Savage King: New Worlds - Milly Taiden Page 0,52

nearby.”

“You know,” Daphne said quietly, “if Zee is the king of this place, he will stay here.”

Wren’s heart crushed. The knowledge was there on the edge of her mind; she didn’t want to consciously admit it. They had just told each other of their shared love. She was his mate. He said he’d be with her forever. That meant he was going with her or she was staying here.

She looked around the village that was like primitive camping at the national park. When she was a kid, camping was fun. But as she got older, and liked the modern conveniences, peeing behind a bush became a no go.

Could she suck it up and stay here with Zee? What did she have at home? Her writing, which she could do here with pen and paper brought over from Earth. Maybe she could teach those here how to write to put down their own stories for future generations. That would be so awesome. Now she was excited to stay and play teacher and historian.

Her mind was made up. She would do what she could to get the other two to the standing stones, but she’d stay with the man she loved.

A loud shriek whistled through the air, and the elders stood and headed toward the center of the village. There, tables had appeared from nowhere just like they had last night. Time for breakfast. She searched the crowd for Zee, seeing the little girl from yesterday first. The child came running for her.

“Wren, Wren. Sit with me.” The girl was so adorable with her big eyes and long dark curls. How could she say no? She’d be with her mate the rest of the day.

Wren held her hand out. “Let’s go. Show me where.”

Two other young ones were aiming for Lilah and Daph. Seemed her friends had been adopted too. When everyone was seated, they joined hands, and the prayer of thanks to the Mother of the Land was said.

From where she sat in the middle of the tables, she could see Zee at the first table with Iridia and the elders. There was also a beautiful woman next to Iridia that Wren hadn’t seen last night. The woman was stunning with a beautiful cocoa complexion, big eyes with a slight tilt for the perfect exotic look.

What made the woman stand out the most from the others was that she had breasts—about a size-A cup, but that was a lot more than any other female had. Fortunately, like Iridia, she wore many beaded necklaces and had long thick hair that covered most of her chest.

That was on thing Wren might not ever get used to. She wouldn’t be giving up her sports bras and T-shirts for a long while. The villagers would just have to get used to it.

She caught Zee peeking at her, and she smiled at him. He winked and returned his attention to the elder speaking. Her heart melted. He was so perfect. So dreamy. Yes, she couldn’t leave him; she was staying.

After most had finished eating, Iridia’s friend got up and went into a mound. Her body was just a stunning as the rest of her. Wren wondered who her mate was. What a lucky guy.

One of the elders at the head table stood and called for quiet. Zee looked worried, his eyes remaining on his plate. The elder spoke of the days when the tribe was prosperous, before the Qhasant came out of jealousy to take what they did not have.

Then he spoke of the brave males and females who fought and gave their lives in order for the Gnoleon to win. There were great sacrifices. There always was when it came to survival. And without the courageous leadership of their young alpha, the Gnoleon would have been enslaved and eventually wiped out as a race.

Wren could not have been prouder of her man than at that moment. She glanced at him to see him wide-eyed and staring at the elder. She shook her head at his modesty and humbleness.

The elder went on to explain the devastation of war on the souls of the survivors. The loss was beyond comprehension unless experienced. Many cold moons had passed, and the terrible toll on their new leader had been healed and now he had returned to bring back the glory that was the Gnoleon race, created by the Mother of the Land to bring light to the darkness that wanted to rule. The elder asked Zee to stand.

Wren wiped