Page 24

Ruugar

P ete blinked, then exchanged a look with Carol. A breath later, he chuckled. “Well, that's a big question.”

I said nothing. Just stared.

His smile faded. He cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Right. First thing, you have to be honest. No games. No guessing. If you care about someone, tell them. And don’t just say it. Show them.”

“Say it? Like…blurt it out? That seems dangerous.”

“There's always danger in love.”

“Shouldn't love mean less danger?”

Pete nodded thoughtfully. “I see where you're going with this. But it's important to at least hint at your feelings. Sometimes, the other person feels the same way but doesn't dare speak up either. If you open the door, so to speak, you might be able to step inside.”

“Step inside…” My brow tightened. “What if the other person doesn't feel the same way?”

“Then they'll tell you.” He sighed. “Which sucks, but at least you know, and you can back away, mend your heart, then try for someone new.”

“There will be no one new. They're my mate.” My swallow took forever to go down, but I couldn't shout out that I loved Beth. First, she was disguised as Ben, and I couldn’t let on to anyone that she was female.

And he was right that if anyone heard that first, it should be her. “How could I show them instead?”

“Actions matter more than words. Keep showing up. Keep proving you're there, no matter what.”

“Showing up where?” This sounded complicated.

“It means being there for them, not only when they’re in trouble but sometimes just to sit beside them and listen. Or say nothing at all, sharing space. There’s something honest and comforting about silence. It can speak louder than words.”

I could be quiet. Unless my mouth got ahead of my mind, which happened when I was inside the tent.

This made sense, though. But was it enough? Surely there was more, something solid I could do. I needed action, not vague things like showing her I care or sitting beside her and saying absolutely nothing. “What else? Like, should I challenge them to a sword fight?”

Pete stared. Carol choked on a laugh.

“You're joking, right?” Pete asked carefully.

My ears overheated. “No.” I curled my fingers around my knees. “An orc proves his worth in battle. If I fight them and win, they would know I was strong enough to protect them. That’s how it works in the orc kingdom.”

Carol's eyes widened. “Do orcs battle women as well as other men to prove their worth in mating rituals?”

“Of course. Orc females are quite fierce. Many males lose.”

“Then how do they prove they can protect her?”

I shrugged. “I guess they don’t have to if she has just proven she can protect herself.”

Carol grinned, nudging Pete with her elbow. “See? Not all women need someone to defend them. Many women can defend themselves.”

So it was like this for humans too? That was good to know. If only I’d brought swords, but I’d never suspected I might need to challenge Beth to a battle. She wouldn’t be able to fight until her arm had healed, but when we got back?—

I cut off the thought. When we got back, she might say she was ready to leave. The thought made my shoulders sag.

Pete scratched his jaw. “Okay,” he said slowly, like he was processing his words. “The thing is, humans don’t usually decide relationships in battle. Actually, I don’t think they ever do.” His lips twitched. “Carol, if I’d come at you with a sword, would you have seen that as attractive?”

She smirked. “What kind of sword are we talking about? ”

I sensed there was a hidden meaning in her words, but I couldn’t figure out what it might be.

“Steel,” I offered. “We use steel swords. They’re stronger than other metals.”

“I do enjoy a steel sword.” Her face had darkened, and she wiggled her brows at Pete whenever he looked her way.

I had a feeling I wasn’t learning proper courtship rituals yet.

“I know human customs are different. This person is too small to battle with a sword.” I’d leave out her injury for now.

“That’s why I need your help.” My voice dropped, roughened with the feelings I could barely restrain.

“I long for this person. I think about them constantly.

But I don't know how to tell them. Or if I should.

What if I ruin everything? What if they don't feel the same?”

Pete’s gaze softened. “Romance is always about risk. And knowing is better than wondering forever.”

My chest tightened. It would be worse if Beth outright told me she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. How could anyone see that as better?

Carol leaned forward. “You want to win someone's heart? It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about understanding what makes them feel valued. Then proving you see them for who they are and all they want to be.”

“I see.”

She ticked ideas off on her fingers. “Do small, personal things. Bring them something they love. Pay attention to their favorite activities, food, and drinks, and remember them. Like…Pete loves a good whiskey, so when I booked our trip here, I made sure you stocked what he enjoyed.” She nodded to the bottle on the ground nearby.

“If this person likes only cream in their coffee, well, you get it for them in the morning before they even realize they want it. It’s sweet when Pete does that for me.

It shows he cares. He doesn’t need to tell me he loves me if he does things like that.

You can also find ways to share their interests, even if it’s something you’d never do otherwise. ”

I listened, every part of me focused, trying to think of ways I could apply these suggestions.

The ground beneath me might as well be shifting.

Nothing I'd prepared for seemed to matter here. If this was a battle, I was entering it with my eyes covered and completely unarmed. I hated not knowing what moves to make. Feeling uncertain. But for Beth? I would learn. I’d make mistakes, I’d stumble, but I could not walk away.

“And most importantly,” she said. “Make them laugh. If you can make someone smile, really smile, then you're already winning a place in their heart. Think of things you can do for them that’ll make them happy. I wasn’t always super-confident, but Pete did things that boosted that.

I mean, he didn’t do things for me. He showed me how to do something then stood back and let me do it for myself.

When I was successful, I felt better and that built me up and made me feel confident. ”

“That easy, huh?” I asked.

Her smile bloomed. “That easy.”

The tightness in my chest shifted. These weren't grand, complicated displays. They were things that required not only strength or might, but knowing someone deeply.

I watched as they exchanged glances, the way they linked their hands together. The warmth I could feel gliding off them. They fit together. This ease, this quiet knowing between two people was as foreign to me as the moon.

I pushed a breath past my tusks, and I forced my hands to relax on my thighs. Maybe if I listened, if I learned, I could earn something like what they had with Beth.

Carol shifted in her chair, tapping a finger against her lips before she spoke again. “Ruugar, do you mean Ben?”

My mind went blank. Ben?

I glanced back and forth between her and Pete. Then it hit me. She thought… A laugh tried to crawl up my throat, but I swallowed it down fast.

Carol, misinterpreting my strangled silence, rushed on. “I mean, love is love. Any love is good love.”

Pete sat back as if considering this seriously. “Ben’s a good guy. I can see why anyone would find him attractive.”

I managed a stiff nod that probably looked more like a grimace, and Carol’s shoulders relaxed.

This sort of love was perfectly normal in my world, yet this was so far from reality that I didn't know how to react. Of course they thought I meant Ben. They’d seen me carrying her—him—across the open campground, taking him inside the tent that we’d shared last night .

“Alright.” Carol sat forward. “Two solid ways you can show Ben that you care.”

Pete nodded along, letting her take the lead.

“One.” She held up a finger. “Give him something personal. A gift, but not just any old thing. It has to have meaning, something that speaks directly to him as a person.”

A gift…for Beth.

“And two,” Carol said. “Create an experience together. Something unique, something he won’t forget. Maybe a—” she glanced at Pete, “maybe a ride? A special moment, just between you two?”

Beth seemed to enjoy the trail ride.

My pulse thundered in my ears. I could do this. It wasn’t complex. She’d see that I cared and… Well, she’d either reject me or she’d tell me she felt the same way.

“If you can talk him into riding with you…” She kissed the pinched tips of her fingers. “Chef's kiss.”

“Chef…”

“It's a saying but it means that would be perfect.”

That was enough for me. Already, my mind spun with plans.

Something personal. Something unforgettable.

Beth was feeling a lack of self-confidence after what happened with her father, Bradley, and even the chumble mother in the woods, but what could I do to help her in that way? Then it occurred to me.

I stood so abruptly, my chair nearly toppled on the ground behind me.

Carol and Pete both looked up, mildly startled.

“Thank you.” My voice came out like gravel underfoot. With a short nod, I turned and strode away from them. I needed to finish grooming the sorhoxes, but that was the perfect time to think and plan.

Hope flickered low in my belly.

Maybe I stood a chance of winning Beth’s heart.