The Orcs Pregnant Mate

Three

Raine

The sound of someone saying my name wakes me gently and for a second I forget where I am, "five more minutes River," I mumble.

There's a pause and then the voice says, "we must get ready to leave, my mate."

Mate.

My eyes snap open and I find Mako right in front of me and the events of the previous day come flooding back. Giving her a smile I say, "five more minutes Mako."

She smiles back at me before shaking her head, "we have already stayed in too long. The others are already at their wagons."

I jolt up, "I'm sorry." I scramble to get out of the bed and almost trip on the blanket that's tangled around my legs. Strong hands catch me and I look up into Mako's eyes, "I didn't mean to make us late."

She smiles gently and takes her hands away, "you did not. I didn't have the heart to wake you, you were sleeping so soundly."

"Usually I'm a light sleeper," I tell her. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept through the night, but I didn't remember waking up even once last night.

Mako chuckles, "you snored like an Icebear."

Blush creeps up my cheeks, "I'm sorry, I hope it didn't keep you up."

Her hand comes up and I force myself to keep from flinching as she touches my red cheeks, "I slept soundly. My mother used to say that I could sleep through a battle." She drops her hand and steps away, picking up a pile of fabric. She hands them to me, "I got these for you. That dress you have on is nowhere near warm enough for the journey."

Unfolding the fabric, I find that it's a pair of thick leggings, a long sleeve tunic and a thick cloak. Boots sit on the floor by the bed and they look expensive. The fabric is nicer than anything I've ever worn before and I almost don't want to put it on, afraid that I'll somehow damage it or get it dirty. "Thank you," I tell Mako.

"You like them?" She asks, her voice unsure.

I give her a smile, "I love them. Now," I make a shooing motion, "wait outside while I change."

She looks like she's going to argue, and I brace myself for the lies I'll have to tell her. But she must change her mind because she turns and leaves, closing the door behind her. I wait a minute, making sure that she's not tricking me somehow. Part of me doesn't think that she would do that, she's been nothing but nice so far.

But who knows how long that will last, a voice in my head says.

Stripping quickly, I keep my back to the wall. If Mako did come in while I was changing, the last thing I wanted her to see was the scars on my back. Hopefully she would never see them. The thought of being shirtless in front of her terrified me, but at the same time, sent a shiver to my very core. I'm not sure what scared me more, the prospect of having to explain my scars or the fact that I might not mind being naked in front of her as much as I thought I would.

She's a means to an end, I remind myself. You're not really her mate. You're going to get out of this town, find River and live a normal life together somewhere far away.

Dressing quickly, I head to the door and open it to find Mako leaning against the wall waiting for me. She smiles when she sees me, "ready to head home?" She asks.

Home. It's been a while since I've had one of those. River always said that home was a person not a place, and when she left, my home left with her. But now, thanks to the smiling orc in front of me, maybe I could find it, and her, again. "Yes I am," I tell her with my own smile. "We should hurry, wouldn't want to make the others mad."

Mako chuckles, "they are all too busy with their mates to be mad. I would be surprised if none of the wagons are rocking when we get outside."

She offers me her arm like she did last night, and I take it, marveling again at how hard her muscles are. Briefly I wonder how easily she could carry me, but then shake the thought off when it lights a fire in my core. None of that, I chide myself. There's no time for that. Although, technically, there was almost a month of time. It has been a while since I've done anything for my own pleasure and not the pleasure of others.

While I'm having my internal debate, we've made it outside and the early morning sun blinds me. So much so that when I'm finally able to see, I'm face to face with a giant furry face. Two giant Icebears look at us and make small growls. "Are they going to eat me?"

Mako laughs, "this is Zork and York," she says as she points to each bear. "They won't eat you unless I tell them to. Zork is my Bonded Bear," she tells me, scratching the large bears ass affectionately. "We have grown up together and fought many battles."

Zork growls happily as Mako continues to scratch him and I'm reaching out to pet him before I can stop myself. The Icebear stops making noise as he watches my hand approach his head, but when my hand touches his nose, he shoves his head into my hand. Scratching his nose with one hand, I use the other to scratch his chin, "good baby," I coo at him.

"That is not a baby," a deep voice says.

Looking over my shoulder, I see a giant orc male with a scar over half his face. He's got two giant axes strapped to his back and is wearing only a loincloth. Like Mako, his white skin is adorned with black tattoos that run across his body.

"Izog," Mako says tensely, greeting the male.

Izog ignores her and glares at me, "you're lucky he didn't take off your hands. Your mate should have warned you that Icebears are not pets, or babies." He sneers the word and moves his gaze to Mako, "get your mate situated. We are behind schedule because of your tardiness."

Mako nods once and with a last glare at the two of us, Izog stalks away. "I'm sorry," I tell her softly.

She looks at me in confusion, "for what?"

"I made us late and now you're in trouble."

She shakes her head slightly, "Izog likes to think he is more important then he really is. His irritation is of no concern to us." She holds out a hand to me, "can I lift you into the wagon?"

Giving Zork a last scratch, I go to Mako and nod, "thank you for asking. Yes, you can."

Mako grips me gently around my waist and lifts me into the tall wagon, setting me on the seat before climbing up herself. There's not much room with the both of us on the bench, and I find myself wedged under her arm, nestled into her side. She grabs the reins and clicks, getting the attention of the Icebears. They roar slightly, getting and answer from all the other wagons.

The sound is deafening but also wonderful. After several minutes of roaring bears, we are rattling down the main road towards the town gates. I stay tucked into Mako's side, hiding from the cold and the prying eyes of the crowd that has gathered to see us off. The breeders have definitely noticed that I'm missing by now, but hopefully they won't think to check the orc train. Even if they did, Mako wouldn't let them take me away.

I hope she wouldn't, anyway.

It takes almost an hour for us to reach the main gates, and I tense up as we approach. Mako pulls me closer to her, and I take the opportunity to cuddle deeper into her. Shutting my eyes, I pray to anything that may be listening to let us pass through unnoticed. I keep praying until I feel the air get suddenly colder and when I open my eyes, we are in the forest that surrounds the town.

I peek around the corner of the wagon and watch the walls get smaller and smaller until we round a bend and it's gone from view.