3. Evrin

Ilook up towards the swamp canopy; the sun is starting to rise. I"ve spent the entire night perfecting a new blade for my soon-to-be wife. Last night, when she came running towards me with a blade double her size, it had done naughty things to me. It was clear she has some experience around a sword, but she lacks good form and a well-suited piece of equipment. I plan on rectifying both.

I look down at the carefully crafted dagger in front of me. Halfway through the night, I decided my bride"s wedding present needed more decoration. So, I spent hours shaping the metal into a little dragonfly, a creature that reminded me greatly of Ivy. The winged animal represented great change to my people, among many other skills.

I pull away from the dagger to admire my handiwork; the blade is pristine but the ornamentation is leaving much to be desired. Damn, my thick fingers. I grumble to myself. I"m doing a great job of mucking this up.

I sling my hammer against the glowing metal with all my might. Irritation and frustration have eaten away at me all night. I came outside to give both Ivy and myself some reprieve. I needed the distraction. Or else I risked sprinting up to the cabin and rutting my new bride into exhaustion. She"s perfect. Too fucking perfect that her mere presence drives me crazy. However, her feelings are not reciprocated. She fears me. Perhaps what"s worse is that she just might find me…repulsive. How am I to take an unwilling bride? Will she ever come to love me?

As the thoughts swirl through my mind, the idea of returning her to that squabble is unimaginable. Even if she doesn"t forgive me, she deserves a safe home. Something she clearly has yet to experience.

"I"m not a virgin." She'd said those words with such shame, and they perplexed me. Why in the world would I care about such a thing? Then it dawned on me that someone had hurt her. Either her people or the male she laid with, perhaps both. It sent an indescribable fury through me. Even if she doesn"t wish to take my hand, I"ll never make her return to that place.

I pause my endless hammering and let out a slow breath. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to steady my uneasy thoughts. How the fuck am I going to do this? I have to be honest with myself; she may not want to be mine, but will I have the strength to stop myself? Regardless of how I feel about the matter, I"m still trekking her through the dangerous swamps all the way to the Chosen One. I still intend on feeding her the tree"s sacred fruit and filling each of her holes until the mating ritual is complete. All while praying that my seed takes root and blesses us with a kit.

"Fuck," I growl. I"m no better than the bastards I took her from. Perhaps I truly am a beast.

I let the few sun rays peering through the mossy branches warm my face. It"s time to start our journey. The sooner we leave, the more ground we can cover.

I curse the distance between myself and the Chosen One. We will be forced to camp overnight with so many hidden dangers.

Even if Ivy was an orc, I would still be dangerously protective of her. But the fact she is human only worries me further. Her flesh is round and soft unlike my own, which is thick and hard. A scratch from a thorn is enough to gouge her. The thought of anything harming her makes my blood boil.

I let out a grunt and straighten my spine. She might be the most delectable thing in the swamp, but I am the most dangerous. Anything that attempts to harm my bride will be dealt with swiftly.

I lay down my tools and make my way up the spiral wood staircase I built into the tree. My cabin was never a place of beauty; it was simply a safety precaution so I could rest without the fear of being attacked by one of the swamp"s deadly animals. But as I walk the stairs, I feel oddly insecure about my handiwork. When we return to the clan, I will build her the grandest cabin she has ever seen.

My stride falters. The clan.

I"ve been so caught up in my thoughts of Ivy that it completely escaped me that I would be returning home. My chest suddenly constricts. I"d see my sister and mother again.

All these years, I stopped myself from wondering what the reunion would be like. I thought it was pointless, torturous even. But now, after all these years as an outcast, I"ve been rewarded with the perfect bride and the ability to return to my people. Not only can I return home, but I can also return proud that I"ve done my part to sustain another orc generation.

A new fear grips me. My desire for Ivy is driven by selfish motives, yet her approval could reshape the entire destiny of the orcs. Now, more than ever, it is crucial for Ivy to embrace me as her future bridegroom.

I push open the wooden door and step into the small space. Ivy is already awake, sitting in the single chair that occupies the room. She quickly stands, giving me the perfect view of her ample bottom.

She explained to me last night that her current attire wasn"t for a wedding, but rather they are her undergarments. I was completely relieved by the confession. But now, as I see her standing in front of me, with all of the curves of her body on display, I can"t help but be thankful for my timing.

"I"d never wear this to my wedding." Her words replay in my head, and I silently chuckle. If only she knew.

"Did you get some rest?" I ask, maintaining a safe distance from her. I can"t trust myself around her.

"No," she responds honestly, and I can"t help the annoyance that piques inside me. I understand why she is restless, but her drowsiness will only be a detriment to herself.

"Listen, I"ve been thinking," she starts speaking while wringing her hand nervously. "We don"t have to do this. You can just let me go. I won"t even make you walk me out of the swamps. I can make—"

"Never," I growl, cutting her off. I realize our interactions have been nothing short of aggressive, but that is what happens to an orc who has been an outcast for as long as I have.

"I…I don"t understand what you want from me," she cries out exasperatedly.

"Everything." I close the gap between us. "I want you, only you, because you were meant to be mine. The gods could send me an entire group of females, and I"d still choose you every time. Your heart, your soul, and your cunt all belong to me. Do you understand?" I bite out, and my declaration sounds more possessive than I intended.

"And did you ever stop and consider what I want?" she shouts. "You orcs might see females as things you can own, but we are so much more than that!"

"Is that why you lived in a rotting house far outside a human village? Tell me, is that how humans truly feel about their women?" I counter. Her disdain for the orcs offends me more than it should. She has every right to hate me, but my actions don"t represent my kind.

"I—" She falters. "I would rather go back to that rotting place than be forced to marry a beast."

Her words feel like a slap across the face and her eyes soften as if she just registered the cruelty of her own words. I could explain why I"m a male who"s hopeless for his bride. Explain to her why I desperately yearn to see my family and people again. But what good would it do? There is no excuse for my brutish behavior. I simply desire her more than she can possibly imagine. How do I express that I would forsake it all if that meant she could learn to love me? The longing, the possessiveness, the crazed desire. They were all symptoms of something so much bigger than us. I feel it. She is my mate.

My stomach churns. The Chosen One has already blessed our union. All there is left to do is to consummate it. But what if she doesn"t feel it? I didn"t ask Kal enough questions about his human female, and I greatly regret it. Did she only feel the mating bond after the sacred ritual, or were there signs before that? Fuck, I couldn"t let her go even if I tried.

Heavy breathing fills the space between us, and despite my better judgment, I decide to close the gap with a claiming kiss. All these thoughts are fucking with my head, and right now, I just need to feel her touch. Because of our height difference, I lift her up to sit on the edge of the window. I slide my left arm around her waist to make sure she is secure. She lets out a surprised yelp against my lips, and her body goes rigid.

Ivy puts her hands flat against my chest, and I"m prepared for her to push me away. But instead, she sinks into my embrace. My tusks sink into her round cheeks, feeling at home. The sensation is euphoric.

I pry open her lips with my tongue, and she lets out a moan. My cock, already hard, twitches at the sound. Fuck, her pleasure could sustain me for the rest of my life. My hand finds its way to the back of her head, and my fingers intertwine with her fire-red hair.

With every passing second, I feel her tension slipping away. Yes, that"s it. Accept me. Let me make you feel good, I silently beg.

I break the connection between our lips and shift my attention to her neck. The desire to mark her with my tusks, claiming her as mine, is overwhelming. Ivy breathes heavily, trying to catch her breath. I lick and lap at the soft part of her neck, deciding that it is the perfect placement to showcase my claim. The sensation of cutting into her fragile skin makes me feel like I can come undone at any moment.

I untangle my right hand from her hair with my left arm still supporting her and begin moving it to the wet spot between her legs. I can smell her arousal, and I want the pain from my tusk to be mingled with her pleasure. Bringing her to a sensation that I know only I can give her.

She shudders under my touch, so meek and giving under my caress. My fingers find the edge of her undergarment, but just as I"m peeling them away, I feel her body go rigid once more.

"No," she breathes.

My exploration of her body, clearly unwelcome, makes me feel sick to my stomach. I immediately back away from her, pulling her out of the window and onto her feet.

Ivy"s hand flings to her chest as she struggles to catch her breath. Those sighs and moans are replaced with panic. Something I caused. Fuck.

"Shhh…Ivy, breathe. It"s okay." I try to console her without getting too close, as I don"t want to frighten her further.

"I-I—" Her anxiety worsens, so in a desperate attempt to ease her pain, I pull her into my embrace.

"Ivy, all you have to do is say no, and I"ll never go further. Never," I whisper down at her, and her trembling fingers start to wrap around my belt. "I will never hurt you. If you only believe one thing, let it be that."

Her body sinks into mine as her breathing begins to return back to normal.

"Thank you," she whispers, and her soft words make me fucking hate myself. I look up at the ceiling. I"m a pathetic male forever making her feel like this.

"Don"t thank me, Ivy," I say, and she pulls back to look up at me. Her brown eyes are so fucking beautiful. "I"m not a good male. I stole you away from your home. I plan on making you travel through the swamp, all with the expectation or hope that you will be mine. All while I declare that your cunt is mine. That I will be the one to fill your womb with my seed," I growl. "But I swear to you…all you have to do is say no, and it is done. Regardless of what words I say or claim, I will not force you. Ever. We will walk to the Chosen One, but if you still say no, this will all be over. I"m a selfish male, a brute even. But I"ll never force you to accept my touch." I declare the words to her like an oath. I mean every last one of them.

Her lower lip quivers, and a rogue tear slides down her face. I use my thumb to wipe it away, and she nods understandingly. Something has passed between the two of us, and while I"m left with disdain for myself, I hope she feels reassured.

I break our embrace to try and give her some space. "I will make you some leather boots before we leave. They will be ill-fitting, but they will be better than nothing."

"Thank you," she says a little more firmly, and she crosses her arms across her chest.

"We should get going soon; there is a lot of ground to cover before nightfall," I state plainly and leave the room. Every step away from her feels like a stab to the gut. I mull over my promise to her, and I intend to keep it despite knowing that if she rejects me as her mate, it will be a fate worse than death.