“Humans are strange.” A low rumble emerged from deep in his chest. “They use a rubber covering over their dicks to prevent seed from entering the female and to prevent the spreading of disease. I am very glad that we are able to scent when a female goes into heat, making these coverings unnecessary. I would hate for my dick to be covered during sex.”
Gideon shook his head. “Oh, you mean condoms. No…it would be terrible. To not be able to feel my female’s warm…” He cleared his throat. “I have tested compatibility and have rutted with this female on many occasions but not since she’s been on our soil.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? How is that possible?” Zane growled. “And it better not mean what I think it does.” Then he took a deep breath and unclenched his fists, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“About a year and half ago…”
Zane cursed and shook his head. With a stoney expression on his face, he gestured for Gideon to continue. “Brant and I had a big fall out. I was the best trainee at the time and had applied to be accepted into the elite team. A lesser male was awarded the position. Brant said that I was too rigid, that I failed to think outside the box and for that reason my application was declined. He told me to try again in a few months” Gideon could still remember the bitter disappointment. The anger that burned holes in him. He couldn’t go on training day by day, taking orders from Brant and his superiors without feeling cheated. The male that was awarded the position immediately became one of his commanders. It sucked big time. He got into fights all the time.
“I was angry.” He finally said, downplaying his emotional state by a mile. “I ended up packing my bags and leaving. I went to reside in Sweetwater. I stayed at the local hotel. I wasn’t really sure what to do. There was a part of me that wanted to leave and never come back and a bigger part that loved my species too damn much to turn my back on them.” He huffed out a breath. “The problem was, I couldn’t go back. I didn’t want to at that stage. So, I hung out in Sweetwater. I met Jenna within a week of my being there. She drew me in like no female ever had or has since.”
“Fuck,” Zane declared, in an even tone. Thankfully he didn’t look nearly as angry as Gideon had expected. Brant would’ve had his nuts by now. He didn’t say anything further, just kept his eyes on Gideon waiting for him to continue.
“We were together for seven weeks. It was serious, Zane. I saw her as my mate. I loved her…I never stopped loving her.”
“This is fucking serious,” Zane growled. “I take it you left because a relationship would’ve been forbidden…still fucking is.”
Gideon shook his head. “No, I had planned to meet with Brant. To make him somehow understand. Failing that, I would’ve left our species for good. Lived out the rest of my days with my female…with Jenna. We would’ve been happy.” Gideon thought back on all the time they had spent together. All the special moments they had shared.
Zane sighed loudly. “What happened?” He finally prompted, bringing Gideon back from his thoughts.
“I found out that she was already mated…or had been mated. It’s complicated.” He sucked in a deep breath. “She was still mated when we first started seeing each other.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Zane ground out. “And you still want this female…why?”
“She and the male had gone their separate ways prior to our meeting. I did not understand at the time that this was normal for humans. They were in the process of cutting ties. The legal paperwork was being processed. I thought that she was cheating on him with me. I felt that she must be highly deceptive, a female with no honor. She tried to explain to me the normality of the situation…I did not understand human terms back then. I was too hurt to hear her out.”
Zane nodded. “Yes, they are different to us in this regard. We have several females within the program that were previously mated.” He shrugged. “Tanya has explained this in great detail…I am starting to gain some understanding. It is strange to me as well.”
“I should’ve listened to her when she tried to explain. I was just too hurt. Too angry. It was months before I finally realized that I had made a grave mistake. Nine long months without the female that I loved. Without my mate. I was unable to move on or to even look at another female. I decided to go back, to try and see if we could make it work. To try and understand this concept of broken matings amongst the humans. Being without her was just too difficult. I was sure that she felt the same way.”