The Lady of Roses is a minor goddess that is in some areas only followed by cults rather than a fully recognized religion. She is known to be a fickle goddess who sides with beauty and art regardless of the source. She is most known for being worshiped in fertility cults, hedonistic practices, and that she refuses to call for the destruction of beautiful fiends.

Adrian

I just hold my smirk as Abagail turns to K and Ria and says, “tell me you don’t really want to both be with him.” Stating it somewhere between fact and demand.

“This is what you’re arguing with my mate about? That has nothing to do with you and you have no say in who is in our den” Kythia growls at Abagail.

She may not like Ria but Abagail has managed to get herself a lower approval rating.

“Yeah, stay out of our business” Ria starts before K cuts her off saying, “I can handle this fox whore.”

A mix between a frown and a chuckle appears on my face as I am upset at K insulting my Ria but also how funny it is that she already defends her from Abagail. I glance around to find that no one noticed my small action. In fact, everyone seems to be making sure to not get involved.

“You should not have to put up. . .” Abagail begins before Ria cuts her off, “it is not our fault your so insecure about holding onto you desired mate’s attention you have to push that insecurity on others.”

Abagail just stammers for a few seconds before K picks up where Ria left off, “is it because your desired mate hasn’t picked. . .”

I nudge Bryan and begin to walk away. With a slightly guilty look, he follows me out of earshot before commenting, “I didn’t think they would be so mean.”

“If there is one thing to upset both of them enough to set aside their dislike of each other it is an attack on me” I answer the not really a question.

“If they don’t like each other why did they agree to share you then?”

With a smile I answer, “they like me far more than they dislike each other. Besides Ria knew it would almost certainly come to pass before she even met me and most societies in this world see it as a good thing to do.”

“Seems weird to me. Why would . . .” Bryan begins before stopping and turning to watch Abagail run off crying into the woods.

I glance over to my two mates to see them smiling at what they no doubt caused. I wonder, what it is that they said to push her even further? It’s probably better if I don’t know.

Bryan sighs before walking after Abagail asking, “please stay in this area while I calm her down.”

I nod and walk over to my girls. “You didn’t need to push her that far” I say low enough that the others nearby should not catch enough to understand.

“She needs to learn her place and stop dictating morals as if she were our god. Besides it’s a domestic issue, so you don’t need to worry about it” K says in response.

I don’t say anything in response and simply nod. K smiles at my apparent approval to her handling wherever this end up going while Ria just happily watches me.

A moment later, Kylana speaks up and says, “as the two not of the pack are currently gone, we need to decide on new alphas.”

“You’re counting Ria as a member?” I ask surprised as they seem to be trying to ignore her as much as possible.

“If only because she is my den sister” K answers with a frown.

“Ragnar is no longer alpha and I have no mate. A new pair must serve” Kylana begins as she looks to me and Analais.

I glance at the older male, barely noticing that K and Alana are looking at each other.

“You and Kythia has more raw power than us” Analais says and I nod slightly.

“But the two of you have far more experience and skill. Which is more important for leadership” I say surprising K.

“I don’t have the strength to take on challengers and Alana . . .” Analais begins before Alana cuts him off.

“Kylana, my friend of many years. I offer you a place in my den, to share the warmth and protection of my mate” Alana says interrupting and everyone turns to her.

“Alana this. . .” Analais begins stammering a bit before Kylana says, “Alana now isn’t the time. . .”

“No, this is what would be best for the pack. Kythia is not ready to take you place nor is Adrian to take the place your mate once held” Alana says cutting both of them off.

“Mother, she is right. You are still stronger than me and . . .” K begins before looking at me to finish. She does not want to say that I am too weak or inadequate in any way.

“. . . I have much to learn both of the pack and this world before I would be ready to lead the pack” I finish for her.

Analais glances at Kylana before looking away, like he is unsure what to say. I look over to Ragnan to see him clenching his fists and biting his tongue. He wants to take his father’s place but he has no mate and so cannot take the position.

“I . . . I accept. If you mate and our wolves agree it shall be so” Kylana says after a moment.

An instant later Alana pulls Kylana into a hug and whispers in her ear, causing a blush to appear on her face. I don’t catch what was said but as Analais smiles in pride I can make a good guess on the subject.

A moment later Analais speaks saying, “are there any pairs willing to challenge our leadership?”

I do not answer and look at Ragnan. He clearly wants to, but bites his tongue to keep from saying anything. He clearly does not want this to happen but his only other choice is me as he himself has no mate to serve aside him. An effect of him casting aside the females he did win after they were willing to be mine after his failed challenge over K.

I don’t blame him at all for refusing them; I would have done the same. They did not want him, only his power. Does that make them this world’s version of a gold digger? No this kind of person exists on Terra too, I don’t remember the name of that trait though.

Ria brushes up against me and whispers “should I go and bring back you friend and his mate-to-be?”

“Give them a few minutes, but yes” I answer her.

“We should continue as soon as possible. It is unlikely that our actions are unknown” Analais says after I do.

I nod to Ria, and she walks off towards Bryan and Abagail.

“We can continue so long as we keep a pace they could catch up to” I say.

“Won’t they have trouble finding us? None of them are trackers” Ragnan says almost like he was mocking me.

Rather than explain how I just ask, “how much do you know about a kitsune's mate bond?”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about the how and just accept she can then” I retort.

K looks at me slightly concerned but I just smile at her for a few seconds, wondering if I can create a similar bond with her. Hmm, linked neurons or . . .

Ria

I walk away from the werewolves and my one-who-makes-my-tails-wag smiling as they continue onwards towards where the two elves should be. I whisper a few words of power as my mana flows to my cupped hands for the spell I now need.

As the last word of power leaves my lips the ball of green fire takes the form of a small fox and jumps out of my hands and begins prancing around as if to get me to chase it. I glance over to the departing lycanthropes and smirk at my den sister as she glances back to me. She bares her teeth while our mate is looking the other way.

“The competition is back on” I mouth to her, unsure if she can even read lips let along from the growing distance, before I turn and follow after the foxfire kit that is the nexus of my Seeking spell.

I follow my spell's directions for several minutes before I reach the friend of my beloved and his mate to be. I hear them nearly a minute before I come into actual sight of them and cut the trickle of mana that sustains my Seeking spell. I hear Abagail’s voice first, though I do not understand their native tongue and can only walk into their sight.

Once I do so Abagail goes silent and glares at me. Did I go too far in tricking her? It wasn’t even much of a trick. Or is it what the werewolf and I said to her that was too far?

“Ria, this is not a good time” Bryan says to me but I don’t immediately respond.

Instead I walk over and sit next to one of the many nearby trees and then say, “Adrian and the werewolves are continuing toward their destination. When you’re ready to go back I’ll lead you to them.”

“Well you can just leave, I’m not going back” Abagail says and I glance to Bryan.

He shakes his head, and I turn back to the Terran female and say, “you’ll die out here without help.”

“So, I should just go back and let you and that wolf thing insult and demean me?”

Rather than answer that question I pause for a moment and then ask, “would you defend your relationship with Bryan if I said it was wrong?”

“There isn’t anything wrong or immoral with my relationship . . .”

A burst of mana stifles the air and the sound of her voice dies out before it reaches me. The only drawback to this version of Silence is that she cannot hear anything until the spell ends and so I wait a moment for her to realize that she cannot speak before saying, “that is the same thing that both me and the werewolf think of our relations with Adrian.” as I end the spell.

“But it is wrong. . .”

“Why?”

“It is illegal and goes against the teachings of. . .”

I don’t let her finish and cut her off once more with the help of magic. I get glared at but she is no threat to me. “The laws are different here. The cultures are different here. You can’t just superimpose your ideals and expect everyone to abide by them. Also, as far as the teachings of your own god, ask Adrian about them.”

Abagail glares at me for a moment before saying, “I still don’t understand how you could be willing to share him.”

I smile and my tails wag slightly faster as I say, “because I love him far more than I dislike the werewolf and it makes him happy.”

“So, you’ll just let him sleep around because he likes it?”

“That is not what I said at all” I growl.

“But that’s what . . .”

“No, what is going on is not anything like that. I share him because it is better to do so. Do you how hard it is to find someone like him? Someone who is both powerful and treats his women well?”

“That doesn’t mean. . .”

“You think that this world is kind to women? Do you think that the powerful would not simply take what they want in this world?

None of them care about your morals or ideals. Do you know what kind of slave Adrian saved me from being?”

“No” Abagail answers, upset that I keep cutting her off.

“A sex slave, I was going to be forced to breed for someone’s pleasure and to produce as many children as they could get out of me.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“No, it is even encouraged in some places. Being with Adrian is better than anything else I could have hoped for as a slave and even if how we met changed I would still want to be his.”

“None of that is a reason for me to go back.”

“No but it does show your morality tantrum deserved what the werewolf and me said to you.”

“Just because you didn’t like what I said doesn’t validate what you said.”

“No? Then how about the law about the nobility being allowed to claim any unclaimed commoner as their property? Or had you forgotten about it when you were trying to get Adrian to cast one of us away?

Being his means I don’t have to worry about just any random noble making me a slave again. Or should I go and be some noble's sex toy because you don’t like the idea of women consensually sharing a boy?” I say with a bit of venom in the last question.

“No” she mutters, barely audible.

I don’t say anything else and jusst nod, she still does not accept her view as wrong but this is enough. I turn leave and smirk as both she and Bryan begin to follow me.