Chapter 12

Gaelec

T he flame of desire didn’t so much spark as flare up with surprising intensity as soon as I rubbed my temple against my woman’s. The irrational need to mark her with my scent, to brand her as mine took hold of me with the strength that left me reeling. Throughout the evening, the possessiveness she stirred in me increased with every passing minute.

I didn’t understand how she gained so much power over me in such a short time. It was especially confusing since she hadn’t used any of the tricks other females usually did. Obviously, the fact that she hadn’t listed any demands or conditional promises made her even more enticing to my eyes. But there was just something about her, about the way she smiled, looked at me, and made me feel simply with her presence that had become incredibly addictive.

Every time she brushed against me, whether by accident or intentionally, I immediately began craving her embrace. Even as I carried her to our bed, memories of the previous night had blood rushing to my pelvic area.

By the gods, it had been so insanely good with her!

To think I had found her appearance strange and mostly unappealing. And now, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the little things that made her so perfect. From the incredible softness of her furless skin to the impromptu way it covered itself in those ridiculously cute little bumps for no apparent reason, to those magical spots she called freckles and that I wanted to lick one by one, my mate was a treasure trove of wonders that fascinated me. I loved how she wrinkled her strange pointy nose whenever she was embarrassed or annoyed. The intensity of the redness of her skin as she blushed would never stop making me want to both laugh and squeeze her in a tight hug.

And those eyes… those stunning green eyes that always seem to peer into the very depth of my soul just mesmerized me.

However, as I lay her down on the bed, it was a different wonder that I wanted to feast my eyes—and my mouth—on.

Ophelia kicked off the flat shoes she’d been wearing while I was leaning down to kiss her. That reminded me just how fragile humans were. She needed clothes to protect her skin from the elements and keep her body warm, and shoes to shelter the insane softness of her sole from rocks and other sharp objects on the ground. Another wave of protectiveness flared within me thinking of how ill-equipped humans were to survive in the wild.

Nazhrals were naturally designed to thrive in most environments and against many dangers or predators. We only wore clothes to hide our genitals. But that was a relatively recent thing, dating a few centuries back after we made first contact with off-worlders. We always had loincloths, but they were more a fashion statement that people randomly elected to wear, mostly to display wealth and status.

However, as much as I found the outfits she wore flattering, right now, I wanted her fully bare.

Still standing at the edge of the bed, I bent forward and licked her navel, left exposed by the short, formfitting top she was wearing. Throughout the day, that little button relentlessly taunted me. Remembering how she shivered and squirmed last night when I licked and nipped at it, my tongue twitched to see if I could get a similar reaction from her again.

And I did.

I loved how responsive Ophelia was to my touch. During our multiple, unbridled couplings, I inventoried each of her sensitive spots and made certain to give them all the attention they deserved. A couple more licks and nips had my woman’s legs jerking, which made me chuckle with quite a bit of smugness.

But the blossoming scent of her arousal urged me to get down to business, as humans liked saying. I climbed onto the bed, my knees on each side of her legs. Slipping my hands beneath the hem of her top, I lifted it up in a bold caress, my lips following in their wake as they exposed her breasts. They fascinated me. Considering their massive size—compared to a Nazhral female’s—and how perky they were, one could have expected them to be firm, almost hard. And yet, they couldn’t have been softer and more pliable.

I fondled them with both hands, reveling in the strange texture of her areolas and nipples as they began to harden. It was such an odd phenomenon. But knowing that arousal prompted that reaction fanned the flame burning in the pit of my stomach.

While my thumb continued to tease her right breast, I released her other breast so my mouth could take over giving it some much needed attention. Its texture on my tongue made me instantly hard, as did the way her body jerked in response, accompanied by the sexiest throaty moan. I licked and laved her nipple a while longer before resuming my journey upward.

I finished lifting her top while peppering soft kisses around her chest area and neck. She raised her arms to allow me to rid her of the garment.

I leaned forward to kiss her. It still felt a little strange to me, but no longer in an unpleasant fashion. This thing was growing on me, which was a good thing as I knew my mate enjoyed it. She immediately responded, pressing her lips against mine while wrapping her arms around me. By the gods! It did the most wonderful thing to me that she truly seemed to crave proximity with me. I loved her eagerness and passion.

As I continued to caress her body, I felt emboldened and licked the seam of her mouth. Ophelia froze and slightly pulled her head back. Eyes flicking between mine, she studied my face with an inquisitive look, as if to make certain she hadn’t misinterpreted my intentions. Suddenly feeling uncertain, I gave her a nervous smile. My mate’s face lit up, and she returned my smile with the loveliest mix of encouragement and timidity.

When she lifted her head back towards mine, I gently reclaimed her lips. This time, as soon as I poked my tongue out, her lips parted, welcoming me in. Despite my apprehension about such an unusual thing, I carefully made her tongue’s acquaintance. It was the strangest and yet most fascinating sensation.

Humans didn’t possess a raspy tongue like we did, but never in a million years would I have imagined such softness. It was smooth, warm, and silky as it danced around mine. In retrospect, I shouldn’t be surprised considering how impossibly soft her mouth had felt around my cock.

A needy moan also escaped me at the memory of the insane pleasure she’d given me that way. Clamping down on the wave of lust surging in my loins, I focused on that kiss. Savoring my female’s sweet taste, my exploration grew bolder in tandem with my confidence.

Who would have thought licking the inside of another person’s mouth could be this pleasurable?

The look of wonder on my woman’s face when I ended the kiss wrecked me. She smiled, gratitude, lust, and something else I couldn’t define warred for dominance on her features. All that mattered was that I wanted her to always look at me like that. In that instant, I realized I would do anything and everything to make this woman as happy as any person could be… whatever the cost.

For the next eternity, I worshiped every inch of her body. I would never tire of the feel of her soft skin under my tongue, its slight saltiness, and intoxicating scent. My mate loved being licked and nipped. To my surprise, she also enjoyed when I carefully raked the tips of my claws or fangs on her, obviously without breaking skin. I was starting to suspect Ophelia liked flirting with danger, and I would gladly oblige.

Her stomach quivered in that sexy way of hers as my mouth traveled down her body to my prize. The scent of her arousal had my cock throbbing with need. Humans didn’t have pheromones in the traditional sense, and yet my mate’s musk acted on me like the most potent aphrodisiac. The slightest waft sufficed to make me burn with the urge to put her on all fours and unleash my passion on her.

Even now, it took every bit of my willpower to keep me from doing just that.

Ophelia’s breath became a bit faster and shallower as I stared at her treasure. It already glistened with her essence for me, and her little nub was perking its head up, clamoring for my attention. Her slit was the most adorable shade of pink. A part of me deplored that it was cleanly shaven. I had looked forward to seeing tight curls, the same fiery red as her hair, framing her slit.

Although slightly disappointed, finding her completely bare had not surprised me. From what I’d read about humans, removing body hair was a common ritual among them, especially for women. In fact, except for the nearly invisible, extremely fine short hairs on her forearms and the long locks on her head, my mate had no other hair anywhere, including under her armpits or the length of her slender legs.

A pity, truly. But that didn’t stop me from reveling in the extreme softness of her skin.

Ophelia’s stomach quivered when I deeply inhaled her intoxicating musk. My chest vibrated with a hungry growl before I dove in for my feast. Nazhrals didn’t perform oral sex on each other. This had been another first for me. What a shame it would have been to have missed out on something so mind-blowingly blissful.

The tartness of my female’s essence exploded on my taste buds. It made me even harder and hungrier to devour her. Encouraged by my woman’s moans and by her hands gripping my mane, I greedily licked and sucked on her clit. As much as I initially thought a woman’s body to be poorly designed that her most erogenous part would be located on the outside, I now finally saw its value.

With our females, there was no pleasure in them without penetration. As it triggered their ovulation, unless they took active measures to prevent unplanned pregnancies, you couldn’t really mate just for the enjoyment of it. But this little wonder would allow me to pleasure my mate whenever, wherever, on a whim.

A practical trait I intended to make extensive use of.

Slipping two fingers inside Ophelia—their entry eased by how wet she already was for me—I zeroed in on the sensitive bundle of nerves right at the top, a short way in. Her body instantly jerked in response. It felt amazing knowing exactly where and how to touch my female to send her over the edge.

I fleetingly wondered again why human males were so ill-designed to satisfy their women. They should have had an external appendage devoted to stroking their mate’s clitoris with each thrust, and they required either similar spikes on their shaft to massage what they called the G-spot or have a recurved cock to make sure it wouldn’t just shoot past it.

The Gods did human women dirty.

But not this one. My mate would never want for orgasms.

As if she’d read the thoughts crossing my mind, Ophelia suddenly cried out, her back arching as ecstasy swept her away. My mouth still latching on to her clit to keep her flying high for as long as possible, I tilted my head up to peer at her. At first, I could only see the delectable hard buds of her nipples until her back relaxed onto the mattress.

By the Gods, she looked stunning!

With her pale complexion, her face, neck, and chest were flushed, giving the impression her freckles were bathed in a reddish glow, just like the red stars of Luen. Her green eyes were darkened with passion, her lips parted as voluptuous sounds flowed out of her in an endless stream, and her face was dissolved in an expression of pure bliss… Bliss that I had given her.

As soon as she started to come back down, I yielded at last to the demands of my painfully hard cock. I kissed my way back up before settling on top of her. Although she parted her legs wide to welcome me, that position humans called missionary would take a while for me to get used to. My legs didn’t find it natural. Technically, it wasn’t all that different from kneeling, but it required for me to mostly sustain my weight on my arms rather than on my knees.

But I couldn’t deny this human position offered far more intimacy than the standard Nazhral one. Nothing compared to being face to face with one’s soulmate as our bodies became one. With a single smile laced with an equal measure of passion and tenderness, my mate expressed her consent, reinforced by the possessive way in which she wrapped her arms around me.

Like I did on our first night, I willed my cock to self-lubricate then pressed my lips to my woman as I began pushing myself inside her. It was meant to distract her from any discomfort she might feel. Considering my girth, it was almost a miracle she could receive me. Even now, despite the multiple rounds we’d enjoyed last evening, her body once more resisted my invasion. My loins burned with the need to just ram myself in and give in to the insatiable hunger Ophelia awakened in me. I forced myself to stick to shallow thrusts and deepened the kiss.

Lost in the softness of her tongue and the sweetness of her taste, I was almost startled when her body suddenly yielded to me. Ophelia hissed against my lips, no doubt from the burn. The tightness of her sheath squeezing me from all sides had me on the verge of spilling.

Nothing should feel this good.

Summoning all the self-control I possessed, I continued to kiss and caress my woman as she adjusted to me, until her inner walls started contracting around my length. As soon as I began moving, a nearly feral growl rumbled in my throat.

It was so fucking good!

My spikes were already highly erogenous, but the way she gripped me, her searing heat stroking every sensitive nerve ending both on the way in and out, had me on the verge of erupting. I could barely think. My entire world narrowed down to the inferno raging in my loins. Each thrust sent lightning bolts coursing through me. Ophelia’s hands and mouth on me, the exquisite feel of her feverish skin against mine, and the voluptuous sound of her moans in my ears soon had me drowning in a maelstrom of sensations.

I didn’t know when I picked up the pace. One moment I was trying to rein myself in, and the next I was pounding into her. I wanted to fuck her raw. To brand her, break her, have her as insane with desire for me as I was for her. She was writhing beneath me, whispering my name between two moans, her breathing labored as she began to crest.

She fell apart with a sharp cry. Her inner walls clamping down on my cock nearly had me come undone. Grinding my teeth through the urge to surrender to my own release, I pursued my relentless assault, taking her even harder, deeper, and faster. I still wanted her too much, even if it killed me.

For a brief moment, I considered pulling out of her and flipping her onto her stomach. Not only was that a more comfortable position for me, but there was something incredibly erotic about firmly gripping a female’s waist, the plump curves of her behind slamming against your pelvis as you ram your cock into her, over and over again. Another bolt of lust exploded in the pit of my stomach at the memory of how my female rocked in front of me, last night, meeting me thrust for thrust as I wrecked her.

But I couldn’t bear the thought of no longer being one with her for the merest second. Instead, I slipped my arms behind her knees and folded her legs up towards her chest even as I spread them wider. She was pinned down and fully opened to me.

I went feral as I gave in to the lust and passion she stirred in me.

Ophelia never got a chance to come down from her current high as I ravaged her with unbridled fury. Having her trapped beneath me, helpless but to take all that I had to give, and still begging me for more only fueled the madness that had my mind on the verge of fracturing.

As waves upon waves of pleasure almost too much to bear threatened to overwhelm me, I released my mate’s right leg and slipped a hand between us. I wouldn’t last much longer, but I needed my woman coming all over my cock as I gave in to my orgasm.

The rough pad of my fingers no sooner touched her clit than Ophelia’s body seized, swept away again. This time, I surrendered with a powerful roar, followed by a long stream of feral grunts. I continued to rock in and out of her, my movements erratic as spasms of ecstasy shook my body. My seed shot out of me in endless spurts of pure bliss.

Fully spent, I collapsed on top of my mate, before turning us around so that she would lay on top of me. My cock still buried inside her, my tail tightly wrapped around her waist, I let the spinning room settle around us, along with the frantic beating of my heart.

Even now, our bodies still bound as one, I couldn’t seem to get close enough to my woman. She was mine, and I was hers. In that instant, I knew no one could ever own me more fully than she did.

Ophelia was my soulmate.

O n my way to the boat for today’s fishing expedition, I mentally sorted out the plans Ophelia and I had for later tonight. We would meet my brother in his temporary camp and take him on a tour of some of the landmarks in the area. My mate shamelessly hinted that we should invite Ylis to tag along, which I wholeheartedly agreed with. We could even bring some food to have a meal under the stars or hunt something fresh on the way.

The sound of an unpleasant voice to my left interrupted my musings. I stopped walking and braced as Moriak closed the distance with me. Seeing his two favorite minions, Latsa and Olmar, following him had my eyes narrowing with suspicion. I hadn’t spoken to him since that fateful night of the feast. I couldn’t say whether he’d been avoiding me, or if he’d been too busy doing damage control with the Matriarchs and convincing them to proceed with the mission.

To say that I’d been disappointed by the total absence of follow-up from anyone in a ruling position would be quite an understatement. I wanted to believe that the females were taking this time to do their research and reach some sort of consensus before they reopened the debate for the rest of the Pride at large.

“Gaelec, you won’t be fishing today. We need you to come with us for a hunt,” Moriak said in a commanding tone. “Several Sikkals roaming nearby must be culled.”

“Very well,” I replied in a guarded tone, my eyes flicking to his two companions. “It will only be the four of us? None of the candidates will join us?”

Moriak waved a dismissive hand. “No. We will test the younglings another time. These Sikkals threaten the females’ hunts. They’re males in heat going on a rampage. Now is not the time to train or mentor inexperienced newcomers.”

“All right. Give me a moment to go warn my mate,” I replied, forcing myself to maintain a neutral expression despite my continued suspicions.

While I didn’t disagree with his reluctance at bringing people whose performance might be questionable during a culling, it made little sense that he would pick me instead of the other available males not currently on duty, and with whom he hunted regularly over the past few years of my incarceration.

“That won’t be necessary,” Moriak replied in the same dismissive manner. “We don’t have time for this, and the Matriarchs will handle it.”

“The Matriarchs?” I echoed, my back stiffening. “Why? They summoned her?”

He gestured for me to follow and began walking towards the entrance of the village. “Relax. They only want to get to know her.”

That made me even more suspicious. The urge to run home and make sure all was well burned in my gut. But I couldn’t justify it purely based on my insecurities. Whatever my current feelings about the Pride and its leadership, I didn’t fear any physical harm would come to my woman. On that front, even if dealing with an off-worlder, Nazhrals had extremely strict rules of engagement whenever a female was involved. You never attacked a female unless under an agreed upon duel between opponents of matching skills. If someone wanted to challenge my Ophelia, they would have to face off against her appointed champion.

“I still need to get my weapons,” I argued.

Without slowing down, Moriak shook his head. “We have a spear for you.”

“Only a spear? No blaster?” I challenged, my sense of unease cranking up another notch.

“They cause too much damage to the pelt,” he replied as if that was self-evident. “They are in high demand right now, so we want to minimize any burns. Cuts can be easily stitched. But fear not. I have a stun gun with me just in case, not that hunters of our caliber should have any need of it,” he added, patting the weapon hanging on his belt.

I nearly demanded why he could have one but not me. A quick glance at the other two males accompanying us showed they didn’t possess any blaster either. Although that somewhat pacified me, it only underlined what double standards our so-called Alpha operated under, multiplying the ways to keep himself safe while putting the rest of us at risk.

Four speeders already waited for us by the guard post. A pretty sturdy and respectable spear leaned against my vehicle. A quick inspection reassured me there was no foul play afoot, at least as far as the weapon they had given me was concerned. Latsa and Olmar seemed to have similar weapons on their respective speeders. Long and narrow, the hovering vehicles could comfortably carry two adult passengers, with the second one sitting in the back. However, it surprised me that no one tagged along aboard a shuttle or hovercar to carry back the massive beasts we would slay.

After a little over a fifteen-minute ride, Moriak slowed down and dismounted, leaving his speeder in as secure a position as possible in this wild environment. Without a word, we imitated him.

“I will head west,” Moriak said. “We will herd them towards the rocky formation, corner them there, and then take them out.”

I frowned. “Why not push them straight north? Don’t we still have traps over there?”

He shook his head. “That’s still too far. The beasts could stray and further scare away the fauna.

I fought the urge to argue. Whatever fauna was going to be scared by the roaming Sikkals had already been. With the other two males keeping quiet, it felt wiser not to make waves.

By the look on Moriak’s face, he expected me to do just that. The sliver of disappointment he displayed hinted he’d been hoping I would have done so. That would have allowed him to take little jabs at me, implying that I was too scared to face them using my own skills rather than relying on traps to do the work for me.

“Latsa, you will go south, and Olmar, you will go east,” Moriak ordered before turning to me. “You keep heading north-east, towards the stone range.”

I gave him a stiff nod, and we all parted ways. It felt like a silly approach to me, but I wouldn’t give him any grounds to find fault with anything I did. All my senses on high alert, I kept my eyes peeled, looking for safe spots, cover, and vantage points that could be leveraged once things got heated. It troubled me to have been sent directly towards the dead end where the battle would take place rather than have me assist one of them into herding our potential prey here.

In more ways than one, I felt like I’d gone right back to my early days on Molvi, and we went out into the forest to catch some extra meat to supplement our meals. As a Nazhral, my diet consisted mostly of meat, and the standard portions provided by the Warden had to be rationed over each week to make sure we wouldn’t run out before the next supply came in. To my dismay, some of the other inmates sought to do me in, planning on claiming it as a hunting accident. I quickly learned that the convicts weren’t too keen on having an extra mouth to feed or potentially a new threat. The idiots failed to realize that their provisions increased with new arrivals.

Back then, it placed an unnecessary additional stress on me knowing that my companions represented a bigger threat than the creatures that roamed out there. At least, as I proved my worth and value, that threat waned and then faded altogether. But what remained was my growing proficiency as a hunter, skills that now perfectly served me.

As I neared the edge of the forest which opened on a small clearing in front of the rock formation, my nose twitched as it caught a strange scent. It was extremely subtle and easily overlooked. It didn’t qualify as fruity or vegetable, and instead had a musky undertone to it. It baffled me as I couldn’t figure out what creature it might emanate from. Nothing on the ground or the tree bark indicated the recent passage of whatever might have produced it.

I almost shrugged it off then decided to investigate it. Following the scent, I was shocked to realize it grew more potent closer to one of the areas I had filed away as a perfect spot to take refuge in if one of the beasts charged me. More suspicious than ever, I carefully approached the area, surveying every centimeter of both the ground and the large trees from whence it seemed to emanate. My jaw dropped when I finally noticed the very discreet trap trigger.

Why the fuck didn’t he warn me?

No one would have set up this trap without his knowledge. If not for listening to my instincts and seeking out the source of this odd smell, I never would have known its presence. If chased by a Sikkal, I would have run straight for this tree and fallen into what appeared to be a simple pit. Without seeing its actual depth, I couldn’t say for sure how much damage I would have sustained. In the best-case scenario, I would have been stunned or maybe broken a limb. But the most likely outcome would have been for me to be stuck with no way out while the creature devoured me.

A seething anger burned deep within me as I began exploring the area, searching for more traps. A short distance away, the same subtle scent tickled my nose, leading me to a second, and then a third trap. The former was clearly a net trap, whereas the latter was a spiked pit. That grovas denied me a blaster for fear the creature’s fur would be damaged but then elected to hold the battle near spiked pits?

That scent clearly was some sort of pheromone meant to draw the beasts towards the traps. We used similar techniques in the past, but this specific scent was new. The question was whether it became their new standard during my absence, or if Moriak deliberately changed it to something he knew I would likely not pick up or pay any attention to.

The sound of incoming creatures cut my investigating short. One moment, I heard the muffled sound of some stampeding beasts. The next, a massive male shot out from the tree line and came charging straight at me. In the distance behind it, my three companions were running to catch up.

Judging by the span of the Sikkal’s four, heavy, recurved horns, it was a fully mature male. Big, angry eyes stared at me from its long face. Three additional horns lined each side of its face, from the temple to the corners of its mouth, which appeared deceptively small. It tilted its head and aimed the bone ridges lining its long forehead at me as it surged forward. The damn things acted like a battering ram. A direct blow at full force would shatter every bone in my body.

I bolted towards the tree with the net trap, pursued by the thundering sound of the beast giving chase. With its huge torso and massive front legs, each step sounded like a giant hammer bashing an anvil. Despite their imposing size, Sikkals moved at dizzying speed. Although extremely fast myself, I could hear it gaining on me. Without slowing down, I jumped over and onto the tree behind it and used my claws to latch onto the bark before scrambling onto a branch.

A second later, the startled and angry scream of the creature filled the clearing as the trap closed around it. The rope immediately yanked up the net, dangling the caged beast from one of the limbs. The ancient tree shook, rattled by the sudden addition of such tremendous weight on a single branch, thick though it was.

The creature thrashed savagely, aided largely by the fact that the net was too small to properly contain it. Even as it dangled upside down, it tried to stab me with the sharp horn-like spike at the tip of its tail. I barely managed to jump onto a different branch to avoid getting impaled. Without pause, I immediately tried to spear the creature, but the branch broke right as my weapon would have made contact. The Sikkal plummeted a short distance to the ground and fell into the pit below. It was too small for the beast’s considerable size, but it still got partially stuck.

To my utter shock, instead of closing in to finish it off, my companions just stood there at a safe distance, observing the scene.

With the claws of my left hand digging into the bark of the lowest branch, and the claws of my left paw sinking into the trunk for support, I leaned over the scrambling beast and stabbed my spear at it. The wretched thing turned just at the right moment to cheat me from giving it a fatal blow. The blade of my weapon found its mark in its flank instead. The Sikkal screeched and blindly swiped its tail at me. I narrowly escaped getting lacerated to oblivion by the sharp bone spikes, which lined its upper side by yanking myself back onto the branch.

I cussed under my breath when that movement appeared to give the creature the jolt required to get it unstuck. It shot out of the pit, stabbing the tip of its tail at me even as it began to ram its forehead against the tree to break it. The creature would then violently swipe it from side to side so its huge, recurved horns would further jolt the tree. Despite its thickness, my refuge would eventually break from the repeated assault. But the tail’s attacks forced me to move to weaker branches, which shook too much under each impact.

Running the length of the branch I was currently standing on, I leapt onto the next tree. Before I landed, the angry scream of another beast resonated behind us. A smaller Sikkal came rushing into the clearing. As one, Moriak, Latsa, and Olmar shifted their attention to the calf, leaving me to deal with the mature male on my own.

I cussed again as my stalker charged the new tree I was in. Waiting until the last minute, I jumped down as soon as the beast rammed it. Legs and arms pumping, I ran towards the third trap, praying that the spiked pit would be wide enough to engulf the Sikkal. If not, I would be in serious trouble as it was located at the foot of the rock formation that sealed off the clearing. Heart pounding, I could almost feel its breath on my nape as it gave chase.

For one horrible moment, I feared I wouldn’t make it. One meter from where I believed the pit to begin, I leapt towards the stone wall. I hissed at the sudden burn in the back of my calf as three vicious claws swiped at it. Had I been half a second slower, it could have done serious damage and severed both muscles and tendons.

Mid-air, I threw my legs forward, as one would do to perform a long jump. The startled scream of the Sikkal resonated at my back followed by a loud ruckus as it fell into the pit. As soon as my paws touched the wall, I bent my knees to absorb part of the impact before pushing back with all my might. I backflipped, landing just behind the creature. Once again, the pit was too small, but a few spikes still managed to pierce through the front left leg and shoulder.

Without missing a beat, I dashed forward and jabbed my spear at its back. I missed the spine by barely a couple of centimeters. It swiped its tail at me, and the sharp points of the bones lining it rushed straight at my face. I dropped to the ground, and the underside of its tail grazed the top of my mane.

Before I could fully recover, the beast spun around, almost tearing its front leg off on the spikes. Maw open impossibly wide—belying how small it looked when closed—the creature lunged at me to bite my face off. On instinct, I thrust my spear into its gaping mouth, jamming it through its throat and into its brain. The Sikkal emitted a sharp, gurgling sound, almost stunned, its entire body stiffening for a brief second before it shook with a series of dying spasms.

Only then did the quickly approaching galloping sound register in my brain. My blood turned to ice when I glanced over my shoulder to see the calf, only a few meters away, charging me. I yanked my spear out of the defeated Sikkal and jumped on top of its carcass a split second before the younger one rammed into it, sending both of us crashing against the stone face of the mountain.

My teeth rattled in my head, but I pushed past it, jumped onto the ground, and ran. Behind me, the calf had resumed its pursuit. Although younger, the beast still stood close to five foot high and over six foot long, with a weight of no less than three hundred pounds. The mature male I’d slain had been a third bigger.

Being smaller and lighter, that calf was also a lot faster. But I had nowhere to take refuge in. He was pushing me towards the barren side of the clearing, away from the trees, and directly alongside the impassable stone wall.

He was trapping me the same way we’d intended to trap them.

Searing rage flooded through me at the total absence of intervention from my companions. Where the fuck was that stun gun Moriak had brought? Why weren’t they running interference or taking shots while it was focused on me?

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on this.

As I would never outrun the Sikkal like this, and with it only a couple of meters behind me—and quickly gaining—I leapt with all my strength, nearly ten feet high, and twenty feet forward in the direction of the rockface. For half a beat, I feared I might have miscalculated the distance, but thankfully, my paws hit the wall, and I kicked off of it again. Twisting mid-air, I stuck my spear between my teeth, and landed a few meters away, first on my hands, then on my feet to help dampen the impact.

I immediately pushed off the ground, using my front and back claws to propel me farther as I ran on all fours. I didn’t like running that way, but it doubled my speed as I raced alongside the mountain cliff. If I could make it back to the first trap that hadn’t been set off yet, it would give me the break I needed to finish off that damn creature.

Just as that thought sparked in my mind, the now familiar musky scent wafted to me. In my frantic escape, I nearly missed it. It was close. Too damn close. But I couldn’t see any of the barely visible markers delineating it. In desperation, I jumped at the wall, kicked off of it at a ninety-degree angle, away from the trap ahead, and pivoted to face the incoming beast.

My heart skipped a beat to find it right there, already on me. I barely had time to yank my spear from between my teeth and raise it in front of me to counter the swipe of its massive, clawed hoof. The staff snapped in half under the force of the blow, provoking a painful shockwave through my arms, and sending me crashing onto the ground.

Although I contorted my body to land on all fours, the much too short distance didn’t allow me to properly absorb the shock. The impact had pain radiating up my arms and legs, and my limbs nearly buckled under me.

But I had no time for pain.

I rolled out of the way as the calf lunged at me again. The damn thing was too fast. I slammed my knee under its jaw half a blink before its teeth could take a bite out of me and thrust the bladed right half of the spear towards its neck. With the beast recoiling, the blade buried itself under the jaw instead and through the mouth, only to be stopped by a bone. The calf reared back, screeching. As I held on to my half spear still embedded in its maw, the beast’s movement yanked me forward with it.

Using that momentum, I savagely swiped my claws at its underbelly, spilling its guts while kicking it backward. It toppled over, thrashing. With one swift movement, I yanked my spear free then stabbed it into its skull, putting an end to its misery.

Breathing heavily, my lungs and muscles burning, I stared at the dead calf before glancing towards the other pit where the adult male lay still. Behind me, the discreet crunching sound of rock and dirt announced the approach of the other three males. Teeth clenched, I wiped some of the blood and gore from my kills matting my fur and turned to face the newcomers.

I leveled a hard stare on Moriak as he and his goons stopped in front of me.

“Next time, just tell me to go on the hunt on my own… Alpha ,” I hissed, putting as much contempt as I could on his title.

He lifted his chin defiantly, failing to hide his anger and disappointment that I survived this ordeal.

“You’ve been gone twelve years, Gaelec. We needed to assess if you were still fit,” he said in an unrepentant tone.

“I’m sure that’s all it was,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Then I would suggest that you mark hidden traps when you run these little tests. Otherwise, one might interpret it as deliberate sabotage or even a murder attempt.

Moriak bared his teeth and took a menacing step forward. “Careful, Gaelec. I will not tolerate such slanderous insinuations.”

“Did that hit a nerve, Alpha? And what are you going to do about that insinuation? Are you going to lure more beasts in the hope they will kill me, or will you request the assistance of your companions to finish the job?” I taunted.

It was a cocky move on my part to provoke him with these two males by his side. However, with his back turned to them, Moriak couldn’t see their expressions as I could. Taken aback by that comment, he suddenly seemed to remember their presence. The moment he glanced back at Latsa and Olmar, he visibly blanched.

He had made a serious miscalculation.

In their eyes, any trace of respect had vanished. Although he still had the title, they were looking at me as the Alpha. I didn’t have to ask why. He never would have survived what I just did. And he knew the word would spread.

“I performed both the kills on my own. You can clean all of this up and bring the meat back to the Pride,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Ignoring Moriak’s outraged expression, I stomped back into the forest towards my speeder and returned home.