28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Valpar

Daydreams? What in the good Wood does that mean?

When I held my miresa in my arms, I tried to see if the king could give any hints of what this could mean. He was too busy talking to his queen, so I was unable decide if what this daydream was and if it was good or bad.

I didn't have time to question. I wanted my mate happy, so I did my best to hide the dread building inside me and find out what the fuck was wrong, so put on a smiling face.

And yes, I liked these Bergarian words… fuck was a good one as Olur had said previously.

I stole another quick glance at the woman before me. She appeared delicate, perched on the imposing throne adorned with a profusion of vibrant flowers, though, none as beautiful as her. The air was filled with sparks of anticipation as I took in the grandeur of the claiming ceremony.

Memories of my orgamo's tales flooded in my mind, recounting his own pursuit for my ogamie's affection. This is just how I imagined it. Only now, it was my female sitting there and I knew I would be the only winner.

Olur and Taghig, their chests heaving, bumped together with a resounding thud after hurling their massive boulders. As I walked by, I playfully nudged Taghig's shoulder, prompting both of them to give me a smug once-over. The air was filled with the scent of food roasting over the fire, mingling with the sound of grunts and cheers echoing through the crowd. "Beat that Valpar. I've been practicing my throws." Taghig snorted and spat out a large wad of phlegm.

My miresa let out a long ewww sound in the background.

He would not win points for that, at all.

Not that it mattered. My miresa would choose me anyway.

"Doubtful. My core is stronger, I'll send this past the courtyard, you shall see."

They both shook their heads and snickered when I picked up the boulder.

"I guess you can lift it. Especially, since your shaft is not hard and in the way," Olur said. "Can you not get hard in front of your female?"

Gritting my teeth, I couldn't help but fight the urge to snap back, as the male's words about another male's shaft would make any orc snap. The taste of frustration lingered on my tongue as I released the heavy boulder, its thud echoing through the surroundings. Determinedly, I stomped towards Olur, his wide grin mocking me. He was taller than I, but I was stronger. I refuse to be deterred. With each step, the ground trembled beneath my feet, matching the strength that surged through my veins.

"What are you saying, Olur?" I bit out.

The crowd fell silent, and not even a bird in the sky could be heard. My sweet miresa gripped the seat, in my peripheral vison, and her head cocked to the side in wonder.

Olur leaned forward, his arms crossed. The light sources that were slowly beginning to descend cast a glow on the side of his face. He tipped up his lip and Taghig slapped his friend's arm in warning.

"Don't do this, this is too far," Taghig said.

I growled. "No, he has said it. Let him finish what he has started."

Olur tutted and leaned back again. "I am saying your shaft has not lifted since you have been around your miresa. I think you might have a problem pleasing her and that is why you have not claimed her."

The creatures in the crowd snickered and laughed. When my eyes set on them they all quieted, but it was Olur that I wanted to wreak my wrath upon.

I leaned forward to whisper to my fellow tribesman. I did not want attention brought to my female. "I hold my shaft back with this leather belt." I pointed to my leg. "To not scare my mate at my constant desire," I muttered under my breath. "Her body is small, and I will not hurt what is mine. I will take my time to stretch her until I claim her, so I do not ruin her tiny hole," I snarled and Olur's mischievous face fell.

"What? She is too small?" Olur asked as we both turned to my mate, but she stood up in the chair, both hands on her hips.

"Valpar's thingy is not small! It's freaking huge! How dare you talk about his junk in front of other people like that!" She pointed to Olur.

Taghig held back his laughter, and I nudged him to shut his enormous mouth.

I pushed out my chest in pride, as my mate defended me, and crossed my arms.

An unknown shout came from the crowd. "What about a dick showing contest?!"

The crowd went wild in agreement and my miresa's face paled, along with the rest of the orcs. Our shafts were sacred and meant only for our miresas, to be presented to them when it was time to claim them.

All eyes were on my little fairy, who was standing on the chair. I knew my miresa wanted everyone to like her, to love her. She craved friendship, but as soon as everyone chanted her name she raised her hand as the king would and shook her head.

"No, we will not be having that sort of contest. I will not have my mate, nor any other orc tribe member, show off his private parts. They have a different culture than the rest of Bergarian. They don't show off their bodies like that and that needs to be respected."

Groans came from the audience. It was not the answer they wanted, but even with those groans and complaints my mate smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

"Throw that boulder, big orc daddy!" She waved again before falling onto her backside on the cushion.

This. Female.

"Orc daddy?" Taghig asks. "What is an orc daddy? Does one want to be an orc daddy?"

I walked away from both of my opponents, not wanting to speak to them about the topic. I was still getting the ick, as my miresa called it from talking to King Osirus about rutting.

Whispering under my breath, I muttered, "I'm going to need some ale after this," as I felt the rough texture of the boulder against my calloused hands. With a firm grip, I pivoted on my heels and hurled it skyward. The air filled with a tense silence as the massive rock soared through the atmosphere, passing the two other boulders. It crashed outside the courtyard, shattering the tranquility of the marble tiles near the meandering pathways leading to the palace's grand entrance. A twinge of guilt washed over me, and I winced, fully aware that I had once again marred a piece of the magnificent palace's construction.

The crowd cheered anyway, and my mate stood and pranced toward me, trying to wrap her arms around my waist. "You did great! Is it over now? I've been sitting in that chair all day. The light sources are melting and I can't stand sitting there another minute."

"The light sources? Melting?"

My female nodded excitedly. "Yeah, doesn't that sound so much better than setting? They look like they are melting into the trees."

Her face was bright, and she was smiling. Her blunt teeth, which could not help her in a battle, were white as the cleanest of pearls, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. She was sweet and innocent, and all I could think about was ruining her with my cock.

Being selfish with her.

But she wanted it, too.

I huffed and pressed my forehead to hers. "Yes, I do like your word better."

I felt the bodies of my tribe come around us. They were blocking out the light sources and the darkness made me hold on to my miresa tighter. She grabbed the strap that hung over my chest, watching the males gather in a semi-circle around us and bend their knees, then laid their hands on their thighs.

"You have officially claimed me, little fairy. I am your male." I puffed out my chest.

My little fairy tugged on my leather strap. "Like with your parents?"

I nodded, my eyes warming. "Yes, but none of us have ever seen a claiming ceremony. We were all brought to life after. I suppose they wanted to relive it at least once. Now that we do not have to fight for females and breeding rights, we don't have to do it any longer.

My miresa blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I think it should still be done, at least every once in a while. It's a history, it shouldn't be forgotten."

"I think it is because she liked all of our muscles." Taghig ran his hand up and down his torso and I let out a growl.

Olur patted Taghig on the shoulder. "We wanted to perform the Icha since we didn't get a chance. We all knew that Calliope would have chosen you, anyway, but we wanted to at least try."

My female leaned her head on my shoulder. "I think they might have been doing this as a joke, but really, it was for all of them. Continuing a tradition."

I squeezed her arm tighter and grunted in agreement. The Icha would be loud. Once the females had chosen their males, the tribe would harbor no hard feelings— at least while the female was around. The orcs would gather, bang their chest, yell and scream, show their tongues and scream a battle cry. This send-off was more to let off steam for an orc who did not gain a female.

And I was the only male, I would not have to wait my turn to be with her.

I growled, happily, my hand raking down her back and cupping her backside. She squeaked, and I pulled her up into the crook of my arm so she could sit up higher, so she could see what my tribe was going to gift us both.

Their blessing, their surrender.

The surrender was the best part. They will never try to take her from me, never try these foolish games ever again.

My female's smile was wide, and I felt jealousy flow through me, but the way she held onto my neck and did not give the other males affection through the games kept me grounded.

Olur's mighty roar echoed through the clearing, his heavy footfall causing the ground to tremble. The gathering appeared disorganized, their movements reminiscent of the teachings from their elders. In a synchronized effort, they aligned themselves behind Olur, emulating his actions. The thudding sound of chests being struck and feet stomping reverberated through the air. The onlooking crowd remained hushed, their anticipation palpable as the tribe unleashed a cacophony of unintelligible roars, soaring into the sky.

The light sources continued to set as they continued for over ten minutes, slamming their hands into one another's chests and backs. They jutted their jaws forward to make frightening faces like when they went into battle. My chests puffed up as I watched. This is what my orgamos, and my seeded orgamo must have felt like when they claimed my ogamie.

Once the orcs finish pounding the dirt, their heavy feet creating a resonating thud, they let out one last roar that echoed through the arena. The crowd, filled with anticipation, remained still, their breath held in suspense, until the deafening silence of the orcs engulfed the air for a fleeting moment. Then, a thunderous cheer erupted, reverberating off the palace walls, as the spectators released their pent-up excitement. Amidst the uproar, the young ones, eyes wide with wonder, attempted to mimic tribe's fierce dances, their tiny feet tapping against the ground in playful imitation.

Olur and Taghig approached, giving us a nod. My female held onto me tighter and placed her head under my neck.

"The ceremonial bedding is being brought." Taghig wiggles his eyebrows. "We know that you are waiting to... uh," Taghig scratched his cheek and looked away. "But this is part of the ceremony."

My miresa climbed higher up on my shoulder, her short dress coming up too high for my liking, and I shielded her backside with my hand. "Why are there so many blankets and pillows? What's it for?"

I groaned and wiped my hand down my face.

"No," I groaned and faced the tribe. "Not this. I will not give you this."

"It's tradition! They want to uphold some of what we lost. What better way to celebrate than with your miresa?" Olur said.

It was a tradition to have a large claiming ceremony, then a celebration. However, the tribe found that this was a celebration enough. After being at the ball and the claiming, they want us both to be bonded, in the open.

They had not witnessed a female body. They wanted to know what to do. I would not let them figure it out from me.

Did they not understand that I could not? My female was not ready and my possessiveness over my female was far too great to let everyone in the kingdom see her naked before me.

"I cannot do it!" I hissed at him. "You know this! I will not—do that to her. I will not do that to us. As long as my drums beat, I will not expose her body to any other male. Only I can see her in her flesh!"

The orcs around me tilted their heads in confusion. It would be confusion because past matings had taken place out in the open. The tribe was to witness it. We were all possessive, and I did not like, nor did past orgamos like our females subject to others watching but it was true. We did not have markings to mark our females like the Bergarians did. No permeant bites. Witnessing was our only way it--was tradition.

Things were different now. I had my female. Soon they would get theirs. I did not want to share anything of my female.

King Osirus strode up to us, seeming to have heard our conversation. His face was not strained with anger, nor was he showing any signs of being upset. "You have a dilemma, I see?" His voice was calm.

We all stood our ground. We had never been afraid of the king, but we had never been comfortable to share our traditions.

"I know we have different traditions, but I'm sure Calliope would not appreciate what you have in mind." The king looked back at the blankets and pillows set up on the grasses. "Especially with this sort of crowd."

Orcs, fae, pixies, shifters and even a few sirens dusted the crowd. No, even I didn't like it.

My female squirmed in my arms until she leaned over my shoulder. I cupped her backside so others couldn't see her ass. "Where are all the children going?" She tilted her head as the parents led the children away, but most of the adults stayed. "What's going on?"

"No, we will not do this," I hissed. "Tradition or not, I will not share my female."

The other orcs groaned in disappointment. "We just want to be a part of something our orgamos and ogamies had. We want to celebrate too—" one orc said from the back. My shoulders slumped, but I still shook my head.

No, my female came first.

Before I could turn away, the king put his hand on my forearm. "I have something that will satisfy everyone's needs and keep Valpar and Calliope's mating on their own timeline."

The king snapped his fingers and whispered to his servants who stood by him. They hurried off and my miresa was whispering to Melina. She was giggling and playing with my hair while watching the rest of the crowd that refused to leave.

Assholes.

I like this word, too.

Soon, King Osirus erected a tent and filled it with hanging lanterns that cast a bright light, spilling out of the tent. As my miresa would say, the light sources have melted into the trees and now darkness has descended upon the land.

When one of the servants went inside to place a tray a food, I was shocked. I could see the silhouette of their body. You could see the outline of everything, even their wings. I now knew what the king was doing. The light would cast shadows of our bodies, so the tribe and the king's people could see that we had solidified our rutting—mating.

This was more than just the tribe being here, knowing how precious it was. It felt like half the kingdom were here, and the king and queen no less. How would my miresa feel about this? And I would not bond with her, not now, not in front of these people.

Taghig nudged me with his elbow as the orcs continued to set up the large tent. Pillows and blankets were being brought from the palace, and I could hear the queen's joyous cackles coming from beside my mate's throne.

"Just make it look believable. This is the best outcome." He shrugged his shoulders. "You do not have to mate her. Obviously, you care for her, but she is not physically ready."

I jutted out my jaw. "I'm not doing this unless she wants to." I stepped up to Taghig. "You both started this." I pointed to both Taghig and Olur. "You thought you would meddle, and now you have started things you do not understand." I took my free hand and balled it into a fist. "She is human. She listened to our culture, saved all of your cocks from exposure and you expected her to show off her body and let people hear her cries of pleasure. I won't have it." I snarled.

I couldn't let my miresa do this. Even if the king was trying to help keep peace with both of the Wood and his niece. How could I subject my mate to something as this?

"Only the Orc tribe shall remain." King Osirus' voice echoed through the arena.

My mate turned around and slid down my body, so she sat in the crook of my arm. Her hand cupped my face to have her face to face with me.

"Hey, are we gonna go do the dirty in there?" She nodded to the tent. "While everyone is outside of the tent?"

"Do the dirty?" I asked.

"You know, the nasty. The good stuff. Like what we do when we are naked." She wiggled her eyebrows.

I didn't speak, too stunned at what she was saying. What was she saying, exactly?

"This is gonna be like a rated X puppet show," she whispered.

"Female, I don't know what you are saying!" I growled at her.

My miresa sighed and patted me on the chest. "It's okay, to get performance anxiety. I bet I will get that too, once we are in there. Just know, I'm here for you. All of me, right here." She rubbed her hand down her neck and to her chest. Her tits hardened under her touch and the strap on my shaft grew too tight for me to bear.

Sweet Moon Fairy.

"Well? Are you ready," she whispered, "because I cannot wait for Ivy to get super jealous when I choke on your dick."