It was as though he was devouring me whole.
It was only when I started struggling to breathe, that he reluctantly took a step back.
"I'm a wolf. If you want, when we're married, you can ride on my back.

Isaiah gently nuzzled my nose with his own.
"Okay," I said, softly.
He seemed pleased and started kissing me once more.
The Astral Alliance's welcoming banquet was held on the second day of our arrival on Tanbas.
Isaiah prepared sumptuous clothing for me and accompanied me to the feast.
Once inside the grand hall, I noticed that every one of my fellow human females was surrounded by a group of astral men, many of them animal people.

They were all in human form and each one was handsome, as though their features had been chiseled from marble.
Had they been born on Earth, they would have put even the most handsome of celebrities to shame.
Coupled with their grim and serious demeanor, they weren't difficult to pick out from the crowd.
Unlike their female counterparts, the men of Earth didn't seem to be all that welcome.

Astral women were naturally drawn to marshal prowess, and Earthlings' small stature and comparative weakness gave them a natural disadvantage.
Not to mention, their scarcity meant that astral women were used to being fawned upon; there was no reason for them to proactively approach anyone.
At the very least, astral banquets turned out to be culturally very similar to those on Earth.
So, at least in that regard, the human men could feel relatively at home.
Once the banquet had begun and everyone had taken the opportunity to get familiar with each other, the high lord of the Astral Alliance made a speech.
He announced that each human female must choose at least three male guardians.
A wave of outrage washed over the human women present.
"What's the meaning of this? We're not factories for your children!"
"This is inhumane! Have you no respect for our species?"
After these initial outbursts, the previously lively feast descended into an uncomfortable silence.
The expressions on the faces of the astrals had turned dark.
No matter what, these were my people, refugees who had fled the same catastrophe as I had; I was compelled to speak on their behalf."
"Venerable High Lord, please forgive our ignorance of your customs. It is our tradition to take only one husband. Overcoming countless generations of culture and customs isn't something that can happen overnight.
"I beg you, please give us time to adjust. This is entirely new to us and goes against everything we've been brought up to accept."
I already knew that the astrals were not unreasonable, nor did they lack intelligence.
Upon hearing my words, their expressions relaxed somewhat.
"In that case, my dear human, how much time do your people require?" The high lord asked, not unkindly.
"If you could give us half a year to select one guardian, then a further year to select a second, and one final year to select a third. This way, not only would we have longer to grow accustomed to your way of life, but we would also have enough time to focus on providing children."
I did my best to gain more time for my fellow humans.
From everything I had learned in my previous life, half a year was the limit of what they could accept.
But once we had each taken our first husband, they would see that we were sincere.
When combined with the tantalizing allure of future generations, I suspected they would be willing to give us even more time to select our final two partners.
As I expected, the astrals present began to smile, appearing satisfied.
But the high lord himself was a different matter. He furrowed his brow and fixed me with a serious stare.
I steeled myself and continued, "As a token of our good intentions, I can take my first husband now."
I turned to look at Isaiah, who was standing beside me.
He immediately got down on one knee.
"My dearest Maria Baker, will you take me as your guardian?"
He took out a peculiar-looking ring.
I smiled faintly and nodded in agreement. "I will!"
Against a backdrop of cheers and blessings from the assembled astrals, he solemnly placed the ring on my finger.
No sooner had he let go, than the ring transformed itself into an image tattooed on my skin.
"Congratulations to our brave Admiral Isaiah and his beautiful wife." The high lord applauded vigorously.
When the cheering eventually subsided, he continued:
"Now that Miss Baker here has demonstrated the goodwill and intentions of our human guests, I see no need to refuse her reasonable request."
Having received the response I was hoping for, I sighed an inward sigh of relief.
Later, while the banquet was still in full flow, I excused myself to make use of the bathroom.
When I emerged, I was surrounded by a gaggle of human women.
"Who gave you the right to speak for us?" They clamored, clearly furious.