Tirra by V.C. Lancaster

After the death of her abusive mother, young Gandry Queen Tirra must return to her old tribe to save the lives of her mother’s mates, who are dying without her. She and her sisters, Senri and Barqa, attempt the impossible: Bonding males who are already Bonded to another. It’s the only way to save them, though it’s not what the sisters wanted for themselves.

As the oldest sister, Tirra takes the oldest males, including Coron, a stern and severe white-furred male. When she was a child, she disliked Coron and loved to pester and torment him. Now, she needs him to teach her how to mate, before time runs out. Together, they discover a power dynamic that works for them, even though it is the opposite of the relationship a Queen should have with her Bonded male.

This is a 28,000 word novella that features an alien/alien couple that love only each other, though Tirra has a second Bonded male she doesn’t have a romantic relationship with. Coron was previously mated to Tirra’s mother, but there is no blood relation, though he treats her like a Daddy should treat his Princess. This novella follows on from Krol’s Goddess, Book 5 in the main Gandry/Ruth & Gron series. Ruth’s tribe will not feature, only Mirr’s tribe, but it would be better to read them together, not as a stand-alone.