Chapter 9

Ophelia

A lthough my husband took the expression ‘being hung like a horse’ to a whole new level, I was actually having a blast going down on him. I’d always been rather lukewarm about fellatio. Aside from hygiene—or rather the lack thereof—a man’s inability to restrain himself once things got a little heated could be quite the buzzkill. Getting my tonsils smashed in by a guy getting a little too excited and thrusting into my face was not exactly my definition of fun.

Considering Gaelec’s insane girth, I was surprised to have even been able to take any parts of him in my mouth. In truth, after seeing the tree trunk between his thighs, I initially ruled out any possibility of doing that. But the incredibly delicious aroma that wafted from him made my mouth water too much not to at least give it a try.

Had he not mentioned self-lubrication, I would have wondered if that intoxicating scent wasn’t some kind of pheromone. Maybe it acted as both. Either way, the spicy sweet smell that drew me in ended up tasting like the perfect blend of pomegranate and ginger. The only thing missing was a dab of vodka and some crushed ice to have me sipping on him all day long.

Merde! My man tasted gooood!

Even though I couldn’t take too much of him in my mouth, it was enough to have him going wild for me. Each of his growls resonated straight in my clit. The texture of his spikes was just the perfect level of hard yet pliable against my tongue. Imagining how it would feel inside me had my inner walls contracting in anticipation.

Even should his self-lubrication not act as some sort of pheromone, I was pretty convinced it was at least some form of aphrodisiac. My tongue and lips slightly tingled from the light spiciness. But the longer I bobbed over him, the stronger the throbbing grew between my thighs. My nipples were so hard, they actually started hurting. Even my clit felt insanely swollen. I could almost feel my pulse beating down there.

To think I feared the lack of attraction between us!

Watching him get hard for me had been insanely intoxicating. As he growled and moaned under my ministrations, Gaelec was gripping the blankets so hard that he was nearly shredding them to pieces. It made me feel like a freaking sex goddess. I wanted to see him fall apart for me. I took him as deep as humanly possible—which sadly was only past his spikes—and compensated by stroking the rest of his length with my hand. I accelerated my movements as his legs began to shake and the muscles of his thighs and abdomen contracted spasmodically.

Wanting to increase his pleasure, I decided to rake my teeth along the sensitive spikes right below the head of his cock. I barely even finished the movement before he yanked my head back with brutal force. The savage roar he emitted completely drowned my yelp of surprise. It quickly gave way to a startled gasp when his seed shot out in powerful spurts, splattering all over my chest.

Although that outcome had been predictable, I remained kneeling there, gaping with a mix of shock and awe. But it was mostly the look of pure bliss on Gaelec’s face that claimed all my attention.

My man was hot!

Seeing his eyes all but rolling to the back of his head as he struggled to regain his composure did crazy things to me. To think my touch had made him fall apart like that!

Gaelec blinked and half-groggily pushed himself up on his elbows to look at me. The look of horror on his face upon seeing me drenched in his seed would have been hilarious if it hadn’t been so stinking adorable.

“By the spirits! I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, shooting to a sitting position.

He yanked the towel he’d still been half sitting on and quickly proceeded to wipe the mess off me while multiplying the apologies. I giggled while telling him all was fine, but he still looked mortified. Considering most of it actually landed on my babydoll, it wasn’t like I personally was soaking in it.

“Stop apologizing, you silly goose,” I said with a grin. “You climaxing for me is the best compliment. I would have been devastated had I failed to pleasure you.”

“Be that as it may, I should have pleasured you first,” he growled.

He tugged on the string tying it between my breasts and carefully pulled the sullied garment off me, and then realized there actually only were a couple of spots on me, which he quickly wiped.

“The night is young, Gaelec. I’m sure we can get to that soon enough. But first, we need to get you back up,” I said mischievously while casting a meaningful glance at his partially deflated cock.

I loved how bold and carefree I acted around him. Normally, I tended to be a lot more reserved and follow the man’s lead. But with Gaelec, I felt inexplicably at ease, like I could be the true self that too often I reined back in to meet expectations or to avoid making waves.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he snarled in a menacing fashion that had my girly bits standing to attention when I tried to reach for his length.

He grabbed my wrist, shoving it aside, then picked me up by my waist as if I weighed no more than a toddler, and tossed me on top of the bed. I laughed some more, excited to have him take charge in such a commanding fashion. Gaelec had this wonderful duality within him, shy and gentle on one end, dominant and fearless on the other. Both of which had me tingling in all the right places.

He climbed on top of me, holding his weight on his forearm, then leaned down to kiss me. My heart leapt in my chest to see him so determined to grow comfortable with something he knew pleased me. His nose still twitched a little, but once again not as much as the first couple of times. He was quickly figuring out which angle to use for it to be less ticklish for him.

I was also taking notes.

Obviously, I wouldn’t push for deepening the kiss anytime soon. But hopefully, we’d eventually get there. For now, I gladly gave myself over to my husband’s gentle exploration of me. His hands were everywhere at once, caressing and fondling every inch of my body. The slightly rougher texture of the pads at the tips of his fingers further enhanced each sensation, sending delicious shivers down my spine.

As I had done with him, he brushed his lips over my face. But he didn’t just cover my cheeks and forehead with kisses, he also occasionally tilted his head to the side and rubbed his temple against my face, marking me. When his mouth followed a path down to the crook of my neck, he inhaled deeply. The way he purred in approval at my scent had my toes instantly curling. He licked me in that spot, right below my ear, at the corner of the jaw. It was as if he’d known how sensitive it was for me specifically. The rough texture of his tongue had me moaning with delight.

I didn’t know if he had read up on preliminaries, was following the general example from how I had explored him, or if he was just naturally gifted, but Gaelec was doing a wondrous job of touching me in all the right places and with the perfect devotion and intensity to have me soaking wet and needy.

The wretched male nearly had me climaxing just from his tongue paying homage to my painfully hard nipples. Feeling the sharp tips of his fangs grazing over my left nipple sent a thrill down my spine. A part of me wanted to keep his head right there while his hands continued to boldly caress my body. But when the left one ventured between my thighs, my mind went blank.

I couldn’t process the intensity of the sensations he was stirring within me. A strangled cry escaped me when the rough pad of his thumb grazed over my engorged little nub. My hips jerked, and my hands in his mane tightened. He stopped kissing my stomach to look up at me, his thumb on my clit pausing its movement as he studied my reaction.

Lips parted, eyes hooded, I stared back at him with what I knew would be a lascivious expression. Visibly reassured, Gaelec gave me a smug smile laced with something a little dangerous, like a predator preemptively enjoying the feast he was going to make out of his prey. Eyes still locked with mine, my mate gently flicked his thumb over my clit, studying my responses to his touch. I closed my eyes and threw my head back, my body jerking with blissful spasms as each stroke sent a lightning bolt up my spine.

He gradually increased the pressure as well as the speed of his movements. Simultaneously, one of his fingers began probing my slit. It no sooner found its way inside than I cried out, swept away by my orgasm. I had not expected to fall apart this quickly, but then I never thought he could have gotten me so insanely aroused. In a way, it was almost surprising I hadn’t gone off right when he first touched my clit.

Even as I flew high, I felt his lips resuming their journey down my body while his thumb pursued its wondrous assault on my little nub. He only relented once I finally started coming back down. Still partially dazed, I opened my eyes, my eyelids weighing a ton as I peered at my husband. My stomach did a somersault when I found him staring at my crotch with a mesmerized expression.

Just like I had done, he examined me with fascination, but thankfully with an expression that did not hint at any type of revulsion or unease. His flat, feline nostrils flared. I immediately felt self-conscious that he should be inhaling my scent down there. But the starved look that descended over his features, accompanied by a grumbling sound of approval had my inner walls contracting again.

Leaning forward, he rubbed his face against my inner thighs while inhaling deeply. An even louder growl rose from his throat as he caressed my legs with both hands. He slipped them behind my knees and then parted me open wider. I couldn’t remember ever feeling this exposed and vulnerable. But any urge to squirm died in a voluptuous moan when Gaelec dove in and gave me one long lick from the bottom of my slit all the way over my clit.

“My mate,” Gaelec growled, his voice so deep and gravelly his words were barely intelligible. But it was the hunger in his voice that had my toes curling again.

It was as if something had broken inside him, and he began to devour me in a frenzy as if he were famished. I cried out, my hand fisting in his mane, and my hips gyrating beneath him. The roughness of his tongue was driving me to the verge of insanity. It was too good, too intense. An inferno was raging inside me, threatening to send me spiraling down another chasm of endless bliss.

He slipped his finger back inside me, soon adding a second one. Moving them in and out of me, he scissored them on their way out stretching me in the process. Just as I was nearing the edge again, my mate inserted a third finger. It was a tighter fit, and yet my body shouted for more. Even with his hand making love to me, I was aching to be properly filled, for him to wreck me with that alien cock of his.

He crooked his fingers, hitting my sweet spot just the right way. I couldn’t tell if it had simply been that perfect timing as I was already about to topple over, or if the rough padding of his fingers brushing against my G spot—or maybe a combination of all of the above—was responsible, but I went off like a rocket.

I shouted his name, and my head rolled from side to side. I was burning from within, waves upon waves of ecstasy crashing over me as he continued to make me see stars. I vaguely felt him inserting a fourth finger. I was too far gone to fully assess any discomfort that it caused but by the time I came back to reality, Gaelec was now kneeling between my thighs and licking my essence off his fingers with an almost menacing look in his stunning blue eyes.

My pulse picked up with a mix of fear and excitement. The moment of truth had finally come. He settled on top of me spreading my legs wider as he did so. It took me a moment to understand why it felt a little awkward. And then it dawned on me. Nazhral normally coupled doggie style, with the female on all fours.

My chest warmed with affection and gratitude for how attentive Gaelec was in his efforts to please me. He had likely read that missionary was the standard, comfortable position for humans. It meant the world to me that he would put my needs first.

“Do you accept me, my mate,” Gaelec asked, his eyes locked with mine.

That he would take the time to confirm my consent even now turned me upside down. How was he so fucking perfect? I smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Gaelec. I accept you,” I said, my throat constricted.

I melted further when he kissed my lips even as he began pushing himself inside me. As expected, it was a tight fit. He didn’t have to tell me that the kiss was meant to distract me from the inevitable discomfort. As wet as he had gotten me, and in spite of his self-lubrication, my body resisted his invasion after only a few centimeters. With shallow thrusts, he gradually worked his way in.

Breaking the kiss, he buried his face in my neck. I could feel him clench his teeth as he bunched up his muscles, his entire body tense undoubtedly from his effort to rein himself in. Seeing how sensitive his spikes were, it had to be torture for him right now having them so tightly squeezed by my inner walls as they continued to deny him full access. I caressed his back while silently willing my body to start cooperating.

Moments later, it finally complied.

I gasped at the sudden burn as he went from halfway in to fully sheathed. His face still buried in my neck, Gaelec emitted a long and drawn out, almost feral growl. It was terrifyingly sexy. I could almost feel him shaking in my arms as he continued to force himself to remain still as I adjusted to his girth.

He mumbled something unintelligible, the sound too muffled for me to make out his words before he finally started moving. I thought that first stroke would kill me. Lord almighty, those spikes were wrecking me. It wasn’t just the amazing added sensation they provided, but it was the way they wrecked the hell out of my G-spot both on the way in and out as they brushed against it with deadly accuracy.

In no time, Gaelec had me writhing beneath him. Liquid flames coursed through my veins. Each thrust wrested one voluptuous moan after another from me. My nerve endings were ablaze as he took me to new heights. Seeming to struggle with his own overwhelming pleasure, my mate picked up the pace, taking me harder and deeper. His heavy breathing in my ears, the sound of our moans mingling and of our flesh meeting quickly had me drowning in an ocean of ecstasy. It didn’t build slowly and gradually, but it came at me like a tidal wave, ready to destroy everything in its path.

And destroy me, it did.

My orgasm slammed into me with a violence that left me reeling. I cried out, my inner walls clamping down on his massive cock even as he pounded into me. Gaelec roared. For a brief moment, I thought he had also given into his own release, but he continued to wreck me as I tumbled down the endless void of bliss.

Before I could fully recover, my mate suddenly pulled away from me. The room spun as he flipped me onto my stomach. With one swift movement, he pulled up my hips, my face still pressed against the mattress, and he rammed himself in from behind with one powerful thrust. I cried out again, feeling full to bursting.

He immediately set a punishing pace. I tried to push myself up to be on all fours, but Gaelec pushed me back down. To my shock, I felt the heat of his chest settle over my back, and then his teeth clamped down on my nape. They didn’t pierce my skin, but I instantly understood the unspoken command for me to stay still and submit.

I gladly complied.

Even as he fucked me senseless, Gaelec continued to caress my body and to fondle my breasts. When the rough pad of his fingers found their way to my clit, I fell apart once again. This time, he joined his voice to mine. His seed shot out into me in what felt like even more powerful spurts then when I had gone down on him. He continued to rock in and out of me, his movement a bit erratic while his hands on my hips tightened almost into a bruising hold as he filled me to the brim.

Once fully spent, he collapsed on top of me before turning us to the side. With his cock still buried deep inside me, his chest pressed against my back, my mate held me tightly into his embrace, his tail wrapping possessively around me.

My throat constricted when he once again rubbed his temple against mine, marking me with his scent. Too wrecked to move or otherwise react, I snuggled against him, feeling safe and sheltered, surrounded by his strong body.

I woke up the next morning feeling wonderfully sore. The fact that we had a couple more rounds that night certainly played a part in it. I would have to send Kayog a thank you note about his insistence the couple should have sex on that first night.

Although sad to find Gaelec already up, the wondrous smell of food silenced any thought of an encore this morning. I hurried to the hygiene room for a quick shower. After swiftly brushing my hair, I returned to the bedroom to get dressed. I hesitated for a while as to what I should wear. My mate took a couple of days off to help me settle in. Now, I couldn’t decide between something comfortable to go on the tour of the village he’d planned for us today, or something coquettish to further seduce him.

In the end, I settled on a black skort and matching crop top with some sexy cutouts on the side. Naturally, I slathered a thick layer of sunscreen on my skin, as turning into a lobster squealing in pain at the slightest contact didn’t feature anywhere on my to do list anytime soon. Oluina would derive far too much pleasure from my misery on top of using this as more proof that I was inadequate as both a woman and as Gaelec’s mate.

Thoughts of the wretched female instantly dampened my mood. Refusing to grant her that kind of power over me, I cast her out of my mind and made my way to the kitchen. My jaw dropped at the sight of the massive feast my husband had laid out on the table. It qualified more as a brunch with enough food to feed eight adults with hefty appetites.

“Good morning, my mate,” Gaelec said with a wide grin that had me instantly melting.

I made a beeline for him and gave him a hug. To my delight, he returned it, his tail wrapping around my legs as he rubbed his temple against mine. He tilted his head to bury his face in my neck and deeply inhaled my scent. I didn’t know what I smelled like to him, but I loved how it made his chest vibrate with an approving growl.

I called it a growl because it didn’t really match a purr, which was quite disappointing. For some reason, I was fixated on that need to hear him purr in that deep, rhythmical fashion cats normally did. Considering he wasn’t actually a feline, it was a little bit narrow-minded and cliched of me to want that. But I couldn’t help it. At a visceral level, I knew a proper purr from my husband would be beyond epic.

His arms loosened around me. Although I could have stayed in his embrace for hours, I reluctantly pulled away from him. To my surprise he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. It was brief, but although subtle, I still noticed the tiny twitch. I bit the inside of my cheeks not to chuckle.

“I have prepared breakfast for you,” Gaelec said proudly, as he waved at the table. “I have thoroughly verified the cooking temperatures for everything. As we do not have many of the human ingredients for some of these dishes, I found the equivalent or at least what the recipe sites have deemed the closest thing to it.”

“Oh, Gaelec! You’re too sweet, but you didn’t have to go through so much trouble,” I said feeling both moved and guilty that he did all that work for me. “That’s a lot of food! Usually, I only have a toast with some jam, a cup of coffee, and some fruits.”

“Have no fear, my Ophelia. Whatever you cannot consume, I will take care of. But I also seized the opportunity to see which dishes you liked or not to get a better sense of what to make for you in the future. I also added some Nazhral recipes so that you could try them. As for coffee, it appears to be of importance to your people. There is none in the village, but I got confirmation that we can buy it in the city. I already placed an order, and it will be delivered in the morning.”

“Wow! You really are the best,” I said as we settled around the table. “I brought a bag just in case. But it wouldn’t last me too long. I’m relieved to know I can get a steady supply right here.”

As I took in the bounty before me, I couldn’t believe how much work he managed to accomplish in record time while I was still zonked out in bed. The man truly went all out with his spin on a traditional continental breakfast with eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. The pancakes—both plain and another version with something similar to blueberries—were absolutely perfect, light and fluffy just the way I liked. Their spin on porridge wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I’d never been a fan of porridge to begin with. He also provided a variety of breads, cold cuts and spreads as well as some fruits.

We enjoyed our meal in an amiable atmosphere. Too full to take another bite, I sipped on a glass of some sort of fruit juice while observing with awe my husband polish off everything else. How was he this lean and sexy when he so easily chowed down this insane amount of food?

To my relief, he didn’t challenge my desire to help him clean up and wash the dishes, even though he clearly expected to do it on his own. While I loved getting pampered like anyone else, I also strongly believed in a couple being equal partners, not one person acting as a servant to the other.

We began our tour shortly thereafter. With people at work and the children in school, we enjoyed relatively quiet streets without me once again being subjected to everyone blatantly ogling me. As was often the case in the various tribes that I lived with, Nevian Village didn’t have paved streets or sidewalks. They built the houses on each side of properly packed dirt roads. The nice leveling of the streets implied the involvement of some engineering instead of merely frequent use making it that way.

The buildings themselves offered an interesting mix of basic and modern. They made many of them out of wood, stone, and bricks. A few boasted what resembled some kind of processed siding. It vaguely reminded me of old school vinyl. The houses all possessed a single floor, aside from the occasional taller building—the majority of which appeared to have a commercial purpose.

“We’re called the Nevian Pride,” he explained as we casually strolled down the street under the shining morning sun and a gentle breeze softly blowing past us. “It’s standard for a Pride to take the name of the region it settles in, and that it claims as its territory. We’re currently in the Nevian Valley, which includes a large section of the forest to the east all the way to the beginning of the mountain range, a small part of the forest to the west, and extensive fishing rights to the Nevian River which you can see from the southern edge of the village.”

“So does that make you more of a fishing or hunting Pride?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

“Mainly fishing,” he replied before pointing at a tall building to the right. “This is the fish plant where we clean, process, and then ship most of our catches to the neighboring tribes and to the capital city. There’s a pathway farther ahead that allows us to go down to the docks when we go fishing. That entire responsibility falls squarely onto the males.”

“Your females do not fish?”

He shook his head. “Our females hunt in the forest. In truth, we are not as fond of fish. We prefer real meat from warm-blooded animals. Fish is simply an addition to our diet, and it’s a steady source of income for the Pride. For a male, it is a great opportunity to earn the right to stay long past their prime when they proved to be the best or most efficient worker in one of the specialized side trades, like fishing, crafting, construction, tanning, smithing, and anything else you can think of to help meet the basic needs of the village.”

“So females do not work in any trade or craft?” I asked as we walked past what resembled a convenience store.

“They do, but mostly older females. A lot of it revolves around things such as weaving, sewing, pottery, and various other low-intensity crafts that they will have no problem performing up to their retirement. At which point, the Pride will look after them until they pass. Females are the only people who always remain with their Pride until they die, unless their numbers become excessive, which is rare.”

“Why is it rare?” I asked.

“The size of a Pride varies between one hundred to four hundred individuals. The average usually hovers closer to one hundred and fifty. The standard distribution is one third females, and one quarter males for adults, and the rest are younglings,” Gaelec explained as we made our way in the general direction of the Great Hall. “Births usually result in two-thirds of male cubs, who leave around the age of eighteen.”

“Wow, that’s a surprisingly high percentage of males,” I said pensively. “On Earth, the gender ratio also skews in favor of male births versus female. But it’s barely a couple of percent higher. It’s about 51% males.”

He nodded. “Our females regulate the births to maintain a healthy population based on their needs and the availability of resources in the region. When we get close to the maximum population, the Queens only reproduce with the most prime males in the Pride in the hopes of getting the finest females possible, who will also be sent on their way to start their own Pride elsewhere, as soon as they reach maturity. On average, it requires at least ten to fifteen females to start a Pride.”

“Damn. So they just go off like the queens of a hive and hope to find a new safe place to settle in on their own? Isn’t that brutally hard?” I asked, flabbergasted.

He gave me an indulgent smile. “They’re not just kicked out with nothing but their loincloths. Over the year leading up to their departure, they will start scouting the land for a suitable territory to claim. They will also start gathering resources and even begin construction. The Matriarchs will often dismiss some of their older, skilled males, who will eagerly offer their services to the young Queens.”

I scrunched my face. “The younger Queens are saddled with older males as initial partners?!”

Gaelec burst out laughing. “Not at all. Those young Queens want nothing but the finest males to sire their first litters. The older males coming with them are usually their sires. It is the best possible situation for one of us to find ourselves in. The fathers of the Queens and Matriarchs of a new Pride usually get to stay with their daughters until their passing, unless they decide to leave to find themselves a new partner.”

“I see. So does that mean that pregnancies are a group decision among your females?” I asked, disturbed by that prospect.

He smiled and shook his head. “The huntresses and Queens are free to mate with who they want and have offspring whenever they want. It only becomes a group decision once they get close to maximum population, or if the population drops too low. Speaking of which, this is the school.”

“ The school? As in there is only one school in the entire village?” I asked while eyeing the tall stone building, which appeared to have an impressive courtyard at the back.

He nodded. “There’s only one school where cubs of both genders study together until the age of ten. At that point, the males switch to learning crafts and trade, which they do directly through apprenticeships at the various specialized establishments.”

I barely repressed a frown and forced a neutral expression on my face. “And what of the girls?”

He smiled at my use of the word ‘girls’ as it specifically referred to young human females. But he understood my meaning well enough.

“ Girls will pursue more advanced education with regards to sciences like medicine, architecture, engineering, and general administration to make sure they will have the knowledge needed to keep their Pride prosperous and efficient. In both cases, males and females will also have hunting training in parallel.”

“I see,” I replied.

Although I understood their rationale for operating the way they did, it still troubled me how trapped and restricted their children were purely based on their genders.

“That said, some young males leave the Pride early,” Gaelec added, his expression hinting that my own was revealing my discomfort with their customs.

“Why?”

“If they show a strong passion or interest for trades we’re not specialized in, they will be redirected to other Prides who might be willing to take them in and teach them those trades,” he explained.

I recoiled at that thought. “And the mothers are fine with that?!”

I instantly kicked myself for my failure to rein in my stupid mouth. Although he tried to smile with a nonchalant expression, I didn’t miss the sad glimmer in his stunning blue eyes.

“Females do not get too attached to their sons. They treat us well and give us the best possible training before we set off. But as they know we will part ways sooner than later, never to see us again, there’s no point in forming strong bonds.”

“Never? You haven’t spoken or seen your mother since you left your Pride?” I asked in a gentle tone.

He shook his head. “My mother likely thinks I’m dead. My younger brother, who’s still with the Pride—at least he was when I last communicated with him—might have told her of my survival. But I somehow doubt it. As we usually have a short lifespan once we set off on our own, many prefer not to know what has befallen us. It’s easier for them to grieve our loss the very moment we leave.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him with a deep frown. He stopped as well and gave me an inquisitive look.

“The day I have children, I’ll want to keep my son for however long he wants to stay, and for him only to leave once he’s ready, not because some third party demands he does. I want my children to be able to come visit me whenever they want. We humans love and nurture all of our children. They’re our babies forever, even after they’re married and have a family of their own,” I said with far more passion than I expected.

He nodded, his expression serious but also unreadable. “So I have read. It is in part for this reason that it is best we delay having offspring until our situation is properly sorted, and we have a better understanding of the future we will have.”

I hated that his automatic response had not been to concur with me and clearly state that no one would force our children out of our home or prevent them from returning whenever they needed or wanted to. At the same time, I appreciated that he didn’t try to make promises he potentially couldn’t keep just to mollify me.

We resumed walking.

“With so many Queens going off to start their own Prides, don’t you guys run out of land?” I mused aloud.

Gaelec shook his head. “There is tons of unclaimed land. Some may be more challenging to develop than others, but I doubt we’ll ever run out. Keep in mind that not all new Prides survive. In fact, many fail due to poor management, power struggles, their inability to stave off local predators, or a variety of other issues. On rarer occasions, long-standing Prides will gradually die off as they exhaust the local resources or become too stale to draw in new blood. There’s a natural balance that occurs.”

As we approached the intersection, increasing noises in the distance hinted at some intense activity nearby. As soon as we cleared the corner building, a large park I hadn’t noticed upon our arrival opened before us. Multiple males moved about, setting things up as if in preparation for a concert or some sort of big outdoors event.

“They’re putting the final preparations for tonight’s feast. Within the next hour, they will start roasting three whole Sikkals to feed everyone, on top of a handful of other side dishes and meats,” Gaelec explained as I stared in awe at the whole setup.

However, the males’ serious—not to say grim—expressions clashed with the enthusiasm one would expect people to display when preparing for this type of festivities.

“Why do they all look so tense?” I asked as we kept walking past them.

“Because, as we speak, there are approximately thirty young males who have set up a camp at the edge of our territory with the intent of visiting us tonight,” Gaelec said, matter-of-factly.

I cast a worried look at him. “Does that mean we should expect trouble?”

He snorted and shook his head. “No. They’re not coming here to cause trouble but are hoping to be invited to join us.” He gestured with his chin at the males in the park still working on the preparations. “They’re worried about their position here. If enough fine candidates show up tonight, a few of these males will be asked to leave to make room.”

“Does that include you?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It could. But you and I still have two weeks of my grace period remaining. Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s feast, we will have to make a decision about our future.

Even as he spoke those words, three young huntresses arrived with a huge animal on a hover cart in tow. They headed towards one of the large barbecue spits the men were setting up.

I gave Gaelec a sideways glance. “They granted you a couple of days off to welcome me. But does it play against you that you’re not helping them right now?”

He shook his head. “I made sure to perform more than my fair share in preparation for tonight ahead of time. It wasn’t required, but it felt wiser to not give them any grounds to find me lacking.”

“Smart male,” I said with an approving smile.

“Let’s go further down near the western edge of the village,” Gaelec said, pointing in that general direction. “We have small farms there that are mostly operated by the males, but also by some of the females who can no longer hunt.”

“You said that females are always looked after once they grow older and can no longer contribute. But do any of them ever get cast out?”

“Only for an extremely serious crime,” he replied.

“Like what?” I insisted.

“Anything that threatens the safety or prosperity of the Pride is guaranteed expulsion,” he explained.

“The safety of the Pride only? They’ve never come to blows over a male?” I couldn’t resist asking in a slightly teasing tone.

He snorted. “For Nazhral females, no male is worth that much trouble. Don’t forget that our Queens and Matriarchs are all close blood relatives. They will always choose each other over a male.”

We spent the following couple of hours completing the tour of the city before taking a stroll in the nearby forest where Gaelec showed me the places that were safe to visit on my own, and what limits to stay within. Although I made sure to mark the safe perimeter within my GPS, I had no intention of venturing outside the village on my own anytime soon.