Page 10 of K'Vella

Iknock on my bedroom door for the fourth time, and there's still no answer. It's early in the morning, or at least that's the excuse I tell myself for K'Vella not answering.

I have to keep reminding myself that there's a good chance she's asleep. Or maybe she isn't answering the door because she hates me now and thinks I'm a disgusting male.

Last night, after I left K'Vella in my room, I made a stupid, impulsive, idiotic, rut-induced decision. I sent K'Vella videos that I know very well my mother would have my hide for sending to a female.

In my defense, K'Vella seemed genuinely interested, and she turned her pendant to green. I was almost positive she was teasing me, but then she opened the message with the videos and didn't respond.

So I laid in bed in absolute horror, staring up at the ceiling for hours, until it was an appropriate time to walk down the hall and apologize in person. I didn't get a wink of sleep. I couldn't withhow much panic was filling me at how fast I ruined this before it even began.

I knock again, and the door remains closed. I could open it on my own since it's my room, but that feels like a breach of K'Vella's privacy. I all but told her she had to sleep in my room, the least I can do is respect a closed door. It'd be rude of me to bust in just to let her know I'm sorry for sending her videos that my rut-addled brain told me she wanted.

I groan and thwack my head against the door. Why am I such a stupid male?

The door opens without my prompting, but K'Vella isn't the one to open it. I bare my teeth at the empty hallway, knowing Phial is out here somewhere. He's camouflaged because he knows he's irritating me by opening my door, even if part of me is grateful because it wasn't me who opened it.

Phial and I have access to each other's rooms, but this is the only time I think he's ever opened my door. I growl once more for good measure before turning to apologize to K'Vella for also interrupting her sleep.

I don't get the chance because seeing her curled up in the middle of the nest she made for us, with my stupid decision playing on her comm tablet, has me falling hard into my rut. I might've been able to hold out for a couple more days to let her get acquainted with the crew, our dynamic, and everything else, but seeing her like this has the primal part of me roaring to life.

I fall to my knees and crawl over to the side of the nest. It takes all of my self-control not to crawl into the furs with her. I barely know her, but she's female, she's willing, and she made the most beautiful nest I've ever seen in my life. Sure, I haven't really been privy to many of them since I left the tribe shortly after coming of age, but that doesn't mean K'Vella's nest isn't my favorite.

It's made even better because I know she made this while thinking about me. She made it knowing it's in my room, it's inmy bed, and it's the nest we'll share with one another. Really, it's a miracle I'm not trying to get between her legs before she wakes.

"K'Vella." Her name is barely audible under the purr rumbling in my chest.

I clench my teeth together and take a deep breath. It's a good thing I have the pheromone blocker in my nose. If I didn't, I don't know if I'd be able to hold myself back. She has to smell amazing. There's no way she doesn't.

I slowly reach my hand out so I don't accidentally hurt her. I don't think I will, but we're taught from a young age the strength differences between Rytharian males and females. Our females are fierce, but they're small and weak compared to Rytharian males.

K'Vella is tall and sturdy like all the other Varons I've ever met. She's very much the opposite of the females I grew up around, the ones I thought I would be spending time with. She's a strong female, and her body only emphasizes that point.

Still, I'm used to smaller females with softer frames. Females who need protection and someone to care for them. The tallest female I remember from my tribe barely reached her mate's chin. Not that it means they must be treated as though they're made of glass because they don't. No, I can think of very few females who didn't embrace our ways of running, hunting, and claiming.

Varons are not that way, though, and I won't force my ways on K'Vella. Not unless she tells me she's sure that she wants to be with me in that way.

My fingers wrap around K'Vella's shoulder and attempt to wake her again. Her pelt is soft, which surprises me because it looks so short and coarse. From a distance, the pale purple coat could be mistaken for hard skin, but she's covered head to toe in a soft pelt that I don't think I'll mind stroking if she lets me.

K'Vella shifts in her sleep, her long, muscular legs lengthening as she rolls onto her back and stretches her arms up above her head. Her mouth opens a few times, making a soft smacking sound as she adjusts to waking. Her sleepy actions have my heart thudding harder in my chest.

These are moments a lover should share with her, not a stranger. Those thoughts won't stop me from wanting her, though. I need her, and I can work on not being a stranger for the next few days of my rut.

One of the videos I sent her earlier is still playing on her comm. I would've turned it off, but I don't want her to think I messed with any of her stuff before she woke. Now I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't have at least turned it down because the Rytharian female is quite loud as she finds her pleasure on her male's knot.

K'Vella's eyes flash open, her whole body jolting as the female on the comm reaches the peak of her pleasure. She sits up, reaching around the nest for the comm, whipping her head around in her search.

Her pale hair flies around, and the braids with little beads scare me more than anything because I'm pretty sure she could do some damage with them if she swung her head hard enough.

"Oh gods," she murmurs.

She finally finds the comm tablet and slaps at it, trying to turn the video off. She pauses the footage just as it's about to loop back around to the beginning.

"Holoth, sorry, so sorry. I must have fallen asleep."

As soon as the video stops, she looks around and frowns down at the nest. Starting in the middle she begins smoothing out all of the furs and repositioning the pillows. She's tidying up the nest just like a Rytharian female would do when they notice it's been messed up.

Her care has my cock straining against my pants and my purr deepening, trying to alert her to my pleasure in her actions without words. I don't know if she understands it, but she seems to relax. She hums softly as she continues her work, and I watch her with rapt interest to see how proficient she is in nest tending.

"You're fine," I say, trying and failing to keep the need from my voice. It's low, husky, and dripping with desire for this four-armed beauty currently trying her best to smooth any wrinkles she can find in the blankets of our nest. She doesn't acknowledge my words, doesn't even flick her attention over to me.

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