12. Jarrus

Inever expected Kharag to offer to share his mate with me. We had shared other females while on battle campaigns, but they were pleasure females, not mates. I was fully prepared to have him take me aside and ask me to leave or make an excuse once we reach the minotaur herd, once he really thought about what he was doing. Yes, some females had more than one mate. In our world, with the scarcity of females, it was more common than before. But mates often remained in the same species. Two orcs for a female. Two minotaurs. Rarely did it occur between separate species. Though Kharag had been like a brother to me on the campaigns for more years than I can recall. I spent more time with him than my herd in my adult years. We were closer than brothers, some may say.

Now that I'd tasted the lass, I couldn't imagine living without her. I could already feel the bond forming. It would be impossible for me to bond with another female now. I would always be alone if I didn't have her. I could only pray to the gods that when the lust cleared from Kharag and the lass's eyes, they did not change their mind and ask me to leave. I didn't know if I could do it.

I squatted by the small stream nearby and soaked the cloth in the water, then wrung it out. We needed to clean her to make her comfortable. But a part of me rebelled, worried that it would wash away our scent, especially since we hadn't completed the mating. Without the mating, she would be fair game for any male to claim her, even the goblins. I wanted her to wear my scent so everyone knew she belonged to me, but did she?

I listened to the forest sounds to determine if any threat was nearby. Nuar, Kharag's beast, hadn't sent up an alarm, so I assumed we were safe. He might be a ball of noxious gas, but he was deadly in a battle and fiercely protective.

Satisfied that everything was settled for now, I headed back to the campsite and possibly to my doom. Kharag had settled the female on a nest of furs and was cleaning the rest of the site. He glanced up at me and nodded to the female. I went over to her sleeping form and cleaned her as best I could, growling under my breath about clearing our scent from her skin. We needed our scent on her for the claiming, but it would also lead enemies to us.

I finished and covered her with a fur and went to Kharag, who handed me a piece of jerky. I grimaced. "Travel rations. My favorite. I can't wait until I don't have to eat these again."

He grunted. "Any sign of pursuit?"

I shook my head. "Nuar?"

"He's patrolling the perimeter. We need to get moving."

I nodded. "It was a scouting party but when they don't return and the others from different paths do, Azad will know which direction to go and he'll bring his entire horde on us."

Kharag said nothing, just ripped off another piece of jerky. I was getting antsy, waiting for him to bring up the recent events. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer. "If you want me to leave, I won't. She's my mate too."

He gave me a swift glance. "Why would I ask you to leave? If I didn't want you there, I wouldn't have let you stay. The only way either of us walks away is if she tells us. And even then…"

A warm feeling spread throughout my body. It felt oddly like hope. "Kharag…"

He waved me off. "No more needs to be said. What about the goblins? We have to keep her safe before we can complete the mating."

I sobered. "Little fuckers. Nuar and I took care of the scouting party. Azad had seeded his horde all around the town to track all prizes, though I heard a rumor he was after the fire-haired one. Though how he knew she was there, when she had only just arrived, is a mystery."

"Olivia." Kharag said. "Her name is Olivia."

I nodded. "He didn't know the direction you took, but when the scouting party doesn't return with word, he'll follow swiftly and with great numbers. We need to move quickly and get to safety. The minotaur herd can shelter us."

Kharag frowned. "I don't want to bring danger to their doorstep."

I drew myself up and hefted my axe. "You are both minotaur mates now. You are part of the herd, as I hope I am part of your clan. We are linked now."

Kharag studied me for a long moment, then gave a sharp nod. "This will take getting used to. But yes, we are now tied by more than alliances." He grimaced. "I can't wait for the elders to hear about this."