.

Hmm .

I told her of my time with Drakolt—aye, all of my time with him. Of his plans, and what he explained about Mating, and why he needed this alliance with our father.

"And you are happy to be his Mate?" my sister asked, pinning the small braid atop my head so it framed the rest of my curls. "Ruling here at his side?"

I hesitated. "'Twould be no different than my plans for Laird MacDonald."

"Oh, I think ‘twill be very different," Roxanna snorted. "Your Mate will honor and cherish you, for one. If you can come to terms with these strange customs. "

But orcish life wasn't that strange. I liked everything I had seen thus far…except what was coming. The thought of being spread wide in front of the people I was expected to rule was… My breath caught, my cheeks heated. Humiliating, aye, but also…

"I think…" I managed. "I think there might be some merit to orcish customs."

Roxanna snorted and smacked my shoulder as she stood to fetch a clean chemise. "I thought so. All those nights reading A Harlot's Guide to the Forbidden and Delightful Arts have turned you deviant. You are excited about tonight, are you not?"

I pressed my lips together, determined not to give her the benefit of an answer, but her laughter told me she understood.

As I lifted my arms to allow her to slide the chemise over my head, the door opened. We both turned, and when Gelma stepped in, I will admit my stomach clenched. In fear or anticipation? Or both.

The wizened female shook her head. "Ye willnae need that, lassie," she said, hobbling across the room, to where I was slowly rising, clutching the tartan about me.

I could admit that I liked this woman, who reminded me of what a grandmother should be. Although she was stooped, she tipped her head back to hold my gaze as she took my hands, and there was a twinkle in those deep black pools.

"Sorcha, my daughter, tonight ye will become a queen. A chief's Mate, and the gods have told me ye will have a long and happy life here among the Bladesedge Clan."

I squeezed her hand, grateful for the support, even if ‘twas nonsense. "Thank you, Gelma. But the gods have told you many things, aye?"

"Aye, lassie." Her eyes sparkled with humor. "Tonight ye will conceive a son, who will unite our clan with the Tarberts. More importantly, he will lead the Bladesedge Clan after ye and Drakolt go to yer rests. Our people will be safe and prosperous for decades to come."

In that moment, I realized this was all I needed to hear. That my future was safe and happy. If I could embrace it.

"I…" I swallowed, took a deep breath, and forced myself to say the words. "I am scared."

Gelma's smile turned soft. "Dinnae be. Drakolt might be a male, but he isnae a complete idiot. Trust him."

Trust him.

My eyes widened. "I do. "

As the old woman nodded in satisfaction, Roxanna interrupted. "Gelma, what does it mean when a male—I mean, when Drakolt's eyes glow green?" We both turned to her, and my usually bold sister stammered and glanced down to mutter, "Sorcha told me Drakolt's eyes sometimes glow green."

"Ahh," Gelma hummed thoughtfully. "'Tis the Mating thrall. ‘Twill come when he experiences high emotions relating to his Mate—fear, rage… need ." The last was said with a little wink my way, and when I blushed, she cackled.

"Now, come, lassie." Gelma reached up as far as she could to wrap her arm around my shoulders. "I am to escort you to yer people."

Wrapped only in a tartan.

Feeling the panic beginning to rise again, I caught Roxanna's eye. "You promised not to watch, aye?"

My sister grimaced as Gelma led me from the cottage. "I swear. I love you, Sorcha! You can do this, sister!"

Her call filled me with warmth.

I could do this. I would do this, because I trusted Drakolt.

Gelma led me through the crowds, which parted to let me pass. There were orcs of all ages—some dressed as simple crofters, some in more elaborate clothing, some with children on their shoulders, and all holding mugs of ale or food.

‘Twas a celebration, and the noise proved it.

However, as Gelma and I passed, conversations and music stopped, so silence spread from our path as the members of Clan Bladesedge turned to us. Everywhere I looked there was the blue and green plaid, with smiling faces and excited nods.

They want this. This is not unusual to them. This is a time for celebration .

I lifted my chin and tried to remember that.

Gelma led me to the center of the square where a dais had been erected. On the dais was what I assumed was a hay bale, judging from the shape, covered in layers of comfortable plaid. Was this where the act was to take place? I felt my heart speeding.

The old woman lifted her hands and began to speak, but I confess my pulse was pounding too loudly in my ears to pay attention. Something about welcoming me.

Then, without warning, she turned and yanked the tartan from around my shoulders.

And there I stood, naked as the day I was born, with a hundred sets of eyes on me .

My first instinct was to shy away, to cover myself and to blush.

But I was to be their leader. They believed this was normal and right and I couldn't prove I could lead them if I honored their traditions by allowing myself to be embarrassed.

So, despite the horrible pounding in my chest and my rapid breathing, I lifted my chin and kept my hands loose at my side.

"Fine work, lassie," Gelma muttered approvingly. "They love ye already."

Their love wasn't what I needed right now.

Suddenly, the crowd parted again, and I sucked in a breath.

Walking—nay, stalking toward me—was Drakolt. My orc. My husband? My love. He was wrapped in a plaid, but his knees and feet were bare. He didn't seem to mind.

And his gaze was locked on me.

His eyes…all trace of darkness was gone. Instead, they blazed with a green light that caused his people to murmur approvingly and smile indulgently. The Mating thrall .

I felt my breathing growing shallower for an entirely different reason. Now, I watched this male, this orc of mine, move toward me, and I was struck by his magnificence. His grace, his strength, his power.

He was mine .

And here, in front of our people, he was going to prove that.

I felt my core warming in anticipation.

At the base of the dais, Drakolt paused, his head tipped back to stare up at me. In one flourishing movement, he ripped open his arms to spread the plaid wide, displaying the front of his naked body not just to my eyes, but to the eyes of his clan.

Our people began to cheer.

But I only had eyes for my Mate.

His thick cock jutted proudly from its nest of dark curls, and the scars on his chest seemed more prominent. Both evidence of his prowess. And his eyes glowed with need .

When his nostrils flared, I knew he could scent my arousal, so I lifted my arms to him, palms out, trying to gather him to me.

"Come to me, Drakolt," I commanded.

He obeyed.

Drakol t

Gods below, I could not be more proud of this female, my Mate.

The Mate the gods themselves had chosen for me.

Just knowing what was coming, my Kteer had been buzzing for hours. It had been difficult to accomplish the day-to-day tasks with a tremendous erection, and I wasn't certain how much I'd managed.

But now…

Now, everything my Kteer had been waiting on was here. Sorcha was on display for me, beckoning me into her arms, and I was ready to seal our future in front of our clan.

On display. No' just for ye, but for everyone .

I pushed the thought aside and focused on the small smile on her lips, the way her eyes begged for me as I bounded up onto the dais. The clan continued to cheer as I draped the tartan around my naked backside, and when I reached her?

I gave them something to cheer about.

I cupped the back of Sorcha's neck and tipped her head back so I could lower my lips to hers.

I could say I claimed her, but in reality, this female had claimed me long ago.

My Mate responded eagerly to my touch, which just made my Kteer crow louder. Her tongue tangled with mine the way she'd shown me she liked, and I vowed to spend the rest of my life pleasing her.

I brushed my free hand over her shoulder, delighting at the way she shivered and surged up on her toes to reach me. My touch dragged down her arm, then moved to her bare side and across her stomach. This wasn't the first time we'd stood naked together in the warm night air, but now all eyes were on me.

Somewhere deep inside me, my Kteer growled at that thought, momentarily distracting me. Was I not pleased with the situation? To be claiming my Mate in front of my clan?

Sorcha whimpered when my touch moved to her breast, and I squeezed and rolled and caressed the way she liked. Her weight pressed against me as if her knees had gone weak, and I slowly moved her back to rest on the makeshift bed arranged for her public breeding.

The position must have surprised her, because she pulled away from my lips with a gasp.

"What is it?" I murmured.

I saw her throat work as she swallowed, but she held my gaze. "What you are about to do…" Her voice was barely a whisper. "I was not sure I was ready. "

And now?

Without thinking, I reached down and cupped her mound, my fingers moving between her thighs in a crude semblance of claiming. Behind me, the clan roared their approval, but I had eyes only for my Mate.

"You are wet," I announced proudly.

Was it my imagination, or did she roll her eyes slightly? "Of course I am wet. What you are doing to me? I will be dead afore this ceases to make me wet."

I couldn't help it; I laughed. There on the dais, in front of our people, on what would be the most important night of my life, I laughed, and I saw her expression ease into a small smile.

Sorcha reached her arms around my shoulders, pulling me toward her. I went willingly, our movements smooth and coordinated. When I entered her, ‘twas as if we had planned it this way.

And as always, her pleasure immediately burst over her.

"Drakolt!" she gasped loudly, loudly enough for our audience to hear her.

I grinned proudly as she writhed around my cock, her inner muscles spasming in rhythm, each shudder serving its purpose to make her more ready for me.

And our people knew it.

They roared their approval, calling lewd suggestions and crude encouragement.

Mayhap I should not have allowed quite so many barrels of ale tapped.

Because while I was proud of my Mate and what we shared, my Kteer growled at the thought of so many eyes on this special moment.

With a sigh, Sorcha released my shoulders and dropped back to the makeshift bed. Her pale skin was flushed, her eyes bright with desire. She lay there nude, legs spread, my cock buried in her dripping cunny, her fingertips dragging across her bare breasts as if teasing herself.

"Drakolt," she whispered gently, wriggling against me. "I am ready."

But was I?

My cock was throbbing, beyond ready to claim her. To finally spill inside her, to breed her, to plant my seed in her and fill her belly and make her mine.

But my Kteer hated the thought of sharing that with so many.

"Drakolt," she prompted, rocking her hips back so I slid from her without moving, then forward once more to claim all of my cock. "Please?"

She wanted this .

Nay, she wants ye. She's never liked the thought of being on display like this .

I began to move, small thrusts. My mind was almost completely consumed by need, but a small part of me listened to the crude things being yelled and wondered what my Mate thought.

Sorcha stared up at me as if I was her entire world, and I realized at that moment that I was . In the future, she would help lead our people, she would be the example and the grace and the strength we needed…but for now, she was trying her best to block out the knowledge we were being watched.

We were being watched during what would be the most important moment of my life.

I thrust into Sorcha, each plunge bringing me closer and closer to the moment I'd anticipated since Gelma had read the signs and announced my future.

The chief belongs to his clan . My father had told me that when I was a kit.

But this ? This moment? This belonged to me. To my Mate and to me. I didn't need to share this with the clan, even if I was their chief.

Sorcha was spread beneath me, gaze locked trustingly on mine. With one hand, she cupped her own tit, obviously trying to recreate my touch. Her other snaked down her belly to rest against her mound, using her fingertips to tease the little pearl of her pleasure, the way I knew she liked.

‘Twas the most arousing thing I'd ever seen, this female taking her pleasure so willingly from my own body.

As my thrusts quickened, my focus narrowed to this female, these sensations. The cheers faded, and I could no longer feel their stares on my back. My Mate, squeezing me with her most intimate muscles, was all who mattered.

My Mate, and this moment.

With a growl, I realized the truth: I didn't want to share her, even with my clan.

Without slowing my plunges, I ripped the plaid from my hips and raised it to my shoulders. Holding the edge, I fell forward, bracing my palms on either side of Sorcha's shoulders, creating a tent with my body and the plaid.

Covering her.

Protecting her.

And judging from the way she smiled up at me, Sorcha realized it.

"Drakolt," she whispered. "Come with me, my Mate."

Mate .

She'd called me Mate .

‘Twas all the encouragement I needed.

When her legs wrapped around my waist, I gathered her in my arms, leaning over her, plunging into her wet, willing cunny, allowing my Kteer free rein.

Her little gasps and pants and wriggles proved she was still ready for me, and between us her fingers worked frantically.

Suddenly, she stiffened, and I knew her climax was close. I paused, allowing her body time to adjust, and she blinked up at me. My pulse pounded in my temple, but in that moment, I knew the truth.

"I love ye, Sorcha."

She gasped as her pleasure burst over her and triggered my own.

I gathered her to me, threw my head back, and roared as I spilled my seed against her womb.

The sensation was…indescribable. Far more fulfilling than any sexual experience I'd had in my life. I felt as if Sorcha had ripped part of my soul from my body and was keeping it inside her. The release was just that—a release of all the worry and fear and hope I'd been dreading for so long.

Or mayhap ‘twas the words I love ye .

As my breathing slowly returned to normal and the roaring in my ears faded, I was able to blink down at her. At my Mate, who was smiling up at me .

Her small hand rose to caress my cheek as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Behind me, the clan was cheering, but all that mattered was this moment I'd shared with Sorcha.

"Thank you, Drakolt."

I thought she'd meant Thank you for hiding me from their eyes , so I nodded immediately. "I realized that this was for us . I didnae want to share ye, or share it."

If anything, her smile grew. "Then I thank you for that as well. But what I meant was thank you for giving me a son tonight."

A son .

That had been the entire point of this ceremony, after all. Breeding my Mate so the clan would know their chief could protect them for the next generation. But with those words, the reality hit me.

I was going to be a father . Right now, deep inside Sorcha, the gods were forming our son.

My grin was slow to grow, but it bloomed to match hers. "A son," I whispered.

Her fingers caressed my jaw. "I will be a good mother. I promise."

With a growl low in my throat, I lifted her, scooping her in my arms and pressing her against me. Our bodies were still connected, but the plaid hid all but our heads from our audience.

"Ye will be the best mother," I vowed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And the best Mate a chief could pray for. And I will be devoted to ye, spending the rest of my life making ye happy."

"Well," she sighed happily, pressing her cheek to my shoulder and closing her eyes. "I cannot argue with such a promise. I love you, Drakolt."

With our clan watching, I cuddled her to me. "And I love ye, Mate."

"There's a possibility you have not bred me quite yet, and I think we need to try again to ensure your seed sticks." She sighed happily. "Take me home, please."

Cradling her against my chest, I stepped from the dais, ignoring the well-wishes of my clan and the way Gelma jumped up to pronounce a blessing. My Mate had my attention, and my Kteer crowed happily at the thought of pleasuring her again.

"Gladly, my love."