Gentling the Beast

When the Blighten raided my village, my mother gave me her last words of advice.

“Find the biggest, most fearsome man and throw yourself at his mercy. There is no shame before the Goddess in doing whatever you must to survive.”

Which was easier said than done.

I lived in denial for a time, daydreaming of a handsome prince who would rescue me and take me to his grand castle. Here, we would live happily ever after, making royal babies.

Reality is cold and bitter.

No such prince comes.

And later, when my vulnerability as a bondservant manifests terrifying consequences, an unexpected savior swoops in.

Not a prince, but a hideous white orc and the ugliest beast I have ever met—a mute outcast with shifter blood but who cannot shift.

Only I sense he has a good heart, and I remember my mother’s advice.

Can I overcome my aversion?

Maybe he thinks I am ugly too?

Will I even survive mating such a fierce male?

But if I don’t try, who will be there to save me the next time human predators come around?

And so I decide, one way or another, that the white orcish monster is going to be mine.

Publisher's note: Orc and human pairing in a fantasy setting with some violence and gore.