Bonded by Addie Bell

Chapter 1

1

I looked down and saw my arms were empty. Sonya was calling my name from the shore, afraid I might do something foolish.

My orc was already dead. The little pig, who was about to build a bond with me, had been brutally killed by a city lady's orc while delivering goods. When I returned to the village, Jayden's body was shattered. He took one last look at me, coughed up blood, and then fell silent.

I sat there all night. He was just an orc that others had rejected; I had no choice in the matter. I shouldn't have cared about him. But the tears wouldn't stop flowing. I didn't even dare to touch his cold body. When he was buried, I couldn't bring myself to watch.

"Jayden, you were the one who insisted on being with me. How could you leave without a word?"

"Why did you break your promise first?"

My questions could never reach him. That night, I went to bed early and had a long dream.

2

"Mistress, if I could build a bond with you, it would be the greatest fortune of my life. One day, I will make you fall in love with me."

His words still echoed in my ears.

Every year, the Orc Deity Tree bore Orc Fruits. When the fruits ripened into orcs, women of age could go and claim them. Once a bond was formed, orcs could only survive by relying on their women. However, the best orcs were always chosen by the city folks first, leaving the rest, often livestock-like, for the villagers.

I didn't mind having a little pig as a partner; it suited my profession. When I went to claim him, the little pig was so scared that he fainted and wet himself in fear. He was truly pitiful. Severely injured by someone and sent to the village, only to be chosen by a pig farmer. It was no wonder he was so terrified that he lost control of his bladder.