Page 23 of I Married A Catman

On top of looking into human culture to better prepare for Ophelia’s arrival, I obviously investigated human anatomy. My initial shock at seeing their female had a miniature cock above their slit quickly gave way to confusion once I realized it was actually their clitoris. Our females possessed one as well, but it was located inside their slit, which made a lot more sense. This way, it was automatically stimulated through penetration.

Out of curiosity, I checked the human males’ reproductive organs to see if maybe they had an additional appendage or bump near the base of their cock or on their pelvic area meantspecifically to cater to that external clitoris. But there was nothing. In fact, their shaft didn’t even possess our spikes that enhanced our females’ pleasure on top of being highly erogenous for us.

So why in the world had human females anatomically evolved in such an irrational fashion? Or was it the males who had somehow evolved the wrong way that they weren’t designed to guarantee their females’ satisfaction?

Further research confirmed that men needed to actively work on stimulating their women instead of it being passively taken care of during coupling. I also discovered that I wouldn’t be able to trigger my mate’s ovulation simply through penetration, as was the case with our females. Human women ovulated on a preset timeline instead of almost on demand with Nazhrals.

That had been the good news out of all of this. Us getting pregnant on our first night would not be ideal. We needed a bit of time to get to know each other first but especially to sort out our situation. I wanted cubs. My entire life, I’d always felt a strong paternal instinct.

But do I want to have my offspring here?

What I read about human family units blew my mind. All genders were afforded the same opportunities. Unlike us, human parents didn’t sever the ties with their male offspring after casting them out. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have my sire by my side through my teenage years and into adulthood. Would I have made different choices with his guidance?

Assuming we went ahead and remained here with our cubs, would the Matriarchs accept them? Would they even fit with the Pride?

I had too many questions and uncertainties about our couple and our future. A part of me wondered if I made the rightdecision embarking on this journey when I already had so much to juggle. But another figured now was in fact the perfect timing as it could help guide some of the decisions I needed to take anyway in the upcoming days.

As I began our descent into the village, I stole a discreet glance at my mate. She was feasting her eyes on the beauty of the landscape. No, I couldn’t say that I was physically drawn to her, but something about Ophelia felt good.

It was the way she looked at me with sincere admiration. The way her skin colored whenever she was shy. But it was especially that moment she touched her face when I compared her freckles to Luen that shifted something inside me. The self-deprecating way she poked at herself stirred my protective instincts. Seeing her so deeply moved by my words, and the joy it brought to her made me feel good. Her grateful smile and the way it lit up her face could become addictive.

Even as that thought crossed my mind, a shudder coursed through me.

Nazhral females could be so callous and manipulative. Were human females the same? Could Ophelia be playing me right now?

I immediately felt ashamed for unfairly suspecting her. Nothing in her actions or body language even remotely hinted at deception. However, the past twelve years taught me to trust no one.

As I settled the shuttle on the landing pad, I cast a worried glance at my woman. I hated that I wasn’t bringing her home to a warm welcome, but potentially to some rude and brutal rejection.

“Ophelia, before we settle home, I must take you before the Matriarchs for their blessing,” I said cautiously.

Judging by the instant worry that settled over her alien features, I did a terrible job of hiding my own concerns.

“What if they don’t want me?” she asked, her eyes flicking between mine.

“They cannot banish you without banishing me first,” I said in a reassuring tone. “I’m in good standing with the Pride, so it would surprise me if that happened. But should that be the case, we will go to the city and then decide where we want to settle going forward.”

Her shoulders slouched, and she looked at me with a guilty expression. “I’m so sorry!”

“No, my mate!” I said firmly. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong. Regardless of your presence, I already had many decisions to make about my future. There’s a reason I pushed for you to come swiftly once I agreed to go through with this. As my decisions will also impact you and our lives together, it is best that you be involved in the process. After all, we’re soulmates.”

“Yes, we are,” she replied, a timid smile blossoming on her lips. “Then I guess the timing is perfect. So… you believe that we are, then?”

The nervousness with which she asked that question, and the glimmer of hope in her stunning green eyes made me realize she needed some reassurance from me. I had not shown much enthusiasm about us since her arrival. I needed to do a better job of making it clear to her that once I committed to something, I didn’t renege on it. In our wedding vows, I pledged to be by her side through thick and thin, and I never broke my word.

“Yes, Ophelia. Kayog is never wrong. Therefore, I believe we’re soulmates, even though we do not know each other yet. Whatever the future holds, we’ll see it through together.”

She beamed at me in a way that once again hit me straight in the heart. She was truly adorable when she smiled like that.

I shut down the engine, hopped out of the shuttle, and circled around it to help my mate down. Naturally, many members ofthe Pride conveniently happened to be loitering nearby instead of working as they should be. They ogled my mate in a less-than-subtle fashion. I wanted to hiss and roar at them for such rudeness. At the same time, I couldn’t blame them for it.

For our members, Ophelia was a true oddity, especially for our females. Off-worlders never came here, and our people hardly ever traveled. Nazhral females only spent time outside of the village to hunt in the neighboring forests. Our Alpha—and on extremely rare occasions our Matriarchs—were pretty much the only people who occasionally went to the city to acquire new equipment, find upgrades for the village, or perform other administrative tasks I had no idea about.

Males who went on missions, and the few who moved to the city naturally would have met off-worlders in the flesh, but probably never a woman. That she was a female made it even more extraordinary—not to say scandalous—as no outsider females were normally ever allowed in a Pride, unless they came warring to take over the village.

So yes, as much as their behavior infuriated me, I could understand. If, like them, I’d only seen a human on screen in vidplays and documentaries, I too would want to get an eyeful in the flesh.

Clenching my teeth, I quickly led my female to the Great Hall. To my pleasant surprise, Ophelia seemed completely unfazed and unbothered by the intense scrutiny she was subjected to. It dawned on me then that, having worked as a missionary with countless primitive species—she’d likely been in a similar situation more than once with her being a curiosity among the people.

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