Rhoe

R H O E

My mate… The female that the gods had hand-crafted for me, and only for me, was right there.

The organ in my chest stuttered, then squeezed like a vice. It slammed into my ribcage, demanding to be set free. But the rapid slam of flesh against bone, albeit loud in my ears, wasn't nearly loud enough to drown out the roar of my blood.

My mate. My female. My soul.

Right. There. Just a pace away from me, from my arms, from my embrace. With a single step, I could pull her into the safety of my hold. She would be engulfed and protected completely; she was small, much smaller than any female I'd ever seen.

I took a step toward her, creeping through the shadows that the canopy high above provided. My claws sunk into the cool earth in anticipation, fur bristled, tipped ears laid flat against my skull. For every step she took, I met. There would be no escape, she was mine.

But for now, I stalked. Now was the time to observe and learn, the hunt would come later. There was so much a hunter could learn about their prey if they just hung back and simply watched. An overconfident opponent, oftentimes self-obsessed and oblivious to their surroundings, was a world different from skittish prey. Skittish prey was flighty, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings and their ears craning for the slightest sound… Although confident prey were dangerous in their own right, a real hunter knew to never underestimate a cautious one.

And, by the gods, my beautiful female was as cautious as a canidae pup on his first hunt.

Her large eyes darted around, nostrils flaring. Although I had never seen a creature with skin as pale or bare as hers, I knew that the ashen white wasn't healthy nor natural. The fact that her hair was a matted mess around her head, as well as the fact that she clearly favored her right leg, only solidified the fact that she wasn't healthy and, in turn, wasn't safe.

I followed her through the forest, always ensuring enough distance between us to keep from being detected but close enough to grab her if the need were to arise.

For minutes, hours even, I kept close to her. My eyes never strayed from her ragged form, even when an equi (which would've normally captured my attention) let out a bellow from somewhere deeper in the forest, my focus didn't waver. I was a predator stalking its prey, a male stalking his destined female. There would be nothing strong enough to tear me away from this hunt. The strongest of pellomidae lords, with his entire cadre backing him, wouldn't be able to pry me from her side.

She. Was. Mine.

Every inch of her worn and dirty body was mine; every harsh breath and exhausted stagger; every terrified glance over her shoulder; every beat of her heart… Everything she was and would ever be was mine. My mate, my female. My soul.

And like the rotting fool I was, I somehow missed the sound of thundering hooves until they were nearly upon her.

Like the strike of a serpentes, a hard of ecki charged towards her from the forest. Just like their wild brothers, their jaws were parted wide in their excitement, fanged canines dripping venom onto sharp, curling tongues. They would tear her apart, consume her flesh, gorge themselves on her blood. Unlike their smaller brothers, eckis were confrontational and fatally aggressive. Their main goal in life, it seemed, was to smell out fresh blood and drink it straight from the source. Even the strongest, most experienced of terran males shied away at the very thought of engaging with such animals.

But I was a fool, I had always been.

A roar shook the forest as my legs propelled me toward my mate. The trees flew by in green and brown blurs, nothing more than darkness to me as her startled gaze‒

Pain.

Endless pain was all that registered.

A body that I vaguely recognized to be my own slammed into an invisible wall, and I plummeted back to the earth. There was no way to halt the descent, no way to brace myself for the inevitable impact.

Gods…

Oh gods… my mate!

I was a fool. That fact whirled about like a swarm of angry bees, stinging and stabbing and hurting...

Nothing hurt as badly as the fact that I had already failed her. We hadn't even exchanged a word, and she had already been failed by the one male destined to protect her.

Body twisting in mid-air, I could only watch as the ground raced up to greet me. Off in the distance, beneath the thuds of hooves and gnashing of teeth, a feminine scream sounded. Wet and bloody. Broken and weak.

Then, just as the tip of my index claw met the earth, darkness swept me away… Leaving her screams to go unanswered.

"What the rotting hell are you doing?"

The words caused my lips to peel back from my teeth, bristled my fur. "What does it look like to you." It wasn't a question, and the blasted canidae knew it, but I couldn't even be surprised when he appeared from the forest just feet away, grinning.

"Now is not the time for your shenanigans, Kiel." The warning was evident, but the insufferable male either didn't heed it, or was too hard-headed to recognize the threat. Probably a bit of both.

"Oh, don't threaten me, you old lump." The canidae danced just beyond my range, his yellow eyes gleaming in the moonlight. As always, I felt nothing more than the strong urge to punch his face into mush. When he let out a howled laugh, I knew that he knew it too. I narrowed my eyes.

"What do you want?"

Kiel shrugged, coming to a stop. He picked at a speck of dirt in his fur before cocking his head at me. My grinding teeth were the only thing that stopped me from charging forward and grabbing the pup by the throat.

"What do I want?" He reflected. "I think that it's pretty obvious what I want."

A snarl curled my lips, "go chase your tail or something, mutt. I have more important things to do than entertain you."

More important things… Such as getting the living piss beaten out of me.

"Why are you out this late?" Kiel, the rotting male, persisted. "This is the fifth night that you've left your den. Why?"

I whirled on the youngster, lunging forward to wrap my fists around his neck. Just as I got within a breath from him, the blasted male turned tail and darted away, but not far. He stayed at the tree line, fur spiking and tail lashing. He grinned at me from the darkness. "Struck a nerve, eh?"

"You might've been the strongest pup in the litter, or even the strongest in the entire damn pack, but don't forget that you're the weakest, youngest male here. You've seemed to forget the lessons to your past beatings. Don't push it, mongrel." With that, I turned to continue down the path, my claws biting into the rough flesh of my palms.

Patience… I need to be calm. I can't go around beating up pups. I'm above that…

A traitorous voice in the back of my mind, one that embraced blood and violence, cackled that Kiel wasn't a pup. He was old enough to be accepted into a high lord's cadre, so beating him would be fair game...

I let out a harsh breath, rolled my shoulders. It didn't help alleviate the tension, the rage boiling in my blood.

Like the insufferable ass he was, Kiel lingered. He eyed me like a vulture, evaluating the perfect way to make me break, the perfect way to make a notoriously hot-tempered male completely lose it. If I were a good, honest male, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of sending me into a rage… but I wasn't a good nor an honest male. I was just a blink away from completely fucking him up. Which he deserved, granted; but I was already strung-tight. I ran the risk of permanently harming him, or even killing him.

"Get away from me, pup."

"Or what?" Kiel challenged. "I just want to know what's wrong. That's all."

"That's none of your concern. For the last time, go back to your den."

This was ridiculous. If it was the last thing I ever did, I'd ensure that Soran trained the youngsters extra hard first thing in the morning. Hell, I'd even do the training myself just to get the satisfaction of running Kiel into the ground with exhaustion.

The young male pinned his ears, "Rhoe‒"

"Kiel."

I nearly grinned. There were very few people that could get the youngster to back off, but the older pair-bonded canidae pair were one of the only males that could send the pup running. It was always such a great sight to see. Even Stone, a massive crocodylidae male with the brutal scars to match an equally brutal personality, didn't send the curious male packing as quickly as Vasil and Baird did.

Kiel's tail immediately tucked, his gaze lowering to the ground in submission. The fur along his shoulders, the back of his neck, and down his back laid flat once more. "Vasil… Baird." It was all the pup could say.

My arms crossed over my chest, cocking my head as Vasil emerged from the darkness. The large male moved with fluid grace, something that I, nor the others of my kind, were blessed with.

Vasil's yellow eyes met mine for a second, and all I needed to do was nod once. The older canidae male turned his focus to Kiel.

"Go back to your den, Kiel. Stop sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong. Understood?" So simple, so blatantly an order. The male didn't even need to posture, nor did he need to raise his fur, bare his teeth, flash his claws. It was something that I had always puzzled over, but something that I had, instinctually, understood.

Dominance.

Vasil nor his pair-bonded ever needed to fight Kiel into submission. The youngster had recognized their dominance the moment he had stepped foot here, and had respected it. It was a shame that he didn't hold the same respect for the rest of the males in the cadre. But it'd be something he'd learn in time.

Kiel lifted his chin to bare his neck. Submission. Acknowledgement. When Vasil nodded once, his face impassive, Kiel took that as his leave. Just like that, the pup turned around and took off into the forest, the pitter-patter of his paws fading nearly instantly.

Vasil turned his gaze back to me, a small smile twisting his mouth. But at my scowl, the look dropped from his face and he bowed slightly. "Forgive me, Rhoe. May we discuss your… problems… in private?"

"Yes. That's a good idea." And it was. I was nearly certain that I was dream-sharing… and the dream that had startled me awake just minutes ago was a damn near conformation. Gods, I was in such a mess! Thank the gods above that I trusted the males, I had grown up with them and fought at their sides after all, but I wasn't sure how this all could play together. But one thing was certain for sure… I was going after my mate. I didn't need to talk to Vasil and Baird to know that.

Without a word, we stalked back to Vasil and Baird's den. I hardly noticed the warmth, hardly noticed the smell of fresh meat. My thoughts were only for one thing, and one thing only. My female.

I sat down on their dining rug with a grunt, the aches and pains of my body suddenly deciding to make an appearance. A rough hand scrubbed at my face, pulled at my mane. Gods, how was I going to do this? All I could do was shake my head, and squeeze my eyes shut as if to try to force the memories of our dream-sharing from my head. What type of life could I offer my female? Especially a life she deserved after experiencing so much pain and suffering‒ a fact of her life that I had gathered from our dreams.

Tearing my gaze away from my thoughts, I focused on the males sitting in front of me. They were so different… both in form and in personality. Baird was a short-haired canidae with mottled patches of reds, browns, blacks, yellows, and whites. He had wide, circular ears and a leaner body. His pair-bonded mate, on the other hand, was much longer-haired and had a bushy black-tipped tail. Vasil was grey all over, with flecks of black hairs along his back. Vasil was also stockier than Baird, slightly taller too. They looked so, so different… but at least they were the same race. Hell, they were the same species.

I leaned forward, placing my head into my hands. I just needed to spit it out already… "I'm certain that I've found my mate."

This got their attention. They leaned forward as well, ears pressing forward. "Really? That's amazing, Rhoe! Is she ursidae?"

Spit it out, spit it out, spit it out. I'll go and retrieve her with or without their help. She's mine, no matter her species or race.

"No, she's‒"

"Canidae?" Baird leaned forward a bit more, his tail beginning to twitch beside him.

"No‒"

He made a face, "is she panthera?"

A growl began to rumble in my chest, "no, she is‒"

"Oh, could she be‒"

"Gods be damned, shut the rot up!" I finally exploded, my eyes no doubt glowing a fierce amber. "She's a human. That's what she is. A human!"

I was sure that, beneath all of the fur, every last drop of blood drained from their bodies. Vasil was the first to blanch, his lips peeling back from ivory teeth in a snarl. Baird's eyes went wide, so wide in fact that the whites of his eyes showed.

"No…"

I snarled at that, hauling myself up. I paced their small den, but soon grew restless with the lack of room, the lack of air. Why did this have to be such a damn mess? It would've been messy enough if she'd been a terran… But now, now that I had seen her face and her body in our last dream-share, there wasn't beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was human. A human destined to be mated to an ursidae warrior, one serving one of the most powerful pellomidae lords in history. She was to be mated to an angry, bitter, scarred ursidae male… Gods above, I probably couldn't even properly mate her! I'd break her! Was it even possible that I could perform the taking, a very necessary process in the claiming process, with her?

"Gods, how is this even going to work?" Baird growled, as if he could read my mind.

I shot him a withering look. "You don't think that I've already been WONDERING THAT?"

Vasil held up his hands, "this information came to us as much of a surprise as it did you, old friend. We aren't insulting you or your female." Baird nodded in agreement, although he still looked shocked.

I shook my head again, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm going after her, whether I have your backings or not." She's my female, mine. "I have a general idea of where she is…" But, most of all, I knew that she needed me. I had gathered that much from our dreams together.

The canidae males both let out a breath, their ears dropping low. A low whine rumbled in Baird's throat.

Vasil placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do-" he cleared his throat, "do you know for certain that she is human?"

The urge to bite his hand was all too strong. "Yes. I saw her in the dream we shared tonight. She's most definitely human." A soft, petite, fragile human.

"Are you absolutely positive? Could she just be ill, and lost a lot of her-"

The glare I shot Baird was enough to shut him up. I wasn't completely dense; I knew the difference between a terran with mange and a human. It was a huge difference. A terran with mange would obviously have the physical characteristics of their race. It was insulting to my mate for him to liken her to a female terran with mange. How dare he insult my female like that!

The bridge of my nose got another fierce pinch. I needed to get a grip and soon. These were the only males, out of the entire cadre, that I trusted enough to relieve this information to. The other males would either refuse to listen entirely, or some would even report me to our lord. There would be no telling what the lord would do or say. And the thought of the pellomidae brought up a whole different set of problems… ones that made my fur bristle.

But, despite it all… "I have no choice but to go after her."

Vasil interjected again, "I have no experience with what you're feeling," he cast a look to Baird, "we're still waiting to dream-share with our female, but why must you go after her immediately? You only have two years left of your contract, then you're free. Why can't you just wait?"

Just a week ago, with no knowledge of my mate or her current circumstances, I would've thought the same thing. I would've waited the two years until my contract ended, then go to locate my female and figure things out from there with her when she was at my side. That was a wise route, but it wasn't a realistic one. Instincts‒ the need to hunt, chase, claim, and then mate‒ was riding me hard. I was a salivating beast at the prospect of finally seeing her with my two eyes; and the thought of taking and claiming her? Of filling her womb with my seed over and over again? Of mounting her from behind and making it known to her and all others that she was mine? Simply having another soul beside me, one to love and hold in my furs as we grew old together? It was addicting. She, who I haven't even met yet, was addicting.

But first, she needed my help. Had practically screamed "help me" with every dream we shared, yet I hadn't been able to save her then. I wouldn't fail now, not when it mattered the most.

"That is a logical option, but I am not a logical male. She-" a snarl rumbled in my chest, vibrating throughout my entire body until it seeped into my very damn soul, "she needs help. She's in danger and hurting."