15. Holoth

fifteen

Holoth

T wo of my fingers remain firmly inside K'Vella as the night continues. A few other males come to speak with us, asking why I left and if my mate and I are staying on Rythar.

K'Vella's tired and has left her head pressed against the crook of my neck for much of the night. The only reason I know she's awake is the soft whines she whimpers into my ear when I lazily thrust in and out of her, keeping her nice and warm for me. I want to have her ask to sit on my knot before the night is over, but it might be too much for her still.

"The clan leader wants to speak with you," a male says, pulling out a chair across from me and settling in.

He gives me a soft smile and does the same to K'Vella, who's currently sucking on my neck to quiet her moans. I don't slow my movements inside her as I talk to this male. She's taking well to Rytharian ways, and who knows when I'll be able to do this again once we leave.

"Am I to go to them, or are he and his mate coming to me?" I ask, twisting my fingers inside K'Vella just right so that her mewling turns into desperate gasps.

"Holoth," she groans against my neck, her upper arms raking over my chest and pushing the fur off my shoulder so she can hold me tighter. I press a kiss to her temple as though this is a sweet moment between us and not one where I'm very purposefully trying to make her scream my name out again in pleasure.

"They asked for me to come get you," the male across from me says.

His eyes stay on me and don't drop to where I'm plunging my fingers deep into my sweet Varon female. It's considered rude to stare at a female in pleasure, even if it's because of her mate rutting her on the tables. Everything we do is to make these females feel safe enough around us to offer us everything. K'Vella trusts me very much for someone not raised in the same culture.

"My mate would like to speak with you as well," the male adds, his cheeks flushing slightly when K'Vella cries out and tugs my braid so my neck is bared to her.

I chuckle and use my free hand to free her grip on me. Her lips suckle on my neck as I bring her closer and closer to her pleasure. I can feel her teeth roughly against my skin, and it has a growl vibrating in my chest.

"Give us a few minutes," I manage to say to the male across from me.

He nods and crosses his arms over his chest. He makes himself content, staring up toward the ceiling, his eyes closing, probably taking in the sounds of females finding their pleasure all around us and imagining his mate.

He's not from my clan, or at least he wasn't when I lived here. His tanned skin and dark hair make him stand out amongst the light-skinned blonds that make up most of my tribe. He probably came from another clan to participate in a rut or heat run and found his mate in one of my clan's females. It's how we keep our gene pools diverse, though this isn't one of the larger clans, and many who find mates here take them to their homes instead of settling here.

"K'Vella," I groan as she scrapes her teeth harder against me, taking my mind off trying to guess which clan the new male hails from. "What are you doing, my sweet female?"

"I need you," she whines into my ear. Her lips lock onto my lower lobe and bite down. "Please, I need you."

"What do you need from me?" I ask, nudging her face with my own until she's looking at me.

Her pupils are blown out in lust, her chest is almost completely violet, and her upper hands can't stop scratching into me as her lower ones stay wrapped around her abdomen.

"Holoth," she whines as I wrap my hand in her hair and tug her mouth away from my neck. She bares her teeth at me, and it has my cock straining even harder against my pants. If she asks, I'll bend her over this table right now, but not until she asks.

"What does my mate need?" I ask, growling low in the back of my throat as I add a little command. The sound has the male across from me narrowing his eyes in worry, and I sigh because now I have to pause all this fun.

"I need to come, Holoth." K'Vella scratches at me some more, and I keep my fingers working inside her. "Please, please," she begs so sweetly as I turn my attention to the other male.

"My command doesn't work on her," I tell him. "She isn't doing anything she doesn't want to do."

The male eyes me like he's not quite sure if I'm telling him the truth or not. I groan and shift K'Vella in my lap, much to her displeasure.

Her eyes flash open, all three staring at me as though I've wronged her in some way. I remove my fingers, and the sound that tears from her throat is enough to make me promise her in my mind to make up for this great injustice later.

"He's worried I'm forcing my strong, beautiful female." I rub my fingers coated in K'Vella's slick against my neck and lick the remainder before placing them on her lips. She scowls at me, but lust still simmers under her pelt. She opens her mouth and accepts my fingers, sucking on them as I talk. "I need to show him my commands mean nothing to you. That you enjoy defying them every chance you get."

She gives me a confused look as I slide my fingers out of her mouth. I growl low in my throat and give a single command to K'Vella. "Lie on the table and untie your top."

K'Vella's flush travels even more, and her breath catches in her throat. I purr against her when she digs her nails deeper into my skin. She might like the idea of what I'm telling her to do, and it might cause her to become a slicker for me. But I'm almost positive she's not ready for that much.

"Holoth," she whispers my name, nudging her nose against my chin and wrapping her lips back around my neck. "Please, not right now."

"Maybe another time."

I run a hand down her hair and return my fingers deep inside her. She lets out a guttural moan as I twist them just the way she likes and curl them inside of her.

The male across from us is back to staring at the ceiling, apparently content with how I showed him my commands don't work on my Varon. Now, I keep my lips pressed to her ear, whispering all the things I want to do to her before we leave this planet.

"Before we leave, I'm going to spread you out on this table in front of me," I purr, making sure K'Vella hears me even when she whines and moans at the way I play her perfectly. "I'm going to strip you of these furs and leave you sprawled out all for me. Do you want that, sweet mate? Do you want to be my own personal feast?"

"Please, Holoth," K'Vella's voice catches on my name as her body shudders. "I want that. I want it all. I want to be yours."

"I'm going to plant your feet up on the table and spread your thighs wide," I say as I curl against the most sensitive spot inside her. "You're going to play with your breasts for me with two of these hands, and the other two are going to be spreading yourself and fucking yourself just for me."

"Yes." K'Vella nods or tries to since I have her hair in my hands again. I keep her away from my neck because she keeps trying to muffle her sounds by wrapping her lips around my shoulder.

"You're going to get yourself all nice and worked up. When you're nice and warm, I'm going to kneel in front of you, and you're going to burn me with how warm you are." My breathing is getting harder at the imagery I'm putting into both our minds. "You're going to come on my tongue and beg for me to be inside you. You're going to beg me to knot you right here in front of everyone. Do you know why, K'Vella?"

I roll my hips against her, trying to get more friction on my leather-covered cock. It's not enough. Nothing will be enough except for K'Vella burying me in her warmth.

"I know why," K'Vella cries as her body shudders.

"Tell me," I growl, the command strong in my voice. It might not have any effect on K'Vella, but it has a strong one on me.

"You're my mate," she cries out as her pleasure reaches its climax.

My name is the long, loud wail of a sound that has me puffing my chest out in pride. I don't need to sink my teeth into her a second time, and no one will congratulate us again. That's all reserved for males claiming their mate for the first time in front of the clan. Now that I've done it, K'Vella's sounds of pleasure mix with the other females.

"Holoth," K'Vella all but purrs my name as she settles into me.

Her pleasure ebbs, and she curls herself up in my lap. I rub her wetness on my neck again before grabbing more and rubbing it in my hair. I need her smell on me, coating, marking me as hers. I grab one last little bit and suckle it from my fingers, enjoying my mate's taste more than anything else.

"Holoth," K'Vella says my name again, and this time, I pull her face away from the crook of my neck so she doesn't have to do any of the work herself.

"What do you need?" I purr the question.

"I need you," she whimpers so quietly I'm surprised I'm hearing her right. She's already come on my fingers twice out here in front of everyone, and she's asking for even more.

I'm a simple male. My mate says such sweet things to me, and I can't help but puff my chest with pride and look around to make sure everyone knows my female trusts me enough to ask for even more. I'll get her bare for me out here in no time.

"What do you need, K'Vella?"

I play with the tie at the back of her neck, keeping her chest covered from me. One small tug, and she'd be bare for me, open to my groping, my mouth on her perky nipples. I tug on the tie softly, not enough to release it, but enough to get K'Vella's eyes widening as she understands what I want.

"I need more," K'Vella says so quietly that I wouldn't be able to hear her words if her lips weren't so close to mine that I can feel her breath. "I need more of you."

"You can have all of me."

I tug on the leather string again, and K'Vella makes a soft moaning sound. She nods the tiniest movement, and I tug the leather knot free. I purr louder as her flush grows.

She's still cradled in my lap, so I have to nudge the furs down her chest, revealing one small breast and then the other. Her nipples are already hard and eager for my touches.

K'Vella's eyes dart around, fear blooming inside of her of anyone here thinking she is less than because she looks different. I purr louder, giving her left nipple a quick pinch to get her attention back to me.

She blinks up at me, and her lower arms tighten on her abdomen as my hands brush against the soft buds of her breasts. K'Vella loosens her arms from around herself, one of her hands staying to hold it.

I love how, even before she knows if she is with young, she is protective of it. She'll make a wonderful mother.

As much as I want to stay in this moment forever, there's still a male across from me who's now clearing his throat. I shoot him a warning look, but he holds my eyes and keeps an unamused look on his face.

"You said a few minutes. It's been a few," the male says, his arms flexing where he has them still crossed over his chest. "Normally, I wouldn't push it, but my mate is waiting with the clan leader for us."

"You should've brought her here," I say with a laugh. "Maybe then you wouldn't rush me."

I grab K'Vella's nipple again, eliciting another sweet moan from her. She's adapting so well to my culture. It's like she was made to be a Rytharian. I'll need to see if she's a possessive creature as well. There's no one more eager to fight than a female Rytharian who believes another is trying to take what's hers.

"She's with our son," the male says.

I frown and help tie K'Vella's top back around her neck. "Now, why would she bring him this late into the evening?"

"They're not here," the other male lifts himself from his seat and tilts his chin toward the exit. "They're in our home, not far from here."

I frown again, narrowing my eyes at the male's back. Thankfully, K'Vella can stand on her own, even though I've been working hard to tire her.

She looks around the room once more once she's standing in front of me, and a small smile plays on her lips. Yes, a lot is happening, and yes, I'm sure it's overwhelming for her. When she's taking it all in with nothing but joy? How can I not hope for things I have no reason to hope for?

Even if she takes to being a Rytharian, we can't stay here. It won't be healthy for either of us to wonder if it's the day the blocker will break or become dislodged. I can't put K'Vella through that kind of stress.

"I need to visit my clan leader," I murmur into K'Vella's ear.

She stiffens, but I get us moving toward where Sloane is sitting in Jovi's lap, pressing herself to him in ways that tease her other mate. At least she isn't still dancing because there's no way I'd leave K'Vella to dance with the unmated females.

"Is everything okay?" K'Vella asks me, shooting me a worried glance.

The male who told me to follow him seems to understand that I wish to leave my female here so she isn't bored with whatever he and the clan leader want to discuss. It's partially that and partially that I'm eager to sink into K'Vella.

The longer I'm around her, the more I want to do that. It'll help me end whatever this meeting is about sooner as well. The sooner it's over, the quicker I can be inside my mate.

"Everything is fine." I press a kiss to her temple. "They probably have questions about when I left and how long I plan to stay. It's nothing to bore you with. You'll have more fun with Sloane and Essa."

"And me!" Helna wraps her arms around K'Vella and gives her a wide smile. "You're so soft, did you know that? Do you think the babe will be soft?"

I make a low coughing sound because I didn't know my sister knew how K'Vella and I came to be in one another's company. I shake my head, trying not to think too hard about it because I'm not the biggest fan of my sister knowing I'm being used for my virility.

"I'm pretty sure the babe will look like their father," I say, placing my hand over K'Vella's on her abdomen.

She tenses in my arms, but I assume it's because I'm leaving her soon. I focus on Helna, who's looking at me with wide, unblinking eyes and tapping her fingers together like she used to do when we got up to mischief, and our mother found out about it.

I shake my head again, remembering that I need to get done with the clan leader, and then I can worry about whatever this is that's happening with Helna.

"Keep my mate company, okay?"

Helna finally blinks. "Yes, yes, of course."

She takes two of K'Vella's hands and pulls her away from me before I can steal another kiss, which I was planning on doing. I frown down at my sister, who isn't even paying any attention to me but is apologizing to K'Vella. I have so many questions, but I don't get to ask any of them before I'm ushered away by the other male.

"I truly am sorry, but tonight was the best night since my mate's going into heat soon." The male rubs the back of his neck. "You have the blocker, so we figured you won't be affected even if she's close. Haral is already planning on running through the fields tonight with Sythel, so they won't want to keep you for long."

"No, it's fine. I don't understand why my sister's acting so strange."

I run a hand over my braid, ensuring it's somewhat presentable as we head out of the great hall. I want to stay because things only get more and more debauched as the night goes on, and I've already gotten K'Vella out of her top once.

Now, I have to leave her when she's already warm and aching to be filled. I gnash my teeth at the air, and the other male gives me a sympathetic pat on the back as though he understands my struggles.

"My mate will be quick, I promise. Especially when I tell her the good news."

"Good news?" I ask, unsure of what he's talking about. When he doesn't answer me immediately, I look at him and see him eyeing me with confusion.

"Nothing," he says, smiling and rubbing his hand over his face. "Nothing, sorry. I meant it's good you're back and have a mate. She won't want to keep you from her for very long."

Thankfully, the male doesn't live far from the great hall. As soon as we get to his house, I'm greeted by a familiar face that has my heart attempting to beat out of my chest.

Glinn was—is—friends with my sister. She was always at my house growing up since she lived nearby. She was a little older than me but enjoyed hanging out with Helna. Even if I didn't remember her from the day I left, I would remember her from all the times she ate dinner with us.

I turn around quickly, emotions filling my chest and throat, and memories of years ago flooding back when I worked so hard to forget them.

I've mostly come to terms with what happened that day, but it was never me who was truly hurt. Glinn must've dealt with so much more, and she didn't have the benefit of running away.

"Is he okay?" a childish voice asks from behind me. I rub the back of my neck and suck in deep lungfuls of air, trying to calm myself down.

"He's fine," the male I came with says. "Just give him a second."

"I'm sorry," Glinn, his mate, says. She places a hand on my bicep, and I tense under her touch before letting out a slow breath. "I should've had Elan warn you about who you were coming to meet. I thought it might be easier if you didn't know, that maybe you might've forgotten about me."

I squeeze my eyes shut tight and then try to release the tension in my body. I turn to face Glinn first because she's the one I'll struggle with looking at. I still remember how she looked when I found her, how she curled in on herself when it was over.

She gives me a soft smile when my eyes meet hers, and then my eyes travel down over the bites across her shoulders and neck, the same bites she got—

"Elan's bitten over all of them at this point," Glinn says, pulling my attention away from the bites. "They belong to him now, not the males who attacked me."

"So you found a mate?" I ask when there's nothing else I can think to say. "And had a young." I look down at the male hiding behind his mother's legs. "Hello, I'm Holoth. Your mother was friends with my sister growing up."

The young scrunches his eyebrows at me and uses his hands to push back his hair that's gotten unruly after a day of play. "You can't be Holoth because I'm Holoth."

And just like that, I'm on my ass. I don't know who pulled out a chair for me or who guided me down to it.

One moment, I'm standing in the entryway. The next, I'm sitting in their living area. The young is holding a cup in front of my face, telling me I'm supposed to drink. I take deep gulps and only stop when the cup is empty.

"Why's your hair in a braid? Only girls wear braids," the young Holoth asks me. "And your face is smooth. Why is it smooth?"

"Holoth," his mother scolds him, but it doesn't stop him from looking at me and waiting for me to answer.

"I have a friend who was hurt by someone who looked like me with my beard grown and my hair down," I answer, watching Glinn's reaction to my words. "She feels safer when I look like this."

"Like how dad can't wear that spray?" He turns to his mother and asks her with such innocence that it hurts my heart to look up at his mother to confirm.

I know which spray he's talking about. The smell makes my stomach turn as well. It's a sickly sweet smell that's said to boost pheromone production in males and boost their virility. Most in the clan wear it during heat and rut runs as a tradition.

"Just like that, Holoth." Glinn wraps an arm over her son and pulls him tight against her so he's not trying to get close to me. "Now, there's a reason I wanted you to meet this male. I'm sure you can guess why."

Holoth narrows his eyes up at me from his mother's arms and crosses his arms over his chest. He sizes me up, the expression on his face making it seem like he is less than impressed. "I was named after a Holoth."

"Mhm," Glinn murmurs, watching for my reaction. "Why's that?"

"He protected my mama from bad males," Holoth's gaze softens. "Did you protect my mama?"

"I—" the word cracks as I say it, so I close my mouth and turn my attention back to my hands in my lap.

"He did," Elan says, patting me on the back. "Now you've met him, and he's met you."

Glinn looks at her mate curiously, and Elan mouths something to her that I can't quite make out.

"We shouldn't keep you too long. You have a mate to get back to."

Elan rubs his belly and mouths something else to Glinn but I'm too preoccupied with my own thoughts to care very much for whatever he's telling her.

"Oh!" Glinn sounds surprised for a second and then. "Oh! Holoth, say goodbye."

"Goodbye," the young says cheerfully, not caring that his father is now throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him deeper into the house.

"I'm so sorry. You should get back to your mate," Glinn says, standing from her seat on the couch and helping me out of my chair.

"I thought I was meeting with Haral and Sythel?" I ask as I'm ushered out of the house as though Elan didn't spend much of his night trying to get me here.

"They left right before you came," Glinn says. "They wanted to be here to tell you that you're always welcome back in the clan. You never needed to leave after what happened. No one—and I mean this with everything I have—no one here blamed you for what happened."

"I should've been faster." I shake my head, swallowing down the bile in my throat. "I was so lost in the rut. I should've been there sooner."

"It was not your responsibility." Glinn grabs my arms and holds me out at arm's length. "Holoth, it was not your responsibility. You could've run off to look for a female. You wouldn't have been the only male to do that. You stayed, you helped me, and you got me to the sisters."

"I thought you were just playing at first," I say, trying to force the words out because I've never spoken them to anyone. "The run started, and I was so eager to find a female. I heard your scream and almost ignored it. Then, when I got closer, I thought you were playing with them as some of the females like to do. I stayed hidden in the trees for too long."

"Holoth isn't one of theirs," Glinn says, wrapping her arms around me. "That's thanks to you. We both know they would've dragged me off to one of their nests to make sure the rutting stuck."

I grind my teeth together and force a nod. I don't enjoy thinking about why I left the tribe years ago. I like even less to know that the person who was most hurt by it didn't get to run like I did.

"I'm happy now," Glinn says, smiling up at me as she keeps her arms wrapped around me. "The sisters helped me. I got help for the nightmares and the inability to trust, and when males from another clan came for one of the heat runs, I found Elan." I notice tears pricking the lower lashes of Glinn's eyes, and I move to brush them away.

"And the smell?" I ask, knowing how hard Avery reacted to seeing me and hoping Glinn's reaction to the smell wasn't nearly as bad as that.

"Elan scrubbed himself raw," she laughs. "His skin had a pink tint to it when he finally came to check on me. The sisters didn't let him into the sanctuary, and he was on the verge of a mating frenzy, but he was a calm male when I finally stepped out."

We stand in the darkness a little while longer. I keep her face between my palms, brushing her tears away as they fall, and she keeps her arms wrapped around me. She's a strong female, much stronger than she ever should've needed to be.

"You need to get back to your mate," Glinn says after long moments of us just holding each other. She takes a deep breath, and her eyes widen a fraction. "Maybe rinse off before you go back. You smell of my heat. I don't want your female getting the wrong idea."

"She isn't like us." I smile, thinking about K'Vella sniffing me and finding another female's scent all over me. I bet she's a female who would make sure I know who my mate is if she knew. "I'll have to introduce you if we're still here when your heat ends."

Glinn gives me a small smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. We both know I won't be seeing her again. Even if Avery's heat is long, we'll still be leaving in the next few days. It's not nearly enough time for Glinn to get hers started and sate it with her mate.

"There's a heat run happening in five days," Glinn says. "Maybe you can convince your crew to stay for a little while and enjoy some of our traditions with us."

I have to hold in my true thoughts about that. Of course, I'd love to have K'Vella running from me so I could track her down and take her out in the open. I'd need to remove my blocker, though, and there's no way that's going to happen.

Not to mention, I doubt anyone on the crew, except maybe Sloane, would want to be here to watch males and females from other clans gather to rut like crazy.

"I'll let them know it's happening, but I doubt they'll be very interested," I say. I don't want to get her hopes up with false promises.

She gives me another small smile and then waves me back to the great hall. I run back, hoping to wrap K'Vella up in my arms and convince her to get out of her clothes again.