Page 11 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

"Oh." He looked down at his hands. His claws were detracted, like a cat's. How did he do that? As far as I could tell, mine were permanently exposed. There was so much about being a kobold I didn't yet know.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was a little flustered. Morris said I smelled like I'd found my mate. I saw you and … I'm sorry. I ran."

"From me?"

He nodded, and his imploring gaze made me feel hot all over. What was happening to me?

"I want this too much," he said. "I want to be your omega. I like that I'm starting to imprint on you. My stripes are changing color already."

He sighed. "I know this is a big change, especially for a guy who was straight on Earth. I don't want to get hurt if this doesn't work out." He cleared his throat. "That doesn't give me license to be a jerk, though. I'm sorry I ran without saying hello."

"It's all right." I was still trying to process everything he said. Was he imprinting on me? That must have been why his stripes were closer to my coloring today than they were yesterday.

We ate lunch from our brown bags in the same folding chairs in the exact same spots as the day before. When Tuft finished, he leaned on his elbows, same as yesterday, and I drooled a little over his bulky forearms. I'd never paid much attention to rolled-up sleeves before, but on Tuft, they drew attention to the thick muscles beneath his striped scales. I wanted to trace them, maybe even lick them.

There was something wrong with me. When we stood to leave, I had a hard time balancing. My tail didn't counter the way I had come to expect. Just when I had gotten used to the strange appendage, it looked cracked and dry, and I was starting to lose feeling in it. Was this part of my final molt?

I hastily said goodbye to Tuft and ran back to the classroom. Merritt wasn't there, but when I tried to find Priestess Alma, they were both in her classroom eating from their own paper bags.

"Axel." The priestess gave me a brilliant smile. "How can we help you?"

"I'm not feeling well. I'm going back to my cabin."

"Thank you for finding me," Merritt said. "I'll let the rest of the class know. Do you want me to check in on you this evening?"

Did I? "No. That's all right. I should be fine in the morning."

"How is everything with Tuft?" Priestess Alma asked.

"We're getting to know each other," I said, hoping that was enough information. My stomach was starting to feel queasy, like it was going to turn itself inside out. "I really need to get home."

"Go, go." Merritt waved his arms toward the door behind me.

I did my best to stay calm as I walked to the rear exit from the fortress. I passed the cafeteria without stopping to put in an order for dinner. I had some ramen noodles in my kitchen cupboard, thanks to the welcome package another alpha, Coz, had given me. If I felt hungry later, I would cook for myself.

Right now, food was the furthest thing from my mind. Once I was outside the fortress, I ran for my cabin. Coz had mentioned alpha companion animals would be available to me once I had my final molt. With a tail, I couldn't exactly ride a dire weasel or dragonet, but afterward …

My tail still refused to respond to my movements. I half-ran, half-staggered to my front door. Inside, I went straight to the bathroom. I stripped and stepped beneath the cold shower. I felt both hot and cold, like I had a fever. I didn't like it, not one bit. I hadn't gotten sick much when I was human. I suppose that should have been a clue that I wasn't human.

Once dry, I flopped down on my bed, not bothering to get beneath the comforter and top sheet. I was tired, so tired.

I lay on my stomach, my arms stretched out over my head. The longer I tried to lie still, the harder it became to do so. I was a quivering mess. My hands shook as my claws extended even further. My tail whipped violently back and forth of its own accord, and I kicked deep grooves into the mattress with my clawed toes.

Something clattered to the floor, and I rolled to the side of the bed to see what it was. It sounded bigger than anything I had on my dresser. It was bigger—it was my tail.

"I guess this means I'm an adult now," I whispered.

Humans were considered adults at eighteen, which had always seemed like an arbitrary number to me. Physically, nothing had changed for me when I turned eighteen. My brain certainly hadn't fully developed by then.

I still had months to go before my twenty-fifth birthday, but I was grateful to be an adult kobold alpha. Maybe I would have an answer for Tuft the next time he questioned what I did for fun. I'd wanted to ride a dire weasel since I'd first seen one in the distance. They were about the size of dragonets, but I would feel more comfortable on the ground.

I imagined riding one as incentive to stay conscious. Pain lanced through me again and again. My claws finally retracted into my fingertips, but my elbows and toes hurt worse with each passing second.

I must have passed out. I woke with relief. I wasn't in pain. I felt good. Better than good.

Damn, I'd never been so horny in my life, not even when Rosanna had said we could do butt stuff for our first anniversary. I ground my cock into the mattress and moaned.

I rolled onto my back and took myself in hand. I didn't have to be as cautious this time, now that my claws had retracted. Ihoped they stayed that way as I experimentally tugged on my erection. It had gotten thicker, I swore. Maybe a little longer, too. Much thicker in the middle.

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