Page 113 of Strays
Jay and Shane are still confused, concerned. They’ve never lived with a nyra before. And Jo, despite all the theory in her books, doesn’t have much firsthand experience either.
She doesn’t realize.
I step forward quietly and carefully. “Jo, love.”
She pauses, arms full of pillows. “What?” she snaps.
“You’re nesting,” I say softly. “You’re going into heat.”
On the Nyra Estrous
Excerpt from Emergent Divergence: The Evolutionary Path of Homo Gregalis by Dr. Steve Bureau, Ph.D. (4th ed., West Kempton Institute Press)
When a bonded nyra enters heat, the physiological effects are both immediate and profound. Her body temperature rises, and pheromone production intensifies sharply. These changes trigger a mirrored response in the aegis, initiating heightened arousal, fixative attention, and ultimately, rut.
Critically, nyra heat is not cyclical or seasonal in the way estrus functions in other mammalian species. Its recurrence depends entirely on bond maintenance and consistent hormonal feedback from the pack. This is especially evident in cases of pack loss. Nyras who survive the death of all their bonded aegis have never been observed to enter heat again. This biological silence has given rise to popular mythologies claiming that the nyra can “feel” the death of her partners, or that her heat ceases out of soul-deep mourning.
The correct explanation is simpler, and considerably less romantic. The nyra’s estrous function is stimulus-dependent. In the complete absence of her bonded pack for an extended time period — its scent, touch, voice, and pheromonal presence — her endocrine system returns to dormancy. This is not heartbreak. It is homeostasis.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Heat
Jo, Shane, and Jay all freeze.
It’s strange we didn’t realize it sooner. It’s been almost four months since we bit her. Her heat isn’t just close, it’s late.
“The need to be with you all the time… the rage when you’re not home… the nest feeling all wrong… it all makes sense now,” she whispers.
The urge to check on her crashes over me again, but this time, I know what I’m looking for. I press my palms to her arms, then slide them down to her thighs.
Her skin’s warm, not hot. Good.
“Your temperature feels normal,” I say quietly. “So we’ve got time to prepare.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Jay and Shane move, touching her too. Relief spreads across their faces now that they understand why they’ve been doing it.
We weren’t acting crazy; we were reading her. It’s instinct, deep and old. It’s how aegis track the changes on the nyra’s body. The moment her temperature rises, we’ll know she’s entering full heat.
They exhale, tension slipping from their shoulders like something just clicked. They both look at me, relieved, but already slipping into panic.
“What do we do?” Shane asks.
A wave of panic rises in me too. All I’ve got are flashes of memories of my fathers getting ready for Lydia’s or my mother’s heats. One of the first things they always did was send us kids to our grandparents’, so I don’t remember that much. I try to piece together everything I can.
“My fathers used to buy a ton of Lemon-Lime Gatorade,” I say. “And granola bars. Like… whole boxes.”
Jo nods, her expression serious now. Her eyes are wide, with a flicker of fear beneath the surface. It’s a first time for all of us.
“Yes,” she says. “Everything I’ve read says the most important thing during heat is staying hydrated and keeping blood sugar stable.”
My brothers and I head back to the truck and do a full loop around Milstone, gathering supplies. We end up with bags full of Pedialyte Sport, protein bars, and chocolate. Before we check out at the last store, I remember that talk with Jo about birth control, so I grab one of those huge bulk boxes of condoms too.
The cashier pauses when he sees it, eyes flicking from each of us to the box. “Big plans tonight, huh?” he says, and I swear there’s a hint of jealousy in his awed expression.
Jay tries to keep a straight face, but Shane almost drops the chocolate laughing. I just swipe the card and pretend nothing’s happening.
When we get home, Jo’s already on the phone talking to someone from the hospital.
