by Gayle Riley
The amount Jeris intimidated Flora was beyond all of her logical reasoning. The man had never so much as raised his voice at her, but she knew that he had great power. His large build, muscles and voice could only give her the vaguest idea about where his strength truly laid and how much of it he could hold.
Hours turned into days of waiting for the right moment, but Flora’s pregnancy was starting to become more apparent. She was sluggish in the mornings and often sick to her stomach from smelling her favorite berries. Flora hoped that Jeris wouldn’t notice her slightly larger belly since she was already largely built, but the looming feeling of his ever-watchful eye still made her tense up around him.
To relieve some of the tension built up over the last month, she shifted into her bear form and decided to go and visit her old tribe. She wasn’t sure if the new scents given to her by the Shawon would override those of the Dulak she was born with, but even if it did, she’d only have to greet a few choice people before leaving.
Flora padded over to a few of the huts and sniffed them to see if anyone she recognized was around. Damn… Where is everyone today? she thought as her check came up negative. Quietly growling to herself, she went over to another one of the huts only for it to seem there was no one home yet again. Perhaps I chose the wrong time to come back for a visit… I can’t seem to do anything right these days.
The bear sat down and groomed her paws, minding the claws that were previously covered in berry juice. Thankfully, Flora had managed to find a particular berry that her extra weight didn’t mind, but it still didn’t make up for the others that had a more obvious effect on her. All was oddly quiet, but a rustling from behind caught Flora’s ear. Startled, she let out a slightly louder growl as a warning, but the rustling continued.
Who goes there? Flora thought as she hesitantly turned around and bared her fangs at what looked like another bear, but with dark black fur instead of chocolate brown. The opposite bear echoed Flora’s sounds and got up on its hind legs to let out a loud roar that shook Flora to her core.
She readied herself for battle, not recognizing the other’s scent, but right before the other bear charged at her it stopped and sniffed at the air around her. Flora lowered her head, all of her muscles tensing up as the other bear interrogated her. What do you want…? The other bear got a little closer to her, close enough for her to smell his scent. That’s when his familiarity started clearing up the clouds in her head. Oh my God… Delson, is that you…? Her eyes widened in surprise the moment she realized it and they both went quiet for a while, staring at each other.
If there’s anyone to tell… It should be the man who should’ve known I’d gotten pregnant in the first place… Flora thought to herself as she slowly started to revert back to her human form and Delson did the same. He looked just the same as he had when she last saw him and it brought a grin to her face. She felt as though she could never look at her leader the same way again. It’d been too long since she’d kept the secret from him and everyone else. However, it was slightly troubling that it took her so long to remember his scent.
“Flora…” Liak started to say with a small grin he tried to keep hidden away. “It’s been so long…”
Flora nodded and said, “Yes, it has. How have you been?”
Delson shrugged and said, “The same as ever. I promoted many of the makes here to guards. We don’t need as many soldiers now that our main threat has been subdued, but we still need high defenses for our females. I trust them all like they’re my sons. I’m sure that you’re living the life of luxury now.”
Flora’s grin faded into a more somber look. “You could say that, but… There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
“What is it?” Delson asked as he crossed his arms.
“It’s… It’s my husband, Jeris, I don’t know what he’s going to do if he finds out about… Well…” Flora looked away as he forced the words out of her mouth.
“What is it?”
“I think I’m pregnant. Pregnant with Liak’s child, Delson. I know I was supposed to wait until the next ceremony to take their seeds, but I was just so… I was a fool!” She spat the words and then bit her bottom lip in fear of Delson’s reply.
To Flora’s surprise, Delson coughed up a few dry chuckles and swatted the air, dismissing Flora’s words. “He’s not going to find out. How would he? I can understand the heat. I know it can be dire. The problem is that these people are strongly rooted in tradition...” He paused for a few moments to gather his thoughts, stroking along his jawline. “As long as you’re not showing that many signs of being pregnant then it shouldn’t be an issue... Would it?”
Flora shut her eyes tightly, pushing her next few words through grit teeth. “I… I’m showing, Delson.”
Delson’s confident expression fell off of his face. “What…?” he asked absentmindedly.
Flora took a deep breath and crossed her arms tightly around herself. “Liak that was the one who did it. My most trustworthy guard and now I’m paying for it. I’m going to have to tell Jeris about it whether any of us like it or not.” Delson stayed silent, seemingly lost in his thoughts. “I’m actually glad that I got to see you before I told him. I don’t know what Jeris will do when he finds out.”
“Do you think he would come after Liak? Challenge him? That’d just start the fights again?” Delson asked with a raised brow.
Flora hesitated before answering. “I… I don’t know. He could, but I’m not really sure.”
Delson stroked his chin thoughtfully a few times. “How doesn’t he know already?”
“Huh?”
He added a few hand gestures as he spoke, twirling them in the air. “You know, he’s your husband, so shouldn’t you have…?”
“Oh. No, he hasn’t asked for that. I imagine he’s willing to wait as long as it takes for it to take place during the ceremony. He’s never so much as approached me with the prospect of it…”
Delson nodded twice. “Maybe he already…knows…” He looked Flora directly in the eyes and said, “I’m going to have to go, Flora. I’m going to have to think for a while. I need to prepare for the worst in case it happens, but I wish you luck.”
Flora took a step forward, holding her hand out to stop Delson, but he’d already started shifting back into a bear. “I’m sorry…” she said quietly to herself to the man now turned a bear. He walked over to her and rubbed his head against her body, letting her pet the top of his head a few times before running off to the trees surrounding the village.
A deep sadness swallowed her heart and yet, Flora felt like a great weight had been lifted from her chest. Even if her tribe was in danger, they’d still be safe from Jeris when she told him thanks to Delson. As she thought about Jeris, she remembered that he was going to be the one making dinner for the two of them this evening. Of all the times they didn’t speak to one another with words, sitting down at dinner was always the hardest to keep a straight face because it was the only time they actually talked to each other. Jeris would go over his plans for the morning and Flora would listen.
However, it seemed that Flora had something else in mind for tonight’s dinner. Flora shifted back into the form of the bear and as she padded over to the Shawon village, her mind was made up: she’d tell him tonight.
Chapter 6
The smells of hickory smoked ham, broiled steak and mashed potatoes filled the room as Flora walked in. She sat down at her spot opposite of Jeris’. Unlike most higher ranked members, Jeris kept his table short so he could easily share his meal and conversation with Flora without the extra effort associated with a long table. Flora trembled in her seat as Jeris neared, humming to himself as he set down a plate full of food in front of her. “Decided to go with some of our favorites and just kind of…mash them all together. What do you think?” Jeris asked with one of his kind smiles.
Flora could never stop herself from grinning back—at least a little. “That’s fine with me,” she said nervously
, trying not to make her voice squeak or crack.
Jeris nodded slowly. “All of you?”
Flora swallowed dry air, fidgeting in her seat. “Huh?”
“Your stomach has been acting up lately. I want to make sure all of you enjoys it, right?” Jeris asked as he set down a plate at his end, but waited just a second before going back into the kitchen.
“Oh… Yeah, right. I wouldn’t want to have another morning like I did yesterday…” Flora’s words drifted off as she looked down at her plate full of food. The smell was a pleasant mixture that made her mouth water, but it wasn’t enough to keep her mind off of the scenarios playing in the back of her mind.
Jeris disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments and then came out with a bottle of wine. Flora winced as he poured some into her glass and then his. He sat down and raised his glass to toast and hesitantly, she raised hers as well. “To another night happily married to my wife,” he said with a smile and took a sip. He looked to Flora a certain way, as if he was expecting her to mirror his actions.
Flora tentatively brought the glass to her lips and gingerly sipped, hardly tasting any of the liquid. She set the glass down and idly poked at the food for a little bit before taking her first bite. As she chewed the perfectly cooked meat, she looked around the room for distraction, but only managed to keep staring at Jeris and wondering how to start what she had to say.
Eventually, she reached the conclusion that there was no way she’d be able to find the right words. There were only the best words that she could use to tell him as gently as possible. Before she realized what she was saying, she blurted out, “Jeris, I’m pregnant!” and dug her teeth into another piece of meat.
Jeris was silent, seemingly not responding to her words at all. Fearing she’d have to say it again, she asked, “Dear, did you hear me?” Jeris nodded slowly, his face starting to twitch a little. Flora wanted to get up and go over to him, but her body was frozen in place.
“You’ve waited so long to tell me, love…” Jeris said in a quiet growl just barely able to be heard by Flora. She gave him a confused look and he went on to say, “I’ve known it from the moment I met you, Flora. I could smell it a mile away, but don’t worry—no one’s nose is as good as mine.”
Flora looked down at her food, unable to keep looking into Jeris’ eyes. “So…”
“Yes, I knew the whole time, but I waited because I thought that it’d show how much you trusted me if you told me. If…” Jeris trailed off for a moment. “If I didn’t have to confront you myself.” Jeris noticed that Flora’s head was still down, so he slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Flora! I’m your husband!” Her head shot up immediately. “Why do you think I haven’t asked you? I can still smell the male on you. The one who did this to you, but I won’t be having any more of it.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, Jeris…” Flora was at a loss for words even though her mind scrambled to come up with an answer.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Jeris said as he flicked his wrist and grabbed his glass of wine. He took a few sips and then said, “I’m going to seek that boy out and I’m going to challenge him.” He set the glass down and sighed. “It would be the honorable thing to do after all.”
“B-but, Jeris...” Flora started to say as she reached out to him. “No one has to know. It could be our little secret.”
Jeris shook his head slowly, cutting into his steak. “No, no, no, my dear. I’m afraid I can’t do that. There’s no honor in keeping secrets.” He glanced up at Flora. “This isn’t your fault, you know, your people don’t see things the same way mine do, so…”
“So what?” Flora blurted out. Her body was tense and her confidence fading, but she couldn’t let another battle break out, especially because of her. “If you get into it with him, then it could start another battle between our tribes, or worse. Does that sounds honorable? The best for your people? Our people?”
Jeris slowed his chewing, pondering Flora’s words. Once he swallowed, he shot her a questioning glance, which told Flora that he was lost himself. “You…bring up a good point, my dear…” Jeris’ voice sounded a little lighter and his words lacked the depth that they usually held. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands. “So, how do you propose we remedy this then, Flora? I can’t live feeling that my honor has been threatened, which means that I must take up some sort of revenge, but at the same time…”
Flora tapped her chin, trying to focus on a way to resolve the conflict. Every answer she came up with only led down another road of blood, but there was one she thought had the possibility of working. How do you appeal to a man of honor? “Well… I’ve been thinking… this child might be born, but under different circumstances…”
“I’m listening…”
“There’s nothing more honorable than having a son to pass down everything to, correct? Well, it was a beta-male that gave me his seed in the first place, but we both know that that’s an easy fix.” Jeris stroked the light stubble at the bottom of his chin, thinking over Flora’s words. “If I had, say, your sperm inside of me then I’d get impregnated by your son instead of his. That way your honor can stay intact.”
Jeris grinned. “Ha-ha… I don’t know if that’d work or not, but it sounds like you’re going to great lengths to have my seed.” Flora was silent, unsure of what to say again. “Is it really so important for you that no harm comes to this so-called ‘beta-male’?”
Flora nodded, standing up and walking over to Jeris. “Yes, but like you said, you’re my husband and I’ve been wanting you since the first time I saw your face.”
The man couldn’t keep from coughing up a couple of laughs, leaning back in his chair. “Do you really mean that or are you getting my face mixed up with my loincloth?”
Flora added a swift sashay to her steps and traced two fingers around Jeris’ chest as she said, “Baby, I love all of you, not just one part.”
Before Jeris could say another word, Flora leaned over from Jeris’ side and pressed her lips to his, tasting his gruff lips and letting his tongue come into hers. She could still taste the meat in his mouth as her ear caught a low growl from Jeris’ throat. Am I really doing this right now? Flora wondered as she felt one of his large hands grope her breast through the thin fabric covering them. The sensitive nipples dug into Jeris’ palm, earning a gasp from her that tumbled into his mouth.
“Mmm…” Jeris hummed contently as one of his hands slipped between his legs and ran from his hefty balls up his thick shaft. He pulled away from Flora’s lips from a moment to say, “Okay, okay… You’ve got me…” With a quiet groan, he moved the loincloth out of the way of his hard-on and flashed it at Flora. “When the ceremony happens, then we’ll finish this. For now, I have to ask if you like what you see…” he said playfully, openly stroking it for her as a bead of pre-cum tipped his head. Flora nodded slowly, licking her lips and reaching for it.
“Good. If you want my seed so badly, you should’ve told me in the first place,” Jeris said in almost a purr. “And don’t worry… Liak doesn’t have to know about this at all.”
Chapter 7
It was finally the day of the ceremony. All the bears were gathered around a single, central hut that was meant to connect the two tribes. The freshly built hut was built at a river that separated the two bear villages, but a bridge had been built to help the bears cross. At last, both communities could live together and work as one against any threat that came their way in the forest.
To further signify this, it was said that a passionate, intensive love affair would last and last throughout the night in the hut as a way of absolving all the past losses. At their arrival, the three powerful bears were met with praise and admiration. Flora could hardly contain herself as she basked in the kindness of everyone around her. Many of the women passed along blessings and encouragement for her big night, recounting their days in the sun.
Liak stayed silent as ever.
He watched everything going on around him, keeping close to Flora in case she needed him. For the first time in a long while, Flora could feel at ease around Liak. She knew that she no longer needed to keep the secret hidden anymore and she could finally be released. It was not forgiveness that she would be given during this ceremony, but a complete washing over for her past mistakes.
After a while the three of them departed for the hut and, when inside, reverted back to human form. Out of respect, Liak lay down on the bed and spread his legs, cock slightly hardening. “I’ll be here to support you, sweetheart,” Liak said in a low voice.
“Heh, if you don’t mind I’d like her all to myself for a while…” growled Jeris.
Jeris took the lead and groped her from behind to rub himself against her. Flora squirmed against him, unable to keep from moaning and gasping from the sudden bursts of pleasure she got whenever he reached around to pinch her nipples or bit down on the side of her neck. “Mm…” Flora hummed as she crawled onto the bed, up to Liak, and spread her legs, exposing her already dripping sex to Jeris.
Liak wrapped his arms around Flora, kissing up her neck and down her shoulder softly. His cock pulsed as she wiggled her ass against his stiff cock, precum leaking out onto her skin. He hummed contently watching as she readied herself for Jeris.
“Damn, baby… You’ve got a very pretty pussy,” Jeris said as he licked his lips and Flora blushed. It was the first time she’d ever heard Jeris say anything along those lines and the compliment caught her off guard. She wasn’t sure about not sucking him first, but when she felt Jeris’ press against her own, her worries went away. This time, however, he was kissing and suckling on her bottom lips.
Flora’s legs twitched as Jeris gave her sloppy kiss after kiss up and down her vulva, taking her moist lips into his mouth to suckle them. “Ahh…” Flora huffed, reaching down to mess with Jeris’ hair while he closed his eyes, rubbing his nose against her slowly swelling clit. The little nub pulsed with every wave of pleasure that Jeris granted Flora and when he enveloped his lips around it, she pressed her head back against Liak’s chest—hard.