Chapter 5

Ifelt almost like I was walking on a cloud as I finished giving the house tour to Farah. Since our departure from the space station, she had increasingly relaxed around me. Granted, it would take a while before she fully trusted me, but things were heading in the right direction. She declined moving into the separate apartment I offered her, if sharing my dwelling made her too uncomfortable. It further confirmed that she believed I wouldn't harm her. More importantly, it told me that she genuinely wanted to give our relationship a fair chance.

Even now, as I led her into the kitchen, a wave of love swelled in my hearts for our Matriarch. Feidin greeted her with the warmth I dreamt she'd receive from my birth mother. That welcome went a long way to making my mate feel even safer here. By the time Feidin finished binding our fates, something had visibly shifted in my Farah. Something magical had taken root, a silent communication that heralded the amazing future I didn't doubt awaited us.

"And this is the kitchen," I said proudly, waving at the spacious area.

Belle had told me how much an amazing kitchen was a big selling point with humans, both males and females. As I enjoyed cooking, I invested quite a bit in setting it up. The large island had its own grill as I loved a huge, juicy steak. It also boasted every top-of-the-line appliance one could dream of, including two ovens, an eight-burner stove top, and a massive cooling unit, to name a few. The pantry itself was large enough to get lost in.

"Holy cow! This kitchen is a chef's paradise!" Farah exclaimed, her dark-brown eyes sparkling with wonder.

"It absolutely is!" I said proudly. "Are you hungry?"

She smiled at the hopefulness clearly audible in my voice.

"I'm not starving, but I wouldn't mind a bite."

"Perfect!" I exclaimed before waving at one of the tall stools in front of the island. "Have a seat. I will prepare a light local delicacy for you."

Farah complied. Her delighted expression hinted that she liked being taken care of—or at least so I hoped. I fully intended to excessively dote on her.

I took out the meat, vegetables, spices, and dry bread necessary for the recipe. I usually made fun of my male clanmates' propensity to show off. But this time, it was my turn to go all out flaunting my cooking skills to my woman. My cousin Bayron told me how impressed Belle was with his ability to multitask in the kitchen with his four hands. I wouldn't miss out on this opportunity to score a few points with my mate.

While my left hands washed the vegetables in the sink, my right ones tenderized the meat. The way her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped not only filled me with pride, but also had me making an even bigger show of it.

"Jeepers! You are insanely skilled!" she exclaimed with genuine awe.

"Thank you, my Farah," I said, my ears heating with pleasure instead of embarrassment. "I love cooking and hope you will enjoy my food. Zamorian cuisine is amazing, and I intend to make you sample all of it."

"I have no doubt I will," Farah said enthusiastically. "But I intend to return the favor. Haitian cuisine is also absolutely fantastic. You will be licking your plate once you've tried some of my recipes."

I froze halfway through peeling the equivalent of what humans would call onions. I couldn't say what expression sat on my face, but Farah's smile instantly faded, and she eyed me warily.

"What… what's wrong?"

"Females do not cook," I said cautiously. "It's at male's duty to provide sustenance for his mate and offspring."

"Oh," she said, her shoulders slouching.

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before giving me a stiff nod. My stomach immediately twisted. I didn't need to be a psychologist to recognize conflict avoidance. Farah wanted to argue but kept silent to prevent a confrontation or potentially upsetting me. This wouldn't do.

"My words upset you," I said in a gentle tone.

She gave me an overly bright smile and shook her head.

A bit back the urge to tell her not to lie. The last thing she needed was for me to use aggressive terms, even if spoken softly and without anger. Although we'd only met a few hours ago, I could already read her body language enough to see the tension creeping in her back, and that she was shrinking on herself, bracing for what I would say next.

I put down my utensils and leaned on my elbows on the top of the island to make myself smaller.

"Farah, marriage is an equal partnership," I said in a soothing voice. "If you don't like something I do or say, it's important that you call it out. Sadly, I do not have Kayog's amazing empathic abilities. The last thing I want to do is upset you. But on the hopefully extremely rare occasions I will, chances are I won't be aware of it unless you tell me. Once I know, we can discuss it and either resolve it or find a compromise we can both be happy with."

She smiled and nodded again. It was still contrived, and I could see her wheels spinning as she searched for a response she believed would placate me.

"Is it my cooking? Are you afraid I will over spice it and set your mouth on fire? Or that I'll undercook it and make you sick?" I asked teasingly to try and relax the atmosphere.

This time, her smile was a bit more genuine as she shook her head. "I'm Haitian. I can handle spices. Not so much undercooked, though."

"So it's the fact that women don't cook on Xoccoris?" I asked in the same gentle fashion.

She licked her lips nervously then nodded while peering at me warily. "I actually like cooking, a lot," she replied timidly. "And this kitchen is so amazing, I would have a blast cooking up a storm here. But I understand if it's not allowed."

I frowned and shook my head. "It is not a law, but merely tradition," I corrected. "Our male's hunt and cook to feed their families. We take great pride in it. However, this is our marriage. We will run it according to our rules. If you enjoy cooking, then I will not deprive you of something that gives you joy. My duty is to bring you happiness, not take it away. Believe me, Farah, I understand all too well what it's like when people try to force you to fit into their mold, regardless of your own wishes and desires. I will never do that to you."

Seeing her relax a bit more with each of my words and the air of gratitude and hope that settled on her beautiful face made me melt from the inside out. My fingers twitched with a powerful urge to draw her into my embrace, hug her, and tell her that everything would be okay.

"Thank you," she said with that same shyness. "I promise not to break anything."

I waved a dismissive hand as I straightened from my leaning position. "Don't worry about that. In fact, feel free to do so. It will give me an excuse to buy the latest upgraded versions of these appliances."

She burst out laughing. Kromor's teeth! My mate was beautiful. The way happiness lit up her entire face mesmerized me. I would do everything in my power to always keep her this joyous… and more.

"But I still get to provide the meat that we eat," I said with false severity as I wagged a warning finger at her.

Farah snorted. "I'm the biggest wimp. Hunting is definitely not my thing. That duty is all yours. I even get squeamish cleaning up anything that still has fur or scales on it," she said with an exaggerated shudder.

I grinned while resuming to prepare our meal. "Good, I will gladly take care of that part."

She beamed at me as I started spicing the food and heating the oil in the pan.

"You know, I don't mean to hog all the cooking," she said in a soft voice. "I'm more than happy for us to take turns. So long as I get to cook from time to time, then it's all good."

Shamelessly seizing on this opportunity, my mouth ran away with me. "Perfect! Then I will cook on the odd days of the week, and you cook on the even ones."

Not fooled in the least, Farah narrowed her eyes at me. "So you do four days, and I get the other three?"

"Yes," I said with an unrepentant expression as I dropped the meat in the pan.

Once again, she laughed while shaking her head at me as if I was a hopeless case—which I was in this instance.

"Fine. That's fair," she said graciously.

"See?" I asked in a gentle voice. "You and I can discuss anything and reach a compromise. Never fear to speak your mind, my mate. I know you had a difficult past, and I won't pressure you for details. When you're ready, you can open up to me about it. And if that day never comes, that's also okay."

"Thank you, Krogal. It really means a lot to me," she said, her voice filling with emotion as that same hopeful expression lit up her stunning features.

I winked at her and quickly finished preparing the meal, describing the different ingredients and spices I was using and how they compared to human produce. The smart questions she asked about them, from preparation techniques, cooking times, and preferred pairings, my Farah sounded like she was truly well-versed in the culinary arts. That made me quite curious to sample what she would prepare for us in the future.

By the time I finished, the hungry look on her face made me both nervous and exhilarated at the thought of her eating my food.

I directed her to take a seat at the dining table in the kitchen. There was an adjoining formal dining room. But in these early days, I wanted us to get to know each other in a casual setting more conducive to a relaxed atmosphere. To my delight, she continued smiling at me excitedly as I brought the dishes and then settled at the head of the table next to her.

Too impatient for my own good, I started putting small portions of everything on her plate. Thankfully, she chuckled and seemed genuinely amused. It might have annoyed some people.

I held my breath as she went straight for a piece of meat. No sooner did it enter her mouth than her eyes widened. She stared at me with pure awe and began chewing with an air of wonder that had me tingling with pleasure. But the voluptuous moan that escaped her nearly undid me. I didn't want to have inappropriate thoughts about my mate right now, knowing there would be no naughty play anytime soon between us. And yet, that sound resonated straight in my groin.

"Oh, my God, Krogal! That's fantastic!" Farah said as she greedily stuck her fork in another piece of meat.

I just sat there with a stupid grin on my face, marveling at her while she wolfed down three more pieces. Noticing me staring, she slowed down and gave me an embarrassed look.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," I mumbled before lowering my head to eat some of my own food.

She smiled and gave each of the sides a try before refocusing her attention on the meat. As a proud meat lover myself, it pleased me to no end to see that we had that in common.

"You know, if every meal you cook is this tasty, I may end up letting you have even more of my days to cook instead," Farrah said only half teasingly between two bites.

"I'm more than happy to take them," I said shamelessly, making her chuckle again.

By Khivolt! Who would have thought such simple interaction with my soulmate could bring me this much joy? How much better would things be between us once we knew each other better?

"Kayog said you were looking forward to pursuing some studies and getting a degree," I said casually.

Farah's eyes flicked towards me, the now familiar sliver of worry seeping into them. She swallowed her mouthful, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and slowly nodded.

"Yes. I was studying office administration while at the Khendis refuge," she said carefully.

"Is that the field you want to work in?" I asked in the same relaxed tone, pretending not to see her tension so that she could realize it was just a normal conversation.

She shifted in her chair and nervously licked her lips. For a split second, I believed she considered saying yes—which I didn't doubt would have been a lie. To my delight, a determined glimmer shone in her eyes moments before she shook her head.

"In truth, not really," Farah conceded. "There were very few curricular options at the shelter for someone with my limited background. It was also the fastest program that I could go through in the hopes of landing a decent job so that I could take care of myself."

"Well, here on Xoccoris, any field you're interested in is available. And now, there is no deadline or time pressure. So you can pick whatever you like," I said gently. "The next semester won't start for another three months. This gives you plenty of time to look at the various programs and talk with counselors to see what will be best for you."

"That's awesome to hear," she said with a thrill in her voice. "But I only graduated high school before pursuing a music career. I will have a lot of prerequisites to catch up on before I can pursue certain programs."

The embarrassed way in which she spoke those last words clawed at my hearts. I hated that she seemed to think little of herself. The number of degrees one possessed did not define them or their worth.

"That's not a problem. Once you've assessed what you want to do and that you have the list of prerequisites, we'll just hire a private tutor to get you up to speed," I replied, matter-of-factly. "Like I said, you have all the time in the world to achieve your dreams."

"Oh, wow!" she said, seeming unsure whether she wanted to give in to happiness or to wariness. "That's extremely kind of you, but won't that be very expensive?"

I snorted. "Not at all. Education is very affordable on Xoccoris. And even if it wasn't, money is not an issue. I have too many credits collecting dust and feeling highly neglected."

She smiled at the overly dramatic way in which I spoke those last words. "That's great but…"

"But?" I insisted when her voice faded out.

"I don't want to take advantage or for you to think I'm some kind of gold digger," she replied sheepishly.

I huffed and waved a dismissive hand. "Farah, I've waited my whole life for a mate and offspring to spoil. Allowing me to take care of you and to provide for your needs is not being a gold digger. In truth, I can't promise to be able to rein myself in when it comes down to not spoiling you. If that prospect truly displeases you, I will try to keep it to a minimum. But don't be surprised if I fail."

She scrunched her face at me, seeming unsure how she wanted to respond to that, while also looking amused.

"For what it's worth, I know you won't try to take advantage," I added in a more serious tone.

She raised a stunned eyebrow and eyed me with curiosity. "How can you know that?"

"Because you're my soulmate," I said, as if it was self-evident. "That means you are perfect for me just the way you are."

Her face dissolved into a soft expression that warmed me to the bone. Fuck, I wanted her to always look at me like this.

Seeming a little shy, Farah averted her eyes and started fiddling with her food. "So, you're a veterinarian?"

I nodded, allowing her to shift the topic away from herself. "I love animals."

"Let me guess, the giant and terrifying beasts that make regular people pee themselves?" she asked teasingly.

I burst out laughing. "Sometimes. Even the feral ones deserve care. But I prefer the tiny, fragile, and helpless ones," I admitted, the usual old worry rearing its ugly head at the thought she might find it not virile enough.

"Really?" she asked with genuine curiosity devoid of any disdain or disappointment.

I nodded again. "Those are the creatures who need me the most. And truth be told, I like feeling needed."

She gave me a gentle smile. "Yeah, it is a great feeling. But do they even know what you do for them?"

"Absolutely!" I exclaimed. "Once you're all settled in—and only if you want—I will show you my clinic."

"I would love that!" Farah replied with genuine enthusiasm. "I love animals, too… Well, the cute and cuddly ones."

I chuckled, trying to picture her face if she ever ran into Ferach, Belle and Bayron's stone wolf.

"I understand your cousin married the other human who lives here?" she asked, as if she'd read my thoughts,

"Yes. You will absolutely love Belle," I said with conviction. "She'll help you adapt to your new home. She travels often with her husband, who is a professional hunter. But with their twins still so young, she's spending a lot more time here at home. She cannot wait to meet you."

"I cannot wait to meet her, as well," my mate said with a sheepish expression that took me aback. "I've heard of her and her art. But I mainly discovered her thanks to the awesome adorned braid trend that she started. In fact, I've freely reinterpreted some of the styles she did for her husband's braid to do my own hair."

"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed with genuine excitement. "You are aware that Zamorian wives are expected to adorn their husband's hair, right?"

She nodded, her eyes flicking towards my braid.

"I am. Before seeing the Matriarch earlier, I didn't realize there were strict restrictions as to who could touch your braid. It's kind of cool. But when am I supposed to start doing that for you?" she asked.

"Technically, as of today, since we are married," I said gently. "However, as you are an off-worlder, no one will balk if you want to take a few days to learn our ways before taking on that duty."

"Oh, as you can see, I'm used to braiding hair," Farah said, pointing at the quite beautiful way she had plaited her own with three large braids, and four smaller ones framing her pretty face. "I already have plenty of ideas. So as of tomorrow morning, I'm ready to roll."

Another silly grin settled on my face as I stared at my woman. "I am truly looking forward to it, my mate."