Page 46 of K'Vella

"What?" I ask with a coy smile.

"What?" Holoth mocks my question before falling back down on his knees so he can push my legs apart and lie between them."You moan and whimper while you're all flushed and bare. You know exactly what you're doing."

"I thought I was supposed to be meeting your mother?" I ask, tilting my hips up into him, feeling his length harden against me.

"Don't talk about my mother now, K'Vella," Holoth purrs against my ear as he sinks into me.

I grip his backside with my lower hands and pull him deep into me. He groans in pleasure as I throw my head and call out his name.

This is where I'm meant to be. This is where I want to be—wherever Holoth is, wherever we can be together.

It's with this revelation that my orgasm topples into me. I claw at Holoth, leaving trails of red marks down his muscled back. He's mine, and I've said it before, but now I know it. This male is mine and will always be mine.

"I love you," I moan as my climax begins to fade.

Holoth inhales the words as he places his lips on mine. He sinks the last of his knot into me, filling me with his seed and locking us together.

"I love you." I pant against his mouth. "I love you." Over and over, I say the words until I'm certain he believes me.

"Helna!" a stern woman's voice calls out from the small home we're walking towards. "It's late. Get up and do your chores."

Holoth suppresses his smile as we step up to the front door and knock. He keeps one hand on my lower back, and I have two wrapped around him. Helna's already told me she's warned Holoth's mother about my pregnancy and not to tell Holoth.

I know I need to tell him, and I will. As soon as I know, he's not going to accidentally sniff a female on this planet and fall in love with her.

Helna told me that there's a heat run happening in a few days, which means more Rytharians will come to the clan to take part. It makes sure there's diversity in the gene pool, and it gives eligible males and females a chance to find scent matches.

Just a few more days, and we'll be off this planet, and I can tell Holoth about the babe. I know it's for the best, but a piece of me is sad to even think about leaving.

I love the sense of community here. I love how, as soon as Helna accepted me as her sister and Holoth accepted me as his mate, most others in the clan accepted me as well. I want this acceptance. It's something I've never had before.

The door to the little house opens, and Holoth's mother stares up at the two of us with such love and adoration that it's almost funny when she uses the broom she's holding to hit Holoth.

"Mother!" Holoth runs from her as she swings the broomstick at him again. He's laughing, and the smile on his face is massive. He's a head or two taller than his mother, but she goes after him like she could take him down.

Helna stands in the doorway after her mother chases after Holoth, smiling and resting her head against it. One day, I'll get used to the size difference in Rytharian sexes, but not today.

"She'll be chasing him for a while," Helna says as we watch Holoth loop back around toward the house with his mother chasing after him and cursing at him. "Want some tea for the babe? My mom got it special, but we can tell Holoth it's virility tea."

"Tea sounds nice," I say, rubbing a hand over my abdomen.

Helna grabs one of my hands and leads me inside. The house is clean and tidy, and the doors to the few bedrooms are closed. I chew on my cheek and wonder which of them was Holoth's andif it's still decorated how it was when he left. Helna notices me looking around and takes mercy on my curiosity.

"Holoth's room is cleaned out, but his house is nearby." Helna smiles at my surprise and continues while filling a kettle. "When males get to the age where they can mate and rut and all of that fun stuff, they're kicked out of the house."

I nod along. That's pretty standard for Varon children as well. Once they reach maturity, they're expected to either begin being housed with males or begin housing females. Helna must not expect me to be so unaffected by her words, because she gives me a curious look before continuing.

"Our uncle helped him build it since our father passed away when we were young," Helna says. "It's structurally sound and has good insulation. Many have offered to buy it from my mother, but she tells them all that Holoth's coming back and will need the home. He always promised he'd fill it up with plenty of babes for her to help with."

My chest flushes at the mention of Holoth wanting babes before he met me. I know it's a big part of their culture, but to think of Holoth freshly matured and already knowing he wanted a big family. It has my stomach erupting in butterflies because I want a large family with him.

"Could I see it?" I ask, hoping I don't sound like I'm intruding.

I also don't want to get her hopes up. Staying on this planet would be wonderful if not for the one small fact that Holoth can't ever take his blocker out. Ever.

"Nope," Helna says, giving me a devilish smile because she knows she's disappointing all of my curiosity. "What? You can only go to a male's home if he invites you, and my brother hasn't invited you."

I press my lips together, arms crossing over my chest and abdomen. "Does he even know he still has a home here?"

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