"But you still wish to punish me," I stated, feeling a bit sullen."Mara, you must understand that disobeying me comes with consequences," he reminded me gently."Yes. But you said the women had to agree to this. They agree to follow the rules and so on. I didn't," I reminded him.His eyes took on a thoughtful look before he nodded in agreement."You are right," he replied. "This is something we need to change immediately. When you agree to be my mate, you will agree to obey me and only me. You will agree to give me your heart, your mind, your soul, and your body. Whenever I please it to be so,""Wait… whenever you please?" I questioned to clarify his meaning.His smile turned positively lascivious and predatorial as he looked my body over. It sent a shiver down my spine, and I could feel my pussy clench then grow wet at the idea of becoming his in such a way. I had never in my life considered myself submissive. Still, the very thought of giving myself over to him in such a manner not

My eyes grew misty, and my heart warmed. Tohr's golden eyes stared into them, the hope glowing so brightly that I could feel his desire for my total belief in him. I wanted to… needed to. I had never once given thought to well… my future beyond finding Erik. Now that I was faced with an ultimate and unchangeable decision.Yet, somehow, I felt as if I had no choice in this."You always have a choice, Mara. I would never force you to mate. Such a thing is beyond reproach in my eyes," Tohr informed me with an insulted tone."I didn't mean to imply you would. It's just that… if you are my one and only mate and I am yours. Then the choice of who to love and when has been taken out of my hands. It just doesn't seem fair," I explained."Yes, the Gods have chosen for us. But who is to say I wouldn't have chosen you either way? You have shown to be all I desired and more. I am pleased with their choice," he explained.My eyes widened as the words made the impact they were meant to. Tohr squeeze

"No, I'm not dealing with the physical pain. However, this slight pain is nothing compared to the pain and fear I felt when I discovered you were not where you were supposed to be, and you could be hurt or in danger. If I can handle that, you can handle this," he reminded me gruffly.Guilt exploded through me once more, and the fight began to drain from my body. My mind had grown a bit cloudy. I wasn't thinking clearly despite the desperate need to understand the new sensations that I was feeling. It was as if there was a "drop" in my mind, and in this new place, I knew I would do almost anything Tohr wanted just to feel his approval once more. His hand came down on one cheek then the other in rapid succession, and I cried out once more as the tears welled up in my eyes and slowly began to fall."You have disappointed me, little one," he said. "I told you to stop, not because I didn't wish to come in your beautiful mouth. However, I wished to allow you a chance to come with me once mor

I watched from the window as a battalion of Tohr's soldiers stood proudly on outside the gates. Golden warriors waiting for their leaders, they all sat on top of their horses standing patiently. A man at the front held an enormous black horse by the reins who like to stomp the ground impatiently. Or rather, what they cultivated into a horse. It was this weird dog/bear/ horse creature they called thershons. He seemed to wish to get going and was irritated that this man was holding him back. I smiled slightly, thinking to myself, yes that was definitely Tohr's thershons. Just as strong, powerful, and impatient as the man himself.The animal stomped its foot dangerously close to the man's foot. Then the animal whinnied and shook its head almost as if it were laughing at its handler who was cussing at the thershons.I couldn't help but laugh as well. Yes, Tohr's thershons was just like him through and through."His name is K'shons," Tohr commented as he stepped up to the window beside me.

"Since men are dominant, they inherit property and businesses, not women. After the great war, it was quickly realized that there was a problem housing the widows or other women who did not and may never have a mate. So, this offered the women a chance. If they are unable to live at home any longer or no longer have one, they simply offer their skills to a warrior. This way, they would have a safe place to live until they find their mates," Erik explained."And if a woman does not wish to be under a warrior's control?" I asked for my own peace of mind."They are allowed to say no and even encouraged to if this doesn't make them happy. It's all about… well, consent, honestly. The women consent to allow the men this control. If they do not consent, then it doesn't happen. Or at least, it's not supposed to. However, as you can see… it also breeds a lot of abuse if we're not vigil."I nodded thoughtfully as I watched Tohr's group disappear into the woods and out of sight. My heart squeezed