My Beastmen Vol. 1

Ch. 8

"I'm sorry?" I ask confused.

"I have heard of your fertility and have come to be your spouse." He kneels in front of me. "No female has ever been able to produce any children for me. I will grovel if you so desire." He gently takes my hand and kisses it softly.

I am at a loss for words at his words and actions. "Uhm, I'm not sure what to say." I attempt to think but my mind is empty.

"You don't have to answer now, just think about it. I will take my leave and return within the week."

"Of course."
We bow to each other and then he leaves.
Comac and I stand there in silence.

"What in the blue moon just happened?" I ask.
"I think you just got courted by the King of Kings. Does that mean I'm chopped liver?" His eyes were wet from tears.

I pull him to my chest. "Don't you ever think that? I love you, so much." My face heats up as I realize what I said. The words just came out.
"I love you too, Fae." He nuzzles my chest and smiles.
The pups come back with their dad. Nordan is excited and runs up to me. "Momma guess what I can do?"
"What's that?"
He bends his legs and focuses: He then changes into a little boy. He looks up at me and smiles. "What do you think?" He looks just like his dad, only his hair is brown and white with no scars.
I hug him close. "I'm so proud of you! You need to stop growing so fast!"
He giggles. He looks four or five years old. I'm not surprised, they're almost six months old.
"They age fast during the first year, after that it slows down to yearly," Damien reassures me.
"What about the girls?" I ask curiously.
His face turns sad. "The girls are upset because they can't do that. They change at the year mark but they can't change back."
"I see." I rub Nordan's head. "Good job, Nordan. Who knows, maybe soon you'll be hunting with your dad."
"Yes! It's my duty as a male!" He jumps up and stands proudly.
I laugh. "Why don't you go play with our neighbor's children and I'll see you at dinner?"
He nods and runs off as best he can on his new two legs.

Damien shakes his head. "He'll get used to them eventually. Just give him time."
I look up at him and he looks... different somehow. It's hard to explain but he definitely is happy. "If only time could stay still for a while." I get up to find the girls in their room crying. I pick them up and dry their tears.

Kali buries her face in my neck. "Why can't we change?"
"Sh, it's alright. Your time will come soon and then you'll be the most beautiful girl in the city."
We sit together and I let them cry it out. Once they finish I try to cheer them up, by having them help me collect eggs. They chase the chickens away from the nests so I can gather them.
"Let's go back inside girls!" I call.
They follow me into the house full of giggles.
I'm glad I could get them in a better mood. I cook some of the eggs to go with dinner and we all gather at the fire.

We get the pups fed and the three of us split what's left.
"Damien, we had a surprise visitor today."
"Oh? Who was it?" He bites into his steak.
"It was Arkell, the Griffin King."
"Damien and I both choke on our food. "What?"

He nods. "He was asking Fae to be his spouse."
"What did she say?"
"What was I supposed to say, yes?" I ask.
"You can't just refuse the King of Kings, Fae. They don't just ask anyone to be spouses with." Damien looks upset.
"I didn't accept or deny him. He said he would let me think about it. I was only asked because I gave birth to two girls. Does he not have a spouse already?"
They both look at each other.
"What? It's an honest question."
"No spouse has ever conceived. He told you that. So I would guess that his last spouse passed."
We sit in silence for a moment.
"So, what should I do?"
"I think it will be okay if he became your spouse. He could help hunt and take care of things." Damien says.
Comac chimes in angrily. "Well, what about me? I haven't mated with Fae yet!"
Damien snarls. "That's not my problem, damn Fox."
"Enough, not in front of the pups!" I snap.

The pups look uncomfortable as they finish eating.
"Go play while the grownups talk, okay?"
They run off to their room.
I sigh and rub my temples. "My main question is, should we allow a King into the house."
"Why?" Damien asks.
I give him a stare, trying to force him to remember.
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry I forgot."
"What?" Comac looks confused.
"I don't know if I can explain it," I say nervously.
"Can we trust you?" Damien stares him down.
"With my life.: He matches his energy.

Damien looks at me. "It's up to you."
I try and think but my thoughts work against me. Do I say? Will he report me? "I'm-" I can't say the words.
"You're an Outworlder, aren't you?" He speaks softly.

I can't tell if he sounds scared of the answer or not. I look into the fire and nod. "Yes, I am."

He crawls over and wraps his arms around me. "Thank you for trusting me with this." He kisses me.
"So, you're not going to kill me?" I ask nervously.
He shakes his head. "If it wasn't for you, I would be dead. You accepted me, even knowing what my clan did. So, how can I not accept you?"
Tears stream down my face.
Damien comes over and wipes away my tears. "Don't cry, we will protect you. No matter what happens." His eyes dance with the firelight.
I put a hand on their cheeks." What would I do without you guys?"
We all come together in one giant hug.
"We still haven't figured out if I should take Arkell or not."
They chuckle.
"I'm okay as long as he doesn't find out and you mate with me first," Comac says.
"I'll kill him if he does." Damien unleashes his claws.

"Okay, I think we can bring him into the house." I think for a second and then have an idea. "Comac?"
He looks up from his food. "Yes, Fae?"
"I'm going to give you two weeks to make a plan for us to do something. The result of said date may be letting you mate with me after my next cycle."
His eyes light up and his face turns red. "Really? You mean it?"
I nod. "I can't wait to see your plan." I smile in excitement.

Suddenly he zooms off, faster than lightning. Damien and I giggle. "Come here Fae." He pulls me onto his lap. I lay my head on his shoulder and watch the fire crackle. "This is nice." "I didn't realize you were the romantic type." He wraps his bulky arms around me. "Kind of, your situation is different from his though." "I'm still grateful for that." "Let Nobu know he can join our house to be close to you." He blushes. "Of course." I don't know when I fell asleep, but I fell asleep in Damien's arms. A few days later, Arkell come back. "Have you made your decision?" He looms over me, twice my height. "Yes, I have." "What have you decided?" "Welcome to House of Fae." I smile. I can tell he's fighting back tears. He bows to me. "Words cannot describe the thanks I want to give you. I shall return with gifts and food." "Oh, you don't have-" Before I could finish, he leaves. I sigh. "Dammit." I don't need gifts, although I'll take food any day. The sun comes out not long after, warming the main room. "I hope Spring is on its way. I'm ready for warm weather." I bask in the sunlight coming from the window. A few hours later Arkell has his servants bring what looks like a thousand gifts. It almost fills my main room. I look around, overwhelmed. "What am I going to do with all this?"