Episode Three Marking the Female

L uka

I got her. The moment I heard the flyer noise, I tracked it in the air, followed its trail, and went to meet it where it touched down, knowing every other male in the forest would have the same idea. But I got there first. She's mine .

I know this area as well as anyone. It's my home base, my hunting grounds. The monks live here, too, but they travel through the canopy. I know the ground.

When I'm near our home, I call to my pack. "Deklan! Mirron!"

Mirron will give me hell for leading every male in the forest to our cave, but I considered all the options, and this was the best by far. I got us a prize, and if we have to fight half the forest to keep her, so be it.

She's all curves and softness against me. I barely got a good look at her before I tossed the little thing over my shoulder. She weighs little more than a fox. Less than a deer. I can't wait to get a better look, to touch her female body. The glimpse I got told me she's a beauty.

Deklan and Mirron emerge from the mouth of the cave together. Alerted by the urgency in my voice, their spears are already in hand. I left my spear in the cave when I went out hunting this morning, bringing only my slingshot, which is tied at my hip.

"What the fuck?" Dek says.

"A prize. A female."

My small pack stands, flanking the opening to the cave as I rush in to put her down. I feel her every curve as she slides off my shoulder. She came from Up Above. Is this what they look like? Furless? Just snow-white hair on the top of her head?

And her covering? More like un covering. It's like no skins I've ever seen. It is some type of clothing that is not meant for protection or even to hide her sex.

Despite the horde on their way to my door and the imminent battle about to be waged, my cock thickens with the desperate urge to mount this pretty thing.

"Stay," I say, pointing to where she's standing. I put her deep inside our cave. She hasn't spoken. I'm not sure she's capable of speech, or if she understands me. I don't know much about how they live Up Above.

"Stay," I repeat, jabbing my clawed finger at the rocky ground, then I grab my spear, bow, and quiver full of arrows. There are a lot of males bounding toward us.

We won't give her up without a fight.

By the time I join my pack outside the mouth of our cave, there are two dozen monks and six wolfmen ready to fight. Deklan doesn't like when I call his kind wolfmen, but he's never broken me of the habit.

"Send her out." It's a command by what must be the head monk. He's older, a silverback. His round, blue eyes pierce Mirron, easily figuring he's the head of our pack by his height and the width of his shoulders.

"She's ours." Mirron stands taller and brandishes his spear.

Relief sweeps through me. I hadn't been sure the leader of our pack would consider her ours or if he would want to keep her.

"Look around," says the monk. "There are three of you. Over thirty of us."

"Twenty-six monks and six wolven," Mirron corrects, his keen senses having already picked out the different species and done the math. "You monks are unarmed. If you somehow manage to overpower us by sheer numbers, the wolven will then kill all of you to take the female." He pauses while the monk absorbs this fact. "She's ours. We've claimed her."

"She just got here." The monk makes an exaggerated sniff. "I don't smell your scent on her."

"Luka, bring her out," Mirron says without removing his steely gaze from the silverback.

The frightened thing is standing right where I put her. Good. If she'd come to the doorway, I'm certain the fighting would have already started.

"Come." I put honey in my tone, not wanting her to fight me when we've insisted she's already ours. "Do as I say and you'll live through this. Otherwise, there are no guarantees."

Her pale eyes widen and she blinks twice, so slowly it's as if she doesn't know what I just said.

"Don't fight us." I don't think she speaks our language. "It will just make things worse."

As I'm about to grab her arm, I see purple marks right where I was about to touch. Someone already marred her perfect flesh. Hot, white anger flares through me, making me want to kill whoever did that. If I must, I'll use that anger to fight the crowd outside our door.

I grip her hand instead of her upper arm and lead her outside the dark, cool cave. Her reluctance is clear in her slow steps, but she follows anyway.

"Take her clothing off," Mirron says, his voice gruff, his gaze never wavering from the silverback. "Stand between Dek and me, face backward toward the female, and spill your seed on her. Be quick about it."

I wasn't trying to ruin it, but the flimsy thing on her body tears as I try to pull it off. After tossing it to the ground, I pull my cock from my loincloth and only have to give it a few tugs before it erupts, splashing across her abdomen.

"Wipe it all over her, Luka. Quick. As soon as you're done, take Dek's place. Deklan, do the same."