hock. It hit the dirt floor with a soft thud. S

rs trembled. "I... I can understa

the small space, a rich and soothing sound.

al, instant linguistic download the fruit provided. Her bra

deliberate step closer. He suddenly dropped to one knee. His massive fr

incts were startled by the sudden, extreme fo

with intensity. "I found you. Under tribal l

uited. The heavy implication of the word 'firs

ely blurts out a panicked rejection. "No. Wait. Stop. In my homeland, people date for a long

c. He wanted to de-escalate the situation before

males are targets for rogue shifters. They will steal you. Cohab

ngerous and females are rare, you will take multiple mates to ensure your prote

ept of a multi-mate, polyamorous system clashed vio

hemently. "No. I firmly believe in monogamy. One true

trong protector was the ultimate blessing for a female. He could not fathom why his offer of absolute security was being met with such fierce

ominate warred violently with his sudden, overwhelming

sing frame. He gently grasped her shoulders. His large thumbs rubbed her colla

admitted, his deep voice thick with restrained emotion. "But I swear on the P

y signals to the tribe that you are off-limits to agg

es. She found absolutely no deceit or malice. S

rvival skills. She had no food. She had no shelte

ive posture drop slightly. Her tense

d her boundaries. "We are just roommates. We are getti

boyish grin of sheer relief. The ten

by the waist. He spun her around the small r

rror melted into genuine amusement at his golden-retriever en

her waist a second too long. He awkwardly cleared h

uld now take her on a proper tour of the tribe. He wante