“Give them the knowledge and power to be anything but victims, and then give them the opportunity to leave. Give them a reason to want to stay. Decide, my mate. Will you treat them as orcs or as prisoners?”
“It is my duty as grak to protect them, even from their own foolish behavior.”
“Wanting freedom isn’t foolish. Dying to attain it sounds very orc to me.”
Atox lifts the hem of my dress and kisses my growing belly. “I will follow your lead, mate.”
“In here, or out there with the women?”
“Both. Neither. I must follow my instincts, too.” He leans his head against my belly. “But there is wisdom in your words. I believe the biggest mistake my grak made was never trusting his mate, never listening to her wisdom. I will not make that mistake.”
He nudges my legs apart, and a moment later, his tongue finds my most intimate area. I can’t see him past my baby bump, but his moans match mine. He’s doing all the work, all the touching, but that’s part of being mated, giving as well as receiving.
A moment later, my fingers dig into his shoulders and my body shakes with a quick but powerful orgasm. Dark green eyes peer up at me, past my belly. “This youngling is keeping me from my mate.”
“Wait until he’s born!”
“He? We’re having a son?”
“The baby feels too big to be a girl.”
“I prefer a female youngling.”
I run my fingers through his hair. “I thought you’d prefer a boy. Most men do.” Then I see the fear in his eyes. He’s afraid he doesn’t know how to raise a son… all because of his father.
With both hands, I grip his face. “You are not your father, and you never will be. If we have a son, you will teach him all that you know, including how to be fair. You’ll make him strong by showing your weaknesses as well. By acknowledging that even a grak can falter. You will instill in him the love and loyalty that you’ve instilled in your people... and me. And he will learn it’s not theadmission of needing help that weakens a grak but refusing to accept it.”
With that, I climb onto the bed on my hands and knees, my belly brushing the furs. One wiggle of my backside and my mate’s lifting my dress, exposing me. His large hands cup my ass cheeks, and I know what he’s thinking. We haven’t had sex in a while and he’s afraid to hurt me or the baby.
“Just go slow,” I whisper. “The baby will be fine. He’s half orc, after all. I hear orcs are made from strong stuff.”
His cock slides into me, slowly, with great care. I whimper at the unbelievable gentleness with which he rocks inside me. This is more than reconnecting after so long. He’s showing his vulnerable side, the one full of fear and hope. He’s taking his cues from me, and it fills my heart in a way I never expected.
As my knees and arms begin to shake from the strain of my big belly weighing me down, Atox roars his release. Not soon enough, too. My arms give way, but he catches me, as I know he always will.
“No knot?” I ask.
“My body knows you carry my child. No knotting. Until you’ve birthed our youngling and have recovered.” Atox tucks me against his side and pulls the furs over us. His tusks drag against the outside of my ear as his hand caresses my belly. “This child may be half orc, but he’s half human too, female. A benefit I never realized until I found you. She—or he—will rule our people one day with the best qualities of both species. This is my hope for our future, Paloma, that… and a lifetime with you in my arms.”
