Her clan was composed of Circuli males, and as their nestqueen, she was the clan’s center. It was a Circuli clan’s tradition to watch their nestqueen mate with her Favored and those Unfavored lucky enough to be entertained.
Everything had its time and place, and tonight’s intention was to come together as a clan and help Selena relax before tomorrow.
Odelm had suggested the group should take turns giving her a massage, and Xylo had ordered a collection of refreshments to feed her. Zirene knew how massages quickly evolved into what she called ‘heated make-out sessions’ and pleasuring her in some form.
Xylo had explained how Selena’s release gave her Circuli mates a glimpse of her ecstasy. Their mating spores told them how pleased she was—just as their bodies knew when she was about to become fertile.
Zirene always found that an interesting biological trigger and respected the boundaries it set, even if they were frustrating at times. He could never sweep her away to ravish her in a hidden grove, for her nestmates would be able to feel her pleasure, hear her loud thoughts, and locate her through their bond threads.
He may have been frustrated, but he wasn’t jealous. While she was their nestqueen, she was also his Nova, his gift from the Stars and the Fates. He could share her with them during the day because at night, she was only his.
The night’s events hadn’t turned out how he’d planned, but nothing did when his Nova was involved. Now it was up to Zirene to get the evening back on track. First, he needed to convince Selena to declare her Favored before she spiraled any further due to the distracting pollen.
“Selena,” he purred into her ear, squeezing her hips tightly to capture her attention. “You need to tell them about your decision. What are you going to do?”
“Do I have to?” she whined, wiggling in his grasp as she crossed her legs.
Zirene knew how to push her towards what she needed to do—for her own good and the clan’s well-being.
Now he understood how the Circuli males felt. His clan brothers had explained that the longer they built a courting bond, the more their bodies compelled them to get closer to their future nestqueen. Zirene was currently experiencing the same urges, but unlike them, he didn’t believe he could solve this through sex alone.
Slowly, he ran his paws under her nightgown, tracing the smooth, silky skin along the sides of her voluptuous body. She pressed her shoulder blades into his chest as she squirmed in his embrace.
“Zirene!”
“Tell them your choice, my Nova,” he demanded, tracing the soft skin under her breasts with his thumb. “Fix your clan, and we will help you.”
“If she doesn’t--”
“Hush, Xylo,” Zirene growled. “We both know that she hates to see others suffer, especially those she cares about. She needs to do this.”
“Fine, Zirene,” she whimpered, jerking in his hands, trying to tempt him into touching her breasts. “I will tell them, but please!”
“Please, what?” he teased, cupping her breasts as she wanted but refusing to touch her nipples.
She gripped his thighs, her tight hold pulling on his fur and sending sparks of pain and pleasure straight to his hardened cock. “Why can't I do this later?”
“Because you will only second-guess yourself, Selena.” He threaded her nipples between his fingers, squeezing the breasts that fed their cubs—an act that turned him on more than he had expected. “All you have to do is claim your Favored.”
She thrashed between his legs, forcing him to scoop her knees with his and spread her legs, exposing her core to the clan.
“Sometimes I—”
“You don’t want to finish that sentence, Little Nova.” Zirene flicked his tail over her lap, snaking his fanned tip along her inner thighs. “Unlike your nestmates, I am not afraid to torture you with promises of pleasure until you cave.” Leaning over, he pressed his nose to the top of her head and inhaled deeply. “Your beautiful mind can’t control me, no matter how much you wish it could.”
“If I tell them,” she moaned, a shiver passing through her. “You will help me?”
“We will help you as a clan.”
“Fine,” she gasped, relaxing in his hold. “What do I need to do to declare a Favored?”
Zirene glanced at the four males surrounding their corner on the couch, all staring intently at their nestqueen. He knew he wasn’t being fair to Selena, but if she didn’t declare her choice tonight, it would only be put off for another time. From past experiences with this female, he knew that any problem they delayed addressing only became more significant in the future.
Zirene refused to allow that to happen again. She may be upset with him in the morning, but in the end, she would understand.
He knew in his heart that his words had been valid; she would’ve felt guilty if she had known how much her nestmates suffered.
His Nova was gentle-natured until someone threatened her own. Then she acted like a fierce Aldawi female protecting her cubs. That was what he loved about her. The Fates wouldn’t have entwined their destinies if they weren’t compatible, each strength balancing the other’s weaknesses. She brought out the softness in him when the universe demanded him to be a leader—hardened, powerful, and strong.
“She needs to will it,” V’dim replied. “Usually the nestqueen entwines her appendages with her chosen nestmate as they press their foreheads together to will the connection between them, similar to the initiation of a courting bond. But Selena . . . ”
“She can kiss,” Xylo announced. “Selena was able to form all of our courting bonds through kissing; she can do the same thing to will us as Favored.”
“How are you so sure?” Odelm asked, skeptically.
“Because kissing is an emotionally invested action to her,” Xylo countered, studying his nestbrother. “It makes sense for a kiss to bind us. She was able to engage in a courting bond with the four of us without fail, why question it?”
“Because I—”
“Oh, Stars,” Selena muttered.
