I slipped into the back of my carriage and closed the doors to block out the stares.

The silence was jarring. Although I could escape the town, I couldn't escape King Centres, Treysa, or Dramon. My king's command haunted my ears, Treysa haunted my heart, and Dramon haunted the apex of my thighs.

I smoothed down my hide pants as if that would help preserve my dignity.

I was a warrior. Just like all the Rider Kings, I lived by the sword. I've killed and nearly been killed, felt monstrous and human, rode through the four beautiful and ferocious elements that Nature has given us.

I'm strong, but there's a battle I can never win. That is Nature's battle. As much as I try to pretend like I'm made of stone, I can't escape the flesh and blood that surrounds me. I am a woman, made to nurture a cock and then an heir. I ache between my thighs when I come across a strong male, I weep when I deny myself the pleasure he could give me. My breasts stiffen with the need to provide.

I'm a warrior, but under all the fur, leather, and metal, I wear curves meant for a different battlefield– a male's bed.

As my carriage drives over the rocky terrain, my mind journeys across Dramon's body.

Fires, my body wanted him. I'm no virgin, but I've never laid with a Rider King or any man remotely as mechanical as Dramon.

The attraction was disturbing, because I knew I would end up losing the battle. Nature always won.

Trot. Trot. Trot. Trot.

I hate that sound, too. The sound of the carriage irritated my ears for hours.

I could smell my people before I could hear them. They were cooking telus for dinner, the children were playing with mud, and someone was burning herbs.

My senses knew what home was, which is why retraining them will be sad. Sometimes, you can leave a place physically, but it will not leave you.

In a week, when the new Rider King shows up, I will be dismissed. I'm not sure where I'll go. I've spent so much time away from the human colonies that I feel more Xell than human.

The Xell Riders believe that being stationed for too long prohibits nature from taking its course. That's why they're always on the move, riding through Xelor. Cripple or not, I don't think I can ever go back to living in one spot. I would rather crawl or drag myself across Xelor's harsh terrains.

If I accepted my King's order and married Dramos, I would have a place within his riders. I would become a queen again, although not in my own name.

I would become a farce.

The carriage stopped, and I stepped out. Treysa was outside. She followed me as I expected her to.

Softly, I patted her thick neck. "Be a good girl and return to the wild."

She snorted, as if she understood the command and was rebelling.

I shook my head and walked– limped, to my tent. My riders greeted me respectfully, because although I'm now a cripple, I had fought and trained beside them for five long years.

"Winds, Rider Queen. Do you need medicine?" the healer offered.I smiled, although hearing that title created an invisible cut. "I'm alright. The pain is not too bad today."

At least not the physical kind.

"I will prepare the herbs just in case. I will be in my tent."

I thanked him and scanned the camp. My two-hundred riders were packing up. It was time to move again. They had spent too much time stationed here, and that always made them uneasy.

"Any news?" I asked the master of arms when I found him by the armory.

"Rider King Zoro and his riders were seen going East."

Zoro's clan lived by the ocean side. Their beasts preferred sand and water, unlike my clan, who preferred rocky terrains.

"Let us get going. I want us off this area by tomorrow."

"Yes, Queen."

I entered my tent, where I could finally toss my cane aside and sink into my bed and sadness. I listened to the sounds of a lively camp, allowing myself five minutes of rest before grabbing the cane and getting back out there.

Although my busted knee protested, I helped my warriors pack up. They argued a million times that packing up was below me, but I always dismissed the notion. Small details like this mattered, because it allowed us to bond.

Once we packed, I entered my tent and sank into the bathtub. My eyes locked on the ring on my right bicep that declared my status. The golden ring held jade jewels, and it was surrounded by a burn mark and a scar caused by a blunt blade. Every Rider King had these, except that the jade was replaced by a different jewel depending on the clan.

In one week, I would have to remove my ring and limp into the wild.

"Because of your inability to ride, I will have to strip you from your title. I thank you for your service."

I haven't cried in five long years. Not even the day that destroyed my knee made me cry.

Today, my face is a rainstorm, because instead of losing my knee, I lost my heart.

– • –

Five days later, the camp is more silent than usual. They know that I'm leaving in two days, and their new King will ride in.

No one was ready to say goodbye.

I'm walking through camp to make sure everything is set when the beast master jogs to me.

"A letter from the King. The messenger bird just arrived."

My stomach drops.

I take the letter and thank him.

I remove the leather strip and unravel the hide. Printed on the texture was the neat handwriting of King Centres.

"Venus,

I know you are angry with me and with the world. You were a gift to us all. A true queen. You belong in a position of power, which is why I am demanding that you fulfill this last mission and marry Dramon."

My skin is already prickling.

"I am not well. I fear my health is failing me, so I need to make sure I leave the clans stable before I leave this world. Dramon is a strong male and a good fit for you. If you will not accept my request, then take my words as a command."

The thought of Centres dying brought me incredible despair. He had been a fair king; a father figure in a world that was outraged by the thought of a woman becoming a Rider Queen.

He stood by my side and gave me a chance. He saw that I was smaller than the Rider Kings in stature, but my gaze burned just as hot.

I owned my empire to him.

Pocketing the letter, I stared down at my cane. How could I stand beside Dramon, a Rider King, when I literally can't stand straight?

I can't even ride a beast. My only way of transport is a carriage.

I would be a joke to his people, an embarrassment to him.

He was better off choosing another woman. Even if the planet barely had any women left, a man like Dramon wouldn't have trouble finding a wife.

The rest of the letter read, "Meet us at the Lake of Unison two days from now. Dramon has accepted my command."

I pursed my lips. Can I really do this? Can I reject Centres' last command after everything he did for me?

My knee swayed, and I had to grip the cane tighter.

I have to do it. Centres deserves nothing less.

The Lake of Unison is a two-day ride away. To reach it in time, I would have to leave right now. By the time I reached it, the new Rider King would have taken over my clan.

Silently, I weaved through my people. My friends– male, a few females, adults, children, and elders. I touched their hands and whispered nothing but "winds."

They whispered it back. Children started crying, because they could sense this was goodbye.

One child hugged my bad leg. I lowered myself and placed my cane down. The pain was blindingly hot, but I persisted.

I reached for my bicep and pulled off my ring. Then I smiled at the snotty, teary girl.

I placed the ring in her little hands.

"You will cry today, but tomorrow you must be strong. I need someone to look after the clan. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded eagerly, sending tears flying.

I trembled in my efforts to stand up.

I sensed eyes on me– sadness, pity, despair. I didn't stare back into those eyes, because I wasn't sure what was within mine.

I left with only a blade, which is what I entered this clan with.

The sky was clear above me, and so was my face. There would be no storms today.

As I entered the carriage and commanded the beast to start running, I noticed that Treysa was running behind me. She didn't care that I could no longer ride her. I was her home.

How could I blame her for refusing to leave home, when my own chest knows how much it hurts?

The two-day trip was only interrupted a few times when I had to hunt. As I hunted, Treysa lurked close by, ready to protect me.

When I reached the Lake of Unison, I saw that Dramon and his riders had already arrived. People stood around the water, chatting and cooking. King Centres spoke with Dramon.

All eyes turned to me when I began walking toward the leaders. The absence of my ring hit me hard. It felt like my whole arm was missing.

I stood tall. My afro was wild around my head, my trousers hugging my legs, my tube top tight around my breasts, and my dagger glinting against my hip.

"Winds," I greeted King Centres.

My eyes moved to him– my future husband. He was shirtless. So startling in his rugged beauty, alarming in his masculinity, that my lungs dried. I had no winds to offer him.

"Venus," he said.

I dipped my chin in greeting.

Centres cleared his throat, as if the sexual frustration was choking him.

"I am glad you came," Centres said.

"Of course," I replied. "I owe you my loyalty."

"Are you ready?"

She wasn't surprised about Centres' rush. He had been away from his city for too long already and needed to get done with this.

"I am."

Weddings in Xelor were very thorough. I've overseen a few myself in my five years as a Rider Queen.

After Xelor lost most of its women in a phenomenon called The Punishment, its culture shifted toward the worship of women. They believed that The Lifegiver– nature, took away the women because they weren't appreciated.

Now, men were expected to look after women. That's why when I competed for the Rider Queen title, many were outraged. They didn't want women in battlefront or positions of power.

Marriages were all about what men could give to women. The husbands had to fight the elements of The Lifegiver– wind, fire, earth, and water, through a series of ceremonies.

First, fire and wind were fought. He had to toss the female across a raging fire, run across, and catch her. Then, he had to fight earth by protecting the female from a stoning. Water was last, and the most overwhelming.

I watched patiently as the fire that had been used to cook their meal was fed wood until it burned seven feet tall.

If Dramon doesn't catch me and I hit the ground, it would be devastating to my knee.

I eyed Dramon. He was staring at the fire with no hints of nervousness.

Will he catch me?

"Let us begin," Centres said.

Dramon looked away from the fire, but his red irises seemed to still be burning. Like a predator lunging for its prey, he stomped to me until my breasts were against his chest.

I looked up and wondered why he looked so bloodthirsty.

The bulge against my thigh corrected me. This wasn't bloodthirst. The Rider King was horny.

"Dramon?" Centres said.

I swallowed and dropped my cane to prepare for the ceremony. Without it, I can't walk. I'm at his mercy.

Dramon's arms went around me, and I was easily swept off the ground. His people watched with awe and curiosity as their King took a wife.

"This is the first challenge. May the fires and winds find you worthy, and if they don't, may shame be bestowed upon you," Centres said.

Judging by the muscles that surround me, I don't think failure will be a possibility.

Dramon stopped eight feet away from the flames.

"I will not fail you," he murmured.

I swallowed, hard, and then I was airborne.

Panic seized me as I catapulted across the flames. I couldn't see Dramon. Only a confusing mess of colors.

If I hit the dirt– if my knee suffered any more damage–

I thudded against something hard– though not dirt. This was a male.

I looked up.

He passed.

"Very good," Centres said from across the fire. "We move onto the next challenge."

Dramon fell to his knees, positioning me in his lap so my body was nestled in his.

"May the Earth find you worthy, and if it doesn't, may shame be bestowed upon you."

Dramon bent down to cover my knees with his large palms just as rocks began raining. I could feel rocks thudding against his back. The strong vibrations told me that his people gave him no mercy.

The stoning went on for a minute, but Dramon remained solid around me. Not a single pebble touched my skin.

"Enough. We move onto the last challenge."

Just as I began to wonder if Dramon could stand after sustaining such a beating, he stood. There was no hunch in his stature, no wince, just prowess.

He walked until his knees were submerged in the water. Usually, the female was supposed to walk on her own. That wasn't an option for me, given my knee.

"We've reached the last challenge. May the waters bless your union."

Dramon began walking into the water. He kept going until only our heads were submerged.

This is the hard part.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"You sound nervous, Rider King. You can walk away now, and I will not judge."

His eyes flashed. Then, he inhaled to fill his chest. I did the same.

We went down and he swam us to the bottom of the lake where we would fuck.

The last challenge.

We ripped each other's clothes off as we swam to the bottom.

In what position would he fuck me? This was something I wondered in the carriage as I rode to the lake.

I was naked by the time my feet hit the sand, but I was quickly snatched up so my legs wrapped around his waist.

He reached between us, prodded me with his tip, and then he surged inside.

His girth was so surprising that I let out a gasp that cost me oxygen. A big bubble of air floated to the surface. His people would see it. Could they hear my gasp?

Dramon wasted no time in branding me as his. He thrust madly, the fact that they were underwater not slowing him down at all.

The rings on his cock– the ones human males didn't have, stroked my walls thoroughly. The Rider King was made to be inside my pussy.

His hands grabbed my ass, and he bottomed out. His balls began to vibrate against my entrance, demanding that I came on them.

But I wanted war.

With my lungs starting to burn, I bit his shoulder to command him to keep fucking me.

He prodded my rear hole with a thick finger as punishment and picked up his pace.

When I felt his mouth on my breast, biting me back, I arched my back and came first.

He won the last challenge.

Quickly, he kicked up and brought us back to the surface, flooding me right as I broke the surface with a gasp and coughing.

Dramon pushed my hair back to check on me. His cock was still imbedded inside me– still angry as it wanted another release, but Dramon's expression was concerned.

Once I stopped coughing, he took us to the shore.

He couldn't slip out of me– not yet.

With his hands positioned to cover my butt, he walked out of the water.

It was weird, walking through his people while having a cock inside me. They couldn't see our union, but they knew it was there.

"Congratulations," Centres said.

"We fly," Dramon told his people.

He walked to a scaled, stripped beast.

"I don't know if I can..." I pursed my lips. "My knee."

"We will figure it out."

"What about your beast? Will it fight me?"

Beasts didn't like to be shared. They were loyal to one master. Treysa would kick anyone that tried to ride her.

"You are also his master now." He walked to his animal and slowly climbed it.

I know it was difficult, especially with him being many inches up my pussy.

My knee protested a bit, but the pain relaxed once Dramon was straddling his beast.

A thick fur was draped over my shoulders. I appreciated it. We weren't allowed to separate just yet, but at least we had more privacy.

It took a few minutes for his people to collect themselves.

My eyes found Treysa, and my heart shrunk. I didn't want to leave her behind.

Seeing this, Dramon called out to his people. "Curl your wings. We will not fly home. We will run."

He wanted to let Treysa run beside us.

The small detail made my fingers curl, and I realized I was gripping Dramon's bicep. That was inappropriate. A Rider King should never cover his ring, even when riding through the bitter cold.

I yanked my hand away, but Dramon didn't seem to notice. Maybe he just didn't care.

Once everyone was mounted, we began to trod home.

I found myself in a serious dilemma. Every time the beast made a sharp shift, I felt Dramon thrust inside me.

Whoever designed these ceremonies is evil.

I grabbed his shoulders to stabilize myself, but that didn't stop the constant jabbing of his cock.

The slow, gentle, unintentional fucking was driving me crazy. Judging by his tense jaw, Dramon felt the same.

It was as if nature was set out to kill me when rain began to fall. Dramon had to command his clan to ride faster to escape the rain. Unfortunately, that meant our unavoidable fucking became rougher.

I bit my lip when pleasure became so bewitching that I writhed on Dramon's lap to stop the torture. I came so hard I arched my back and bared my breasts.

Dramon's arm became tighter around my back, and he stared down at my offering.

Unable to look up at my husband, I connected our chests to hid my breasts. Then, I stared at his ring and tried to pretend like my juices were not dripping down his balls.