Page 17 of The Orc Outcast's Mate

But then he would have been naked aside from his cloak.

“Oh shoot.” Miranda laughed and his blood cooled further. “Uh, yeah. We’ve been through it.”

“Come with me, dear,” Maythra said, reaching out to Miranda again.

“Maythra, be careful,” Rogeth said but hesitated to touch the older woman.

“Don’t worry, my child.” Maythra soothed the male before her sharp gray eyes skewered Govek. “Govek may be many things, but he wouldn’t be so unwise as to attack me.” She regarded Miranda. “But it’s clear he is out of control. Please, come this way, dearest. I would hate to see you hurt.”

“Govek’s not going to hurt me.”

“Savrah, go and fetch our chief,” Maythra said, turning away from Miranda. “Tell him what is transpiring here and bring other orcs to aid us.”

Fuck, there really was no way out of this now.

“Hold on! Just stop.” Miranda’s shout brought Maythra back around. “Govek’s not going to hurt me or anyone. Right?”

Miranda rose her brows at him, and he barely managed a swift nod. She was back with him, tucked into his side. His rational thoughts were catching back up.

“Right,” Miranda said. “This is all a misunderstanding. You just surprised us. That’s all.”

“I believe your head is muddled,” Maythra said. “I am unsure what has transpired between you and Govek but?—”

“The only thing that transpired is that he saved me. I was lost in the woods, and he helped me.”

“Even so,” Rogeth said, standing tall again. “He must report to Chief Ergoth. Why have you come to the butchery before making your presence known? Why are you trying to hide her?”

“He isn’t . . . I mean . . .” Miranda looked up at him, chewed her lip.

Govek finally found his voice. “I took down an elk.”

The three of them all looked to where it now hung in its cloth behind Govek, and he took that moment to really think through this catastrophe.

There was no way he would be able to hide Miranda now. His plan would have to change.

“You took down an elk in front of her?” Rogeth asked, clearly aghast.

“He did.” Miranda’s voice was bright with excitement, and it soothed him further. “It was?—”

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Maythra asked, reaching her hands toward Miranda again, and to Govek’s relief, Miranda did not rejoin her.

“I’m perfectly healthy,” Miranda held up a hand to ward Maythra off. “Govek took very good care of me.”

“Then why did he take your clothes?”

“He didn’t take my clothes. They just... got kinda lost. There was a storm and some of them were already tattered from traveling around and?—”

“You cannot take her into the hall in this state, Govek,” Maythra said, waving Miranda off again. “But you must go. Now. Our good chief will be furious if he discovers you have crossed into the borders of our clan without making your presence known to him. Go with Rogeth to the hall and we will take Miranda.”

“I’m not leaving Govek,” Miranda said. Her tight grip on his arm allowed him to finally work for reason.

Maythra was right. He could not take her to the hall. Not with so many orc eyes to see her half naked. But taking her back to his home now would, at best, result in a brawl with Rogeth. At worst, Maythra would go to the hall for aid, tell them what had transpired here, and a group of orcs would come to drag Miranda away from him by force.

That horror would spiral his anger out of control. His fury was rising at the very thought of it. He would lose himself.

And her.

He could not allow that to happen. He could not allow his turbulent emotions to rage out of control. He had to stay calm, and the only way to do that was to keep Miranda calm.

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