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The Feri War
Chapter 5
The Valpak palace was truly beautiful. Looking out from the tall windows, I could see the well-manicured garden with flower bushes below and in front of me, a well- decorated hallway with portraits of important people no doubts.
Wren and I were going to meet Charlie but we needed to make a stop to the great hall first. We were hungry.
We were nearly at the entrance when we met the girls. They were holding hands and giggling.
'Morning,' Wren said. 'What are you ladies up to so early?'
Kaia snorted. 'I could ask you the same thing.'
I haven't been around Kaia a lot, but I'm noticing a very pronounced personality trait of hers that I didn't before. She was a bit too combative and brash. Generally, shifter women were a bit too brazen from what I'm used to. But unlike human women, they've never really been treated unfairly.
'We're taking Eva to the beach,' Alessa said defusing the tension. 'She has never been to the seashore before.'
Eva blushed. Lyra and Robin cackled.
'You're more than welcome to come with us,' Lyra said.
Can I? I didn't want to upset Charlie but the beach was more inviting than the meeting right now.
'You can go, atsa,' Wren told me, 'Char will understand.'
I didn't think twice when I pecked his lips and followed the giggling girls down a flight of stairs.
We went through the town acting very much like tourists. People were so friendly and kind. A woman gave me an apple just because she heard my stomach growl. It was so embarrassing for me, yet amusing for my friends.
We made idle chitchats as we went down the path to the beach. Eva and Robin were nice people. Although she was smaller than any of us, Robin was fierce in defending her bondmate when the others were teasing her.
As usual, sex became the topic of conversation. Alessa reddened when Robin and Kaia recounted their sexual fantasy of last night. And she sounded perfectly innocent when she said, 'you guys are bondmates!'
'We are,' Kaia said proudly.
But nobody was prepared for what Alessa said next.
'Then I don't understand. How do you fit your lady parts together when you're having sex?'
The girls burst into laughter. Even I couldn't help myself. Kaia was the worst. Holding her middle, it looked like she wanted to let herself fall to the ground.
'Did I say something wrong?' Alessa asked, cheeks red as beetroots.
'No,' I said, it's just not something one ask. It's very... very...' Frankly, I couldn't come up with the words to explain.
'Personal.' Lyra came to my rescue. 'Some things are better left unsaid honey.'
'Oh!' Alessa flushed even more.
Lyra took the time to explain sex between a same-sex couple, sexuality, sexual pursuits and the likes. The others chipped in every now and then. Alyssa was very attentive. And by the time we reach the beach she was quiet with a pensive frown on her forehead.
'Great Feri! This is simply wonderful,' Eva exclaimed with appraising eyes. She was looking at the ocean and the small stretch of beach we were standing on.
'Wait until you get in the water,' Lyra said. Her hair waved in the strong wind coming from the ocean.
The beach was deserted save for two boys digging for clams at the far side near some boulders.
They barely look our way when the girls stripped and rushed to the water naked. Modesty is lost on these people and apparently on me as well. I also stripped and joined them.
Beneath the surface, the water was warm, but bone-chilling standing wet against the blowing wind. For that reason, we mostly soaked with only our heads above water.
We were a short distance from the shore. Far enough to avoid the waves crashing at the beach, but close enough for us to be able to stay afloat without struggling too much.
'Can I share something with you guys?' Alessa said.
'What is it, honey?' Lyra asked. There was a note of concerned in her voice.
'I don't think Nickolas loves me very much.'
I can see a collective frown coming from the girls because I'm pretty sure they saw what I have seen looking at them together.
There is no doubt about Nicholas love for Alessa. The way he looks at her when she's not looking at him, the way he positions himself in relations to her is as if he was her bodyguard; and the way he talks of her. Yes, I don't doubt him at all.
Before I got a chance to ask, Lyra beat me to it. 'Why do you say that? Nicholas truly loves you and I'm sure you know it too.'
'Yeah. In the short time, I've been around you two, I doubt for a second that he really doesn't,' Eva said.
'I know that,' Alessa said, 'that is not my point.' I can see the frustration on her face. She was struggling to make herself understood. We all sensed that so we gave her ample time to rephrase her words. 'Nick doesn't love me because he doesn't want to have sex with me.'
'What?!' The girls yelled in unison. They acted as if that was the biggest crime ever.
'He doesn't touch you?' Eva asked. Of course she meant sexually.
'He does. He touches me, he caresses me, he licks my lady part and my beasts but he wouldn't put his penis inside me.'
'Have you ever had a penis inside you?' Kaia asked. Unlike the others, she was direct in her approach.
Alessa shook her head no. By this point, she was at the brink of tears. Lyra and Eva gave her a comforting hug. 'Honey, no,' Lyra said, 'it's because he loves you that he doesn't want to hurt you.'
Lyra was right.
'Alessa,' I said, 'like me, Nick grew up in the human realm. Unlike you strong ladies here, women are considered fragile there. It's ingrained in him to treat women with gentleness and explore new things when he deems you're ready. Not that he thinks you're weak, more like he is being considerate.' I looked her straight in the eyes.
'You were raised far from here too, for that reason he is not ready to make you regret joining us by being too inpatient or something.'
I felt out of place as one by one the girls talked about the anguish, the awkwardness, the pain and the joy of their first times. As they speak, Alessa expression changed, and with it her comprehension of things.
'You see honey, the time will come. But if you're in such a hurry then I suggest you talk to Nick,' Robin said. And she has a point. Alessa really needs to sit Nicholas down and talk to him about her wants and expectations in their relationship.
'Huh, guys.' Robin pointed to the beach. 'What is that?'
I saw some kind of large animal on his hind legs sniffing the air.
'Werewolf!' Kaia said.
Immediately, she started wading towards the shore. We were right behind her.
It was a werewolf, but there wasn't just one. 'This is bad. I'm sensing two more in the tree line.'
'Oh feri, what about the kids!' Robin said.
The werewolf hadn't noticed them yet; and neither did they notice it. We could shout them a warning but noises and running trigger a werewolf chase instinct. Regardless, we were being noisy for the same purpose, so it would target us and allow the boys time to escape. At least that was the plan but it was having difficulty picking out scent because of the strong wind. That was until another werewolf make himself know by stand on a big bolder behind the kids. His growl startled them.
They screamed.
................................................. End of chapter 5