I advance on the barrier the soldiers make. I see her at the far podium, but I have many soldiers between me and her. I mow and disembody them easily even in their armor with my axe and trusted sword, my old companions.

The armor is building to withstand the bigger and more powerful orc weaponry and strength. I had to fetch my armor in a secret cave I buried them. It was the only way to have a chance to survive.

After Aria's mother gave me that medicine and I blacked out, I woke up a day later. A day wasted. When she finished giving me the boost and removing the rune, I left. But instead of going home, I went to work, I knew I couldn't leave.

I can't leave them behind.

I don't care what her mother said about my chances being small, but I had to get them. Luna was on my side too and when I initially went to scout the parameter and gather any information I could, she joined me. She has been a great help and knowing she is Aria's sister makes everything so much easier.

I now know for certain she will never harm Aria. I had started trusting her before but now, I am sure. Luna would do anything for her sister too.

The next phase was getting to Hanser, which I did easily. Shepherd retreated his protection when he was done with him, and I was gone. He bought protection but they didn't help him.

I took his wife, his children and his gold like he took my family and with his connection on the inside, I got the information I needed about where Aria was and what they were planning. I knew the time I had, and I could plan everything better. I could plan the traps and the distractions. I haven't slept a wink.

Though I wish I could have come for her sooner, I just hope her and our children forgive me.

I separate the head of the soldier in front of me and his brain matter gets stuck in my sword. I growl.

The soldiers are starting to retreat. They have limited chances with both me and Luna. And Luna is also ripping heads and fracturing bones. Her armor also serves her well.

When I cast my gaze up, Shepherd and Shamus are dragging Aria away. I know I need to get through these ones faster.

"You would die for a coward?" I speak as I advance on them, my foot crushes the ribs of another soldier as my sword cuts through another.

"You die for a king you hate! A worthless man!" I growl as I continue ripping through them. I shake my head to move the blood seeping into my face.

"Move now and I will spare you." I point my axe at all of them standing around me. This axe is as tall as some of them. They see its sheer size. But they hesitate. Expected. A soldier dies for the cause of his king. No matter how foolish.

"I will kill all of you if you don't move. And if she is harmed, I am going to hunt everyone of you and your wives and your mothers and your fathers and your offspring and I will burn your homes and I will rain terror on this entire kingdom. The choice is yours, move or die. And make it fast."

They look amongst each other before the retreat slowly at first. I advance to where Shepherd disappeared with her. It is a big hall; I think it's the city hall.

I take the steps three at a time, and I barrel through the doors. The scene makes me stop in my tracks.

They have her between them and Shepherd has a dagger to her now-unchained neck and Shamus has a sword to her stomach.

Shepherd laughs.

The soldiers between me and them all have their swords drawn out. its about 20 bodies between me and her.

Twenty very dead bodies.

I advance without any regard for the men in front of me. They know as well as I do they stand no chance. They keep retreating slowly but they don't attack. We are unevenly matched. My large axe and sword don't need to strike twice, and my armor is impenetrable, especially by their feeble human weapons.

"Drop your weapons and turn away, beast."

"You know this is not how this ends." I say simply as I stand before the swords of these soldiers who have done nothing but cower.

"How do you think this will end?"

"Just give me what is mine, and I will be on my way, Shepherd."

"You insult me. Its king Shepherd to you."

"You are no king to me. A real king would never cower behind a pregnant woman." My eyes are avoiding hers. I know they will undo me. I may act before I think, and I may cause this imbecile to panic and harm her.

"Drop your weapons." Shamus says, his voice more steady. He can see if Shepherd keeps talking, I will get to them soon and then all of this will be over.

The door opens behind me, and I don't have to see it to know its Luna. I drop my weapons on the ground. They land with a loud clank.

"You are out powered. You can still walk away with your life. Give me her and I will let you live."

The soldiers start parting and I hear Luna's feral growl behind me as her armor clanks as steadily as her movements.

"Don't step any closer." Shepherd is starting to panic. Not good for Aria. I need to find a way to save her and kill them so I can end this.

Luna stands next to me. The fear is evident in their features even though they pretend they aren't afraid, but they are.

"Give me her." I try again, I direct it to Shamus this time.

"You think my own general would betray me, beast?" Shepherd sneers.

"My fight is with him; my quarrel is with him. Let her go. And I will let you leave." I tell him.

I see in a flash he considers it.

"Shamus answers only to me. He is mine. I own him. He listens to only me." Shepherd says.

I see a flash of annoyance mixed with shame in Shamus's eyes before its gone.

"Not going to happen, beast." Shamus says.

My gaze turns back to Shepherd.

"It doesn't have to end in bloodshed." I say.

I am approximately ten human feet away from them. If I can inch just a little closer.

We stand there for a few more agonizing minutes as I try to think of how to jump and get to her before they harm her. My eyes meet Shamus, and something shifts.

"Perhaps it should." Shamus turns in lightning speed, and he retreats his sword and stabs Shepherd on his side, and I leap forward. Aria is left to fall forward. Luna and I both go for her, and I grab her first. I can't hear anything when I get her in my arms even as she screams.

I feel Luna jumping and I turn to see the soldiers coming for us. I turn with her in my arms, knowing no one can harm her now.

"Stop!" I roar.

All of them halt. The door bangs and I see Shamus's tail as he runs and leaves Shepherd who is still clutching his side and screaming murder.

I place Aria down and Luna comes and protects her. I reach for Shepherd as he tries to crawl away. But I grab him by his legs, and I yank him to me.

...

One second Igor is standing a bit further and the next moment I am in his arms and now? Now he has Shepherd dangling in the air like the waste of space that he is. I stumble to my feet. Wolfie stands protective in front of me, growling as the royal guard watches in horror knowing the fate that awaits their king.

"You took my woman and you abused her; you harmed my children. I have no mercy for you." Then he turns to me. "Aria, do you have any last words."

I stare at his bulging eyes as he struggles to breathe, trying to claw Igor's hands feebly. As a human I should feel something because he was my husband, and he is about to die but I feel nothing.

Nothing but loathing.

"May you burn in purgatory for all eternity. May the goddess reward you with everlasting suffering." I stare into his eyes, and I watch as life slowly slips from him before Igor pulls his head from his body with a never-heard before growl and Shepherd's decapitated body drops to the floor.

I feel nothing but vindication.

The guard runs when they realize they could be next. Igor comes to me, Shepherd's head on his left.

He kneels before me and he looks at me directly finally. He presents me with Shepherd's head that looks every bit tortured, and I only hope he is still in pain even in death. I open my hands and I take his gift with a smile.

"Thank you." I say. Then I let it fall to the ground.

I step closer and the moment he touches me I exhale. He buries his face in my stomach. Then he looks up and rises to his full length.

A switch comes back to him, and I finally see my Igor. His concerned face looks at me and he is frantic as he looks at my body.

"Are you okay, dove?"

I nod with blurry eyes. The present comes back to me. I don't even want to blink. What if this is all a dream? What if I am still in the cell or I am about to get executed?

"Are you really here?"

"Dove, it's me. I am so sorry I took so long. Forgive me, my love."

I am about to answer when I stop, and we both turn at the sound of marching boots. But not a few. It sounds like the army. Igor picks me up immediately.

"We have to run." He heads to the door.

"No, not that way. There is a secret entrance. Over there." I point to the back entrance me, and Shepherd used to use when we came here.

Igor takes his long strides and I feel Wolfie behind us. Igor runs out and we hear noises coming from inside the city hall. I direct him to the direction of the upper-class residence. We will need to pass there because I think there won't be expecting us to pass by the residences.

I point Igor and we run past people who run from our sight and all their jaws are on the floor but some peep from their windows. We cross the residences, and we enter the forest from a middle-class residence.

Igor is running fast and Wolfie is running beside us.

"Luna, take us to the cottage." Igor says. I feel him huff a little harder. He is tired.

We run until the sun falls then Igor walks the rest of the way. I feel safe once more and all the fatigue comes back to me, and I fall asleep.

"Aria?" the voice of Igor wakes me up and I jump.

"Igor? It's really you?" I ask with my sleepy eyes.

His lips connect with my forehead, and I sigh.

"Come on, we are here." I am drawn by light. A small house.

I look around and it's no surprise I can't see anything because its night. But Wolfie comes out of the house and a woman comes out after her.

"Is that her?" I hear the woman's voice. Igor sets me down gently. I am still confused at the stranger who is running to me with Wolfie next to her.

"Yes, it's her." Igor says next to me.

I lean back to Igor for protection. I don't trust people I don't know.

But the woman doesn't care for my reluctance, and she pulls me in a familial hug, careful to not crush my stomach.

"My baby. Are you okay?" she pulls back, and she examines my face.

Slow recognition comes to me. My heart leaps. No. "Mom?" I know those eyes from anywhere. Even in the dim light.

She nods then she sniffles.

"Is it really you?"

"Its her, dove." Igor says next to me.

"H-How?"

As she opens her mouth, she is silenced by a loud horn in the forest.

"Come quick." She takes my hand and leads me to the direction of the house. I follow looking back to ensure Igor is close.

"Igor, that's the army. They are coming for us." I say.

"They will never harm you again, okay?" He says as we enter the tiny house. I am assaulted by a strong herbal smell permeating the air.

She lets go of my hand and she goes to a large table with different potions and jars on it.

"You have to cross the barrier. They will find you here and you can't cross to the Ubu kingdom. Its far."

"But Aria can't cross." Igor says next to me.

"Yes, she can." She turns and looks at my stomach. I hold it on instinct.

"Wait, are you talking about Igor's realm?" I am confused.

"Yes, we have to go." He answers, seeming to be in understanding with a woman who is apparently my mother and now knows Igor and Wolfie somehow.

"You think I can really cross?" I look at Igor.

He doesn't answer. But looks at mother.

"You are carrying orc offspring. You will cross. And I will have to make the portal close since you both can't travel to where the original portal is." She says and I watch her move around with a jar and filling potions into others. Then she brings me something.

"Drink." She says. "For your strength."

I look at Igor and he nods. I drink.

Just then Wolfie barrels in and she growls.

"We have to go now." Igor picks me up.

My mother rushes to me. "Wait." She kisses me on the lips like she used to when I was young. "Travel safe, my baby. We will meet again. This isn't the end. Mama loves you." Then she looks at Igor. "Let's go."

Igor pushes out the door and we follow Wolfie. We run but the army is definitely in our tails. We get to a clearing and Igor sets me down.

My mother takes a stick, and she makes it glow green. Then she draws a large circle in the air as she chants. I watch, not knowing what to make of anything. After a few circles something misty begins to form.

She repeats this chant. Before long a spinning circle of a small cloud is in full effect. I notice by Igor retreating to near the circle and covering me that they must have arrived. Men materialize at the edges of the clearing.

"Aria, listen to me carefully. When you get to the other side, tell them you are mate of Igor of Zad. Ask to be taken to queen Masa of Zad." He says as he nudges me to the portal. "I love you. I am coming right after you. And tell my children I love them too."

Then before I answer, he pushes me in the portal that sucks me in and feels like it squeezes me out of breath. I close my eyes shut.

Goddess let me not die like this.

Then as suddenly as I feel that tightness, I fall on a thud on a hard surface with my bottom.

"Ow!"

When I look up, I am met with tusks and naked bodies; so many naked orcish bodies.

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Okay okay okay, I'm gonna try and calm down a little. We fucking made it!

Book 2

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Please leave me a review for the book here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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Okay my rant:

Some of you who have been on my page know this. I had an eye op on the 15th of August and I struggled for a while. I started writing this book on the 18th August, with one eye and struggling to keep my one eye open for long. But this story just called to me and honestly it carried me through tough times. It gave me something to look forward to at a time I was very much alone. Igor and Aria turned out better than I would have hoped. I was so nervous putting it out there because I mean monster romance isn't for everyone but you guys have been amazing. Thank you for loving these people as much as I do.

Like I said in one of the notes, some of the things that seemed unimportant here may make more sense as the story continues. There are many little things that may have seemed like a waste of time but I promise it will all matter.

Sad side note: I haven't met the twins as I continue writing Book 2. *sigh* I swear this story just doesn't want to be straight forward, chi.

But there is more story in book 2, that's all I can say. I hope you guys take you time this weeks and let's relax and start afresh next week. Aria just landed in orcish land. How will that be going?

I can't wait to see you on the other side.

For those looking for new books to read and u were thinking on this profile. I'll give u a brief summary:

Vidar's Heart-:

Fantasy romance. Demigod and human. Enemies to lovers. If u enjoy mythology. This is loosely inspired by Norse, Greek and African mythology. Major "I'll burn the world for her" vibes. Also, Vidar is Odin's son and brother of Thor.

Bound By Law-:

This is contemporary romance. Professional rivals. It's got 'its us vs everyone' vibes. It's quite smutty. If u enjoy strong female characters. Boss bih vibes here.

The Pentagon-:

This is dark bully reverse harem. MMFMM. This books gets dark sometimes. But if u enjoy darker themes give it a go. Enemies to lovers. Like if u enjoy rollercoasters and telenovellas are your thing, dude, this is for u. I wrote like 60% of this book in tears. You may not cry, but u may feel a little anger.

My Wife Julie-:

Another reverse harem. This one is an erotica. MMFMM. This is smutty and a little kinky. Kinks include, but not limited to: pet play, daddy kink, bondage, impact play (spanking), degradation, domination, and a little butt stuff 🙈🙈🙈.

What's next?

Straight after Bound By Law It's another reverse harem called Your Side Of The Offence.