4. Holoth

four

Holoth

I knock on my bedroom door for the fourth time, and there's still no answer. It's early in the morning, or at least that's the excuse I tell myself for K'Vella not answering.

I have to keep reminding myself that there's a good chance she's asleep. Or maybe she isn't answering the door because she hates me now and thinks I'm a disgusting male.

Last night, after I left K'Vella in my room, I made a stupid, impulsive, idiotic, rut-induced decision. I sent K'Vella videos that I know very well my mother would have my hide for sending to a female.

In my defense, K'Vella seemed genuinely interested, and she turned her pendant to green. I was almost positive she was teasing me, but then she opened the message with the videos and didn't respond.

So I laid in bed in absolute horror, staring up at the ceiling for hours, until it was an appropriate time to walk down the hall and apologize in person. I didn't get a wink of sleep. I couldn't with how much panic was filling me at how fast I ruined this before it even began.

I knock again, and the door remains closed. I could open it on my own since it's my room, but that feels like a breach of K'Vella's privacy. I all but told her she had to sleep in my room, the least I can do is respect a closed door. It'd be rude of me to bust in just to let her know I'm sorry for sending her videos that my rut-addled brain told me she wanted.

I groan and thwack my head against the door. Why am I such a stupid male?

The door opens without my prompting, but K'Vella isn't the one to open it. I bare my teeth at the empty hallway, knowing Phial is out here somewhere. He's camouflaged because he knows he's irritating me by opening my door, even if part of me is grateful because it wasn't me who opened it.

Phial and I have access to each other's rooms, but this is the only time I think he's ever opened my door. I growl once more for good measure before turning to apologize to K'Vella for also interrupting her sleep.

I don't get the chance because seeing her curled up in the middle of the nest she made for us, with my stupid decision playing on her comm tablet, has me falling hard into my rut. I might've been able to hold out for a couple more days to let her get acquainted with the crew, our dynamic, and everything else, but seeing her like this has the primal part of me roaring to life.

I fall to my knees and crawl over to the side of the nest. It takes all of my self-control not to crawl into the furs with her. I barely know her, but she's female, she's willing, and she made the most beautiful nest I've ever seen in my life. Sure, I haven't really been privy to many of them since I left the tribe shortly after coming of age, but that doesn't mean K'Vella's nest isn't my favorite.

It's made even better because I know she made this while thinking about me. She made it knowing it's in my room, it's in my bed, and it's the nest we'll share with one another. Really, it's a miracle I'm not trying to get between her legs before she wakes.

"K'Vella." Her name is barely audible under the purr rumbling in my chest.

I clench my teeth together and take a deep breath. It's a good thing I have the pheromone blocker in my nose. If I didn't, I don't know if I'd be able to hold myself back. She has to smell amazing. There's no way she doesn't.

I slowly reach my hand out so I don't accidentally hurt her. I don't think I will, but we're taught from a young age the strength differences between Rytharian males and females. Our females are fierce, but they're small and weak compared to Rytharian males.

K'Vella is tall and sturdy like all the other Varons I've ever met. She's very much the opposite of the females I grew up around, the ones I thought I would be spending time with. She's a strong female, and her body only emphasizes that point.

Still, I'm used to smaller females with softer frames. Females who need protection and someone to care for them. The tallest female I remember from my tribe barely reached her mate's chin. Not that it means they must be treated as though they're made of glass because they don't. No, I can think of very few females who didn't embrace our ways of running, hunting, and claiming.

Varons are not that way, though, and I won't force my ways on K'Vella. Not unless she tells me she's sure that she wants to be with me in that way.

My fingers wrap around K'Vella's shoulder and attempt to wake her again. Her pelt is soft, which surprises me because it looks so short and coarse. From a distance, the pale purple coat could be mistaken for hard skin, but she's covered head to toe in a soft pelt that I don't think I'll mind stroking if she lets me.

K'Vella shifts in her sleep, her long, muscular legs lengthening as she rolls onto her back and stretches her arms up above her head. Her mouth opens a few times, making a soft smacking sound as she adjusts to waking. Her sleepy actions have my heart thudding harder in my chest.

These are moments a lover should share with her, not a stranger. Those thoughts won't stop me from wanting her, though. I need her, and I can work on not being a stranger for the next few days of my rut.

One of the videos I sent her earlier is still playing on her comm. I would've turned it off, but I don't want her to think I messed with any of her stuff before she woke. Now I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't have at least turned it down because the Rytharian female is quite loud as she finds her pleasure on her male's knot.

K'Vella's eyes flash open, her whole body jolting as the female on the comm reaches the peak of her pleasure. She sits up, reaching around the nest for the comm, whipping her head around in her search.

Her pale hair flies around, and the braids with little beads scare me more than anything because I'm pretty sure she could do some damage with them if she swung her head hard enough.

"Oh gods," she murmurs.

She finally finds the comm tablet and slaps at it, trying to turn the video off. She pauses the footage just as it's about to loop back around to the beginning.

"Holoth, sorry, so sorry. I must have fallen asleep."

As soon as the video stops, she looks around and frowns down at the nest. Starting in the middle she begins smoothing out all of the furs and repositioning the pillows. She's tidying up the nest just like a Rytharian female would do when they notice it's been messed up.

Her care has my cock straining against my pants and my purr deepening, trying to alert her to my pleasure in her actions without words. I don't know if she understands it, but she seems to relax. She hums softly as she continues her work, and I watch her with rapt interest to see how proficient she is in nest tending.

"You're fine," I say, trying and failing to keep the need from my voice. It's low, husky, and dripping with desire for this four-armed beauty currently trying her best to smooth any wrinkles she can find in the blankets of our nest. She doesn't acknowledge my words, doesn't even flick her attention over to me.

"K'Vella," I call her name in the hopes of getting her attention before my inner need decides to join her in her nest without permission. Not that I'd ever actually do that. I may have left my planet early, but I still know how to treat a female.

K'Vella finally looks at me, really looks at my face and the need that must be pouring out of me. I'm desperate for her, and I don't have the power to mask the longing in my features or the desire burning through me.

"Oh, gods, are you okay?"

She crawls over to me, her top two arms reaching up to cup my face between her hands. It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life. A female working hard to give me a perfect nest to muss as she worries over me. The only thing that can make this better is if she's naked while she's doing it.

"Invite me into the nest," I growl.

The authority in my voice seeps into my words even though I don't mean for it to. Thankfully, K'Vella isn't Rytharian, and she isn't my mate, so my commands won't have much of an effect on her. No, if she's going to follow my lead, it'll be by her own will, which means it'll be even better when she submits.

"I didn't make a nest," K'Vella says, her eyes giving me a concerned look when I let out a soft chuckle.

She doesn't see what I see. She cared for the bed and placed all the materials I provided her with in the exact spots she wanted. She was making a nest and didn't even know it.

Varons must have done it long ago, and the pull to provide a safe place for herself and our babe would've called to her when she saw everything I provided her with. I only wish now that I had even more furs, pillows, and blankets to offer her as gifts for treating me so well.

"I made a nest." She leans back on her heels to examine her work, and her hands fall from my face. "Is it any good?"

She looks up at me for approval, and I have to fight the urge to bare my teeth at her in displeasure. How could she not realize that this is the most amazing nest that's ever been made?

"It's perfect."

I hope we're getting close to the part where she invites me in, and I attempt to impregnate her. I'd hoped to get to know her a little better before the rut made it impossible for me to do anything but think about being inside of her. Maybe I could've made her dinner or watched a movie with her. Instead, I've sent her inappropriate videos, purred at her, and that's it.

"Okay, good, that's good." She sounds flustered like she isn't sure if I'm just being kind.

No, maybe the compliment affects her more than she's trying to let on. Maybe she's a female who enjoys praise. I'd be more than willing to praise her for anything, everything. I hope she'll ask me to join her in the nest and let me tell her how much I love it while touching her body.

"You don't look so good." K'Vella looks up at me, still not asking me to join her in the nest.

"Rut," I say, again failing at not growling the word out.

The only thing softening how tense I look or how I bite my words is the purr still filling the air. The sound that I'm hoping will help keep her calm long enough to decide to let me into her nest and, hopefully, try to fill her with young.

"Oh, right now?" Her eyes go wide. "Like right now? I thought we had more time."

"We did," I say, rubbing the back of my neck to keep at least one of my hands busy so I don't reach out for her and drag her out of the nest so that I can get my hands all over her. "When I found you sleeping in the nest with the video playing, it shortened the waiting period dramatically."

K'Vella moves to cross her arms over her chest, a move that Alik and Jovi frequently do to hide the flush that shows up there when they're embarrassed or aroused. I'm wondering if K'Vella's chest is deep violet. Maybe the coloring extends to her breasts. I clench my jaw hard to keep myself in line.

"Okay, I can do this. It's just sex, right?" K'Vella asks more to herself than to me.

I don't answer her question even though the answer is very obvious. Yes, this is just sex, but it'll be much different from whatever she's used to from Varon men because I'm about to keep her trapped in this room for the next three days, at least, until the beastly part of myself has decided I've probably succeeded in getting her pregnant.

"I can do this," K'Vella says, her three dark eyes looking up at me, hard like she's set in her determination. "Do you want me naked? Do we need to do anything special?"

I fight the smile that's trying to pull at my lips because I don't want to embarrass her. I'm surprised it's me having to be reassuring since this is my first coupling and not hers. My male ego swells at not floundering in this, and I let my instincts guide me so I, hopefully, don't make a fool of myself.

"First and most importantly, I want you to invite me into your nest, K'Vella."

Her arms tighten around her chest even more, and I wish I'd told her to get naked first. I'm too invested in knowing what the borders of her flush look like and how far I can get it to go. She hesitates for a second, and it has my mind racing, thinking she's going to deny me now that it's too late for me to do anything but wait out the rut, which isn't a good time.

K'Vella's posture turns playful as she gets back on her hands and knees and moves toward the middle of the nest, further away from my grasp. She looks up at me and gives me a soft, innocent look—the same look she gave me last night when I'm pretty sure she was teasing me about how to learn about Rytharian ruts.

"Are you not allowed in here?"

I swallow hard, my purr stuttering as a growl fights for control.

"Invite me into the nest, K'Vella," I say, the growl coming through with way more authority than it should. My only saving grace is that it doesn't affect K'Vella in the same way it would a Rytharian.

It does have an impact on her, though. A terrible one. It makes her want to tease me more.

"Holoth," K'Vella says my name like I'm a child getting in trouble, and it has me baring my teeth at her. "That's not very kind."

"Invite me into the nest, and I'll be so kind," I snarl.

My body tenses even more as she shifts her body around, leaning closer to one side. I can't help but crawl over to that spot on the nest's border in an attempt to get close to her.

I pace the nest on my hands and knees like a caged animal. Instead of wanting out, I want in. I want it so bad it's starting to burn me from the inside out.

"I have a few questions first." K'Vella crawls to the far side of the nest and smiles to herself when I follow.

"Ask them," I snap, my hands pressing into the ground so hard that my knuckles are white.

I want to reach out to her, but this is part of the fun of playing games with a female. If we were on my planet, maybe I would get her to run from me so I could chase her down and take her out in the open. I think she'd enjoy that, especially since she seems to enjoy taunting me. She looks strong enough to run for a long time without tiring. A shiver runs down my spine at the idea.

"Do you know how to pleasure a Varon female?"

Her question catches me off guard, but the flush in my cheeks is the only way she'll know I'm embarrassed. I'd chew off my foot if it meant I'd get to be in the nest with her. I have no issues answering these questions when this lost to my rut.

"I became acquainted last night, same as you," I say, my eyes not leaving hers.

She might think she has the upper hand in this interaction, but I'm still the predator here. She'll be my prey. I need to be patient, and she'll be mine.

"I only want a baby out of these encounters," she says, her lusty look turning almost ashamed as she says it. "I don't want you to worry about me being here for anything more."

"I can put a babe in you," I growl, "But not from out here."

"I'm serious." Her lower hands find her hips as she stares me down. My cock swells at the defiance in her pose. I want to see if I can soften it, tame it, and make her submit underneath me.

"So am I."

"No relationship, no feelings, just unprotected sex."

I snarl at her, my teeth snapping once as my growl fills the room. I'm reacting too harshly to her stipulations, but I can't stop it. I don't want to think about this ending before I've even shared a nest with her.

"We'll discuss it after my rut."

"No, this is something I need to make clear right now."

K'Vella's jaw ticks, and I realize she's thinking about calling this whole thing off if I don't agree with her. This is why she should've done more research into who she was having breed her. My kind is possessive when we find something or someone we want.

Turns out I want K'Vella.

"Then I will make it clear." My voice is hard as I sit back on my heels so I'm no longer pacing the perimeter of the nest. It physically hurts because, more than anything, I want to be as near to her as possible. "I'll get you round with my young as often as you want, but you will not keep me from them. You want a male to discard them—discard you? Find someone else."

K'Vella throws her head back in a loud, unbelieving laugh that shatters a piece of my heart. As much as it pains me, I take it as my cue to leave. I rise on my feet, forcing myself to step away from the nest, away from the female inside who has me feeling things I never thought I would.

"Wait!" K'Vella calls out to me, getting to her feet and stepping out of the nest. I have to force myself not to move, not to lunge for her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were serious. No one wants me after a while, and I doubt it'll be different with you."

I growl low in my throat, hating that this beautiful female has been made to feel less than. I don't know her very well, but from what I know, she's fun, caring, and willing to sacrifice so much to have a family. Whoever made her believe that she deserves so little should be punished.

"I'm not asking you to be my mate," I growl. When she flinches, I hate myself for saying it that way. I close my eyes, trying to calm my overflowing thoughts. "Sorry. I meant I'm not asking you to be my mate right now. I'm only asking that you're open to me and that if young are produced, you won't keep them from me. I couldn't handle that. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

K'Vella nods in understanding. She reaches one of her lower hands to me, and I take it slowly like I'm worried about what will happen next. She takes a step back and then another, pulling me closer and closer to the nest with each step.

"I'm willing to see how this goes," she says with a slight tremble, as though I'm not the only one with too many emotions. "I don't know how we'll end up, but I'll never keep the young from you if you want to be in their life."

My purr fills the room, making us both acutely aware of how silent it was before. K'Vella smiles and tugs on my hand again so I'm right at the edge of the nest.

"Will you please join me in the nest?"

"Gods, yes." I wrap her in my arms and pull her down to the furs.