Fated Mate Conquered - Luna Voss Page 0,9

my exit. I’m sure anyone watching would know exactly what I just went through, why I’m now moving gingerly, and dreading sitting down. It’s dinner time now, but I’m not hungry. I head upstairs to the bedroom I’m staying in. I want to talk to Aspen, my best friend, but I don’t see her anywhere. She’s probably getting her own spanking from Draga.

Either that, or she’s done being spanked, and now Draga is roughly fucking her to reinforce his dominance. Aspen’s told me about that. Apparently after Draga disciplines her, the sex they have is always incredibly dominant and intense.

Maybe that’s why I’m feeling so unfulfilled, I think. I got punished, but I’ve never been fucked. Maybe that’s what’s missing.

Nonsense. I don’t want to fuck Turan. He’s an asshole. A sexy, dominant asshole.

“Kora?”

As I pass by one of the lounge areas on the second floor, a woman waves at me. I stop and see Lorvyta, who I know as the wife of one of the Vostra captains currently staying at the villa. She waves again, pointing to the seat next to her, and I go over to join her, curious what she might have to say. Lorvyta is older than me, and the only real conversation I’ve had with her was a while ago, when Aspen and I went to comfort her after overhearing her being spanked by her mate. At the time, I had been very indignant on her behalf, and then was surprised to learn that she wasn’t angry, and in fact respected and loved her husband very much.

It’s a very different mentality than the one I grew up with. But now that I’m part of the Vostra, her perspective on these matters is valuable to me. She’s been a part of this culture for a long time, and understands it in a way I never could.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I greet her.

I attempt to sit down next to Lorvyta, moving gingerly to protect my sore bottom, and she watches with a little smile on her face. I feel myself blush as I realize she must know exactly why I’m sitting down so carefully.

“Got into trouble, I see,” she giggles. I can tell from her tone that she’s not teasing me. More like commiserating. I get the impression she’s used to “getting into trouble” herself.

“Yeah,” I admit, wincing.

“Fulgetio had to punish me this morning,” she says sympathetically, “so you’re not the only one sitting carefully. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Usually when I start acting out, it just means I’m going into heat.”

It’s bizarre to me to hear her state this in such a casual, matter-of-fact way. “What did he punish you for?”

“I got sassy with him,” she says in a mischievous tone. “In front of another vostrat. Worth it.”

It’s nice to be able to talk about this to someone without any shame or judgment. Still, Lorvyta’s calmness about the whole topic confuses me. I shake my head. “You talk about him punishing you like it’s funny.”

She giggles. “I mean, isn’t it?”

Her positivity is infectious, and I find it impossible to keep a scowl on my face. “I guess so. I guess I’m just not used to it. I’ve never been spanked before.”

She stares at me with a look of surprise. “Never? Not ever? You mean like, this was your first time?”

I nod.

“Oh, wow,” she says. “How was it? You’re not mated, right? Who spanked you?”

“Turan,” I tell her, my cheeks starting to burn.

Lorvyta giggles again. “Ooh. He’s a catch, that one. If I wasn’t Fated to Fulgetio, he could spank me any time.”

I look down.

“Sorry,” she says quickly. “I hope that wasn’t weird. You don’t… like him, do you?”

“No,” I say, even more quickly. “Definitely not.” I hesitate. And then: “The way you talk about being spanked, it’s almost like it’s a fun thing. Isn’t it supposed to be a punishment?”

Lorvyta thinks for a moment before she answers. “Well, I suppose that depends,” she says. “Sometimes it’s definitely a fun thing. But that’s very different from a punishment spanking. When Fulgetio punishes me, I don’t enjoy it. He makes sure of that.”

“But the way you talk about it, and almost sounds like you do.”

She gives me a guilty shrug. “I guess it’s complicated. I don’t like the punishment itself. I do like having a mate who enforces boundaries, and who knows how to stand strong and take charge.” She lowers her voice. “And after the spanking, when Fulgetio’s really made it clear he’s the boss and has