by Isabel Wroth
~I am confident Ke’denn feels the same, mate. The storm bearing down on us is bad, we must set aside our game of who will find who first. I need you to find space for all of us to shelter.
An outcropping of boulders, some kind of berm, anything to put our backs to. Ra’ten knows how to read the wind, he will help you decide which position will best shield us.
We will be racing toward the storm to reach you, it will be no more than a few hours, more if Ra’ten’s little mate can’t keep up.
Alec’s snort came through loud and clear along their bond.
~Emma will keep up. We’ll find shelter.
Kalix ordered his small group to consume all the water they carried and shift, the ominous rumble of the oncoming threat growing louder as it hurtled closer.
They had a hard run ahead of them, and he was concerned for the single female of his small group. Ra’ten’s mate was no weakling, but she was slight of form and the surface of S9 was unforgiving.
The gravity was heavier, the atmosphere thinner. The effort it took to breathe, especially when running, was much different than what the humans were used to. He himself was unused to it, and he had spent many seasons training here.
Ra’ten’s mate must have interpreted his look for what it was. Her chin shot up stubbornly and she marched around a boulder to disrobe.
When she returned, it was in her beast form, her tail twitching with impatience. Kalix fought a smile, sure he had never encountered beings as stubborn as humans.
In his fur, his senses were even sharper, the airborne spoor of his mate’s exertions carried to him as he ran toward the oncoming clouds.
Toward Alec.
His beast lived for the thrill of this hunt, his muscles loose and limber, his lungs burning with the glory of knowing every ground eating stride brought him closer to her.
Kalix would find her, even if he had to put his shoulder to the wind and claw his way through the silt blindly. Whatever it took to get to her.
The Breeding Festival wasn’t just an opportunity to call a mate to him: it was a chance to prove to himself worthy.
To prove he would struggle, claw, fight to cross whatever obstacle was put before him, prove his willingness, his ability to sacrifice whatever he must to find and claim his One.
In the back of his mind, Kalix felt shame he knew would never truly go away. Shame for having left Alec alone to fend for herself so he could complete a mission he knew others were capable of, was equivalent to him leaving her now in this desert.
This was his chance to make her believe and accept him as her mate. No matter the past, no matter how he had wronged her, Alec would never again wonder if it was the will of the Asho’na or Kalix’s own desire that pushed him to claim her.
*****
Blood mixed with the powder fine earth in her palms, but Alec didn’t stop. There had been no berm, no embankment to take shelter against, so Alec and her girls did what they knew how to do best.
They built what they needed to survive the night with what they had on hand.
What they had on hand was a shit ton of boulders. Ra’ten had argued for them to push on and meet their mates, that they find shelter along the way.
Alec had ignored the idea, uncertain if the terrain would change at all between here and now, and had given Ra’ten her full support if he wanted to fuck off and find his own mate.
She, Darya, and Kaia had worked together to roll the large boulders already in proximity to them closer together in a U shape.
They pulled up the patches of thick grass, discovering the blades were sharp enough to cut, each of them lacerating their palms deeply before learning to use their tunics to wrap around the greenish-gray stalks first.
Eventually Ra’ten had given in and put his back into adding more boulders behind the larger ones to block the smaller gaps near the ground, studiously avoiding the fact that Alec and the girls were all bare chested except for a strap across their breasts.
~How far away are you? Alec called to Kalix.
He answered immediately, a dark growl accompanying his thoughts. ~You bleed. I smell it. How badly are you hurt? Were you attacked? Where is Ra’ten? Why does he not protect you?
Kalix’s questions grew increasingly louder, until Alec felt as though her body was vibrating from the volume.
~I’m fine, I cut my hands a little, that’s all. Don’t worry about Ra’ten. Just get here, the wind is picking up.
~I’m coming, mate. Take your fur now, before it’s too late. The wind and silt will feel worse than a thousand blades on your bare skin.
Alec assured him she would, but there was still more to do on the shelter. As she earned herself another slice on the hand, Alec snarled, wondering whose stupid idea it had been to ban the use of any weapons or technology.
She could have used her blades, the torc that encased her body in protective armor and would have shielded her perfectly from the oncoming atmospheric assault.
But noooo. That would have simply been too easy. Too logical! Alec kicked the last wad of grass she had gathered into a cranny, venting her immediate frustration on the bloodied stalks.
Darya winced as she finished with her section, and Kaia announced she was finished also. They used some of their precious water to wash the worst of their cuts off and drank all they could before shifting to settle and wait for their mates to find them.
Ra’ten rounded the corner, coming up short to see the three of them, huffing and insisting their shelter wasn’t good enough, commanding them to gather more grass, to do more, and Alec reached her limit.
The girls lay down, as though sensing what was to come. Alec felt her bones and muscles roll as she fluidly got to her feet, her ears flattening to her skull in preparation for a fight.
While Ra’ten was busy ranting about how their shelter was inadequate, Alec filled her lungs with the dusty air and let loose a coughing roar so loud it echoed across the entire valley.
Ra’ten was startled enough to trip over his own feet and fall halfway back on his ass, going stiff and still as Alec prowled to crawl over him, a continuous menacing growl rolling from inside her, ruffling the hair at Ra’ten’s brow.
Alec flexed her paw, her razor sharp claws sliding forward to rest against Ra’ten’s jugular. She could feel it pulsing, the heavy throb mirroring the scent of his surprise and uncertainty.
He wasn’t afraid, and though she certainly had his attention, Alec and her beast were both dissatisfied with the challenge he gave by not lowering his gaze or offering his throat in submission. She curled her lips back to bare her teeth at him, drawing blood with her claws.
Just enough to prick, sensing his beast struggling under the weight of her glare, deciding whether or not to attack the mate of his superior, or submit.
The pressure of the creature inside her became overpowering, like a heatwave pressing down on Ra’ten, making his eyes bug out and his face turn red with the effort it took to not shed his skin and become his beast.
“You... aren’t like... the others,” Ra’ten gasped out. This mighty warrior beneath her, so close to her teeth, shuddered, his hands digging fistfuls into the dirt as though he was trying to hold onto it. Onto himself to keep from changing.
She lowered her nose to his so he had to cross his bulging eyes in order to maintain their eye contact. Alec was no longer totally in charge, and her beast was not in the mood to be denied.
She was the mate of a commander, and soon they would hold a territory both vast and vulnerable. There was no room for warriors who challenged them or thought her weak.
If she was weak, Kalix was weak, and their territory could and would be taken by someone stronger. Ra’ten thought she was weak, unwilling to stand up to him as though she feared his skill as a warrior.
He might be three times her age, but he had no idea who she was. What she was capable of. What she would do to keep herself and those who mattered to her safe.
Ra’ten would submit, or he would die.
Alec knew the reaction was extreme, but this was where it started, and he didn’t have much longer to decide.
The pitch of her growl deepened and she felt his throat work beneath her paw. Ra’ten slowly turned his face away, baring his throat to her, his muscles relaxing beneath her bulk.
“My apologies, Asha’na,” he murmured respectfully, not a single hint of artifice in his tone to imply he was anything but sincere.
The tension between her shoulder blades eased with those three simple words and the act of his submission. She huffed, smacking his shoulder before stepping off his body to return to the meager protection of their shelter.
Neither of the beasts waiting, Kaia or Darya, seemed overly surprised or unsettled by Alec’s display.
When Ra’ten got to his feet and changed into his fur, he sat as far from her as possible while staying within the half circle of boulders, his head dropped low, careful not to move to quickly or give Alec any indication of aggression on his part.
Smart.
It seemed as though hours went by, the roar of the oncoming wind almost drowning out the shrieking of the half shifted females seeking their mates, the creatures seemingly oblivious for the fury of the oncoming storm.
Then suddenly, the dust and sand kicked up as the gale force winds rushed over them, around their shelter of boulders, seconds later Kalix and the others burst into view.
Alec got up to meet her mate, making it only a few steps before he was on her, rubbing his face against hers, chuffing at her insistently even as he used his shoulder to push and herd her to the back of the boulders.
Kalix shook the bundle of his clothes from his back and caught it in his teeth, nudging one end against her mouth.
~Take this, lie down with me and use it to cover your face.
Already choking and squinting against the dust, Alec didn’t argue. She lay down against the side of the boulder, clawing at the fabric saturated with his scent until it covered her eyes, sighing when he curled around her, the thicker fur at his throat providing even more protection for her to burrow into.
~Kalix, there’s plenty of cloth to cover you as well.
His purr rumbled against her fur, her hide twitching when he gently began to knead at her shoulders with his enormous paws. The air she was able to breathe was thick with heat, but better than getting a lungful of dust.
Kalix kept his face tucked to her throat, continuing to massage and hug her to his side while the weather raged around them.
~My mane and yours offers plenty of protection, mate. The storm will be over soon. Why do you smell of Ra’ten?
Kalix’s question to her was tinged with a growl of displeasure. She shrugged, shifting and nosing around to try and find a more comfortable position.
~We have had an ongoing disagreement. I settled it.
~An ongoing disagreement? What disagreement? You said nothing to me of this.
~I mentioned I found him untrustworthy due to his attitude toward me, you assured me he was an honorable male, and I disagreed. I still don’t trust him.
He hasn’t give me a reason to, and the way he acts in my presence doesn’t make me believe he would support us in a time of crisis.
You, perhaps. Me, he definitely wouldn’t. Emma doesn’t much care for me as I was forced to kill the last of her family, so I’m sure her dislike has made Ra’ten feel the same merely on principle.
However, he got cocky and began to believe he could command me. Our disagreement came to a head and I made it clear he was mistaken.
Kalix was quiet above her, his rumbling purrs having momentarily been swallowed by angry growls. She felt the prick of his claws through her fur and gave him a thump,
~The matter is dealt with, and if it requires further attention, I will involve you.
He grunted, rubbing his furred jaw back and forth over the top of her head, radiating outrage.
~We must be a team, Alec, an undefeatable pair if we are to keep the territory given to us by the Asho. If you do not involve me, how are we undefeatable?
Alec sighed, stirring the dust coating her to rise and muddy the semi-clear air she was able to take in.
~Ra’ten is not the first who will test me, Kalix. The warriors under your command know you. They trust you to lead them.
There is no reason they will follow or trust me unless I prove I am capable. I fully expect you to have my back, if you agree with me.
~There is no ‘if,’ Alec. We will have disagreements. When we do, it will be done in private and we will resolve it. I am your mate, I will never stand against you.
With his declaration ringing in her mind, in the middle of a howling dust storm, while hundreds of creatures continued to hunt for a mate all around them, Alec fell asleep.
There was no resistance as she slipped off, her cat content in the knowledge that as long as she was curled beneath her mate, she was safe.
TWELVE
Night had fallen fully and the storm had finally passed, leaving an eerie calm where before everything had been such chaos.
Alec was still tucked under his mane, so deeply asleep she didn’t seem to notice they all had been almost completely buried by the ashen earth kicked up in the storm.
Two of the three couples were already up and shaking themselves, but his One still slumbered peacefully.
Kalix was loath to wake her, but they had a long journey back to the temporary quarters they would stay in until the end of the festival.
He rumbled for Alex, carefully raking his claws down her sides, his beast grinning when she groaned and stretched, clumsily batting the remnants of his shirt from her nose to blink up at him.
~Wah... what... is it over? She yawned, her jaws spreading to show off every one of her serrated teeth.
~Yes, love. Come on, we need to make our way to the breeding grounds.
Kalix stood up and gave himself a hearty shake, rumbling his amusement when his mate gracelessly floundered and rolled out of her own dust pile, spluttering as she shot him a dirty look.
She even went so far as to slap her tail across his snout, snickering when a cloud of silt exploded in his face.
They didn’t speak much on the way back, everyone focusing their energy on putting one foot in front of the other, having to dodge those who still hunted for their mates.
The sun was just cresting the edge of the horizon by the time they reached the temporary breeding grounds.
There were four spots such as this surrounding the Festival, cordoned off by elders and officials already mated.
Kalix would have preferred the assured safety of their ship, but it was across the preserve, and no ships were allowed to fly over the hunting grounds. No transports to take them from here to there.
Having gauged their position, he had chosen rest and respite for their party. It didn’t hurt they would each have the opportunity to claim their mates in relative privacy.
Alec took his advice and shifted back to her human form, panting as she knelt naked at his feet. Kalix summoned up the last of his strength and scooped her up into his arms to carry her the rest of the way.
“Bath or food first, mate?”
Alec moaned, weakly wrapping her arms around his shoulders, giving absolutely zero protest to be so coddled.
“Bath. Water. Food.”
“So be it.” Kalix carried her through the maze of tents, right into the enormous pool of cool water.
The groan she made was almost sexual in nature, she was that pleased. He found one of the unoccupied niches and settled back against the natural stone bench, nodding briefly to one of the female attendants who came by with trays of water, soap, and sponges to get off the worst of the dirt.
The pool was cloudy from the storm, but it was large enough for at least two thousand couples to rest comfortably.
Right now, there seemed to be only a few hundred lounging in either the colder pools or the steaming hot grottoes.
He himself was overheated, and he knew the cooler water would reviv
e him, but if Alec required heat to soothe her, he would find them a space. Yet when he asked, she threatened to castrate him if he moved.
Ah, his testy little female was returning in full force.
A jug of water was set at his elbow, along with rough cakes of soap. He sated his thirst with a few deep draws, nuzzling Alec’s cheek until she tipped her head back, a sweet murmur of surprise feathering out of her when he pressed his lips to hers, carefully giving her sips of water from his own mouth.
Selfishly, he wanted her kiss and knew by feeding her this way, she was less likely to deny him.
And he wasn’t wrong.
Alec hummed her pleasure, watching him through heavy lidded eyes when he pulled away to take another drink, smiling crookedly at him, meeting his kiss and swallowing what he gave her with a relaxed sigh. When she had her fill, she lay her cheek back down on his shoulder.
“Can we just sleep in here tonight?”
Kalix rubbed the bar of soap across her nape and shoulders. “We could, but the pools will be filled with other couples soon.”
“Huh?” Alec just now seemed to notice this was a communal bath, and jerked away to sink herself up to her chin.
“Kalix! Seriously?”
He chuckled, pulling her back into his lap so he could continue washing her. “There are few water sources above ground on S9. This spring is the largest and thankfully was closest to the shelter you made.
“No one is looking at us. They are too busy breeding and caring for their new mates. Come, get your hair wet and wash so we can find our bed for the day. Food will be waiting for us.”
Alec obeyed, though she continued to grumble under her breath about his total lack or care of what she called, common decency.
Kalix found he had no true argument to make against his mate’s modesty. The fewer who saw her bare breasts or the beauty of her naked limbs, the better.
Washed and refreshed, Alec swam beside him to where trunks full of soft sheets waited. Alec seemed baffled by the way he wound the white fabric around her body, watching him knot it between her breasts, watching him sling his own around his hips.
