The harbinger returned to his quarters with a sense of dread.

That had never been the case before. His rooms aboard the Nomadin were his home much more so than the fortress waiting for him on Luminos. Ragnar didn't like spending his time there, preferring to return to the raids as soon as he'd dealt with the last haul.

Naturally, he returned for the time of the long night. It would have been shameful if a harbinger was missing from the fortress during the storm.

Now he had a female, his fated mate.

So far, Selena hadn't given him any cause for disappointment. Her feeble attempt to protect the male on Terra was just shock, that was as clear as day.

Otherwise, she was gorgeous and not particularly bothersome.

In short, everything Ragnar had wanted in his fated. Which didn't explain why he'd delayed his return to the rooms when he should have been already claiming his fated like it was proper.

The harbinger locked the doors behind him, disarming and removing his armor in preparation for the night. Then he ventured deeper into his quarters, wondering what the female had done with the day.

The ship was still shaking around him. The wormhole travel wasn't a precise science and everyone aboard had to trust the pilot to bring them out of the unspace. Any wrong moves and the ship would have been lost, never to be heard of again. It wouldn't have been the first one.

It made the ship's pilot the only man who Ragnar didn't bother. His orders were straightforward – get them out of the wormhole as fast as possible, as ever. Everything else was up to the pilot and understanding nothing about the complicated mechanics that were at play, Ragnar stayed away. Repeating orders wasn't in his repertoire in any case.

He finally found his fated in the resting room.

The female was curled up on the heavy, warm Fermanoli coat. There were leftovers from the food on the table beside her and a pile of clothes laid out all over the room.

None of that would have been impressive enough to make Ragnar freeze at the door, except for one thing.

Selena.

The female's long auburn hair was spread out on the light gray coat like flames. Her amazing body looked divine in his colors, silver on black. Her long legs just seemed to go on and on, his fated's head rested on her arm as she slept. The full, pink lips were slightly parted and Ragnar had never wanted anything more in his life than to kiss them, taste their sweetness.

He sat down behind the table, picking up a cup and pouring himself some of the sharp, burning wine. As the harbinger put it down after a hearty sip, he made a little more noise than absolutely necessary.

Selena's eyes flew wide open and for a moment, she didn't seem to realize where she was. Then she recognized him, sitting just a few feet from her, lounging against a backrest on the floor.

The female let out a small scream and scrambled away from him.

"Stay," Ragnar ordered shortly.

Selena stopped so suddenly it seemed like she'd just turned to stone. The harbinger frowned. A female benefited from a healthy dose of fear on Luminos. It was a time-tested wisdom that the Terran females responded better to strict rules than the gray truth.

For example, when Luminos first developed a need for females, Nayanors hadn't thought of the consequences of being completely honest. The most brutal example was the long night. They'd admitted to the kidnapped, desperate females, that being left out in the storm wasn't necessarily a death sentence if one happened to be very lucky.

It had quickly become painfully obvious, that the females didn't really listen. Instead of taking the truth for what it was, they saw it as a sliver of hope. Whereas Nayanors knew that the storm was absolutely deadly, but survivable at times for a grown warrior with knowledge of the land, the females didn't seem to grasp that. Every year, a few of them managed to take advantage of the trust they were shown and got themselves killed.

These days, Nayanors lied from the very beginning, telling the females the storm was deadly without fault. It kept them in line far better than the truth ever had, all because there was a very big difference between a desperate escape and suicide.

So it was ultimately fine for a female to be afraid of certain things on Luminos. The planet was cruel and temperamental just like the warrior race that ruled it.

A fated wasn't supposed to be afraid of their own mate, however.

"Sit," Ragnar told Selena, gesturing to the food. "Are you hungry? I can order more food."

The female shuffled back to her seat, eying him warily, nodding at last.

"Very well," Ragnar said, opening his comm link. "Send dinner to my quarters. Have a female pick items my fated would like."

After hearing the affirmative response, the harbinger closed the link and resumed observing Selena. The female was keeping an eye on him, seemingly afraid to blink. It was a behavior Ragnar had seen in wild animals on Luminos when a predator was nearby. A survival instinct not to let a threat out of their sight.

It was not how he wanted his female to look at him. Love wasn't necessary for them to function and live together. Even affection wasn't compulsory. All that mattered was a healthy attraction and tolerance which would ensure them sons. Ragnar knew he was more than capable of defending his fated, so in theory they were set for life.

Yet the thought of having the female hide from him, never being at ease when he was present didn't sit well with him.

"It is good that you are already wearing my colors," Ragnar said, hoping that giving her simple praise would tell his fated he didn't mean her harm. "Have you looked through the rest? Is there anything else that you need?"

Selena looked around, regarding the clothes with a thoughtful look. That was another good sign, the harbinger was sure. The sooner the female accepted her new life and the duties that came with it, the sooner they could start thinking about her first pregnancy.

Against all the odds, Ragnar was pleased. The female was young and so was he. She looked strong and capable for a Terran. Their sons would be a great gift to Nayanors.

"I don't think I need more," Selena said, turning her beautiful eyes back to him. "There's just one thing I'm not sure about. What – what is this, exactly?"

She tugged at the fur she was currently using as a soft blanket.

"It's your Fermanoli coat," Ragnar told her. "Luminos is a cold planet most of time, but during the long night the temperatures drop below life-sustaining levels for Terrans. You will spend the month in my fortress, the Isidor-Fol, safe from all harm. The coat is made of the fur of a beast that is best evolved to weather the storm. It will help you keep warm."

Selena stared at him, then at the coat, then back.

"I don't think I could move in this thing," she finally said. "I tried to lift it. It's impossibly heavy. I would have to drag it after me and that kind of defeats the purpose. I could get warm from the physical exercise, though."

An odd sensation shot through Ragnar. His lips started to curl into a smile at the female's joke, which was a reaction he couldn't even remember anymore. The death of his brother had robbed the harbinger of his good humor and there hadn't been much of that to begin with.

"It's not meant to be run in," he answered. "It should double as a bedding. You would use it as a coat only during extreme circumstances. In that case, you won't be moving around very much at all. You'd be moved into the safest location with the rest of the females and children.

"I would consider getting you another coat in the case of a pregnancy to absolutely ensure the safety of you and the baby."

Selena's face dropped. For a long moment, she opened and closer her mouth like she couldn't figure out breathing. Even confusion looked good on her, though. Ragnar couldn't wait to have her delicious body under his, writhing in need as he pounded his cock into her wanting pussy.

"Pregnancy," Selena repeated.

"Yes," the harbinger said. "As my fated, you will bear my sons. My species has recently found that a girl child will never be born on Luminos, as we already expected. It means it's more important than ever to make sure we have strong warriors for the years to come."

"No," Selena said, blurting it out like the word was torn from her.

Her bright blue eyes were filled with doubt and fear.

"No," the female repeated. "I don't want babies."

Ragnar frowned. That was not the answer he wanted to hear, but Selena was already hesitating.

"Okay, that's not true," she said, speaking quickly as if her mind was racing, trying to find the right words. "I've always wanted children. I just never wanted any with Jake."

Before she could continue, Ragnar cut in roughly.

"Is that the male I killed?" he asked, unable to hide the anger from his deep voice.

Selena nodded carefully.

She backed away a little when Ragnar growled, the harsh sound coming from the back of his throat as he imagined the Terran male touching his fated. It was an image he never wanted to envision again. Another man's hands on his female was the worst kind of insult. The harbinger found himself wishing he could kill the male again, once for every time he dared to touch and hurt Selena.

"Did you belong to him before me?" Ragnar went on.

Now Selena's eyes narrowed as she looked him straight in the eye, something few warriors on the Nomadin dared.

"I don't belong to anyone," Selena stated. "We were in a relationship. A long time ago. I wish I could undo it, but I can't. It's definitely not a memory I cherish."

Ragnar ignored the comment about belonging. It took Terrans a while to understand what the Nayanor fated bonds meant. They saw it as a possessive one-sided imprisonment, at least at first. In truth, the harbinger belonged to her as much as Selena belonged to him. They were tied together before the gods and fate, until the darkness took them.

"And he wanted to put his son in you?"

It was interesting to see the female burning with anger she didn't dare to express. The inner fire was almost visible, making her seethe, the hot curves of her breasts rise and fall as she breathed heavily.

"Or a daughter," Selena answered, more sharply than Ragnar would have allowed from anyone else. "Terrans also have daughters and we love them just the same."

"Females are very treasured on Luminos," Ragnar replied dismissively. "Did you refuse him?"

"Yes," Selena said.

The female still looked mad, but she seemed to remember where she was and who she was talking to.

"Why?"

Selena didn't say anything at first. She just sat and looked at him, the look in her eyes telling the harbinger she was trying to figure out the reason for his interest. Ragnar said nothing, sipping the strong wine and waiting for her to answer.

He wanted to know what had transpired between his fated and the dead male. If he knew what the bastard had done wrong, the mistakes could be avoided. The pregnancy was unavoidable, but Ragnar wanted to avoid forcing the decision on Selena.

"I hated him," Selena answered at last. "He made me feel miserable and worthless most of the time we were together, but he didn't let me go. The baby would have just been another way to keep me, but I told him no. He was violent and possessive and cruel. That's not a man I would like to be the father of my child."

Ragnar was aware that Selena had looked at him when speaking of things she didn't like in a male, but he barely registered the jab. He was nothing like the Terran.

"Violent," he snarled so viciously Selena winced. "He harmed his own female?"

Selena raised an eyebrow.

"Stop saying own like I'm property," she said, staying stubbornly silent after that.

"You assume I mean it like that," Ragnar shot back, forcing himself to be calm when his blood was boiling with fury at the man he'd given a merciful death to. "I can't believe a male would hurt a female he's supposed to protect."

Selena slunk back, observing him from under the curls of her red hair. When she spoke, her voice was calmer again.

"Yes, he hurt me. Jake wasn't a very nice man."

Ragnar's fist closed around his cup so hard he thought he'd crush the metal in his hand.

"I shouldn't have killed him," he hissed, watching Selena give him a suspicious look.

"No," the female said. "No, you shouldn't have."

"If I had known what I know now," Ragnar continued, "I would have brought him aboard my ship and made sure he lived to beg forgiveness for weeks."

Selena couldn't keep herself from sighing.

"That is not what I meant," she said. "He's gone. He can't hurt anyone anymore, me included."

Ragnar hmphed.

"Pain like that is forever," he said. "It's not like a wound, where by removing the blade the hurting stops. It's going to be with you all your life and for that, he deserved a lot more than what I gave him."

Selena didn't answer. The harbinger saw her try to search for arguments, but none came. He assumed she knew the truth as well as he did, as much as she may have tried to deny that.

Then the food arrived and they ate in silence. Seemingly, nothing had changed.

Only Selena didn't wince anymore when he came closer to her.