Chapter 14 Mate Markings

I do not own the copyrights to this some but as I wrote this chapter I couldn't help but listen to this song over and over. This song is what gave me the inspiration for this chapter.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/mzip2e_Z0YQ

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https://music.apple.com/us/album/stargazing-feat-amelie-single/1315068785

Word was spreading like wildfire throughout the city of Kosea. The scent of a female in heat was inhaled by every single male. The city messenger came running through the streets shouting as he went,

"your future Queen has arrived! Prepare for the mating ceremony! We will be holding a festival for the week! Close up shops no more work!"

Much to the delight of the entire city, murmurs and rumblings spread and shops closed up. The citizens of Kosea began the preparations. Flags flew high banners waved from every corner. The Kosea flag was a deep royal blue and engraved with silver there was a picture of a crescent moon encircled by a ring with five stars surrounding the moon. Everywhere you looked was a sea of blue and silver fluttering in the wind. But if you looked closer there was one citizen in particular who stood out among the rest in all the hustle and bustle of the preparations.

He had short curly white hair and deep blue eyes that resembled the King's in more ways than one stared out over the crowd trying to catch a glimpse of the new Queen. She was hidden from view in the King's arms. He jumped up and down trying to see over the towering crown, after a moment the boy saw a small head pop out peering around with fear in her eyes. Feelings began to stir in the young male as she locked eyes with him for just a moment before turning to stare at her King with love in her eyes begging for his protection and disappeared in the King's robes again.

He suddenly had a strong desire build in his heart wanting to protect this young female who looked so scared. She looked to be close to his age maybe a couple years younger. He only saw her from a distance but from what he could see, she was the most beautiful Queen in all of Kosea. No one had eyes like hers that felt like they can stare into your soul from the brief moment their eyes connected.

They burned with desire, love, and passion as he saw her staring at the King. One day he wished she would stare at him that way. Why did the King have to find her first? Why did he have to be poor? Why couldn't he have been born a King. Jealousy rose in his heart as he envied the King's position in life. After the King had departed from the crowd taking the Queen with him, the male ran as fast as he could back home to tell his twin sister and his best friend the news.

He ran with all his might, running down a flight of stairs and through some stalls that were being set up for the festival. He passed many shops before rounding a corner to get to the Anti G-Force Free Falling elevator that would take him down to the lower levels of Kosea. Stepping into the light he free fell for about thirty seconds before seeing the number three to his floor appear, sticking out his hand to indicate he wanted off, the elevator stopped and the boy landed with a thud on his feet and ran out.

He ran a couple blocks before he saw his house and blew right through the front door in a rush, to see his best friend and twin sister jabbering away in the kitchen about the festival.

"Hey Seelaes! Lukux and I were just talking about the mating ceremony. The messenger came through town telling us we don't have to work this week. That means there won't be any school either. Lukux and I were discussing what vendors we wanted to visit and the things we wanted to buy at the festival after the ceremony," Seiphe (Sophie) gushed as she droned on about all the clothing trinket and shoe stalls.

"Don't forget the food!" Lukux piped up drooling at the mouth. "Where there is a festival there is always something good to eat. Cakes, meat pies, tentacle kebabs. Hmm I can't wait to dig in." Lukux hummed, the drool turning into a waterfall on his chin.

"Your always hungry!" Seelaes and Seiphe piped up in unison, turning to each other they rolled over with laugher.

"Twins!" Lukux grumbled shaking his head acknowledging the two siblings with a smirk hidden behind his smile. Seelaes chimed in after a minute,

"I got to see the new Queen not too long ago. She was the most beautiful female I have ever seen. She was so small that the king can carry her under his robes without her being seen. Her eyes are different from ours though. She has eyes like emeralds and it looked like someone poured gold into her eyes. She also has golden brown curls. She doesn't look anything like us. Her looks were so hypnotic and alluring. I didn't sense any magic aura coming from her though."

"It's a little heartbreaking that the little one can't do magic. I wonder how she will get by in life without magic. Here in Kosea it would make it almost impossible to live. She's so young too. I couldn't tell from where I was standing in the crowd but she looks to be a couple years younger than me. I also didn't smell an estrous cycle on her. Why would the King bring back a female who was so young?"

"Wait what???? I can't believe you got to see the Queen and you didn't think to call us so we could

see too!!!" Lukux whined.

"I didn't have time to get you, she was only there for two minutes before the King rushed her off to the castle. I could sense the little female had been injured, I could smell blood coming from her arm," Seelaes murmured feeling pity for the young female.

"I wonder if the King rescued her from a group of rogue males, maybe that's why she was injured," Seiphe said frowning."

The poor child, no estrous, injured, and scared. I'm glad she is with the King, if anyone is to take good care of her, it's the King. Maybe she can melt his cold dead heart,"

she giggled recalling the memory of how the King had turned her mating offer down."

"One day I want to earn the rank as friend of the Queen so I can finally have a friend close to my own age. Heaven knows there aren't many females my age that I can play with and go shopping with. I hope she's nicer than the other females here in Kosea. They could care less about anyone else but themselves,"

Seiphe huffed remembering how she was chased out of the female's meeting for not being born from royalty. As a female she can't be disrespected by any males but as for females and their fights a male can't get in between. But Seiphe was still treated with the utmost respect by everyone in the neighborhood since she was the only female on the lower level of Kosea.

"Boring, the friendship rank doesn't pay as much as the rank of protector. I want to be able to use my strength to protect the female. I may not be smart like Seelaes but I can at least put my strength to good use and make sure no harm comes to her, I feel bad knowing that the little one was injured. I tire of shoveling coal day in and day out though, I just want to gain a title and a new rank. It sucks living in the lower level of Kosea,"

Lukux sniffled flexing his muscles showing off his strength. "What about you Seelaes? What rank do you wish you could have with the Queen if you ever had the chance.

Seelaes knew which rank he wanted but he knew without a certain of a doubt that he would never be able to obtain it. He secretly wanted the rank of lover to the Queen. He wanted to earn the love of the Queen and to be a part of her harem a place the King can never go. He wanted the Queen to look into his eyes the same way she looked into the King's eyes. He wanted a mate. He was now seventeen million years old and he was dying to get a mate of his own. Unfortunately his dreams will never come true.

Only royals can get anywhere near the Queen and her harem. Females loved power and money. They only married the Kings so they can have the most protection and to never have to work in their life. Seelaes looked up and with uncertainty in his voice he replied lying to his best friend and sister,

"I want to protect the Queen." He wasn't wrong he wanted to protect her with his life but there was something he desperately wanted more than anything else, he wanted her love.

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"Chelsey, you told me female humans don't go through estrous! But this is estrous!"

He said pointing to the blood dripping down my legs confused as to why I had said we don't go through estrous. Was she never taught about estrous? I stopped struggling in his arms.

"I don't know what estrous is, we don't call it that on Earth, we call this a menstrual cycle or a period."

Oh that would explain it, humans didn't call it estrous. No wonder she was so confused. Asacarmenthus and Helios took a mental note of what she called estrous. I began to struggle again feeling more blood dripping,

"you shouldn't struggle, it could cause cramping! Your Highness bring her over here and lay her down, she needs to rest so she doesn't expend too much energy."

Helios nodded, scooping up the child and bringing her over to the bed.

"Knock, knock, Sire we have a problem, male's are lining up outside demanding to see the female, something has them all in a frenzy!"

"You may enter," Helios said grinning even wider.

Oh my gosh who else was going to come in and see me bleeding down my legs?! This was so embarrassing. I dug my nails into Helios's wrists which were holding mine in place. Ihloi entered, and came to stand next to the King.

"Ihloi you aren't going to believe this but, Chelsey just started her estrous. We can finally proceed with the mating ceremony!"

Ihloi gasped, so this was the cause of the male frenzy outside! He couldn't smell the child's estrous having been nose blind for millions of years after serving near the King's mother and having to smell her estrous cycle every year for over one hundred million years. My jaw dropped, how could Helios just be so casually blatant about my period?!

"Let me go, I need to take a bath! I'm so gross, this is so embarrassing!" I whined struggling under Helios's arms again. Helios was confused,

"females don't take baths during estrous, it could give them severe cramps and make them ill."

I was bewildered, "am I supposed to go a week without bathing?!"

Helios chuckled, "don't worry my little one, I will massage your tummy, and then I will clean you up afterwards. I'll use cloths dipped in moonflower water and wipe you clean. This will limit the number of cramps you'll have to suffer with."

This was too much there was no way I was going to let a gorgeous male like Helios wipe blood from between my legs for an entire week. I pushed against his chest trying to slip out from under his arm, tears of embarrassment slipping down my cheeks.

"Chelsey, why are you crying," Helios asked wiping my tears,do you hurt anywhere?" I shook my head no lips trembling. Helios sighed not understanding why she was still crying.

"You have matured into a beautiful young woman, we can finally become mates now."

I shook my head, "I'm all gross, I need to take a bath," I repeated quietly.

Helios caressed, my cheek, "Chelsey," he whispered before leaning forward and brushing his lips against mine. I froze under his lips, this was the first time he's kissed me on my lips since we left earth, minus when I initiated a kiss earlier.

I stopped fighting to get away, melting under his lips. I lost all control of my senses, my mind going blank, and my eyes fogging over. Asacarmenthus and Ihloi stared in rapture. A simple little kiss from the King and the child stopped fighting. It was like she was under a spell by his kiss. She fell completely obedient. They had never seen a behavior like this in a female before. It was intriguing to see a completely obedient female. It made their hearts swoon wanting to fawn all over this female. It was absolutely beautiful and adorable to watch her sit perfectly still under his kiss.

"Chelsey your estrous is not gross," he said grabbing one of my thighs in his hands, I tried to pull my thigh away but he held firm with an iron grip.

"The scent of your estrous is the most beautiful scent in all of Kosea." No female's estrous can compare to the scent of yours, it is absolutely intoxicating," he leaned down and started kissing up my thigh.

I covered my mouth biting my fist to muffle the sounds escaping my lips. Helios's kisses trailed up in between my thighs, my blood that was dripping down my legs smeared across his lips and cheek. I was completely horrified, my period blood was smeared all over his face and he was enjoying every bit of it! His lips left my thighs and settled to just below my navel causing my hips to raise off the bed to meet his face. Oh god if I let him continue to kiss me like this he probably wouldn't hesitate to lick the blood from my snatch.

I whimpered under the assault of his kisses. I'm laying here blood dripping down my legs, completely naked with one hot male kissing me and two others staring at us engaged in this perverse act with lust on their faces, almost like they wanted to join in.

This was so humiliating. Asacarmenthus was the first to snap out of it, seeing her trembling under the King he came over and put his hand on his shoulders,

"you shouldn't push her so soon, she doesn't feel comfortable with this yet. Helios kissed her navel one last time before reluctantly pulling away.

"Ah hem," Ihloi couched, "need I remind you again that you two aren't mates yet. You must refrain from such acts until you two have become mates."

Asacarmenthus's eyes narrowed when he heard the word again, has the King kissed this female before? He growled turning on his best friend,

"how dare you, you bastard, how could you sully a female before she has even reached estrous? How would you plead if she had changed her mind after starting her estrous cycle and wanted to mate with someone else? How would you take responsibility for her then?" He bent down next to the female still tucked under the King's arm.

"Don't worry little one, if you change your mind and want to mate with me I'll take full responsibility for my stupid friend."

I didn't know what to say to this, here I was naked laying under one male and another one was already wanting me to date me too?! What was this the alpha and the beta fighting over the female in heat? If I wasn't in such a compromising position I would have actually found this quit funny. It was amusing seeing Helios's scrunched up expression at being called stupid friend. It was funny how Asacarmenthus was the only one who can tease Helios like this.

"I only want Helios," I whispered clutching his robes.

"See and there you have it, my Queen has spoken!

Ihloi make preparations for the mating ceremony to take place tonight, I can't wait another moment longer to become one with my mate," he said smiling eyes full of love as he teased his nose against her nose, admiring the beautiful, pale, and delicate female trembling under his arms.

"Shh it's ok Chelsey, I will clean you up," he whispered.

Asacarmenthus brought over a basin filled with warm moonflower water and some cloths. Helios took a cloth and dipped it in the water and rung it out. He brought it over and brushed it gently between my thighs. I yelped in surprise, I was not ready for this kind of treatment, my face flushed three shades of red, my body temperature rising to a boiling point. I held out my hand for the cloth,

"please let me do it, I can clean myself up. You shouldn't have to do this." Helios pulled the cloth back out of my reach.

"No I'll do it, you should never have to sully your beautiful hands with this kind of stuff. I'll wash you up, lay back, and rest. You'll need to conserve your energy for tonight."

Feeling defeated, I whimpered quietly as Helios wiped my thighs and in between my legs, I whimpered the whole time trembling under his gentle touch. When he was finished he grabbed another cloth and wiped his face. I sighed in relief, not having to stare at my blood on his face anymore.

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"Can we go with you guys to the mating ceremony," Seiphe cried. "I want to go, Seelaes told me the Queen looked younger than him. How come she gets to go. I've already gotten my estrous cycle, why can't I go?" Seiphe continued clutching onto her parents tunics as they dragged her behind them.

Elnath, Seiphe and Seelaes's mother responded, "you kids are too young to attend. When you are eighteen million years old you will be able to attend. Until then you have to stay here until the mating ceremony is over. When we return we will continue with the festivities. Look after the house while we are gone."

With that Seiphe and Seelaes's parents left heading to the mating ceremony.

"Grr it's not fair they get to go. I want to see the Queen too. What's so special that we have to wait until we are older to go?" Seiphe huffed stamping her foot in frustration. She turned and stormed off to her room to wait for her parents to return.

Seelaes on the other hand had other plans. When his sister was out of earshot he headed out the door. He was going to attend the mating ceremony if it was the last thing he did. Sticking to the shadows so he wouldn't get caught by the adults he dashed toward the castle so as not to miss the ceremony. He went to the cliff with the upside down pyramid building hanging from it and using the last of his magic energy for the day, he flew to the top floor which was actually the lower level since it was upside down and grabbed a spot at the railing. Looking down he was almost directly above the platform where the mating ceremony would take place.

He waited there all afternoon not wanting to give up the perfect spot to see the Queen. Shortly after dusk, he saw the King carry the tiny female to the dome glass enclave on the stage. He glanced over just in time to see the King laying the child down on the bed that was there. He clenched his fists jealousy burning in his groins just as the mating ceremony began. He held his breath watching the King toss off his robes showing his full glory and the pride of this city his two fully erect members that would make any male envious with jealousy.

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Even though my Queen isn't at her full strength I can't wait another moment longer to be able to break through her barrier so I can help protect her. I need to know her thoughts, her dreams and to be able to hear her heart, this will enable me to know where she is at, at all times. So long as she's in Kosea she will never get lost because of the connection they will have after mating. If his Queen is hurt or sick he will be able to sense the fluctuations in her health and know exactly when to take care of her. This connection after her barrier is broken will come in handy when taking care of a female.

Ihloi came sprinting up to the King excited to finally converse with the female child. She had been asleep for the entire journey out of the Sol System and has only been awake for a week. He took care of her a few times but for some unknown reason has stopped talking to him. He was curious to know more about the child. He got down on one knee bowing his head as he spoke,

"my future Queen, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to converse with you at last. I look forward to serving and protecting you with my life, my name is Ihloi and I am at your service. We met in passing about a year ago but due to the unfortunate circumstances we weren't able to converse much, I deeply and humbly apologize for the rough and extremely dangerous journey you had to take to get here. Let us hope you never have to experience that again. I am glad to see that you have healed up nicely all thanks to my recommendation of having Asacarmenthus become your attending physician."

Ihloi stood up and approached the Queen hidden in the King's robes wanting to get a closer look. He held his hand out toward me, I whimpered and turned my head into Helios's chest afraid of Ihloi. I had met my quota of meeting new people today. I wasn't used to all the attention of having everyone stared at me, it was making me nauseous and I was starting to feel really hungry for the first time in ages. I wasn't about ready for someone else to see me naked either. Helios held up his hand halting Ihloi.

"Take it slow she seems to frighten easily. I don't want you to spook her." Helios murmured as he caressed my back trying to calm me.

His face fell disappointed, "That's ok take your time my Queen. I don't want to push you. You've been through a lot. It must be all too new and overwhelming for you. I was just mostly curious about your magic level. Helios tells me that twice you were able to throw off his invisibility spell. If I can just approach you maybe I can sense if we will be able to teach you, magic just like the other females of Kosea."

I stared blinking at Ihloi for a few moments before my curiosity got the best of me and I piped up, "will I be able to fly like Helios? Or have super strength, can I learn to fly through walls?"

Ihloi and Helios chuckled at my questions, before Ihloi responded, "goodness no, females can't perform that type of magic. They can only do simple spells that help them with everyday life, like for instance in the bathhouses, grooming, and transportation."

"That stinks I want to do something cool like being able to fly," I whined as I looked up to Helios. "I want to fly up to the stars to get a closer look, I want to be able to catch one."

With laughter in his eyes, Helios replied, "Don't worry my Queen. I promise to be the first to take you to see the stars," he said planting a kiss on my forehead.

I was burning with a million questions but I wasn't sure where to begin or how to ask. So I blurted out the first question that came to my mind, what the heck was a mating ceremony and why did Helios keep mentioning it,

"what is a mating ceremony? I keep hearing everyone talk about it. What is going to happen tonight?"

I honestly didn't know the answer. Helios's face blushed, his Queen had asked one of the most obvious questions in the room that everyone in Kosea since birth would know about. Seeing the awkwardness in the room Ihloi spoke up first.

"The mating ceremony will take place tonight between you and Helios. The entire city of Kosea will be there. You two will become one, when Helios breaks through your barrier. In doing so this will enable the King to protect you better. At the mating ceremony you will also receive your mate markings."

"Every female who has participated in the mating ceremony will receive a beautiful design on their body to signify their bond with their mate. The more markings a female has the closer she is with her mate. After the ceremony there will be a week long festival in the city where their will be food, parties, and vendors of all kinds joining in on the event. There will also be fireworks and a parade held in your honor."

My eyes lit up at the thought of a parade and a festival, I was never aloud to go to the fair when it came to town. And I have always wanted to see a parade! I wasn't sure what mate markings were but I was curious to find out what mine would look like at the ceremony. Maybe it was similar to face painting at the fairs held back on Earth? My cousin would come home with a beautifully painted face and she would scream at me to do her chores so she wouldn't sweat off her face paint. I really wanted to have my face painted like hers. And just think Ihloi said that Helios and I would be bound together forevermore well. I really liked the sound of that.

Does this mean that he will never leave me like everyone else in my life? Will I finally have a place I belong? My heart was slowly warming up to Helios. I turned toward Helios and wrapped my arms around his neck holding him close and whispering under my breath,

"the mating ceremony sounds like fun. I can't wait for tonight, I smiled up at him sweetly.

Helios breathed a sigh of relief. Ihloi had given a much better description of the mating ceremony than he could ever have thought up on the spot and he was relieved Ihloi had skipped over the most awkward parts. He was glad his Queen was excited about tonight. He hoped he didn't mess it up and she didn't feel too much pain. He didn't want to hurt her when he broke through her barrier.

His heart pained at the thought and he almost backed out because his Queen was still recovering from her injuries. He wanted her to be at one hundred percent health before continuing. But he just couldn't wait to become her mate. Hearing a clock chime eight times he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Standing up with his Queen in his arms he bellowed,

"let the mating ceremony commence."

I wailed, stopping Helios,

"Wait! What about my period?! I'm still bleeding! I still need some clothes to wear!"

I can't believe I had almost completely forgotten that I had started my first monthly cycle in the heat of the excitement of going to my first festival. I felt more blood dripping between my thighs, it probably had already stained Helios's beautiful white cloak by now. I covered my face, I was so ashamed of myself, how could I start my cycle now while a handsome man was holding me? Ugh, I wish a hole would just open up and swallow me whole. Helios seeing her in distress nuzzled her face with his,

"don't be embarrassed Chelsey, starting estrous is normal for females. Males here don't see any shame in bleeding, in fact the smell alone will drive any male wild with lust. If I wasn't here with you, there would be thousands of males descending on this castle wishing to become your mate. The smell of your estrous is quite delectable, it makes me weak and intoxicated by your beauty."

I gasped, he could smell my period!!! I buried my face in his chest, I couldn't look him in the eyes, this was just downright humiliating. Helios sighed, taking my chin in his hand he turned my face up toward him.

"Does starting your estrous cause you that much anguish? Is it hard for you to believe that an estrous here in Kosea is considered a rite of passage and is a beautiful initiation of you maturing into a beautiful young woman? Males here praise the day a female reaches estrous."

I was becoming dazed from Helios nuzzling his face against mine, my thoughts becoming incoherent, while my face heated up.

"Males on...on earth see a period as a disgusting thing. They laugh and make fun of...of us girls when we start our periods. Guys will call it shark week and avoid us calling us mean moody bitches, they won't come anywhere near us when we start our periods." Every male in the room growled,

"well those males won't know a beautiful thing if it slapped them in the face. It's rare for a female to start estrous here so we celebrate it to the fullest. Even if you were to get moody, I will make sure that your every need and desire is taken care of," Helios growled through his teeth.

"If you need me to massage your tummy for a week straight I will, or if you need more food for energy, I will hunt down any craving you have no matter the time of day. Estrous's are not to be taken lightly here." Asacarmenthus nodded,

"the King is right, Kosea has a total of only twelve females now including you. So when a female reaches estrous every male will gladly entertain the females to help them get through their cycles. They will wait on you hand and foot to get into your good graces even if you decided to throw something at them in one of your mood swings. Females here in Kosea are very demanding when on estrous, they will refuse to become mates with the males if they don't do as they say. They make promises and then break them if a male doesn't do as she wishes, so every male is compelled to obey the wishes of every female even if it kills them."

I looked over at Ihloi, even he who seemed more like a grandfatherly figure nodded in agreement. There were only twelve girls including me!!! "Ho...how many males are here in Kosea?" I stuttered, remembering how vast the city of Kosea looked from when we had first arrived.

"Probably close to nine hundred thousand males," Ihloi piped up with his voice full of sorrow.

WOW my mouth formed each syllable separately. No wonder females were considered precious, there were only twelve girls to one nine hundred thousand guys?!! The ratio difference in genders was so staggering. The treatment here was so unfair, no wonder females acted like spoiled brats, how could males here be so much more faithful and caring than the males on Earth?

Did females here really treat the men here so disrespectfully? I shook my head, these males didn't deserve the love of the females here, how rude would it be to promise to date a guy and then turn them down if they didn't find the right food they wanted.

The males here probably spent their entire lives trying to find a date only to be turned down for someone better. My stomach churned, it sickened me to think that someone could be that shallow. But then again here I was kicking up a fuss about my period when this handsome King was treating me like a princess, not even bothered by my blood on his cloak. He wanted to pamper me and even massage my tummy when I got cramps.

My brows furrowed lost deep in thought. Helios took his thumb and traced the lines forming on my forehead,

"what are you thinking about, he asked full of curiosity.

"I...I was thinking about how unfair life is as a male. You guys must have it so hard."

Helios chuckled, "I wouldn't change my life for the world, I have you now, and I will die protecting you with my life. You mean more to me than ever wishing to trade my life with a female. I want to pamper you and spoil you until you are sick of me."

I smiled shyly ashamed of how I was behaving earlier. Ever since leaving Earth my life was completely different from what I was used to. I was used to getting shunned, abandoned, beaten and ill treated. Helios rescued me from my life of misery and brought me back to be pampered and spoiled. I really did feel like I was taking advantage of his love. I haven't even asked to date him yet and here he was treating me better than a wife.

"I...I am sorry for the way I acted earlier, I...I'm not used to being treated with such kindness."

"There is no need for a female to apologize, you did nothing wrong," Helios breathed running his fingers through her hair.

This child in his arms was so beautiful when she apologized to him. It was the first time a female had ever apologized to a male. It made his heart flutter at how kind her heart was. Still avoiding Helios's gaze I muttered quietly,

"can I wash again up before we go, I feel too sticky, I want to make myself a little cleaner.

Helios chuckled again, of course my love," he said kissing my forehead.

Asacarmenthus brought over the basin of moonflower water and a couple of cloths. Helios set me down on my feet and took a cloth and gently wiped between my thighs. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep myself from moaning at his touch. It was foreign to me but at the same time I enjoyed how he was pampering me. Blood rushed through my veins as I sucked in a breath and held it while Helios made sure to clean every last drop. Seeing her expression Helios shook his head grinning,

"breath Chelsey, I am only cleaning you up," he whispered in her ear.

He had no idea the affect he had on her with just this simple task of cleaning her up. I sucked in a breath feeling light headed from not breathing. I staggered a little almost fainting. Helios caught me in his arms and ruffled her hair with worry in his eyes, if cleaning her made her feel this dizzy and her heart to palpitate, just wait for the mating ceremony, she might actually pass out on him. He tossed the used cloth to Asacarmenthus and scooped up her up in his arms.

"Well are you ready for the mating ceremony to begin," he asked eyes sparking with excitement.

I nodded weakly, my body felt numb where his hands were touching me. I didn't dare speak afraid my voice would crack and give me away. With Ihloi trailing behind us, Helios carried me outside of the castle and to the main plaza. Males from all different directions were swarming toward us. I was excited, I couldn't wait to attend my first festival. The excitement from the crowd was nostalgic, I could feel the air charged with energy. I sat in Helios's arms wondering what we were going to do first, the parade, or maybe the fireworks show?

Coming down the hill I saw a huge stage set up in the middle of the crowd of males. There was a huge glass dome covering the entire stage, and inside the dome I saw something like a pedestal with a huge fluffy cloud on top. That's odd why would something like that be on a stage, I wondered curiously. I wonder what it's purpose was and why everyone was gathering around it? I didn't have to wonder for long though because Helios carried me to the stage and into the glass dome.

Inside I looked down to see a very comfortable looking round bed with fluffy white furs and pillows all around. It looked almost like a cloud. Feeling anxious, I noticed thousands of males gathering around us Helios laid me down on the fluffy white cloud letting the furs enveloped me tickling my skin. I looked around and to my shock the entire city of Kosea was staring at me. I began to panic as every eye was on me. I was still naked!!!! My mind shouted as I tried to shrink into the fur to shield myself from the crowds searing gaze.

"Ihloi walked up to the podium that was near the dome and tapped on the microphone. A moment later huge screens like you would see in New York City turned on blazing bright lights across the courtyard. When I looked up I stared in horror, I could see myself laying in the bed on the screens blown up mega sized for the entire city to see me. In a booming voice Ihloi spoke to the crowd,

"it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you our new High Queen Chelsey. She will mate with Helios your High King and become his new mate. Tonight two hearts will become one as the King breaks the Queens barrier and they become connected through fate for all eternity. We will witness the bonding of these two souls bound by destiny, and watch how fate has brought these two together as soulmates across many galaxies. The King will leave his marks on her body in hopes that they will appear close to her heart."

Ihloi's words were drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears. What was going on? What happened to the festival? Why was everyone staring at me and Helios?

Seeing the little one panicking he came over and placed his hand in hers entwining their fingers as he tossed off his robes revealing his naked body underneath. I gawked at Helios forgetting for a second about my nakedness. I gazed at his chiseled chest with defining muscles. His skin was pale just like mine. His arms showed his strength as he flexed his muscles. My eyes trailed down his body taking in every detail. This was the first time I had seen Helios undress! My eyes continued downward until I came to his waist.

My eyes widened as I caught a glimpse of his private part or should I say parts. He didn't have one but two things between his legs. My face turned three shades of red as I looked away feeling guilty for getting caught staring at his private parts. My heart began to race as it started to dawn on me what was about to happen. Looking back down I saw Helios private parts growing larger by the minute, I began to tremble realizing that mating didn't mean boyfriend and girlfriend, it meant husband and wife!!!