The Alliance - 23. Learning

Aaron couldn’t get enough of his mate’s scent. He was here. He had returned. And he was tucked under Aaron’s chin, the two laying in Aaron’s large bed together.

No words were said. Nothing needed to be said. They loved each other. And he knew that he would never make the mistake of sending the Faro away again. Mateio was his, and he was Mateio’s. They could work through any problems they had together.

No one had been surprised when the elf had lifted the fox into his arms, rushing him into the palace. They knew. The bond between a wolf and his mate was strong, a protected bond in Astara. No one would contest his claim. And no one would deny his mate.

By now, the world must know his mate was an alien. There could be backlash over it, simply because he was the king of the planet. Aaron would give it all up in a heartbeat if he knew someone who could take over the burden of rule.

“I met with Scholar Dorian,” Mateio said quietly. “He said your wolf would affect any kits we had, but it shouldn’t affect me directly.”

“I don’t want my wolf to affect you or our children,” Aaron whispered, kissing the Faro’s head. “But if you want to be with me, there is a way that we can do it without endangering you.”

“Then you do want kits? It is allowed as the king?”

“Of course. They won’t have any claim to the throne, but it is allowed. But I can’t have children right now.”

The pain of losing Adara was too fresh. Maybe someday he could think about having children with Mateio, but not now.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“It’s okay. Adara was my mistake. I need to own up to it.”

“So how does one have sex with a werewolf?” Mateio asked.

“It is a long, drawn out process.”

A small smile appeared on Aaron’s face, the elf nuzzling Mateio with his nose. Standing, the werewolf crossed the room, seeking out a couple of silver coins. He moved to the door, opening it slightly.

A neko was guarding his room, her tail fluffing out at the door’s opening.

“Your Majesty,” she saluted.

“Do you think you could find a couple of condoms for me? I’d do it myself, but the captain has me bound to the palace,” Aaron smiled ruefully.

The guard chuckled.

“Of course, Sir.”

She accepted the coins and saluted again before making her way down the hall. Aaron closed the door and returned to Mateio.

“And now we wait.”

Itumak poked his head through the metal door, scanning the inside of the room. This planet used way too much metal and not nearly enough wood. Though there didn’t seem to be many trees either. Most of the plants he saw were bushy and short, spreading wide instead of tall.

Three Xanar sat in the room, their heads turning toward the door.

“Uh, I’m here for the Common language lessons…” the neko said, his bangle repeating the words.

“Good. You will not be needing your chip here,” the Xanar standing at the head of the room replied.

Itumak removed the chip from his bangle, slipping it into his pocket. He took one of the two remaining seats, watching the Xanar.

They had to be a different type of Xanar. Their skin had a pink tone to it, the contrast startling against their orange necklace marking them as a Science fleet member. It was a colour Itumak had yet to see in the fleets, and he was uncertain of the Xanar’s rank. They outranked Itumak for sure.

“I will assume you have an implant, as those are standard for the fleets. I, too, have an implant. However, mine has a switch that turns it off. Therefore, if you wish to be understood in this room, you will have to speak the Common tongue. You will likely be unfamiliar with the ways of schooling on Eyrel. This is to be expected, but I am certain you will learn quickly.”

The pink Xanar picked up a tablet, typing into it.

“Please translate the sentence I have sent you. If it helps, you are free to read it out loud.”

Itumak saw the other Xanar looking at their tablets, and he pulled his out, surprised to see a line of runes on it. He was supposed to translate that? He didn’t even know what sounds the runes made.

There had to be a way around this. Opening another page on his tablet, Itumak glanced back at the runes. He traced one on the new page, his tablet changing the lines into a more familiar letter. That was more manageable.

For the next ten minutes, Itumak carefully transcribed the runes, each one changing to his own alphabet. As he copied them, the letters below kept changing order, some appearing in twos or threes. He found he had to ignore the letters or they would give him a headache.

But finally, the runes had been changed into something more readable. Itumak began whispering quietly, trying to figure out how the letters worked in the new language. And then it clicked in his head.

“How do you say ship in Common?”

A good question, a good phrase. And it made him think. What was the word for ship?

The neko looked up ship on his tablet, letting out a quiet sigh. There were at least five different words for ship, each written in runes.

Well, he had translated a question. It shouldn’t be hard to do it again.

Mateio burrowed into the bed, missing Aaron’s warmth. The elf had stood up a minute ago, slipping into the bathroom. He would be back soon, but the fox still craved his touch.

A whimper escaped him as he heard a toilet flush. Aaron came back into the room, crawling back into the bed.

“I missed you,” he smiled, kissing the Faro’s nose.

A knock at the door made them both growl quietly.

“Looks like I’ll be right back,” Aaron sighed, standing up again.

He opened the door, speaking to someone quietly while Mateio watched. Turning back, the elf carried a small box to a dresser, the sound of paper ripping filling Mateio’s ears.

Aaron walked back to the bed, laying against the Faro once more.

“Whenever you are ready my love,” he whispered.

“That’s it? That’s your ‘process’?”

“Well, usually it’s more complicated, but I have people to help with it,” Aaron smiled.

He placed a finger on Mateio’s robe, the fox shivering at the touch. The digit ran down his chest, slipping into his clothing. Trembling slightly, Mateio unwrapped his robe, baring his body to the elf.

He had been naked with Aaron before, but this time had a sense of weight to it.

“Are you cold?” Aaron asked. “I can turn up the heat-“

Mateio shook his head.

“Sorry, I’m kind of new to this…”

“You are? I thought you and Itumak-“

“Only once, and that was a long time ago.”

Mateio smiled in relief. He had been so worried he was going to mess this up, but if Aaron didn’t know what he was doing either, maybe he would be okay.

“Can I…?” the Faro asked, touching Aaron’s shirt.

The elf nodded, helping Mateio remove the fabric. His pants were lowered next, Aaron kicking them off. The fox’s tail was raised behind him, fur waving invitingly. Slowly, Aaron kissed Mateio, the Faro pressing his body against the elf.

Small hands ran over Aaron’s back, the elf letting out a quiet moan. Mateio watched as Aaron pulled out a small wrapper, tearing it open. Sliding a wrap over his dick, Aaron gently lifted Mateio until the Faro was laying on top of him.

“Is that to stop the wolf?” Mateio asked.

Aaron nodded, his hands running down Mateio’s body, as far as he could reach.

Taking a breath, Mateio slid himself down Aaron, until he felt a hard object at his entrance. This was it, he was going to be bonded to the elf in every sense of the word now.

Aaron pushed slowly, carefully, Mateio letting out a gasp as the elf breached him.

“Are you okay?” Aaron breathed, his head propped up so he could see the fox.

Mateio nodded. He could feel Aaron in him, every little vein throbbing. It was a heady feeling, and the Faro let out a tiny laugh. Closing his eyes, he pushed further, Aaron sliding deeper into him. The elf brushed something inside him, electricity shooting through his gut.

Mateio let out a cry, startling them both.

“Mateio?”

He moved again, trying to repeat that sensation, Aaron settling as he realized he hadn’t hurt the fox. This was pure bliss, Mateio’s body reacting to Aaron’s. This was what a bond should feel like.

Aaron let the fox set his pace, trying to hold back until Mateio had his fill. But his control wasn’t that strong, and far too soon, the elf was releasing with a quiet grunt, Mateio letting out another piercing cry. He could feel Aaron growing even larger in him, a knot tying the two together.

And the Faro knew, as he slumped against the elf, that he was ruined. This would happen again. And again. They would be lucky if they got anything done.

Lian dumped a pile of dust into the recycler, glancing up as the door opened. Itumak was back, the sun gone once more. The Daknar liked these shorter days. He got to see Itumak more often.

“I think that class is a bust,” the two-soul muttered, falling onto their bed. “There’s no real teaching; he just expects us to learn.”

Setting his broom aside, Lian sat next to Itumak. His hands reached out, rubbing Itumak’s back, and the two-soul moaned appreciatively.

“Can you learn by yourself?” Lian asked.

“It feels like that’s what I’m doing already,” Itumak sighed. “I did see Artemis again today, and he said he’d help me if I helped with his ship. I suppose I should take him up on his offer. I mean, I am supposed to learn how to fix ships.”

His arms reached out, suddenly pulling Lian down next to him.

“You know, we haven’t done anything together for a while,” the two-soul said. “I haven’t even mated you properly.”

Someone knocked at the door and both Itumak and Lian frowned.

“And it appears I’m not going to tonight either…”

He moved to stand up, Lian pressing him back down gently.

“Do you want me to tell them to leave?”

Itumak thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to be alone later.”

Nodding, Lian stood and walked to the door. He opened it, finding the white Egaro standing outside.

“Hey, are you ready to get started on my ship?” Artemis asked, ignoring Lian.

“Yeah, I suppose so…”

Itumak stood up from the bed, making his way to the door.

“You okay in here?” he asked Lian.

The Daknar nodded. Lian was fine. He could find something to do.

“Do I need my tablet?”

“No, I’ll show you what to do,” Artemis replied as they left the room.

Lian watched the door close, shutting his master from sight. Turning with a quiet sigh, the Daknar began straightening the bed again.