106 - Newmoons (3,1k words)

╔═══ Author's note ═══╗

The Flame City females arrived a day after YaYa's pregnancy announcement. The boys didn't spread the news yet. The event with the dragon happened around four days later.

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3rd person POV

"Am I the only one, who doesn't mind that others view our spouse in a negative light?" Muir questioned the group of males after they were done delivering the dragon and returned to their manor, "It's for her own good to keep a low profile."

Bart dropped his ears, "It makes us look weak, that our female needs to stay in the shadows. Like we're not enough to protect her..." He sighed and looked away.

Vick patted his shoulder to comfort him, "It has nothing to do with our capabilities as her males. It's one thing to control the opinions of the masses, but it's another entirely to influence a select few. Targeting individuals is where the real chaos lies, and that is exactly what we are going for. They are the ones that we want to pay for trying to mess with our family."

Muir nodded in agreement, "I want the Tiger Queen to pay for looking down on our spouse, for thinking she could barge into our lives and change things to fit her preferences. I don't care how much time and energy I have to spend achieving this."

Bart shuddered at the male, who smiled sweetly at the mentioned female just a while ago, "Muir...your determination gives me chills. She barely did anything bad..."

"She doesn't deserve the 'best friend' title," Muir responded coldly, his eyes glinting with malice, "She only cares about her males and her kingdom. She's never even come close to helping her best friend, even once. Her words may sway others, but we all know that they sound empty and meaningless for Yaya. How could she not know that? Who was she trying to impress? Did she try to make herself look better in our eyes?"

Vick smirked, wrapping his other hand around Muir's shoulder, "That's how Precious rolls...she has a high tolerance for bad behavior, because well, she's no better. She won't cut Nivi out of her life just because the later was hungry for some dicks. It's on Nivi to cut her out, and I see no problem with giving it a tiny little nudge."

"You actually agree with Muir?" Bart pressed his tensed brows together, "Aren't you afraid of our Dearest finding it out? Won't she be angry?"

Vick and Muir shared a look before the former answered, "What are you talking about? We just admire the Tiger Queen like everyone else. She has a big heart, and her personality is amazing. She treats us with so much respect and kindness, one would almost mistake it for seduction."

Bart choked at the reply, taking mental notes from the more experienced tricksters, "O-Oh...yes. She's so nice and caring, I almost thought she was flirting with you."

Mitchell burst out in a fit of laughter, "I can already picture her males' words: You are not worthy. She's above you...bla bla bla...you are lucky if she decides to glance your way. She doesn't need to seduce anyone...bla bla bla. It's you, who should fall on your knees and worship her...Bla bla bla."

Muir chuckled, "She has such a pure heart. How dare you think badly of her?"

Bart clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he almost cried, "Haha! You guys are really something. Hahaha! Wait, let me wake up Curtis and ask for his opinion. Oh my god, I can't wait."

It was good they lived close to the loud waterfall because if someone heard them badmouthing the Tiger Queen, her whole kingdom would storm at them.

Curtis, who was fast asleep in their bedroom, was gently awakened by Bart, and was forced to join the conversation upstairs. He couldn't catch up with their mood, and just agreed with their schemes, "She made me train courting skills by practicing on her. It was weird offering my shed skin to another female before Sweetheart, but it was the only way to gain her attention besides death threats."

"No way, really?!" Bart exclaimed.

Curtis nodded, gaining pity from everyone present. Sweetheart changed completely the moment she no longer viewed him as a threat, and it was pretty frustrating. Her curiosity was gone, her attention shifted elsewhere, and the spark that ignited their first meeting had died down. The moment Nivi woke up, she pushed him at her friend like a gift with a proud grin on her face.

"You poor soul..." Bart piggybacked Curtis back to the bedroom, and tucked him in. "You should sleep now. I'll wake you up if something interesting happens."

"Okay." Curtis mumbled and fell asleep again. He just returned from a day long trip with Yaya and was exhausted. Skaris washed him up and put him to bed the moment he arrived while Bart fed him, which left him full and warm.

Those two were the most attentive beastmen Curtis ever met, and didn't mind being woken up from time to time.

"But still, damn those lucky males of hers," Mitchell continued to pour out his grievances, "I wish ours spent more time with us and showed some interest in helping us rule our territories too. Imagine having her sit on our laps while we torture and kill the people, who displeased us. Ah, what I would do to make that happen."

Mitchell couldn't kick out all the rootless at once at the beginning. There were some disputes between him and the supreme ranks, who gained their title through countless wins in the combat pit.

The scorpion tribes had no chance against so many four-striped males. The supreme ranks had their territories, and there would be an uprising if he tried to forcefully remove them from the picture.

So whenever he wanted to visit his foul female, he had to take along all the females from the Flame City for safety reasons. His pride didn't allow him to be the only one asking the boys for help, so it was a struggle to manage his own territory at first.

It was actually Bart, who went out of his way to help him. Those things hated females more than anything else, right after the regular beastmen. They would rather die than let them take advantage of them again.

Bart knew it, and started to refer to them as newmoons, not rootless, not inferior, not the leftovers. Just newmoons. Newmoons, who didn't need a spousal bond with a female to live a full life.

The majority were too damaged to care about his proposal, but it didn't stop him from trying. Their female was gone most of the time, so they had to find a way to occupy themselves until she returned.

Whenever Bart visited him with the cubs, those little ones would go all crazy, not giving a damn about who the other party was.

It was one of the most bizarre sights one could ever witness. The cubs would rub against every leg in the vicinity, demanding to be played with and petted.

Those clueless fluff of balls made it possible for the rootless to experience affection, and remember the times when they were just cubs and didn't have to worry about finding their mates.

Then, Bart did another crazy thing. He began to "adopt" them, which made Mitchell want to strangle him. He had no interest in being a parent to a grown-ass rootless.

Imagine Bart stroking a four-stripped, battle scarred, rootless lion, telling him that he was a good boy.

Mitchell almost died of secondhand embarrassment. What King would ever act like that?!

But it worked.

It worked like a charm.

They followed Bart to the new territory, leaving the Flame City for good, and the Scorpion King finally had a little peace and quiet.

Apparently, their foul female adopted an orphaned adult cub back in Beast City. They played pretend house together, and Bart took inspiration from it. He used his experience as a rootless to make the males feel needed.

The most behaved newmoons were sent to help Skaris with the household chores, like dusting, mopping, cooking, and cleaning. They could earn some pocket money, and if lucky, they might even get a chance to meet Madam!

The madam of the house didn't talk to newmoons much, but she provoked them on purpose whenever she returned from her trips. For example, she shot them with her slingshot, threw sticks and snacks for them to fetch, or pulled their tails when they weren't looking. She was such a bully! It was as if tormenting the newmoons brought her a twisted sense of joy, turning their startled faces into even more comical expressions.

The newmoons would then run to Bart to call out her harassment, and Bart would then give her a lecture. Sometimes, she would listen, sometimes she would pretend not to hear, and other times, she would…

"What are you going to do? Punish me?" she would ask, provocatively throwing her slingshot in the air.

Then, Bart would drag her off to a place where nobody could see them and give her a private lecture. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make the newmoons happy. There was someone who cared enough about their well-being to stick up for them.

Some of the newmoons had tortured females to death before, and the boys fully expected Yaya to come for their heads. But she didn't.

"As long as the cubs are safe with them," she would say, "I'll let it slide."

She would always go so crazy about this issue, though. Yes, she would. She would lose control with those reckless enough to do the same. If you can't control where you stick your dick, then she can't control where she stick her machetes either. Simple.

"Besides, a predator shows mercy only when it's not hungry. They haven't ignited my hunger─at least, not yet. Thanks to my boys, I'm as full and satisfied as a gluttonous pig."

As she should be! There were many females just across the mountains, and it was enticing enough for some rootless to try to get their hands on a female before their deaths. They had no idea the owners would turn them into one of the main attractions, where the female guests could enjoy putting them in their places.

The Cloud Nine's only concern was that the guests had a good time and felt safe and comfortable in their resort. The ferals and rootless could meet the guests, but the second you threatened Cloud Nine's reputation─not the guests themselves, mind you, just its reputation─you'd be begging for death. At least, that's how the rumors went.

The guests, who called out Bart today for being unfaithful, was a sign they were comfortable enough to say it directly to his face, before all the owners and the Tiger Queen. The most the owners would do would be charge them extra for their behavior. Those who couldn't afford it would be forced to work their ass off.

Mitchell would already be at their throats if they did it as outsiders and not as guests, roasting the living daylight out of them.

It was truly a VIP experience one could never have outside of Cloud Nine. Not just anyone could re-create the same feeling, and that's why the visit was worth every crystal.

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Meanwhile…

The Lord Sinclair's office was an example of luxury and power, a space unmistakably reserved for someone of great importance and influence.

The floor was adorned with an opulent, deep red carpet that seemed to soften each step, while rich wooden panels lined the walls.

At the center of the room stood a grand, handcrafted wooden desk. Screens encircled the desk, displaying news feeds, market trends, and data analytics.

The leather chair, where the Lord usually sat, was occupied by a different individual today.

The office was completely empty, with no one around to witness her beauty.

A plain shirt that belonged to the Lord draped over her shoulders, and her bare legs were casually propped up on the table.

Her fingers gestured and swiped at the air, scrolling through a plethora of information on one screen while the other showed the situation on her boys' side.

Her eyes were fixed on the latter, and a smile crept across her face, her gaze flickering in amusement, "My, my, aren't you having fun today?"

The microphone was on, so the males on the other end of the line jumped a little, startled when a melodious voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oh my god, Karrak! Don't tell me you were recording us this whole time," Bart exclaimed, picking up the phone on the table to berate it.

"I was," Karrak responded, causing the boys to tense, "but not for Yaya's entertainment... only mine," he finished, making them sigh in relief.

"..." The woman behind the screen flicked the phone over as if it could soothe the need to flick the real thing.

Mitchell squeezed in, pressing his cheek against Bart's, trying to get a glimpse of the screen, "Hello, Darling, are you missing me already?"

"Very."

"..." Mitchell's mouth hung open, unable to think of anything clever to say, his heart shortcircuiting in his brain's stead.

Vick took the chance to get a few words in, "How about me, Precious? Are you thinking about me, too?"

"Nope."

"It's okay if you are too embarrassed to admit it. Your body will tell me the truth, soon enough," Vick bit his lower lip, a lecherous smile playing on his lips, "Just say the word, and I'll be right there, ravishing every inch of you."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid, your horny ass. Don't make me wet, I just washed."

The males chuckled, but their hearts ached a little, wishing she was near, and not far away.

"Where's Romeo? Isn't he supposed to be with you, too?" Muir asked.

"He went to pick up my new pet," she replied, "I don't want to attend a boring party without some entertainment. A new pet can spice things up a bit while Romeo is busy with pretentious assholes, trying to kiss his feet."

"What kind of pet is it?"

She flicked the phone again, not bothering to turn on the camera, expecting Karrak, who controlled it, to show it to her boys, "Take a wild guess."

The office door opened, revealing a tall man in an elegant, tailored suit ─ Lord Lucius Lark Sinclair had finally arrived.

He walked in, a large cage on wheels following behind, covered by a thick layer of black fabric.

"If I knew you liked such exotic things, I would've gotten you a few a long time ago," he said with a playful smile.

"New preferences, Romeo. Like you said, 'You're never too old to change your mind'," Yaya said and stood up.

The shirt she was wearing barely covered her underwear. The males couldn't pull away from the screen, their eyes following her every movement.

Her hand reached toward the leash on the table and wrapped it around her wrist, making them gulp.

The cage rattled violently as she approached. The animal inside had an inkling of what was about to happen, and began to hiss and claw at the bars, desperately trying to escape.

Yaya smiled and tugged on the cloth, exposing a pair of eyes staring back at her.

"What's wrong, kitty? Aren't you happy to see your new mistress?" she asked, leaning closer, her fingers sliding across the steel bars, "Don't worry. As long as you behave, I won't hurt you...much."

The male's eyes widened in disbelief, and the person inside the cage reacted similarly.

"Rosa?" Bart mouthed quietly.

The purple-haired female inside the cage didn't recognize the face before her, but that voice was familiar. Her tongue was gone, and her voice could no longer form words. The only sounds she could produce were animalistic hisses.

Yaya smiled, her hand reaching through the bars, attaching a leash to Rosa's collar, "Now, now, there's no need for that. Be a good kitty, and we will have a lot of fun."

She pulled the leash, leading Rosa away from the cage.

"You are not wearing the outfit I sent you," Romeo said, walking toward the couch and picking up the military uniform she was supposed to wear. "Do you have trouble with it?"

"Too busy to bother," she said, pulling Rosa along, "Let's go, kitty. We are going to a party. You need to look presentable."

Rosa stared at her in fear and anger, trying to pull away.

Yaya grabbed her neck and pressed her against the couch.

Romeo quickly saved the outfit, before she could mess it up.

Rosa shook her head, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. The intimidating beauty didn't have any mercy for her, and kept pushing her further and further down the couch.

Her fingers continued to slide down Rosa's neck, causing her body to quiver, her breaths growing more ragged.

"I told you, didn't I?" Yaya leaned in, her lips grazing her ear, "If you misbehave, I will hurt you."

Rosa shivered, her legs trembling. She stayed lying on the couch, long after Yaya got up. She could only watch how the other female began to undress, and her eyes grew wider the moment she saw her naked body.

One spousal imprint after another decorated her skin, from the snake on her tongue, to the wing on her back, the wolf on the arm, the gold trinket on her belly...

"Bart's spousal imprint," Yaya began as she accepted the pants from Romeo and started putting them on, "Will you give it to me? Or will I have to take it from you?"

Rosa screamed silently, attacking Yaya violently in an attempt to destroy her beauty, but the other female was faster. Her feet stomped down, pinning her back on the couch.

Rosa gasped for breath, her eyes widening when she saw the scorpion imprint on Yaya's heel.

There's no way it's her...

There's no way...

Rosa tried to shake her head, denying the truth that stared her in the face, but it was pointless.

It was real.

The woman standing over her was none other than Cloud Nine's Madam.

╔═══ Author's note ═══╗

The room is getting hot, and it's not because of hot men.  🥵

Yaya is going to heat things up by herself it seems. 🥶🔥

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