Chapter 7

Ophelia

W e walked in silence back to the shuttle. My blood still boiled from what felt like a brutal assault. On more than one occasion over the years, I faced some initial hostility when I first showed up for a mandate with a new tribe. Only once had I felt compelled to leave as the entire prep work before our arrival had been utterly botched. I believed in missionary work, but only if the locals actually wanted and welcomed it.

That one had been an attempt by the organization to coerce that primitive tribe into adopting their ways and allowing them to appropriate their resources. I not only hauled ass out of there but also reported them.

While the UPO usually did a good job shutting down such exploitative so-called charitable organizations, some still managed to slip through the cracks and do a lot of damage—on top of enriching themselves—before they were stopped. And most tribes and refugee camps did welcome the assistance that we provided. We just had to follow many strict rules to respect their culture and their right to self-determination.

A couple of cultures had been more challenging to adapt to than others. Their societal structure, religious beliefs, or general values severely clashed with my own. At the same time, they provided a wondrous training in learning to look at things through someone else’s eyes, casting aside my own customs and belief system.

But the level of vitriol I faced here today took it to a whole other level. I was used to rejection because my foreign presence was seen as a threat, because females were deemed unsuitable to act in any kind of management role, or because a woman unwed and childless at my age was not only a negative influence but also perceived as proof that something was terribly wrong with me.

Getting this amount of hatred because some chick was mad my man didn’t want her seriously took the cake.

I couldn’t blame Oluina for being every shade of jealous for seeing the fine specimen of masculinity that was my brand-new husband slip through her grubby claws. But damn, you’d think she’d have a bit more self-respect than to throw herself at a male who clearly didn’t want her and force him to once more publicly reject her.

I never wanted to be the other woman. Once I realized what had crawled up her butt to make her this angry, I feared for a moment that there had been an ongoing relationship between them abruptly ended because of Kayog informing Gaelec of my existence. I nearly wept with relief once I found out he soundly refused her long before I even came into the picture. He and I had enough challenges to get our relationship going without us also having to deal with him potentially pining away for an old flame.

However bitchy and aggressive as she might try to be, Oluina’s entitled bullying didn’t faze me. It took a lot for me to throw in the towel and concede victory. So long as I believed Gaelec wanted us and was fighting for us, I’d be firing right back, all guns blazing.

Still, our ability to remain here felt more precarious than ever. In truth, I wasn’t certain I wanted to live among people who clearly hated me, not because of any wrongdoing on my part, but merely for existing. That those people also happened to be at the top of the hierarchy made it even more complicated.

Ever the gentleman, Gaelec helped me back inside the shuttle. While I didn’t believe opening doors for females was a matter of courtesy here, it still displayed his attentiveness to me and my needs. The Nazhrals’ digitigrade legs made it easier for them to hop onto higher steps. The ship’s design was clearly made for their people and not overly friendly for humans. Granted, I wouldn’t need a ladder to get in on my own, but each step was nearly double the height of a regular one based on galactic standards. Therefore, I appreciated his help, especially since he offered without me even having to request it.

As soon as we settled inside and closed the doors, Gaelec glanced at me with a concerned and guilty look.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a hint of worry.

I smiled reassuringly. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you. But I won’t lie. This was an… interesting first meeting.”

Despite the slightly teasing way I spoke that last sentence, Gaelec took on a defeated expression heavily laced with guilt.

“I’m truly sorry, my mate. I didn’t expect them to react so strongly.”

“Please, do not apologize,” I said with a sympathetic smile. “You did nothing wrong and cannot be held responsible for the way they chose to act. It would have been a different story if you had just sprung me on them out of nowhere. But they knew I was coming. If they had such a problem with it, they should have addressed it before I even set foot here. That said, is there something I should know about Oluina?”

He groaned, and the right corner of his mouth corked up in a snarl exposing his fangs as he got us airborne. The aggravation and contempt that the mere thought of that female stirred in him crushed any lingering concerns I might have had about her being any type of competition. My mate had no love or even respect for that female.

The malicious and triumphant glee that instantly triggered deep within should have shamed me, if only a little. But I couldn’t—and didn’t really want to—muster the slightest compassionate thought for the obnoxious female.

“Before my arrest and incarceration on Molvi, Oluina and I had been paired for nearly a year. The same day I got caught, she moved on to Moriak. That was the big male you probably noticed sitting at the right edge of the huntresses,” Gaelec said grimly.

I gasped, my eyes bulging in shock and outrage on his behalf. “ Putain! She moved fast!”

“She most certainly did. Obviously, once I found out, I was furious, hurt, and feeling utterly betrayed. It especially hurt that the male she rushed to was also the one who sent me on that doomed mission to begin with and who then appropriated the house I finished building but a week prior.”

I whistled through my teeth at their brazen ruthlessness. The immediate thought that popped into my mind was that they colluded to eliminate him and steal his property. Oluina didn’t need to be involved with him to achieve that. But then, doing so would have given her more leverage to exert pressure on him to go on the mission that condemned him to begin with.

However, I had too little information for now to truly draw an accurate picture of what transpired. If nothing else, it confirmed her position at the very top of my shit list, with Matriarch Rozel and Moriak currently sharing the second place. The upcoming days would help better refine their ranking.

The worried look he cast my way silenced my wandering thoughts.

“Please know that I no longer have any such lingering feelings for her. Her betrayal and all those years apart killed whatever feelings I thought I ever had for her,” Gaelec said, tension filling his voice.

I smiled reassuringly. “You don’t need to convince me. Your interactions with her and body language made your dislike abundantly clear. I’m not worried about her.”

All tension drained from his shoulders, and he gave me a grateful smile before turning back to look at where he was flying. To my surprise, we’d only been in the air for a couple of minutes than he was already descending towards that far edge of the village. In my mind, it would have been a far longer journey. But considering the number of bags and a couple of crates containing my personal belongings, it would have been too long a walk from the ship hangar to our destination while hauling all of this, even on a hovercart.

“Oluina is mad that I didn’t chase after her immediately upon my return,” Gaelec said with disdainful incredulity.

I snorted. “I could see that.”

He snorted as well. “That female is so incredibly entitled. She’s self-centered and a user. I was too young and naive back then to see her for who and what she was. If nothing else, my time on Molvi helped me become a much better judge of character and of assessing what motivations drive people. Oluina is no competition to you. Never will be. Since my return, my dislike for her has only increased.”

I smiled again, another wave of relief flooding through me. “And what about Ylis?” I asked, my voice bubbling with curiosity.

His face instantly softened as a smile stretched his lips. Despite the obvious affection splattered all over his face, it screamed of fraternal love, not lust.

“Ylis is a wonderful female and like a baby sister to me. Growing up, she was always a little rebellious. She convinced me to help train her in hunting and combat.”

“Is that so?” I asked, eager to learn more.

He landed the shuttle in front of a small wooden house, his face taking on a wistful expression as he nodded.

“Males do not train females as we have very different hunting and fighting methods,” Gaelec explained. “But Ylis wanted to learn every style as she felt it would make her a much more rounded huntress.”

“Is she good?”

The way he puffed out his chest like a proud father and grinned were answers enough on their own.

“She’s the best. So much in fact that she is increasingly undermining Oluina’s position as Head Huntress.”

“That could be a really good thing,” I mused aloud. “She seems to like you a lot. She would make a great ally.”

He nodded. “A very good one, and she stated as much.”

“I’m going to be a problem, aren’t I?” I said in an apologetic fashion.

He frowned and firmly shook his head. “No, not you. It’s all of them. What you said about standing by me meant a lot to me,” he said, that vulnerability I’d witnessed before fleeting over his handsome features again.

“I meant it, Gaelec,” I said with conviction.

He gave me a gentle smile. “I know. And all could see the honesty of it.”

“That’s good, right?” I asked, hopeful.

My heart sank when he snorted and shook his head.

“Actually, it might have the opposite effect. The Queens are all loyal to each other, not to males,” he explained in response to my confused look. “All the females within a single Pride are mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, or aunts. Males are welcomed in at the height of their prime, used for their labor and their seed, and then cast out in favor of newer and younger males. If other females start thinking like you, it will undermine the dominance of the Matriarchs.”

My stomach knotted with a nauseous feeling at the matter-of-factly way he described such a horrific culture. And yet, the same had been true for women in ancient times on Earth. Where the Nazhrals treated their males like nothing more than stallions and laborers, women had been broodmares and servants.

“Is that what you want?” I asked carefully.

He snorted. “Absolutely not. I don’t want to be used anymore, and I want males to have better prospects than to only have worth during their prime years. But come on, let’s get out of here and get you settled in. We can continue this conversation later.

I nodded with an apologetic smile. I didn’t doubt people were still spying on us, wondering what we were doing just sitting inside the shuttle parked outside the house.

He hopped out of the small vessel and circled around to help me out. I picked two of my bags from the hold, and in the display of strength, Gaelec lifted one of the three crates with a single hand, carrying it effortlessly back to the house. I couldn’t help but chuckle when he further made a show of unlocking the door and opening it wide for me while still holding the massive crate with that one hand. I likely would have strained my back just trying to move it from the hold onto a hovercart.

He put it down inside the cozy little living area right at the entrance and hurried back out to fetch the remaining two crates, which he carried stacked upon each other in a single trip.

Yep, my mate was a beast.

He closed the door behind us while my eyes were still flicking this way and that, as I waited for him to give me the tour. At a glance, it struck me as the typical bachelor pad. It was clean, with basic furniture and no actual decor giving it a personal touch. Although it didn’t qualify as a primitive dwelling, it also wasn’t high tech or particularly modern. At least, the giant vidscreen on the wall across a comfy looking couch indicated that we weren’t cut off from the rest of the universe.

I lived among tribes that were completely off the grid. While it was great in terms of living in the moment instead of vicariously through various media, it also made us quite isolated. By the time we found out what was happening in the rest of that world—and more broadly throughout the galaxy—some truly shocking things had occurred or radically changed the course of entire peoples with us remaining clueless.

He gave me a quick tour of the small two-bedroom dwelling. In large cities where they packed as many apartments as they could to maximize the credits they could squeeze out of a single building, this would be deemed quite spacious. Although it felt cold and a little impersonal, it was in good condition and could easily be turned homey with a bit of love.

The main bedroom had a massive bed with a hand carved wooden frame and what looked like a very comfortable mattress. It only had a pair of nightstands and two large dressers. A closet appeared to have been recently added. Although it was stained to match the rest of the dark brown furniture, it looked a little too pristine without the natural wear and tear one would expect from something older. The second bedroom was set up as an office. It made me quite curious what type of work Gaelec used it for. However, the computer, 3D printer, holographic projector, and large vidscreen hinted at far more than just casual usage. I would have to poke him more about it later.

The full bathroom contained all the necessary amenities, aside from a tub. I often enjoyed just soaking in a warm bubble bath while reading some steamy romance on my tablet. Recently, I’d fallen down the rabbit hole of monster romance—which had been renamed exophilic romance to be more politically correct. After all, races like the Yurus and Ordosians would undoubtedly take offense at being described as monsters.

Old classics like the Spider’s Mate series by Tiffany Roberts and the Duskwalker Brides by Opal Reyne spiced up quite a few of my single nights. At the time they wrote them, humans had not yet achieved space travel. I often wondered how those prolific authors would feel today if they knew that species very close to the fictional beings they created actually existed, and that some women had in fact mated with them. By human standards at the time, I would now be labeled a monster fucker, due to my union to Gaelec.

That immediately reminded me that I would officially earn that title in just a few hours once I fulfilled that compulsory part of the contract. My stomach did a couple of back flips as conflicting emotions swirled through me. After so many years of abstinence, I was more than willing to get that itch scratched. Considering what a godly body Gaelec possessed, getting down and dirty with him didn’t strike me as any type of hardship. But at the same time, I didn’t really know him or how smoothly things would go with our different anatomies.

Has he ever even seen a woman’s vagina?

Their females weren’t quite made like us. I mentally prepared for him to be as challenged as human males in remembering the location of the little nub between my thighs, and the fact that it served an important role during spicy times.

Him luring me back to the kitchen allowed me to temporarily cast out those thoughts. Although I wouldn’t call it a gourmet kitchen, it had enough workspace and all the basic equipment necessary to whip up a fine meal.

The somewhat embarrassed look he gave me as we concluded the tour back in the living area took me aback.

“As I mentioned previously, I had a much better home, with a breathtaking view of the river below and far more spacious. But I can expand and improve this one specifically to your liking overtime to make it more suitable,” Gaelec said apologetically.

“Oh, my God! Don’t be silly. This house is great!” I said in all sincerity. “In truth, I would call it rather fancy.”

Gaelec blinked, baffled by my comment.

I smiled and gestured at the luminous room around us. “When I was a missionary, I stayed on quite a few primitive planets where their dwellings didn’t have a comfortable couch like this, and in some cases not even a bed. I spent over a year sleeping on a floor mat, washing in the river, and relieving myself in a hole dug in the ground in the forest. This is luxury.”

“By the gods, I can definitely offer you much better!” he exclaimed.

“And you already are,” I said in a reassuring tone. “Please don’t fret about that type of stuff. I’m probably one of the lowest maintenance women you’ll ever meet.”

“I’m happy to hear it,” he said, clearly relieved before gesturing at my crates. “Do all of these go into the bedroom?”

I nodded. “These are all my clothes and personal accessories. The only other stuff I brought are a portable computer, my tablet, my blaster, and some of my basic camping gear.”

“Perfect. I will bring them into the room for you,” Gaelec said, simultaneously picking up two of the crates.

I grabbed my bags again and followed him into the bedroom.

“I built this dresser and closet for you,” he explained pointing at each in turn. “If you need more space, I will build a bigger closet or another dresser. In the meantime, feel free to remove any of my own clothes from the other dresser by the window. It is half empty anyway as I don’t have too many things. As you can see, us Nazhrals wear very little clothes,” he added, waving at himself.

With a will of their own, my eyes glided down the length of his muscular body. They lingered a little too long on the black and gold leather loincloth that dangled in front of his naughty bits. It obviously was merely decorative as he wore a very snug pair of black shorts underneath it. It was cut low at the back to allow his fluffy tail to hang freely.

I quickly averted my eyes as my wretched mind once more attempted to take a deep dive into the gutter and wallow in every shade of speculations as to what lurked behind that fabric.

“Thank you. That’s very kind and generous of you,” I said, casting a pointed look at the second dresser. “But I will try not to take over everything.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “This is your home now, my mate. Whatever you need, you take. And if it is not available, just tell me, and I will see that you get what you require.”

“Careful, you might turn me into a spoiled brat,” I said teasingly.

To my surprise, instead of the amused response I expected, Gaelec studied my features with a serious but soft expression.

“No, my mate. That is one thing I am convinced I will never have to worry about with you.”

Putain! Why did that cause my ovaries to do a couple of backflips? I just gaped at him, words failing me before I shyly lowered my eyes and smiled. His smile broadened in a gentle way that had my toes curling.

I still didn’t know how much or how little Gaelec appreciated me so far, but I was clearly starting to develop a crush on him.

“I must return the shuttle to the hangar. Will you be fine on your own for a short while?” he asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely, I’ll be okay. I’ll start unpacking in the meantime,” I added, waving at the crates.

“Good, I’ll be back soon,” he said with a smile before heading out.

I stared at his receding back until the door closed behind him. Yeah, my man was fine.

So fine that bitch is still thirsting something fierce over him.

That female was going to be a problem. I knew vindictive when I saw it, and this one was a particularly sore loser with a massive ego. She also struck me as the type to think if she can’t have what she wants, then no one else can either. As Oluina was in a position of power within the Pride, I would need to tread carefully. As I loved a good challenge, I had no problem standing up to her. In fact, the aggressive way she came at my man and at me made me even more determined. I might not be as strong and fast as she was, but I was no pushover.

The way Gaelec stood up for me and for himself truly impressed me. For his sake, I hoped we could work things out somehow. Another part of me genuinely wished we would simply leave. This place felt toxic as hell. But, as I was no quitter, I would give it a fair try and put my best foot forward. For starters, I needed to figure out how to contribute. With luck, Gaelec and Ylis could point me in the right direction.

A smile settled on my lips as I thought of the younger female. She had a fire in her that commanded respect. The way she put Oluina back in her place still had a pleasant shiver running down my spine. As much as I didn’t want her to get in trouble over me, I wholeheartedly welcomed any support she could provide. I would also like to develop a friendship with her. It would suck to have no one but my husband here, should we end up staying with the Pride.

Just as I was finishing putting the rest of my clothes in the drawers, the sound of the front door opening announced Gaelec’s return. The flutter of excitement that prompted took me by surprise. At least, it was encouraging that I should have a positive response to him instead of already counting the days until I could bail out of this contract.

The delicious aroma that wafted to me had my stomach grumbling. I had been too nervous to eat anything during the last leg of the flight here. And now it was catching up to me. I hastened back to the kitchen where I found Gaelec laying out a variety of dishes on the table. He grinned and gestured for me to take a seat in one of the wooden chairs.

I gladly complied.

Contrary to many species with tails, the chairs here actually had a backrest. However, the lower half was completely open, allowing them to tuck the tail in so that they could sit comfortably.

That pleased me a great deal.

“As it’s close to the evening meal, I took the liberty of bringing food for us,” Gaelec explained while setting down the last few covered bowls. “Our people often share a communal meal in the Great Hall. But it is also perfectly fine to eat privately in our own homes or outdoors.”

“What’s more common?” I asked.

“It’s pretty much mixed,” he said with a shrug before going to fetch a couple of plates and utensils in the cupboards. “In the Great Hall, you will almost always find the matriarchs, the mothers and sires with their younglings, some of the elders, the huntresses, and every non-mated male.”

I frowned and gave him a curious look. “Isn’t that everyone?” I asked.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No. Most of the bonded mates—who are a few—and those who are currently courting or newly paired will want time alone together. The males like me who also aren’t actively looking for a mate will avoid eating in the Great Hall. In those times, it is best to avoid drawing unwanted attention.”

“I see,” I said, my wheels spinning.

He didn’t have to spell out that us eating here in private was not only to give us a chance to get to know each other better, but also—and probably mainly—to avoid drawing further attention to either of us.

“As I previously mentioned to you, here, females do the hunting while males handle most of the butchering and cooking. Our females feed and educate the younglings, while the males handle discipline for misbehavior as well as handling most of the cleaning and maintenance around the village,” Gaelec explained.

“That sounds like a pretty good setup,” I said approvingly as he started removing the lids from the multiple containers on the table.

The delicious aroma had my mouth watering in anticipation as I got a first glimpse of the generous portions within. It mostly appeared to be different meats with a limited number of sides. I was aware of the Nazhrals being mainly carnivores. But I hoped their meals accounted for enough vegetables and starch for me to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Gaelec proudly nodded as he reached for my plate to start putting small samples of everything.

“Life in a Pride is really good in principle. There are many things that we do right, but also far too many that are bad,” he said pensively. “Too many things are rooted in fear.”

“How so?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“Males are constantly reminded that they are replaceable. The smallest mistake or a single bad performance after months of excellence could suffice for us to be cast out. If you’re a newcomer hoping to join, it only takes one of the Queens to deem you unfit for the rest of the females to side with her and cast you out.”

“Whoa!” I said, a frown creasing my brow. “What happens then?”

“You hope that a different Pride will welcome you,” he replied casually, while piling some of what looked like vegetables in the tiny spot remaining on my plate.

I should have told him not to put so much on it so that the flavors wouldn’t overlap and mix with each other. That would have allowed me to more clearly identify what I liked versus what I possibly didn’t. But he seemed so happy to be feeding me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop.

“But what if you’re not? What if every Pride rejects you?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

“Then you remain a nomad, or you group up with other roaming males for mutual protection and for convenience,” he said while setting the plate in front of me.

My grateful smile froze on my lips before giving way to shock as I got a close look at the food presented to me.

“Errr…”

“Is something wrong?” Gaelec asked, the worry in his voice reflecting the one on his face at my reaction.

I gave him a sheepish look before glancing back down at the plate. “That meat is much too raw for me. Humans need certain foods, especially meat, to be cooked up to a certain temperature, not only for taste but also for health reasons.”

He looked horrified.

“My apologies, my mate. I was not aware of this. I will fix it at once,” he said as he swiftly picked up my plate and turned around towards the cooking unit on the left counter.

I felt horrible. He’d been so proud to serve me only for me to rain on his parade. I loved good sushi and didn’t mind the occasional tartar. But the different meats on the plate literally looked like they had been freshly carved off the carcass and merely sprinkled or rubbed with some herbs and spices. One of the red meats seemed to have been slapped on a hot plate for half a sneeze on each side, just to say it had a taste of heat. The white meat was the one that freaked me out the most. Thoughts of E. coli and other bacteria just ran circles in my mind. It was surprising that I didn’t see them soaking in a pool of mixed blood at the bottom of the plate.

“Don’t be sorry,” I exclaimed, rising to my feet. “You couldn’t know. I didn’t even know how you prepared your meals or what your dishes were. But you don’t have to do it. I can take care of it myself.”

Gaelec recoiled. The hurt look in his stunning blue eyes took me aback.

“I can properly provide for you, Ophelia,” he said, sounding as if I’d just ripped his heart right out of his chest and stomped all over it for fun. “I made a mistake, but I will make sure to learn your human needs. I won’t fail you again.”

My chest constricted in my heart at this strong reaction from him. The words he spoke only moments ago about how Nazhral males lived in constant fear of being cast out for the slightest mistake came back with a vengeance. Did he think I would consider a divorce over something so trivial?

“You did not fail me, Gaelec,” I said forcefully, making no effort to hide how outrageous and ludicrous I thought that assumption to be. “You are not human. I am sure that by Nazhral standards, this food is perfect. Normally, I make it a point to try the traditional recipes of every new culture I get the honor to visit. The only exception is when it can jeopardize my health. Raw meat is a lot harder for humans to digest and significantly increases the risk of us suffering from food poisoning. Cooking makes meat taste better to us, especially when it is properly spiced.”

“We do spice our meat,” Gaelec said, some of the tension bleeding out of him. “We just barely cook it or don’t cook it at all. Please teach me what is suitable for you so that I can provide appropriately.”

I hated the lingering glimmer of worry in his eyes. With a bone deep conviction, I realized that refusing to let him cook for me would be a crushing blow to him. He would not only deem it a brutal rejection but also proof that I considered him a failure, or at least incapable or unsuitable of catering to my needs. I loved being pampered like the next person, but only because they wanted to, out of affection and not because they felt compelled to as a proof of their worth.

I would make sure he realized that, to me, he was worth far more than his ability to cook meat and build furniture.

“Of course,” I said with a smile. “But just so you know, it is normal for humans to cook for each other. That task is not gender specific. For us, it is a way of showing affection. For example, I can’t hunt. Does that make me a failure as a female?”

He recoiled and looked at me as if I’d said something silly. “Of course not. You’re human, not Nazhral. You cannot be expected to share the same physical attributes as my people.”

“Exactly. And it’s the same way that you cannot be deemed a failure as my mate for not instinctively knowing how humans eat their food. You’re a Nazhral. But I’m happy to show how we like our meat and maybe even show you some of my favorite recipes.”

My chest constricted further at the way his shoulders slouched with relief, and he beamed at me. He was so big, muscular, and almost intimidating with that barely constrained strength and power that seemed to radiate out of him, that seeing this vulnerable side of him wrecked me.

“Fair warning, we have all kinds of varying cooking times and temperatures for meat,” I cautioned. “As I do not know these specific meats, don’t be surprised if I mess things up while trying to figure it out,” I added sheepishly.

“I brought plenty,” Gaelec said with a smile, seeming pleased by this turn of events. “We can test it together then until we find what pleases you.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan!”

He fired up the cooking plate, and we began trying out small samples of the various cuts. I would start off with the so-insanely-cooked-it-might-as-well-be-leather level then worked my way backward until I found the right one for each. It turned into a hilarious game with Gaelec bemoaning how I was slaughtering the meat. That didn’t stop him from tasting everything I did. His horrified expression at the near burnt ones had me in stitches.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that some of his over-the-top responses were deliberate, specifically to make me laugh. My man was trying to entertain me.

After a few experiments, I ended up with my brand-new favorite.

“ Oh, Putain! That tastes just like Wagyu beef!” I exclaimed with a delighted moan as I chewed.

Gaelec chuckled before greedily picking up a piece to taste it as well. The intense look on his face as he explored the texture and flavor didn’t go unnoticed. Through the playfulness, Gaelec was paying close attention and filing away information as to what I did and didn’t like. Tasting the meat served as a way for him to better understand what kind of tenderness and juiciness resonated the best with me.

“See?” I said, pointing at the piece we had taken a bite of. “This to me would be the perfect prep for this meat. A nice sear outside, and the right level of pink inside.”

“Duly noted, my mate,” Gaelec said calmly. “I will remember how you like your Sikkal steaks.”

After cooking a few more portions of the various meats in a way that was suitable for me, we settled at the table so that he could also enjoy his mostly raw food. While the atmosphere significantly relaxed during our little experimentation, I couldn’t help but bring the focus back on what happened in the Great Hall.

“Should I expect us to always have our meals here?” I asked in a soft voice. “I don’t mind it. But I’m trying to get a sense of what the next few days will be like.”

I immediately felt guilty for upsetting him by stirring things up again. But I needed to know where I stood, especially if he was to go back to work in the morning. Would I have to stay locked up inside the house in his absence for my own safety?

“I’m sorry you had such a harsh welcome,” he responded, making me think that he didn’t know yet if or when it would be a good idea for us to share a communal meal with the rest of the Pride.

“Don’t be. Like I said before, none of this is your fault. Both you and Kayog warned me that there might be some friction. This is not my first time experiencing something like this, although I admit this was one of the highest levels of hostility I have faced,” I said pensively. “With the fundamental matriarchal structure of your society, I’m honestly not sure that they will ever accept me. Especially seeing how quite a few of them appear to want you.”

Gaelec huffed and waved his hand. “They don’t want me , Gaelec. They just want my seed because I’m a Stellig. It bruises their ego that I am not groveling for their attentions, especially Oluina. So what you said about following me wherever I decide to go means a lot to me. My stay on Molvi truly opened my eyes.”

“How so?” I asked, intrigued.

“I finally understood what it was like to be valued,” Gaelec said, his eyes slightly going out of focus as he reminisced. “The Wardens offer some fantastic improvement programs for free. I studied most of them in my spare time. We do not have access to so much education here. So this was a golden opportunity on top of keeping me in a safer space, and therefore out of trouble with the other inmates.”

“That was clever and beneficial,” I said in an approving tone.

He smiled. “Extremely beneficial. It allowed me to repair a lot of our stuff, upgrade our sector, and generally improve our dwellings, and our lives as a whole. When I left, many of the inmates were genuinely sad. Their lives will get more difficult without me as time goes on. They valued what I had to offer, and they repaid it by whatever means they could to keep me happy.”

“It makes sense. You want to take care of the person who makes your life easier,” I said pensively.

He nodded. “Many wonder how come I’m not maimed or scarred like so many ex-convicts. It was largely because no one wanted to mess with the one person who knew how to optimize our generators and the efficiency of our production units so that we had a lot more power throughout the month at a lot lower cost, on top of increasing our mineral output.”

I frowned, confused. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by generators and production units.”

“Prisoners on Molvi must earn their keep. The Warden gives us a set amount of energy every month that we need to use wisely to avoid running out. We can buy extra energy by pooling our resources from the credits we earn through our work. Every Quadrant has certain resources that we can extract in exchange for payment. We’re not obligated to do it, but the more we produce, and the more credits we receive that we can then spend on additional energy, comfort items, or to put in a savings account for when we come out. So the quality of our lives is directly linked to how much work we are willing to do.”

“And the optimization you were able to do significantly improved your comfort levels as well as the amount of credits everyone pocketed every month!” I said with sudden understanding.

Gaelec nodded. “The work I accomplished will last them a while, but the equipment requires frequent maintenance. Unless they properly train someone else to take over where I left off, they will need to pay a technician hired by the Warden to perform the repairs instead. That will not be cheap. But none of those fools wanted to put the effort required to learn it.”

“That’s on them, and their loss. They will feel the sting of your absence in due time. But I’m really impressed by what you accomplished,” I said with sincere admiration.

He smiled and lowered his eyes in that timid way I found so unbelievably adorable, and his whiskers twitched.

“So upon my return here, it hit me really hard to realize that I was right back where it all started before this whole mess. Here, I’m expected to always give more and more and be grateful for whatever crumbs they throw back my way or for the right to stay. The Matriarchs keep us in our place with the constant reminder that we’re here by their grace. Being paired with one of the Queens or huntresses only grants a temporary reprieve. Our status remains precarious. The sad part is that males keep thinking that they will be the exception. But there will always be a younger, stronger, and more attractive candidate that will swoop in and take your place.”

“You have no idea how much I understand what you’re saying. Although not as pronounced today as it was a few centuries back, it is a lingering problem on Earth. But it’s mostly men doing that to women.”

Gaelec’s ears perked up in surprise. “Really?!”

I nodded. “A woman’s fertility and physical appearance play a large role in her appeal. Men love young women between the ages of eighteen to twenty-five. It’s usually also when we’re at the prime of our beauty and fitness. But it’s stupid since the ideal time for a woman to get pregnant is between twenty-five and thirty-five. And now, thanks to medical advances, women can bear children all the way up to age sixty, but there are a lot more chances of complications the older she gets.”

“It sounds like here,” Gaelec says pensively, but in reverse. “Our females covet males between eighteen and twenty-five. And we usually get discarded by our mid-thirties.”

I shook my head with disgust. “Yep, same thing. Older women have been devastated by their partners of many years suddenly abandoning them for a younger female. But the fools soon learn the hard way that many of those younger women are only in it for their credits. And once they’ve sucked them dry, the old idiots are left penniless and womanless. Then they have the nerve to try to crawl back to the one woman who had been loyal to them and who would have stood by them in their twilight years.”

“I hope those women do not take those men back!” Gaelec growled.

I laughed. “Thankfully, most of them don’t. Their ex-husbands should have recognized their value while they were by their sides. Now they can just eat their hearts out while watching the woman they foolishly spurned live her best life without them. But my question to you is why not just move to the city if you are not treated well in a Pride?”

“Because Pride members are treated like second rate citizens in the cities. To them, we are peasants, borderline savages,” Gaelec said with derision laced with contempt. “Most of the nomads who tried their luck in the city get terribly exploited because they don’t know the laws. They end up trapped in dead-end jobs making barely enough to scrape by. They’re too poor to leave again, so they just work themselves to death trying to survive. And when things get bad enough, they jump on the first mission offered to them, only to end up getting killed if it fails or to land in jail as I did.”

“But aren’t there placement agencies and other programs that could help them secure a much better job?” I asked, my heart filling with sorrow for those poor males.

“There are placement agencies,” Gaelec conceded. “Sadly, we do not have the types of qualifications they seek. Our education within the Prides is severely lacking. Females learn a lot of the more advanced classes, which would allow them to fare much better in the cities. But it doesn’t make sense for them to leave the comfort that they enjoy within the Pride. They’re the dominant gender here and have full autonomy over their lives and fate. And our government respects the sovereignty of Prides.”

“Right. Why live by someone else’s rules when you’re basically the queen of your own domain?” I conceded.

“Exactly. Whereas males are only trained in basic trades related to those supported by the Pride. The male cubs here in the Nevian Pride learn about everything related to the fishing industry, from catching and preparing the fish, to crafting the various tools relevant to that industry, as well as sailing and ship maintenance.”

“But don’t males do all the construction work? That would require some physics and engineering training, no?” I argued.

“We do not learn that. The females do. We just learn how to lay bricks, erect walls, and paint them. We learn how to do the grunt work, not the intellectual one,” Gaelec replied, sounding dejected.

“Damn,” I whispered.

I almost commented about how women spent a few millennia facing a similar treatment. By denying them any form of advanced education that would allow them to have better control of their future, they were kept under the thumb and at the mercy of men.

“I wish I could start my own Pride,” Gaelec said wistfully. “Males would get diverse and advanced training, which would open the door to them for better opportunities. They wouldn’t live in the constant fear of being cast out or with the knowledge that they remained there on borrowed time.”

“Why don’t you?” I asked, instantly perking up.

He snorted and gave me an indulgent smile. “Because it would be doomed from the start. There would be no draw to such a Pride. Without females, there’s no future. We need offspring to prosper. What female would want to settle in a place that sought to empower males, therefore taking away from their dominance?”

“What about Ylis?” I asked. “I don’t know her, but she struck me as the type who might be open-minded enough to consider such a thing. I’m sure we could find a few if we set our minds to it. Anyway, don’t females also have to leave the Pride once there are too many of them?”

“Yes,” he conceded. “Once there are too many females, it is usually a group of ten to fifteen sisters and cousins who will leave together to start their new Pride. For all that, I don’t know that Ylis would want to do that. While she never really displayed a thirst for power, she’ll likely take over the control of our Pride. Why would she throw all of that away to take a gamble on such an unlikely project?”

I pursed my lips and slowly nodded. “I guess one can dream.”

He chuckled. “One can indeed dream. But for now, my focus is to get you properly integrated within our Pride. Tomorrow, we will hold a feast. You will finally get to see our fun side. And then we’ll have a couple of weeks to see how things evolve and where we go from here.”

“Sounds good.”