by Octavia Kore
“Are you doing all right?” her friend asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll be fine,” she said, brushing her hand over the silky material of the dress Nizla had hurriedly made that morning before sweeping her gaze over the mourners that had gathered to tend to the dead. Aside from their two fallen packmates, the tribe had lost another three Krunkeeli. The mourners’ mouths moved and their bodies swayed as they sang. Layla had offered to let her listen through her memories, but Clara wasn’t sure she was ready for that just yet.
Zaheer, Ivnalth, and the rest of the pack had taken responsibility for Trogh since his parents had passed away long ago without having any other children. Ivnalth’s wounds were still hard to look at, but when Clara’s mate had argued that she should be resting, the seer had assured them that she was well enough to help with the ceremony.
A single, mind-numbingly long day had passed since the battle and although the seer had been allowed to aid the injured and had even been invited to stay in the village, there was still some awkward tension between her and the rest of the Krunkeeli. Clara had known things wouldn’t magically be fixed in a day, but it was encouraging to see the amount of progress already taking place.
When the wrapping of the fallen was completed, Clara, Layla, and the other guardians stood with the tribe, surrounding the families as they prepared to leave. Zaheer approached Maylu’s parents, kneeling down next to his friend’s body.
“The day I took over the pack and became Alpha, Maylu was among my first supporters. He vowed to enforce my decisions because he believed in me. He trusted me even when I was going against everything we’d been taught.” Clara felt her mate’s sorrow course through her as he looked up at Maylu’s parents and siblings. “I will never be able to repay your son’s sacrifice, but I can offer to carry and deliver him back into Vaasna’s hands for his eternal sleep. It would honor me to be his guide from this world into the next.”
He lifted Maylu’s body from the ground, nodding at Arzil who kneeled down and gathered Trogh into his lower arms. Clara and Layla followed close behind, arms linked as they took comfort in one another. River was nestled in Clara’s hair, clutching at the top of the braid as their wide eyes scanned the trees. The tahi had been a source of great curiosity for the children who had come along. They offered them pieces of web, which her little pest happily nibbled on during the day-long journey to the summit.
Ivnalth made a point of falling back to check on her and Layla every now and then. The other female’s soft, sad smiles pained her. Just before they reached the end of the climb, Clara pulled her aside, leaving River with Layla.
“I wanted to tell you something before we reach the top. When Maylu was… just before he passed, he shared some of his memories with me. I thought you might like to know that one of the last ones was of you and Zaheer.”
Ivnalth’s lips trembled, and she blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes. “Thank you, lua.”
When they finally reached the summit, Clara looked out over the land and marveled at the beauty of their world—her world. A massive cavern opened up along one side, and Clara watched as Zaheer placed Maylu on the ground near the edge of the cliff. The drumming and singing began once more, both aloud and along the bond while the fallen were lined up together for their final journey. As Maylu’s mother said her goodbyes, pressing her forehead to her son’s, Zaheer turned to Clara and held out his hand, pulling her close as they stood over Trogh.
Clara hadn’t known him, but she knew Zaheer’s heart was hurting over his loss and wrapped her arms around his waist.
The female elder Clara met in the stone circle raised her hands as Maylu, Trogh, and the others were rolled off of the cliff and into the gaping maw of the cavern. “May you all rest for eternity in the arms of Vaasna and Kheenqiets, blessed by their grace.”
The tribe took up the blessing, repeating it quietly. Zaheer pulled her into his arms, taking as much comfort from her as he gave. Clara closed her eyes when he pressed his lips to her head.
“Goodbye, Maylu.”
Epilogue
Clara
Zaheer’s big body was sprawled across their nest, his arms and legs tangled within the furs as he slept peacefully. Clara smiled as she crept down his body, careful not to wake him as she wedged herself between his open legs. This was one of the only times she’d managed to get up before him, and she was going to take full advantage of it. It wasn’t that she didn’t adore being woken up to his tongue on her clit and those long, talented fingers in her pussy, but sometimes it was fun to change it up.
Instead of luxuriating all day in their nest, Zaheer was up before the sun most days. He and Ivnalth worked closely with the elders to encourage acceptance of the seer, but there was still a lot of resistance from the more radical members of the tribe.
Zaheer’s parents had done a lot to change the hearts and minds of many, and Clara loved seeing their relationship with her mate strengthen over time. Despite the fact that there was still a long road ahead of them, they were all beginning to settle into a new normal. Clara ran her fingers over his abdomen, an appreciative hum on her lips as she traced the hard muscle beneath his fur. She trailed them lower along the seam of his slit, where his cocks were already straining to be released. The tip of one finger dipped inside, and a moment later both khetis sprang free, bobbing in front of her.
Clara leaned in, licking the bulbous heads one at a time and smiling when his hips jerked. She glanced up to find his half-closed eyes were already on her. Drawing the tip of one into her mouth, Clara sucked and traced her tongue along the underside of the head. “Good morning.”
“Goddess above, Aanih,” he ground out, pushing gently into her mouth as she stroked his lower cock.
When Layla had discovered what his little nickname for Clara meant, her friend hadn’t exactly seen the humor in it. Who called their pregnant mate “unattractive?” But Clara had laughed so hard that she cried. Zaheer, for his part, had been genuinely apologetic, promising never to use it again, but she’d fallen in love with the way he said it in that deep, grumbling tone and couldn’t imagine never hearing it again.
The tendrils at the base of his cocks brushed over her cheeks and hands, writhing as she increased her speed and pressure. His lower kheti jerked as she pumped her fist up and down the shaft, twisting her wrist as she passed over the sensitive head. Zaheer’s mouth dropped open, and his entire body vibrated with the force of his growl as she took his upper cock as deep into her mouth as she could. She pressed her lips tight, let the ridges and blunted protrusions slide against them until his hips were bucking off of the blankets beneath him.
Zaheer used her and Clara was more than happy to let him take over. He wrapped her long braid around one hand, guiding her as he thrust into the wet heat of her mouth over and over until he was trembling. His upper hands fisted the furs and his lips pulled back to reveal sharp, glistening fangs. Clara imagined them sinking into her skin and moaned around him as she tightened her grip on him.
The knot at the base of his cocks expanded a moment before his body convulsed and thick, hot ropes of seed sprayed over her tongue. She swallowed as much of it as she could, smiling when it leaked from the corners of her mouth to slide down her throat, joining the rest of the release from his lower cock that covered her breasts. It dripped down onto her rounded belly as she lapped at the drops that lingered on the tip, savoring the exotic, sweet taste of him.
Clara sat back, resting on her heels while she watched his chest heave and his eyes grow hungry again. He pushed himself up and cradled her face in his hands before pressing his lips to hers, not the least concerned that she still had his release on her mouth.
“You look so beautiful with my seed dripping down your body, Aanih.”
“Do I?”
His hand found her braid again and she sighed as he tugged her head to the side to trail his lips along her neck. “It makes me want to lock my khetis inside of your body and fill you with my seed until th
ere’s no room for anything else.”
Clara moaned, her mouth falling open as Zaheer’s fangs pricked her skin. “Please, Zaheer.” He lifted her from the floor and stood, pressing her back into the side of their treehouse, wrapping her legs around his waist. “You’ve been insatiable since you found out I was pregnant.”
“Are you complaining?” he asked, bucking his hips between her open legs so that the head of his upper shaft slid between the wet folds of her pussy.
His lips found hers, kissing and nipping at her mouth until she was breathless and writhing between him and the hard wall at her back. Zaheer’s upper hands cupped her breasts, teasing and plucking her nipples until she could barely form a coherent thought, while his lower hands gripped the globes of her ass. He thrust his cocks against her folds, and she gasped as the blunted tips grazed her clit.
“How are you still hard?”
Groaning against his mouth, she sank her teeth into his lower lip. Zaheer snarled and pushed her harder against the wall, one of his hands leaving her ass to slip between them and notch his cocks at both of her entrances. He pulled back from their kiss to watch her face. Excitement curled in Clara’s belly as she met his burning gaze. Zaheer pushed forward inch by delicious inch, stretching and filling her. Clara arched into his touch as his hand trailed from her breast and down over her belly, reverently cradling the bump between them.
Grinding herself down onto his cocks, Clara let her head fall back against the wall, savoring the burn as his still swollen knots stretched her tender flesh, begging for entrance. She gasped as the tendrils on either side of each cock roamed her over her flesh, curling around her clit and brushing her ass as her mate pounded into her.
Claws dug into her skin as he cradled her to him and slammed home again and again, each thrust harder than the last. Clara’s guardian burst forth, teeth elongating as she narrowed her eyes on his neck. She could focus on nothing else besides the desire to mark him. Zaheer pushed forward, his cocks plowing relentlessly into her with each deep thrust.
As his knots slipped inside of her, she was vaguely aware of his twin tails wrapping tight around her waist. Clara nosed the side of his neck, rubbing her face beneath his chin as she inhaled his scent.
Claim him.
Mark him.
Following her guardian’s command, Clara opened her mouth and bit down on his neck, feeling her teeth pierce his flesh as something seeped from her elongated canines. Whatever it was seemed to spur Zaheer into a frenzy of frantic shallow thrusts. A low growl worked its way up his chest as he rutted into her, hips slamming against hers. Clara braced her hands on his shoulders, pulling herself up as far as the swollen knot would allow before dropping down onto him. A fresh wave of cum pulsed into her body as her own release washed over her with a strength that knocked the air from her lungs and left her gasping in shock.
Clara pulled back, releasing Zaheer’s neck as a scream of ecstasy was torn from her throat. Blood dripped down her chin as his tendrils pushed into her, roaming and thrusting as if they had a mind of their own.
The two on his lower cock slid along her backside, dipping against the bud of her ass with shallow strokes before one of them thrust in. When the second joined in, Clara whimpered. She could feel all of his tendrils twisting and plunging deep inside of her. Even though he’d already come twice, Zaheer didn’t stop.
Insatiable, her guardian purred.
He stroked deep within her, keeping a savage pace as the ridges and protrusions of his cocks plunged into her, dragging against her inner walls.
Clara cried out as another orgasm ripped through her, turning the blood in her veins into rivers of molten lava. With one last unforgiving thrust, Zaheer gathered her into his arms, holding her body close to his as they trembled through the aftershocks. Her tongue leisurely lapped at the bite on his neck the same way he’d done with Clara the first time he marked her. His hand cradled and brushed against her belly while he stumbled back to their furs.
“I’m not sure any of my limbs work anymore,” Clara said, flexing her fingers against the furs of their nest as Zaheer laid her down and settled on top of her. “I could really go for some orb broth right about now.”
Zaheer shook his head and grinned. “The last time I tried to feed you one, you knocked it out of my hands.”
“What if I promise not to do that again?” Zaheer propped himself up on his elbow and raised his brows, not believing her change of heart. “Look, it’s not for me, it’s for the baby. I can’t help that the little one has questionable taste.”
“I’ll see what I can do for you after this,” he said, tugging one of the furs closer and wiping at her breasts.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to clean my seed off of you.”
His seed? Clara looked down at her chest, eyeing the deep purple stains already drying on her skin. Oh, God… This stuff took days to fade and here she was with it all over her chin, her throat, breasts, and the swell of her belly.
“Guess I’m stuck here for a while. Lucky for me, I have experience being locked up in a treehouse.”
“I like the new look,” he purred along the bond. “My guardian agrees. Even more proof of who you belong to.”
Her own guardian growled, and Clara nipped at his lower lip. “Oh yeah? And where is the proof that you belong to me?”
“You mean besides the marks on my neck?” Clara rolled her eyes. “It’s right here,” he said, bringing her hand to rest over his heart. “As long as this beats and even when it stops I will belong to you. There was never anyone except you for us, Aanih.”
Her guardian huffed at the nickname, but Clara smiled as she cradled his face. When she’d found herself tied up in the outpost all the months ago, she never would have imagined the adventure she was embarking on. When Clara looked at him now, she didn’t see an alien captor, she saw her home, the other half she’d never known she was missing.
Maylu had given them the gift more precious than anything. He’d given her a chance at a life filled with love, with the promise of many tomorrows, and she wasn’t going to waste a moment of that. Clara wrapped her arms around her mate’s neck and pulled Zaheer close, spreading the glistening purple cum between them. She grinned against his lips as she kissed him softly.
“I love you, Mr. Big-Bad-and-Shifty.”
Zaheer leaned back and signed. “I love you too.”
Authors’ Note
We hope you enjoyed Clara and Zaheer’s story. This novel (and species) was first thought of while we were writing Kept from the Deep. Hayley/Octavia wanted to create this planet where Jun and the survivors crashed on with shapeshifting aliens who had incredible powers. Imagine the thought process of wanting an alien who resembles a jumping spider when you have arachnophobia! So even when Kept from the Deep was released in January, Hayley was already plotting this story. You can see snippets of Clara, Layla, and the guardians in Kept from the Deep!
We quickly became enamored with our characters while writing this and absolutely loved that they didn’t seem to be able to keep their hands off of each other. This book begins an incredible journey on Inore that we can’t wait to share with you. This is nowhere near the end of our stories with the Krunkeeli.
As some of you may have suspected, Clara has both Dauur and Krunkeeli DNA, which is likely why she was born deaf and with the limited psychometry. It is our goal to promote inclusivity, and with the assistance of our amazing sensitivity readers who read through Weaving Fate to make sure we weren’t saying anything unintentionally offensive, we tried to handle this with care and the utmost respect for the Deaf community. If you are part of the Deaf community and feel there is still something that could be done better, please reach out to us through email or on Facebook and let us know!
Writing a character like Zaheer was such a pleasure. We love that he is not afraid to apologize when he’s made a mistake, that continues to better himself, and always tries to make sure Clara never feels left out. We wanted t
o have a good alpha without getting too far into the alpha-hole territory. He’s a dedicated guardian and fiercely loyal to his pack, which means that he actually listens to their concerns without just throwing his weight around and saying, “This is how it is. Suck it up.” Though he butts heads with his packmates more than once while harboring the outsiders, he never loses respect for any one of them, nor do they lose respect for him. To us, his ability to consider more than just his own feelings made Zaheer a great leader.
To keep updated on what we’re working on follow us on Facebook! What’s next for us? Enticed from the Deep, which explores Telisa and her mates, and then a secret story! For the fans of our other series, we are looking forward to revisiting them but we want to finish up Venora Mates first so it doesn’t get too confusing.
Thank you so much for reading our book. We hope you enjoyed it and would love it if you left a review. They help our books get seen, and in a world with many other amazing authors, every last one counts. Each and every review means the world to us. We are constantly learning and growing and appreciate all of the feedback.
If you find a typo, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or email at: [email protected]
Also by Octavia Kore
Venora Mates:
Ecstasy from the Deep (Short Story)
Ecstasy from the Deep (Extended Edition)
Kept from the Deep
Awoken from the Deep
Dauur Mates:
Queen Of Twilight
Seyton Mates:
