Page 48 of Bride of Choice

Again, letting her think what she liked, I smiled my thanks. “Did he- Is he still here?” I asked.

“Is who here, dear?” She looked so confused.

“The male that brought me in,” I replied hesitantly, fighting a blush at my school girl crush on a perfect stranger. Well, not entirely a stranger, but I wasn’t going to delve into that right now.

“All the guys are out there. I’m not sure who brought you in,” she said easily, not catching the vibe of the situation correctly.

My heart thundered as I blurted, “One of the guys?”

“The guys. My fellas,” she elaborated. “Be just a moment,” she called over her shoulder as she quit the room swiftly. “If you need any help changing, just holler and I’ll pop back in!”

Sitting on the toilet, I gaped at the small washstand in front of me in horror. One of her mates?!

No. No way! No-no-no.

What fresh hell was this?!

Scrambling to finish in the bathroom, then hobbling my way, pantsless, swaths of cloth I recognized in the small basket under the sink for what they were, period cloth strips, I had a long swath tied at my hips resembling a makeshift diaper on, holding it all together, beneath the long dress I was still wearing, hairy legs feeling the breeze— wishing my menstrual cup wasn’t back in my hut, tucked away, if Rek hadn’t hidden it away yet, the idiot— I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry. Or maybe scream. Hell, I had no idea. Being crazy and caught up in a fuckton of wonky is fucking hard.

“Here we go!” Dorothy announced, knocking and waiting before entering the room. One good long look at me and she paused. Setting the items in her hands down beside me, she checked my forehead for a fever, then my neck for good measure. “You’re pale as paper. Look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s the matter?”

Motioning for me to wait a moment, she popped her head out to call for one of her mates. Lukar appeared, glancing between us curiously. “Who brought Miss Joanie in last eve, do you recall?” she asked him shortly.

Her large mate gave a half-grunt and shrugged his wide shoulders.

“Griever bring Jojo in,” he rumbled out softly.

A choked noise left me as Lukar called down the hall for Griever.

Moments later a male that was most certainly not the male from last night popped his upper half into view in the doorway. “Jes?” he said with that same stilted way of talking as my Mystery mate.

“Do you know who brought Joanie in?” Dorothy repeated.

“Jes,” he said with a soft nod. A rumble left him as he dipped and gave his female a sniff that had her laughingly batting him away.

“Later,” she told him in whispered tones, then pressed a kiss to her finger to then press it to his lips.

Griever pretended to bite at her finger but pulled back.

“Do you care to tell us who it was, sweetie?” she pressed.

“No,” he said simply, then promptly quit the room.

“What?” she squawked. Fanning a towel at him, she charged off after him. “What do you mean, you don’t want to tell us? Why on earth not?!”

“Him says no say,” I heard Griever rumble out in answer.

“What kinda silliness is that?” she burst out above the din of other rumbles. After a moment, she asked in the sweetest tone to rival even my over the top sugary sweetness, “Not even lil ol’ me?”

“Say no say no thing ‘bouts no thing. Griever see Josie no’ good. Say ‘kay. Him leave, Griever bring Josie in. We here’s now.”

“Well,” Dorothy blustered, “I never.”

“Griever do,” the male said simply, ruining whatever he was going for with a soft chuckle.

As much as I wished to know my secret male’s identity, I was relieved Griever knew how to keep a secret.

There was that.

---