Page 13 of Breeding Season
A ripple of silent outrage ran through the group.
“Forgive me, my King. She’s fragile. How can you expect us to think of her as nothing more than a warm pocket? The Herd needs more than a toy,” Alana murmured. Taur’s eyes narrowed, but his voice remained dangerously level.
“She is your Queen. You will show respect where it is due.” He didn’t wait for a response.
“I’ll decide what the Herd needs,” Taur growled. Alana dipped her chin and didn’t say anything else. “Gorok seeks to claim what is mine.”
Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd of women.
“We’d rather slit our throats than serve another Taur.” Alana’s loyalty was unmatched. Many of the women nodded.
Defiance wasn’t working, hadn’t been, and now I had to align myself with the monster I hated. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t test his boundaries. I lifted my chin, forcing a smile that was all teeth.
“If you can have all of them, does that mean I can fuck who I want? Where’s my harem? What bulls or men can I choose from?”
The concubines gasped, their eyes widening in shock. Taur’s grip on my neck tightened, a warning, yet his brown eyes flared with a possessive fury that made my toes curl. There was that level of control he held onto, but he couldn’t fool me. He was jealous.
“Don’t test me, Mát,” his voice a low growl, meant only for me. He leaned down, his nares beside my ear. “If you so much as touch another male, bull or human, I’ll eat the flesh off their bones and offer you their beating heart.”
My heart hammered against my ribs as he straightened. He looked around the circle, his gaze sweeping over the women he’d just demoted. “I have matters to attend. I leave her in your hands.” It was like a warning. I could feel the concubines’ hatred settling on me like grit. I was shaking, but the sheer possessiveness in his gaze was a terrifying anchor.
Then, he shifted his grip and signaled to the entrance.
Two new figures were pushed into the room by a massive guard. The sight of them stole the breath I had left. It was Ashley and Jania. I sighed in relief as I took in the familiar faces. They were scrubbed clean and wearing pink versions of the dress I wore.
“These two are favored,” Taur announced, his hand moving from my neck to rest on the hilt of his weapon, “and will be added to the K’onn. They are mine. They are not to be touched by the Herd.”
“Are these women not your concubines?” I asked, motioning to the Minotaur and women. His maw lowered as his eyes landed on mine.
“These women belong to the Herd. The K’onn belong to me.”
Taur hadn’t just elevated me; he’d added two more rivals as his concubines. The women erupted into chaos, scattering into furious huddles, their low voices trying to figure out what this news meant for them.
“Behave,” he murmured as he gave one last, firm squeeze to my neck before turning and disappearing out the entrance, leaving me feeling more alone than I’d like to admit.
Before I could process the sheer volume of hatred being directed my way, two warm hands grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
“Come on! Let’s get you away from the harpies,” Ashley whispered. She tugged me toward the far end of the hall where the hot spring poured into the bathing pool.
Jania followed close behind, giving me a tight smile. There was something off about her eyes, but the exhaustion from everything that had happened was too overwhelming. It felt like the first time I could breathe since waking up chained to the mud floor. Having familiar faces besides me felt like a reprieve.
“Last night was insane!” Ashley exclaimed, pulling me to sit on the warm stone ledge beside the pool. “It’s all thanks to you that I’m alive. I thought I was going to be dinner!”
“You’re such a badass, Pele,” Jania agreed, her voice flat, but her proximity felt like a shield. She sat on the other side, creating a human barrier between me and the other women.
“Were you… okay? Did they hurt you?” I asked, looking from Jania’s steady composure to Ashley’s wide eyes.
“No, they didn’t touch us. It turns out the other bulls can’t touch the “K’onn”,” Ashley said quickly. She leaned closer, her voice dropping. “But what’s that all about?” She nodded towardthe mark on my neck. “Does it hurt? What did he do to you? And what’s this about you being Queen?”
I hesitated, running my finger over the mark. “I’m glad you guys weren’t touched. He gave it to me. It did hurt, but it doesn’t anymore. He claimed me last night as his “Mát” and I’m assuming that means mate.”
This felt like the closest thing to safety I’d known in days. Ashley was asking normal questions, Jania was protecting my flank, and the other women were too busy gossiping to bother us. Ashley nodded, offering a gentle, understanding smile instead of pushing the subject.
I desperately needed to trust someone. “Being here alone… how’re the other women? The ones from last night? There’s no way this is everyone,” I asked, my gaze darting to the women in the hall.
Ashley looked at me, her face draining of color. “You don’t know?” she whispered.
“What? What don’t I know?” I asked.
