"Now."
We bred in the Warren's main chamber.
Not the slow, intimate breeding of the storm. Not the celebratory claiming we'd done after victories. This was urgent, desperate. Confirmation that we were both still here, still together, still alive.
Drav didn't bother preparing me first. Just positioned me against the smooth wall, pushed inside in one hard thrust thatmade me gasp. I was wet enough from days of constant breeding that my body accepted him easily, opening around him.
He fucked me hard, fast. One hand on my hip, the other braced against the wall for leverage. The pleasure cock wrapped around my clit, working in tight circles that made my legs shake.
"We're alive," he said against my throat. "Both alive. Both here. Both fighting."
"Alive," I agreed, gasping when he hit that spot inside me that made everything go white.
The breeding was over in minutes. He came with a roar, knot swelling and locking us together. Seed flooding into me and I felt the eggs respond through the bond—growing slightly, feeding on the hormones.
We stayed locked against the wall, both breathing hard, both processing what we'd done and what was coming and what we still had to face.
"Better?" I asked when the knot released.
"Better." He pulled out carefully. "We should pack. Anything we want to take to The Eyrie."
We spent the rest of the day preparing.
Sorted supplies into essential versus expendable. Food, water, weapons, furs—anything we'd need for defending our new territory. Everything else stayed behind.
By sunset, we had everything packed and ready to move.
"Sleep," Drav said. "We leave at first light. Six-hour journey. We'll need strength."
I curled into the furs, exhausted. Today we'd granted mercy to a dying prisoner, bred out of necessity instead of desire, and prepared to abandon our home again.
Tomorrow we'd claim new territory. In three days, we'd face Kethar's final attack.
And this time, one of us might not survive.
I fell asleep thinking about The Eyrie. About high ground and better defenses. About making one final stand against males who had nothing left to lose.
About winning.
Because losing meant death, and I wasn't ready to die. Not yet. Not when I had eggs growing inside me and a mate who needed me and a life that was worth fighting for.
I felt the weight of it—the first life we'd taken that wasn't in immediate self-defense. The first of what would likely be many before this was over.
DRAV
We left The Warren at dawn. I'd woken before Hallie did and spent the early light checking our packs one final time, making sure supplies were secured and weapons accessible—everything we'd need for establishing a new territory. She stirred when I moved, opened her eyes immediately alert in that way she'd developed over the past weeks.
"Time?" she asked.
"Yes. We need to move before the thermals get strong, while the air is calm enough for easier crossing."
She was up and dressed within minutes, moving with an efficiency that never ceased to impress me. No wasted motion. No hesitation. She'd adapted to this world faster than any human I'd seen, and I'd seen dozens over the seasons.
I took the heavier pack—furs bundled and secured with vine—while she carried her own supplies: climbing gear, knife, water. Her pregnant belly was visible now even through the torn suit, the eggs growing fast inside her. Another two weeks and she'd lay them, maybe three at most.
"The Gap first," I said, checking the sky above us for any sign of circling predators. Clear. "Then north to The Eyrie. Six hours if conditions hold and we don't run into trouble."
She nodded and started toward the exit without needing further explanation.
