26

Serik

"Nope, nope, nope," I say, with each stomp away from the chaos at my front door. Once Timor showed up, it's clan policy I step away.

Thank the fates.

Timor, Sergei, and Kiril can fight over leading the clan without me. I would rather roll around in reindeer scat than deal with Gleb's mess. He exposed our existence to a girl he dragged across the tundra after killing her pleasure mate. I don't care if he pushed the man under the frigid ocean water or waited for the man to drown—murder is murder. I've done unsavory things to claim Kaitlyn, but would I kill a rival for her affections? Probably, unless she had true feelings for a pleasure mate…then the lucky bastard would live because I hate to see her sad.

But Gleb is supposed to be a more virtuous male than me…

And her comment about masks and suits? She must be too dumb to live to travel thousands of miles with Gleb and not realize he's a Chuchunya—not a human in a Chuchunya suit. That or she injured her mind almost drowning, mourning her pleasure mate, traveling the tundra in wet clothes with a monster, and whatever else he put her through. Is she starving, freezing, tired, or terrified? I shouldn't care, but Kaitlyn will.

Which is why I'm not telling her about Gleb's mess. The woman's fate is between Timor and Gleb…while my fate is between my mate's thighs.

At the opposite end of the hallway to my home, beneath the permafrost, lies the remnants of the mushroom's travels. White foam boxes stand empty with their lids wedged between them and the rock wall. While I listened to Gleb prattle on about his fate, my mate unpacked our mushrooms. My chest swells with pride. She must have taken each log-growing fungus through the inner crevice to the main room—forty trips on her own.

On the opposite side of the crevice, I breathe a sigh of relief that Timor's booming voice doesn't carry this far underground, only to choke on the stink of my previous roommates. My sweet mate is bent over our pink oyster mushrooms at the far end. She arranged the mushroom containers in a spreadsheet across the floor. I can't wait to experience her excitement when I make a spreadsheet of shelves for her like in our central home. Right now, I crave a different sort of excitement. Her round rump is high in the air like an invitation. I lock the door behind me so no one can disturb us. My mouth waters as I cross the room with determined steps.

"My brave, beautiful, dushevnayasvyaz," I whisper behind her. A breath of air can't fit between us as she straightens. I allow my cock to emerge from the fur on my lap to rub along her backside. "I love how brave and busy you have been. Bringing our young into the safety of our home like a polar bear and her cubs is so sexy."

"My unhinged Serik," she says with a giggle. "You would think my cleaning out this room was sexy…but I like that. Praise me some more."

"I have better plans," I say, wrapping my arms around her. "How about I bathe you, rut you, knot you, cuddle you to sleep, and build our mushroom shelves in the morning?"

"I always loved your cunning plans," she murmurs.

She arches her back and kisses me. I grab her throat to lift her chin higher for better access to her mouth, but the stretch pulls a moan from within her. My body answers with a rumbling growl. I've trapped her arms in my embrace, but she wiggles her ass against me with urgency. Emboldened with the needy mews of my mate, I reach around her to tease her over her pants.

"Bare your body to me," I whisper.

Power surges through my blood as she yanks her pants to her knees. When she bends over to pull off her boots, I indulge in gliding my cock over the crease in her behind. She slows her movements, taking her precious time to remove her socks. I part her cheeks to rub between them. Her answering moan is sweeter music than nature's chernyrozd.

Once the last millimeter of clothing is removed from her lower half, I bend over her to palm her breasts. We stand up as a unit. With one hand, I whip the fabric over her head and toss it onto the floor. My hands glide over her heated skin as I enjoy her softness. I worship every curve, dip, and valley with my fingertips. My lips and tongue will love her next, but first I must take her to the bathing pool where it's warmer.

"Follow me, babe," she says in a husky whisper. My brave mate disappears through the crevice to my bathing pool and bedroom. I've always hated the giant cavern that holds both because the high ceiling makes the room seem bigger. It's been a symbol of the lonely hole in my life. However, my mate's squeal of delight upon seeing it for the first time changes my outlook.

"Your bedroom is a luxury suite."

"Not as sweet as you," I purr as I lift her into my arms.

"Suite, not sweet," she says with a giggle. I silence her by lifting her nipple to my mouth. As I play with its ring with my tongue, her giggles melt into groans of need. "Later, I'll explain later. Don't stop to talk."

I sit on the edge of my bathing pool and arrange her over my lap. The humidity has wet strands of her hair. I caress the ones stuck to her face backward, so I can gaze into her warm, brown eyes.

"I promise to love you forever."

"I know," she says, patting the fur over my heart. "We're mates. I love you too."

"No, I will love you more than dushevnayasvyaz," I confess. "I promise to love you how you want, how you tell me to, and in whatever way you require to embrace the security I offer. I'll do what it takes to keep you in my life."

"Silly Svoloch Serik, my purpose is to complete your life as yours is to complete mine. I understand that now. There's no love greater than what I feel for you now—there's nothing more secure than our dushevnayasvyaz…"