“He was in love with her then?”
“Aye. And we all know that when an orc falls, they fall hard. Once-in-a-lifetime love.”
“She didn’t want to stick around, even if it was just to see him?”
“Nay, we were a package deal. He made that clear. She didn’t intend to get pregnant. Always made him pull out, but sometimes it happens. He begged her to stay with the clan, but it proved to be too much when she decided she wanted to be unpaired. Wanted to be unmated and without brats. So he was forced to watch the one he loved frolic with other males. It caused a lot of fighting. Then she began to withhold milk. She never wanted to breastfeed but agreed to pump milk for a while. Probably figured withholding would teach him a lesson about fighting with her chosen males. That was when he began traveling to Solaya and visiting with his friend, Joanna.” I give a nod to Shally. “By then, Grunalda was nursing her young, so she fed me also. He spent more and more time with the clan and eventually, with all the fighting at home, they were relieved. Glad to have the break. By the time my mom left, everyone was used to how much time we spent in Solaya.”
“I’m surprised your king allowed it.”
“Our king, Jacovi, realized it was beneficial to have the tie to West Mountain, so he never demanded we stay put.”
“Wise of him.”
“’Twas. In fact, I sometimes wonder if he asked my mother to leave. At least, he gave his permission.”
“Do you ever miss her?” he asks quietly.
“Nay, orc.” I can’t help but wink at the sexy male. “You cannot miss what you don’t have. I had plenty of motherly influence and my father more than made up for a lack of parent.”
“Sounds like you had a great childhood.”
“It was. If you could ignore these two.” I angle my head at Bakog and Tok, who cluck their tongues. “Now tell me about yours.”
No one seems interested in the game any longer.
“Males in my clan find it beneficial to take more than one female so they don’t fall in love. However, my father was king and already had a mate. Queen Nisha. She made my life a living hell. Naturally she wanted her own two sons to supersede in case something happened to the king.”
“Where was your mom?”
“She was around during my early years. She passed when I was a teen.”
“So, since your males take more than one female, I guess they’re not friends? Like sister wives?”
As they would be in the West Mountain clan.
“Nay. Most females hate each other. Each wants their own sons to succeed. My mother never bore any other brats but me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “’Twas a long time ago.”
“If I have brats, I’d want them to be loved by both parents. But I know that a child can be loved by one.”
“I’d love a wee girl who looks like you.”
If my heart could have exploded, it would have right then and there.
“And I would love a male who looked like you,” I say softly. “One who grew tall and brave no matter what life threw at him.”
“Our little sister is addled in the head,” Tok mutters, proving they listen in, and Bakog guffaws.
“As are you,” Shalia says, using the glare she learned during her brief stint as a Blackheart.
“And you,” Hisa says, eyes narrowed on her brother.
Both males immediately go quiet.
No one notices that my father and King Brachard have slipped away, as if angling for a quieter night. No one notices that King Jacovi parties with our Blackhearts, as if distracting them from the missing two. Denruk and his friends are nowhere around, probably given a duty to watch the outskirts of the village.
