Page 9 of Red

For revolutions he had fantasized how their female would be so impressed by his triad that she would eagerly crouch before them for mating as she admired his fully extruded breeding and pleasure cocks that he would present just for her.

This was not how it was supposed to happen. Among a triad only an alpha fully extruded during the courting phase to impress a female. The rest of the triad kept themselves solely for the pleasure of their mate. And only for her.

To extrude for a pale, hairless, flat-faced human—he felt horror and shame engulf him. He would stay away from her and save his honor. That was the only solution. Sadly, his resolve crumbled quickly as Arie began to shiver again from the cold. He glanced at Kyx and considered waking him, but something instinctual within him rebelled at the thought. Indecision kept him frozen in place until he couldn’t bear to watch her suffer a moment longer. He wasn’t heartless.

Cursing under his breath, he crawled back to Arie’s side and curled up behind her. Placing his arms loosely around her so he could keep his pelvis as far away from her as possible, he settled back into place. Warol closed his eyes, intending to fall asleep when she sighed sleepily and shifted in his arms, rolling toward him. He was caught completely off guard when she flung her arm and leg over him as she buried her nose into the thicker fur running down the center of his chest from his scruff. His muscles locked in place, refusing to move as she snuggled closer to him, her hot breath fanning the shorter fur covering the muscles of his chest. She moaned in her sleep and he swallowed back his answering groan.

A thankful prayer parted from his lips when she sank into deeper slumber. He didn’t dare move lest she start moving against him again. He wasn’t sure how much more of that he was going to be able to take. He desperately wanted to flee from the cave. It was only by some miracle he finally succumbed to slumber until the sound of laughter woke Warol some time later.

He blinked tiredly as a yawn forced its way out past his jaws. He scratched at his jaw and looked up to find Rager and Kyx staring down at him with open amusement. He frowned at them in confusion. What was so funny? He glanced down and leaped away as if burned. Despite all his good intentions to keep some safe distance between himself and Arie, he had woken curled around her so tightly that her small frame nearly disappeared beneath him.

It was an uncomfortably exciting throb, however, that drew his attention down to the cocks pushed out and standing proudly away from his body. His ears flattened with humiliation, and he couldn’t help but notice the way that Rager drew away from him in surprise. Kyx, on the other hand, crept closer with fascination. The younger male, his expression flooded with curiosity, stretched out a hand as if to touch Warol’s swollen members.

Hackles raised, Warol bared his fangs and snarled at him, letting Kyx know in no uncertain terms that he was not open to being scrutinized or explored. The male grinned at him slyly but made no further effort to engage. To his relief, upon losing contact with Arie, his members gradually deflated and drew back inside his sheath. Rager coughed and ran a hand through his mane, his other three arms braced against his knees where he was crouched. His pale eyes narrowed intently.

“Did you mate with her?” Rager asked bluntly.

That was not what he’d expected to be asked. Warol stared at him in shock as he attempted to make sense of what their triad lead was saying to him.

“Of course not. She is not one of us—she is a human. What you are suggesting would be… unnatural!”

Just behind him, Kyx made a disgusted sound, but Warol couldn’t ascertain what the male was objecting to. If it was over his bodily reaction, he hadn’t been able to help that. He’d been asleep just the same as the other two males. He had a suspicion, though, that the male was offended on behalf of the female.

“Come on. Neither of you can think that is attractive compared to the beauty and grace of a female of our own species.”

Rager frowned. “Good. You do not make decisions on behalf of our triad. She will be in our company for only a short time. It would be foolish for any of us to get attached to her.” His eyes did not linger on Warol but rather were fixed meaningfully on Kyx.

The younger male’s mouth curved in a cheerful smile as if he hadn’t just been taken to task by their lead for his impulsive nature. With Warol no longer by Arie’s side, Kyx had used the opportunity to slide into the opening. Against all logic, Warol felt an immediate burn of fury. Instinct rose sharply through him, insisting that the male was attempting to take his place and challenging his dominance when it came to the female.

“I do not know why my body reacted as it did. It certainly was not at my bidding or interest, so you have nothing to fear to that end, Rager. I was merely attempting to keep the female warm,” Warol clarified, his eyes never straying from the red form of their third. His patience snapped. “Get off the female, Kyx. It is no longer cool enough to make her uncomfortable as she sleeps. There is no reason any of us should provide her with more than what is most necessary."

Kyx’s jaw dropped open with a silent laugh. “Maybe I enjoy being pressed up against the female,” he replied in turn.

Warol bristled and began to stalk toward him when Rager raised his voice.

“Enough posturing. Warol, step back, and Kyx, release Arie and remove yourself. Your aid is not necessary at this time. We will wake her and then be on our way.”

A loud sigh came from the red male, but he got to his feet and gently nudged Arie until she woke. Warol could hear the soft murmur of their voices but tuned it out. It didn’t matter to him what they spoke of, especially when there was already plenty to do that required his attention. He made himself busy by banking the coals before turning his attention to piling the furs once more in the corner of the cave as he prepared it for their absence.

Before long, the female was standing at Kyx’s side, her bag thrown over her shoulder and the glory of her red mane flowing wildly down her back. His fingers itched to touch it, but he swung away and proceeded to the opening of the cave. His ears tipped forward and rotated as he peered out into the forest, searching for any sign of other triads coming near their resting place. To his relief, he didn’t detect any sign of another triad or that of approaching humans in search of Arie.

It seemed odd that there wasn’t any sign of humans searching for the lone female. Ragoru were pack-oriented among their triad, sometimes in rare known cases with extended family members if they managed to survive the huntsmen, though there were rumors of clans in distant forests, but humans were far more clannish as far as he understood it. It was not uncommon for humans to track missing members through hostile territories. So why was no one coming for their female?

He shook his head aggressively in reprimand. He shouldn’t be thinking of Arie as theirs; she did not belong to them. She was not Ragoru, and she was not their mate. She was merely a lost, vulnerable stranger. He should be happy for any sign of humans to foist her onto. That would have been the first thing he would have done. His triad would be able to escape easily while the humans physically inspected the female to verify her condition and safety. His hackles raised as he imagined a human male touching Arie’s body, stroking her flank soothingly as he looked over her. A low growl raised in his throat, but he abruptly cut it off, his eyes darting around to make certain he hadn’t been heard.

There was no reason to worry Rager. Warol was not getting possessive over a human. He was certain that he felt nothing at all except the pressing need to deposit her safely with her family and run as fast as he could in the other direction. The painful pinch in his gut was just some meat still working its way through his system. He had gorged a bit more than usual. That would have been a bad sign indicating that his body was trying to prepare for a lengthy rut if he wasn’t absolutely certain that it was doing no such thing.

Yes, the sooner they could be rid of her safely among other trusted females, the better.

He would not trust a male enough to surrender her into his custody, but an elder female? That would be no problem. Above all, he did not want to keep the human.

Rager took the lead as he slipped from the cave, once again carrying Arie pressed against him, much to Warol’s annoyance. The male had scolded him for laying with her and now he was the one pressed against her so intimately. It didn’t seem fair. His eyes followed them as he loped out behind his alpha, jealousy gnawing at him despite his determination to ignore it. Likewise, Warol chose to ignore Kyx’s knowing look as the male paced beside him.

Chapter

Six

Rager held the small female to his chest as he hopped over a fallen tree with ease. The trees were starting to become thinner as they moved into higher elevations, but as of yet the woods were still thick enough to provide adequate cover and comforts. For a moment, he allowed himself to glance longingly at the valley below. As always, its lushness called to him, but he resisted. Any valley outside of a claimed territory was potentially a dangerous place, even for a triad of healthy males. Thick with giant carnivorous plants, it would be suicidal to trek through it rather than take the mountain route.

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