Page 35 of Agor

Grat scratched the back of his bald head.

“Um...chief, no one knows her name, anyway.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

Becca.Her name echoed through my mind.

It was a strong name for a strong woman. I’d kept it to myself ever since I’d first learned it three days ago. If Farod knew a human woman bested one of his men, he’d make it his mission to hunt her down to save his face. Otherwise, he’d be the laughingstock of all the wetlands for generations to come. Becca was much safer if no one from his clan knew about her.

I moved my gaze over the rows of houses around us. Children played in the front yards. Their parents were getting ready for our weekly gathering by piling firewood for the bonfires and bringing out food and ale to share.

By a long-standing tradition, the keep got together like that about once a week, and I loved the sense of community it brought.

Would Becca fit into this life?

I imagine she would. I didn’t know if she liked dancing, but I could easily envision her making a loop around the main plaza in a fast dance with me. Her cheeks would be rosy from jumping and hopping to our music. And her smile would be as bright as the sun.

Every time she appeared in my thoughts, she was sweaty and out of breath. But also smiling and happy, which she wouldn’t be if I forced her. A woman like that could not be forced.

I stared at the packed dirt of the path under my feet. I had no desire to go home right now. Maybe Burul was right. A good fuck might be nice. Only no fuck was good enough anymore. I hadn’t even so much as stroked myself lately, afraid to erase the memory of Becca’s slick pussy hugging my cock ever so tightly.

Getting instantly hard at the thought, I cursed under my breath.

“You know what?” I said to Grat, turning toward the tavern. “Let’s go to Karut’s for some ale.”

Never the one to turn a drink down, Grat readily agreed.

After a few long gulps of ale at Karut’s place, my throat was no longer dry. However, the restless feeling never quieted.

“How do humansdate?” I asked, surprising both Grat and myself.

“Date?” He made a face. “Fuck if I know. But what do you care? You can have anyone you want, human or orc.”

So much was true. I was young, strong, and the High Chief. Fate gave me a lot, and if I wanted more, I took it. Except that the one I wanted more than anything, I couldn’t have.

It’d be easy enough to haul Becca to my house, lock her in, and never let her leave. I’d fuck her dusk to dawn every night, and I knew she’d match me stroke for stroke, moan for moan, and thrust for thrust.

But then what?

Once the fog of lust had cleared, she’d hate me.

I wanted much more than just her delectable tits and her hot, wet pussy. When it came to Becca, I’d grown far too greedy to be satisfied with just her body. I wanted her proud soul, her fearless spirit, and I had to have her untamed heart too—none of which I would get if I seized her by force.

Grat leaned closer, looking at me as if I lost my mind, which was probably true.

“Is it about that girl from the human village? The one who got away?”

Grat got that right. She did get away. More than once.

Claiming Becca had proven more challenging than dealing with any woman I’d ever met before. Her refusing me, over and over, infuriated me. But if I thought hard about it, without being blinded by unfulfilled need or bruised pride, I understood her reasons.

I’d seen how she spoke to her people, convincing them not to kill me on the spot. They listened to her with a respect that few men enjoyed, not to mention women. She held an esteemed position among her people that she undoubtedly worked hard to achieve. She’d carved a place for herself in this world. And if I were to misplace her now, I had to offer her something in return. Something that she’d deem at least of equal value.

Clearly, my cock alone was not enough to entice her to spend the rest of her life with me. In order to win Becca, I had to win her over. She couldn’t be just my fuck mate. She had to be more.

“How do you win a woman’s heart?” I mused, after guzzling my second stein of ale. “Especially if she isn’t particularly smitten by your position as the High Chief? And wouldn’t submit by force?”

Grat looked genuinely puzzled, blinking at me, speechless. It was a good thing I never told him or anyone else at the keep that the humans had attacked me and plotted to kill. Upon returning from the human village, I’d just said that I’d accidentally dropped my mace when hunting a wild boar, and the boar was the one responsible for all my injuries because I had to wrestle him with my bare hands.

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