Dreadwolf, Lord of Runes

Fifteen minutes later, Kane and Luna had learned Myst didn’t currently have any clients and thus paid the woman at the front desk to spend the rest of the day with her.

Escorts at the Opal Oasis didn’t see more than one client a day, which meant that anyone paying for their time would pay for the entire day, no matter how long they actually spent with them.

Now, they found themselves in front of a door they recognized, and Luna impatiently pressed the digital key against the lock, before storming inside, followed by a lightly smiling Kane.

On the other side, a mature beauty waited for them. Dressed in a traditional kimono, her hair was as white as Luna’s, and she was about a head shorter than Kane. Her breasts were large F cups, and, most interestingly, she was a catling with her own tail and ears.

“Mom!” Luna exclaimed happily and jumped into the surprised woman’s arms.

Luna’s mother, Myst Shadowtail, squealed as she wrapped her daughter in her embrace, pressing the younger catling into her motherly breasts. “My sweet little Luna!” she purred in a sultry, mature voice. “I was wondering when you’d come to see your dear old mother again!”

Luna mumbled something as she wrapped her own arms around Myst, but the fleshy orbs she was buried in made her voice far too muffled to understand.

Meanwhile, Myst turned her attention to Kane, who was chuckling as he casually strolled in behind them. She gave him a kind and respectful nod, “Welcome, Lord Kane. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“You too, Lady Myst,” Kane nodded back with a small smile. “And I’ve told you there’s no need to call me Lord.”

But Myst didn’t hesitate as she shook her head.

“Oh, no. That won’t do at all,” she smiled and continued to speak with a sultry voice that would inflame anyone’s desires. “Anyone who earns himself the blood oath of a beastling is considered a lord in our culture. The fact that you are not a beastling changes nothing.”

While many beastlings had given up on the traditions brought over from the beastling’s original world, some kept them in their hearts. And Myst was a staunch traditionalist. Thus, Luna was as well.

“Besides,” Myst continued while still smothering Luna, “you are my little Luna’s saviour, and allowed us to meet again. For that alone I am eternally grateful and should give you proper respect.”

“I didn’t do it out of the goodness of my heart, Lady Myst,” Kane answered lightly. From the moment they met a few years ago, Kane had understood that Myst was not only very intelligent, but also had the cunning of someone who had to struggle for everything she had from the day she was born.

Thus, he had long decided not to underestimate or try to bullshit her.

His lips curled into a charming smile as he continued, “And finding you really wasn’t so hard, Lady Myst. There was no way a beautiful catling like you wouldn’t end up in one of the Opal Circle’s highest rated brothels.”

Meanwhile, Luna had tapped out and was now gasping for breath next to her mother. First looking at her daughter with love and some amusement, Myst then turned to Kane and chuckled with the experienced charm of a mature woman, “Fufufu, was that supposed to be a compliment, my dear Lord Kane?”

While waiting for Kane's response, Myst grabbed a tablet from a nearby cocktail table, and started typing on it without taking her eyes of Kane.

“I intended it as such. You truly are a beautiful woman,” Kane grinned shamelessly in response as he looked around the room.

It looked like an expensive hotel room, with warm, often red, colours. There was a comfortable seating area with couches and chairs, a self-service but fully stocked bar, and, of course, a large circular bed.

“It’s truly a shame they’re keeping you in here like a caged bird,” Kane sighed with a hint of regret. Beneath the façade of luxury, Myst was effectively a captive of the Opal Circle, barred from leaving the premises unless accompanying a client to some event.

The most freedom she and others like her had was the occasional visit to the roof garden, and only when they were not entertaining a client.

And, even if it wasn’t for Luna’s sake, he really liked Myst. She was a mother who would give anything for her child’s happiness and safety. The kind of mother he believed his own to have been. Thus, he felt some personal motivation for freeing Myst, rather than just his promise to Luna.

Having regained her breath, Luna looked sad when Kane mentioned Myst’s current situation.

“It’s not so bad here,” Myst smiled warmly as she put down the tablet and took Luna in her arms again, this time without smothering her. “Certainly a lot better than the slums. You just need to know how to play the game,” she finished with a mysterious wink.

Over the past four years, Myst’s motherly nature, mature confidence, and cunning intelligence had squarely put her on top of the other escorts living in this building.

While most of them were technically captives and slaves, they also worked directly for the Opal Circle, whose clients usually wanted charming and willing partners, rather than depressed wrecks. This gave them a certain amount of leverage over the Circle.

A leverage that Myst expertly navigated to get them as many benefits as possible.

The Circle even helped the men and women here to advance the path of Mystics, or to become Cybers, if they had little talent for the former. After all, all of their clients were at least Core Linking Mystics and equivalent Cybers, which meant their escorts needed a certain level of endurance themselves.

Well, only up to a point, of course. as soon as the escorts reached the Core Linking stage, it would become too expensive to keep actively supporting them.

Myst herself was at that stage as well. Unfortunately, it would likely be a while before she could create her domain, especially without further support from the Circle.

“You can say whatever you like, Mom,” Luna pouted, unconvinced. “But we both know you’d prefer to be free. You always told me that the only reason to give up your freedom was a blood oath, because those could only be made without any coercion.”

“Fufufu,” an amused Myst chuckled in response. “I believe I also taught you never to use my own words against me, little Luna.”

Seeing that Luna was about to respond again, Myst put her finger on the younger catling’s lips to keep her quiet. “Shh. That’s enough about this now. As long as you are happy, so am I.”

Like an obedient daughter, Luna continued to pout, but also nodded her head in resignation, her heart swelling in love and gratitude towards her mother.

Kane smiled at Myst’s care for Luna, “Don’t worry, Lady Myst. You’ll be free of this place eventually.”

He didn’t fear talking about this here, because the Opal Circle guaranteed the absolute privacy of their guests. No one would come here if the Circle compiled a blackmail file on all their clients. Even rumours of such a thing would ruin their business.

“I appreciate that, Lord Kane,” Myst smiled warmly, before continuing in a slightly pleading tone. “But don’t endanger yourself and Luna for my sake, alright? You are her Master, and a Lord according to our traditions, so I won’t presume to order you around, but I couldn’t forgive myself if either of you were harmed trying to free me.”

Unfortunately for her, Kane shook his head. “I can’t make that promise, Lady Myst, you know that. I promised Luna the opposite already, so my hands are tied.”

Myst sighed with a complicated expression. She was both happy and annoyed by his principles.

Meanwhile, Luna smiled victoriously, and a little mischievously, at her mother. “Master is as loyal to me as I am to him, Mother,” she exclaimed with all the conviction she had in her body.

“Yes, yes, rub it in why don’t you,” Myst rolled her eyes playfully, resigning herself for now, before turning to Kane again. Her smile turned mischievous “Anyway, I assume you don't mind that I've let Alexa know you're here?”

Kane's eyes sparkled, a predatory smile curving his lips at the mention of Alexa. “I was hoping you’d say that.”