Page 9 of The VaDorok’s Unexpected Mate (The Mate Index: Dorok #1)

Kull pointedly refused to look directly at Katie as he moved about his den.

Just having her there was putting him on edge.

She looked good in his home—too good. It caused a sense of contentment to well up within him so quickly that he found it both overwhelming and very concerning.

He immediately, brutally, crushed the feeling.

She was a temporary presence. She did not belong there and never would.

His gaze turned to the young male seated on the rug in front of the fire, a pile of leather scraps surrounding him.

Ren was not paying the least bit of attention to his work but rather stopped frequently to peer suspiciously at Katie.

He did not have much experience with females.

Kull had found him, alone and squalling, one morning while out hunting, no more than three revolutions old at most. He never discovered where the youngling came from, but having him there had been a merciful distraction from his own sorrow.

Now he was beginning to wonder if he had somehow done the youngling a disservice by keeping him isolated beyond what was normal for VaDorok.

Within a few more revolutions he would be old enough to begin his period as a scout.

While Ren was learning how to care for himself, Kull was worried that he would have difficulty in passing through ulukskinon when it came, or be capable of properly caring for a mate.

He would struggle terribly if he viewed females suspiciously as outsiders.

Kull sighed wearily. This was something he had not even thought of considering before.

Perhaps some good would come out of all of this.

Though he would be forced to tolerate her presence there while wrestling with his ulukskinon, Ren would benefit from the experience.

Even more so if they could put on a performance for the male—but would she be willing to do it?

He had no intention of touching her and completing the ulukskinon between them, but Ren would have already noticed his change in scent, if the young male’s looks of disgust were anything to go by.

Even if he did not fully understand what it meant, he would likely accept whatever they performed in front of him as fact.

In private, conversely, he would have plenty of opportunities to discourage Katie from remaining on Dorok.

From the way she was glancing uncertainly at the youngling, he was quite certain that she was very much aware of his distaste and discomfort around her and was a bit disconcerted by it.

It was a pity that he could not utilize that to his advantage.

If it were not for the fact that he was concerned about how it might affect Ren, he would simply push things to work up to their natural disastrous conclusion.

“Come, female,” he grumbled. “I will be showing you where you will sleep. You can take some time to rest if you like.”

To his surprise, she did not move. Instead, she frowned at him, her head tilted back as she regarded him expectantly. His left ear twitched uncomfortably as the silence stretched between them.

“Wh—” he began to snarl but then caught himself as he noted Ren’s eyes turn toward him curiously. He swallowed back his reaction and relaxed his expression into something like a smile. “Is there something wrong?”

“I have spent months being called ‘human,’ ‘female,’ and even ‘creature’ a time or two. If you are going to address me, I would really prefer being called by my name, like any other person.” She squinted at him. “Unless you go around saying addressing others of your tribe that way?”

Kull’s discomfort grew as a feeling of shame crept over him.

His jaw hardened as he attempted to thrust it away.

She was not a member of the tribe. She was an outsider, as were all the other human females they rescued.

Why should he treat her the same? Was it not enough that he was taking her into his den despite being unwilling?

Still—Ren was watching. And some part of him could empathize with her feelings, even if he disliked it.

“I do not recall it,” he lied. “But if you are not interested in resting, I can show you later.”

“I didn’t say that,” she replied as she walked forward, closing the distance between them.

He just barely kept his instinctive desire to inch away in check as she drew closer, her scent engulfing him.

“I only asked to be called by my name... which you forgot,” she said slowly.

She smiled, but there was a hardness in her eyes that let him know that she was not the least bit fooled. “Why not ask me to remind you?”

He frowned impatiently. Why was she making this more difficult than it needed to be? “Remind me.”

Her brow lifted, but she did not comment. “Certainly, Kull. My name is Katie.”

He gave her a brisk nod. “Understood. Now, come.” He waved his hand forward as he turned away, indicating that she should come with him, but she did not move.

He frowned back at her over her shoulder to find her staring at his with both of her brows raised instead. Her eyes locked with his, and she gave him another falsely sweet smile that made him nervous.

“Okay, now try using it.”

Kull whirled around to stare at her in disbelief.

Was she truly going to pressure him at that moment?

The resolute look in her eyes told him all that he needed to know.

She most certainly was. His lips began to draw back from his fangs, but he caught himself just in time.

He did, however, come close to breaking several teeth with how hard he clenched his jaw.

“This way... Katie,” he bit out.

A far more genuine smile spread across her face as her eyes gleamed victoriously. How annoying.

“Of course, Kull. Lead the way.”

It was a miracle that he managed not to scowl darkly in response. That was exactly what he had been trying to do, except that she had been the one not cooperating. From the rug, Ren snickered unkindly.

“Watch out, Ka-tie. Kull will look for a way to dump you in the deepest snowdrift and leave you there,” the male taunted.

That drew Kull up short, and he frowned over at the younger male in disapproval.

Was that what he thought was acceptable?

It seemed that Ren needed more lessons on how to treat females than he thought.

He would dump his younger brother in one and walk away because he would know that the male could claw his way back out and rejoin him.

He wouldn’t do that to a female, no matter how deserving.

“I would not,” he denied, though he privately admitted to himself that he certainly wanted to. “A male would disgrace himself if he were to treat a female that way.” Unless she posed a genuine threat to his life, but that was a nuance best saved for later.

Ren’s smile fell and was immediately replaced with a scowl. Kull shook his head at him and turned back to Katie.

“Please come with me, Katie,” he said, taking care to keep most of the growl out of his voice as he turned and headed for the nearest corridor that led from the central chamber of the den.

He did not bother to look back to see if she was following him.

He was relieved, however, when he heard her light footsteps fall in behind him as she followed him down past the storage chambers, the cleansing chamber, and Ren’s own room to the largest sleeping chamber at the end.

His fur prickled uncomfortably as he drew closer to it and placed his hand on the latch.

If he had any sense of self-preservation, he would find the thickest fur in his room to throw at her and send her back to sleep in the main chamber.

Instead, he was backed into a corner, and all because he needed to set a positive example for Ren.

He groaned inwardly as he pushed open the door.

Perhaps he should have sent the male to be fostered with another family years ago.

Entering the room, he stepped aside and gave her space to enter behind him.

Her head turned slowly as she took in his nest. The sleep-pad was thick and firm.

It was sewn from leather made from the large alpak hides and covered heavily with numerous pelts and pillows, several of which he had made with his own hands, and others which he had traded for.

The nest was lodged between four massive boulders, two at each end to give additional stability, one of which was piled with pillows to form a comfortable support.

Her brows drew together as she studied it, and he felt his irritation slowly mounting as she continued to silently peer at it.

“Do you find it lacking in some manner?” he growled

Katie blinked and shook her head. “No, not at all. It looks very big and comfortable. This is clearly your room. So, I’m grateful, even if a bit regretful for turning you out of your own bed,” she said, turning to him with a smile. “Where will you sleep?”

“This is where we must have a conversation,” he said slowly, and he buried his elation deep when her smile immediately shifted into a scowl.

“What kind of conversation?”

“A compromise.”

That caught her attention. Her brows drew together as she quietly regarded him for several minutes. “About what?” she finally asked.

He walked into the center of the room and gestured to the space. “You were determined to accompany me, despite my refusal. You did it so that you could have a safe place like this. It just so happens that I need something too.”

“I’m not fucking you,” she spat, her tone filled with so much loathing that he grimaced with distaste.

“Nor do I want you to,” he shot back and shuddered. That would definitely doom him and complete the ulukskinon. “As I said before, I have no interest in touching you or being in your company more than what is necessary.”

Some of the tension eased from her expression as she peered back at him in confusion. “Then what, exactly, do you want?”

“Cooperation,” he said bluntly. “VaDorok males do not live communally once they become adults unless they have a mate or offspring. Having a female here who is not my mate is going to confuse Ren. For the duration of your time here, I would like your cooperation in pretending to be my very impermanent pleasure-mate so that I can help him develop a healthy understanding of how he is expected to treat females.”

A look of unease crept across her face. “Are you saying that all the other women will be expected to be mates?” she demanded. “Do they know this?”

“Do not be ridiculous,” he snapped. Another lie on his part.

.. at least partially. “Other males do not have impressionable younglings within their dens. I am asking you for your help with this, and in exchange I will share the comforts of my nest with you. If not, then I can send you back out to the central room with a couple of pelts to bed down with on the rug.”

“Okay. That’s valid, I suppose.” Katie glanced at the rug in front of the small hearth built in his room. “But why do we have to share? Can’t you just lie on the rug in here?”

“I am not giving up my bed,” he said flatly.

“But there is plenty of space for both of us, and you have my vow that I will remain away from you. Besides which, if you agree to carry out this performance with me, it will work better if my scent is on you. Sharing a nest is the most effective way to accomplish that. Everything here I will share with you.”

She grimaced and paced absently toward the hearth, her expression anxious as she thought over his offer.

He did not move but studied her as he patiently waited for her answer.

Suddenly, her head tipped toward the low table to one side of the rug, her eyes falling on the bone flute that rested on a stand there.

He had not played it in years, not since his mate died, as he had carved it to court her with.

Back then, he had played it for her every evening.

But now it remained in its place on that table in quiet testimony to all his losses. No one could touch it!

His heart clenched as her body bent, her hand reaching for it, but Kull lunged forward, startling her so that she stumbled back several steps as he snatched it up.

He held the flute to his chest as she stared back at him fearfully, her own much smaller hand pressed against her chest. Guilt knifed through his gut at the look of fear he inspired.

“I... I apologize. This... no one is allowed to touch this,” he rasped around the knot of pain that had risen in his throat, choking him.

Her expression quieted as she silently studied him. “That has great meaning to you,” she quietly concluded.”

Kull nodded, and he turned, placing the flute back on its stand. “Memories of better times,” he agreed somberly. “Before my mate died.”

He did not wish to share that pain with her and expose it, but he knew he did not have much choice. It was not information he could hide, even he refused to discuss it.

She nodded slowly in understanding. “I apologize. I didn’t realize.” She drew a deep breath and slowly expelled it. “So, we pretend to be... ah... pleasure-mates, and share the bed, but otherwise we live our own lives while I am here. No expectations.”

“No expectations,” he agreed with relief.

She nodded again. “Okay. I accept.”

Though he did not show it, relief flooded him.

Without another word, he turned and left her to rest. When they came together at mealtime, however, she sat close to his side with a relaxed and happy expression that could almost be believed if he did not look too closely.

Naturally, it made Ren withdraw and glower petulantly, but that too was part of the process.

The male would adjust slowly with some help and be better for it.

And as promised, Kull happily gave Katie plenty of space.

He even waited until he was certain that she was asleep before he crawled into bed beside her, so as not to frighten her.

And when she woke up in the middle of the night and lay there panting fearfully, he did not move or indicate that he was awake in any way.

He remained silent in place, feigning sleep, until her breath evened out and sleep reclaimed her once again.

His heart clenched again, but this time in sympathy for how much the female had to have suffered to be so afraid.

He would make sure that she felt safe, just as he promised, and like Ren, she too would eventually grow and no longer need it.

But for now, he could help her. As much as possible.