Page 55 of Strays
Despite superior physical characteristics, particularly among aegis, the gregalis population has always existed under the dominion of human civilizations. From ancient Mesopotamia to imperial Rome, gregalis individuals were integrated into human systems as laborers, foot soldiers, or spectacle combatants.
Nevertheless, mounting archaeological evidence contradicts the long-held assumption of gregalis inferiority in cognitive domains. Small gregalis settlements, founded in proximity to human societies, show signs of advanced planning, symbolic art, and agricultural development.
These findings suggest that the absence of gregalis-led civilizations in recorded history is not the result of cognitive limitation but of prolonged social, legal, and territorial subjugation — a condition only possible because the gregalis population has always been numerically significantly smaller than that of humans.
Throughout history, humans denied gregalis land, literacy, and the right to build institutions. This pattern of exclusion systematically stunted their cultural development. The effects of this suppression remain visible today: aegis continue to be overwhelmingly recruited into law enforcement and military roles, and nyras continue to be defined primarily as reproductive vessels, valued for their capacity to gestate and bond.
The continued framing of gregalis roles as biologically ordained is unsupported by evidence. Their intellectual and creative potential has always existed; what they have lacked is the institutional room to grow. If history has been shaped by their restriction, the future must be shaped by their inclusion.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Clean Work
Iwake up from the best sleep of my life to Jo’s alarm firing at four-thirty in the morning.
It’s still dark outside. She carefully slips mine and Jay’s arms off her, squirming between us to crawl out of the nest. I start to move too, and she plants a kiss on my temple.
“It’s too early. Go back to sleep,” she whispers.
But I get up anyway and wrap my arms around her. Shane and Jay don’t take long to be on their feet too.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly, trying to keep the insecurity out of my voice.
Last night was the best I’ve ever had; all my experiences feel dull and tasteless in comparison. But for someone raised human, whose relationships had always been with human men — one at a time — last night might’ve felt overwhelming. She’s not used to this. Three bodies. The rut. The knots.
In my head, I’d planned for our first time to be calm, slow, and careful, so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed or scared. Naively, I thought we could fight off the rut. I thought we’d have enough control not to slip into it the very first time with her.
But when I realized what she was saying last night, when I felt it was really happening, I lost it. All that planning vanished and instinct took over. Then it was all fire and need: fast, hard, no restraint.
What if she felt used?
What if she regrets it?
Shane takes her from my arms into his. She kisses him before looking back at me, a small smile on her face.
“I’m okay,” she finally answers me. “Last night… I don’t even know why I was scared. It was just right.”
My chest lifts, my heart floating with light, breathless happiness.
When she goes to shower, the three of us head to the kitchen to make her breakfast. Her favorite is French toast, and she promised to teach us how to make it, but for now, we stick with what we know: toast, eggs, and coffee.
When she walks in, I see her in her light green scrubs for the first time. She looks amazing, her long hair tied in a ponytail just like the first time we saw her.
Her eyes light up when she sees everything laid out on the table. “Wow. I could get used to this.”
As we eat together, a shy smile blooms on her lips whenever her eyes flick upto meet ours. At some point, she blushes out of nowhere.
I get it. My mind’s been replaying last night on a loop.
After breakfast, she kisses each of us and leaves with her Corolla keys in hand, and my chest tightens as I watch her go. I hear the front door close and feel an urge to chase her down and bring her back inside.
Unexpectedly, my brothers aren’t taking it much better, their posture stiff, jaws clenched.
When she first told us about her job, I got the impression they didn’t care at all and I was the only controlling idiot who had a problem with her being out in the world unprotected. But now I think it’s an aegis thing, because despite all their talk that day, both of them are clearly struggling to keep still.
It’s only five-thirty, and we’re not expected at the station until nine, so we have plenty of time. I clean the dishes and load the dishwasher while Jay and Shane start sorting through the boxes still scattered across the floor.
Once we’ve unpacked what we can from the kitchen stuff, I head upstairs and wait for Jay to finish with the beard trimmer so I can use it next. We all stopped shaving after Jo said she liked short beards.
