by Jade Waltz
Zirene nodded at both males before turning toward the ungrateful guard who dared threaten his Nova.
“You would strike a defenseless female?” Zirene hissed.
“She was not—”
“She doesn’t need to, you fool!”
A paw gently tugged him away, preventing him from assaulting the offending male.
“Brother, he doesn’t know who she is. Don’t fault him for his mistake,” Royak explained. He let go of Zirene’s shoulder as his voice hardened, addressing Karwyln. “But that doesn’t mean you are excused for your actions. This is a welcoming party, yet you threatened—”
A small cry for food sounded, halting Zirene’s dominant display.
Everyone eyed the lobby, looking for its source.
“Shh. It’s okay, Meti. Your mother has you,” Selena whispered.
Zirene turned around to face Selena, who continued to stand behind her nestmates. She was looking down at the sling, cradling her arm as she pulled down one of her dress’s straps. She held the sling up to her breast as she made a purring sound, and a suckling sound filled the room. The matching slings her nestmates wore held her—their—cubs.
Karwyln was going to strike her while she was defenseless and carrying one of his sired cubs.
He hissed in realization.
Selena flinched. She pulled the sling close and stared directly at him.
“If I knew this was how you would welcome me, I would have refused to come. Not that it would have mattered since your family rules the Aldawi Empire,” she snapped. “Am I supposed to fear for my clan’s wellbeing? It seems you didn’t tell them who I am. Is that because you are ashamed?”
The flames in her eyes burned him, challenging him to answer, but for the first time in his life, he was speechless. This wasn’t how he wanted things to happen—the room tense and on the defensive, each party unsure about the other. He knew it would have been foolish to believe she would come running to him, smiling with open arms… but he didn’t want this. He’d made another mistake, not factoring in her feelings once again. Instead of welcoming him with joy, she looked at him in anger as she doubted and questioned his motives.
Claps rang out behind him. His ears flicked back in annoyance before pulling his attention away from Selena.
“This is the first time I have seen you unable to respond, brother.” Royak stepped beside him and whispered, “What are you going to do to correct it?” Royak pulled away. Zirene’s gaze followed his brother as he walked around him and stepped up to the protective shield Selena’s nestmates formed around her.
“I apologize for the foolish actions of my guard,” Royak soothed. “I will make sure he is disciplined. Let it be known; there is nothing to fear from the Aldawi. We welcome you and your clan among us. What can we do to correct any harm done?”
Selena glanced at him before turning her gaze to Royak. Here she was, feeding one of her cubs and talking to the Heir of the Aldawi throne in front of a lobby filled with two parties, still wary of each other as the tension continued to simmer. He was amazed she wasn’t fazed by the dominant aura that filled the room by both Royak and himself. They were the only ones who weren’t pressed to the floor.
“I am sick and tired of having things kept from me. It seems your brother kept his true identity hidden while keeping my identity from everyone else. How is he supposed to protect me when everything is a secret?” She eyed both of her nestmates. A moment later, they lowered their defensive shield around her and slowly stepped away. A small smile lit up her face as she stepped between them.
That smile should have been for him.
She peered down at the sling held against her breast and slowly readjusted her dress, halting her purr in the process. She placed her hands inside the sling and walked up to Royak.
“Prince Royak Zarcaw, Heir to the Aldawi Throne, do you want to meet my firstborn, your niece, Meti?”
Gasps rolled through the lobby.
“You know what you just did, don’t you?” Royak asked gently.
Selena was calling Zirene out for keeping everything about them a secret, changing all of his meticulous plans right before his eyes.
Selena looked directly at Zirene. Her eyes burned with a passion, which in any other situation would have made him purr in response. She was his equal in every way—intelligent, passionate, and caring—yet he’d never seen this fiery side of her. She’d always had her sassy moments but never the commanding presence she held now. If she were an Aldawi, she would have been lethal defending what was hers.
“You are going to claim me as your mate, right now. You sired my cubs, and I won’t settle for being just a Seedbearer, where you only come around whenever it suits your needs.” She removed her daughter from her sling and held her close to her neck. “I know traditionally, based on his income, the male would give his Seedbearer private land to live on.” She pulled her nestmates closer to her and tilted their heads to expose their matching bite marks at the base of their necks. “Well, I want to claim you as my own, too. This will establish you as a part of my clan.”
Laughter rolled from Royak. “It seems you have found your match, Zirene. May the Stars and Fates smile on you. She just made your plans easier while stating her own.”
How could she know about their laws concerning Seedbearers and their gifted land? The law stated they could only provide Aldawi offspring to the male who established a deal with her. By impregnating her without her constant, she took it a step farther and stated he must allow her to mark him as a mate. She offered herself to be marked by him because that is what royals did to their Seedbearers. She would fulfill both roles of Seedbearer and mate to him, so she could keep her clan protected.
Kaede’s reports about her dream to live peacefully as a large family came back to him.
What she didn’t know was he’d already prepared the land for her and made plans to deal with the Circuli. He didn’t need to mention that until they had some privacy. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
Zirene stepped next to his brother and looked down at Selena. The top of her head came up to the middle of his chest. Her small stature and fragility seemed like it couldn’t contain the fiery attitude that radiated from her. He gazed from her nestmates to his daughter, pressed against the side of her neck, then his eyes trailed up to meet hers.
They stared at each other in silence, her eyes saying many unvoiced thoughts.
She still didn’t trust him fully. He could see the betrayal, hurt, and anger swirling in them as she tried to hide the one thing he didn’t want her ever to feel—fear. She was doing this for their cubs’ future, not caring that it would put a target on her.
Zirene turned away from her and scowled at Karwyln on the ground.
“Selena is my Nova. Her cubs were sired by me and no other. As I am your Prince, she is my Mate, meaning you treat her as you treat me. She is allowed non-Aldawi Consorts, and they are welcome to join her clan on the land I will provide for her to raise my cubs. You will treat them with respect, for they are hers as she is mine. Understand?”
“Yes, my Prince,” Karwyln mumbled.
He addressed the rest of the room. “Do you understand?” Each guard submitted and agreed when his eyes locked on them. Zirene turned to his brother and met his gaze.
“Will you honor me in witnessing our marking and confirm it for the Empire?”
Royak studied those behind him and nodded. “It would be an honor to witness such a bonding. The sooner it happens, the better. It will save us a headache later on.”
Zirene nodded and faced Selena. “I agree to your terms. When do you want it to happen?”
“Right now.” She jerked her chin. “Allow everyone in this lobby to witness to prevent any doubts.”
He would not demand that she allow him to take her in front of everyone, as tradition suggested. It would push her farther away from him. He wanted to love her and for her to love him back. He knew she was only doing this for their cubs’ future. He would have to make
it up to her and prove to her he was to be trusted and wouldn’t hurt her again.
“If that is what you want, I accept.”
She nodded and pulled their daughter away from her neck, gazing down at the sleeping cub. His eyes followed, and he stilled at what he saw.
His daughter was tiny and could easily fit in one of his paws. She resembled a miniature version of his brother, Royak, but her fur was the same silver of Selena’s hair instead of Royak’s white. Unconsciously, he stepped closer and lightly traced his daughter’s tiny body with one of his fingers. A quiet purr sounded as she opened her eyes to focus on his finger. Her eyes matched his.
“Prince Royak, I believe your niece looks like you but has my silver color hair, instead of your white fur, and Zirene’s amethyst eyes,” Selena beamed. “Would you like to hold her as we complete some unfinished business?”
“I would love to, but typically male Aldawi don’t—”
“I am not an Aldawi, and I believe Zirene would feel honored if you held her while you witness our marking,” she growled.
Zirene felt like an adolescent once again at how Selena carried herself among them.
Even their other siblings and the royal guard had never been this comfortable around them. Was it the fact the Fates made her his Nova? Or was it that she was raised outside of society and was unaware of the social standards around her? Perhaps, after the last nine years, she had grown accustomed and comfortable with him, and being with him in person felt the same to her as if they were in their dreamscape.
“Yes. It would be an honor.”
Selena passed their daughter over and tilted her head, her fiery eyes locked onto his.
“Are you ready?”
Chapter Three
Selena
All my preparation and studying worked. The trick to dealing with the Aldawi was not to show any weakness. They preyed on those who were weak or submissive. Being human—even with my enhancements—had me at a major disadvantage.
I felt it when both Aldawi princes asserted their dominance in the lobby. It rolled over my skin like a tingling sensation, but I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—budge. Submitting to him would only allow him to get his way. I was sick and tired of being in the dark about whatever plans he had for my clan’s future.
“Selena. Are you sure about this?” Odelm asked. Worry laced his mental voice, which matched his coloring.
“He can’t back down now. Not in front of all of his men or his brother.”
“Selena. You should not push yourself when your body is still recovering.” Xylo replied, his deep mental voice filled with concern.
“I have to follow through. Doing so will ensure our future.”
“She is still recovering and providing for the cubs, Sires. Her body will need time to recuperate afterward,” Xylo addressed the Aldawi princes.
“Thank you for the warning. I would have us retire in my Royal Apartment once we settle this. Once there, we will discuss what will come from our visit here.”
“Let’s get this over with. The twins will wake up hungry soon, and I would like to be sitting down for that.”
I could feel the room watch me as I pulled my hood off my head, revealing my silver hair for all to see as I took off my cloak and handed it to Odelm.
Zirene towered over me, standing taller than most of the other Aldawi in the room.
Just as Meti looked like their uncle, Prince Royak, my twins, Nocrez and Neazzos, looked exactly like their sire, Prince Zirene.
Zirene was like the blackness of space—devoid of any color. Along his back and sides were pewter stripes that started at the top of his head and covered the whole backside of his body, except his tail. He had a thin black tail with a dark steel bushy end. The front side of his body was ombre, from black to midnight blue.
He had two black-furred triangle-shaped ears on top of his head and long, midnight-blue hair down to his shoulders that matched his puffy upper chest. His face was a dark steel color and shaped like a feline from Earth. His amethyst eyes stood out as they framed a thick, high arched, triangular black nose while a pair of sharp fangs stuck out from his thick human-like lips.
His body radiated both agility and strength. Broad shoulders turned into muscular arms as his chest narrowed to his waist, then to broad hips that turned into S-angled legs. His hands were a strange human-feline hybrid with five thick, furry fingers with pads along their insides. Instead of nails, they had thick black claws. His feet matched his hands but larger.
Seeing adult Aldawi in the flesh explained how the Aldawi were capable of running in both bipedal and quadrupedal stances, due to the shape of their back legs and the length of their arms.
He wore a royal purple long-tailed jacket that went to his knees, covering his elegant black loincloth. Both his jacket and loincloth had silver details and allowed his tail to move freely behind him.
Zirene’s aura screamed dominance, elegance, and power to all who looked on him.
His brother, Prince Royak, was the same, but something seemed a little different about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
It was clear they were littermates, even though the same parents rarely produced the same physical attributes. They had the same coloring but different patterns and eyes. How could my cubs share the same coloring and patterns as the most powerful males in the galaxy?
I couldn’t lie and say both males weren’t attractive, but my desire was for Zirene.
Zirene slowly undid his jacket and took it off, revealing his bare chest.
“Agent Kaede, come here.” I could feel him muting his dominance on the room as the surrounding crowd relaxed and slowly stood. Kaede hurried over, stopped beside us, and bowed. “Hold this for me.” Zirene tossed Kaede his jacket. “You will mark me first, then allow everyone in this room to watch you submit to me as I mark you in return.” Zirene knelt down and pulled his hair over to the right exposing his left shoulder to me as he closed his eyes.
“By allowing you to mark me, I trust you and put my life in your hands.”
This male was the one my heart knew.
The one who helped make every day of the last nine years easier. The one who taught me all I knew, and by using that knowledge, allowed me to adapt to the world around me. Because of him, I could make friends aboard the Destiny. Because of him, I learned to trust and love both of my nestmates.
My body wanted his—to feel him against my skin. My heart wanted to trust him, wanted to love him—but my mind knew better. He took my choice away from me and impregnated me without my knowledge to fulfill his own agenda.
Stepping up to him, I ignored the others around us—especially the other male who hurt me so.
I brushed his long, midnight hair back, feeling its thick silkiness between my fingers. A small groan escaped him—shortened to a light purr. I traced his neck, feeling him shiver from my light touches as I searched for the perfect spot. I gripped his shoulder and fisted his hair as I brought my lips to it.
Closing my eyes, I lowered my face to the side of his neck and swiftly bit down. His fur coat made it hard to break his skin as the fur tickled my tongue. I locked my jaw and jerked my head back and forth until I broke his skin. The taste of blood flooded my mouth, soaking the fur between my teeth. The hiss that escaped Zirene radiated through my grip on him.
“Selena. That is enough. You made your mark,” Xylo cautioned.
“The guards…” Odelm warned.
“They will hold!” Royak barked.
He was mine and no one else’s.
I would not allow our differences to change that, even though things were still uneasy between us.
It was done.
I released him from my grasp and stepped away, spitting out his fur. His blood and fur covered my face, but I didn’t care. Let those within these walls know what I had done.
All the guards from the three species had a range of unease and wariness on their faces and in their stances. Prince Royak watched Zirene with a smile on h
is face.
“That looks like the mark will stay.” He glanced up at me. “I didn’t know you had it in you. Your kind seemed ill-equipped to do such damage.”
I blushed as my gaze fell on the mark I left. He was right. Gruesome as it may be, the bite mark looked like it would indeed scar.
“Now, it is your turn.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Pull your hair to the side and expose your neck as I did to you. I will try to make it as quick, but it won’t be painless.” He glanced behind me, addressing my nestmates. “Am I right?”
I turned to face them.
Did I really hurt them amid our passion?
Xylo looked sheepish. “The bliss of our coupling and having my bonding spores accepted by her overrode the pain of her bite. It was more surprising than painful.”
“I felt the same way.” Odelm locked his light jade eyes on mine and winced. “Selena, it will hurt. Humans do not have the protective skin that Aldawi and Circuli have.”
“It needs to happen,” I shrugged. “Pain is something I am not afraid of.”
I pulled my hair over my shoulder, exposing the left side of my neck to Zirene.
“Selena. I know things between us aren’t ideal, but whatever you do, don’t move,” he cautioned.
Nodding, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Soft pads pulled me closer, my body pressing against his as my face rested on his furry chest.
Slowly, he ran his paws along my body, tracing my sides before resting them on my hips. I felt heavy breathing against my ear.
“I am using all of my restraint. Please don’t tempt me.” A low rumble escaped him. “I will make this up to you. I promise.”
Gentle kisses pressed behind my ear and traveled slowly down my neck. The sensations, heightened with my eyes closed, caused my body to react to him.
My body knew him. So did my heart. Yet my mind knew better.
I could feel the slickness starting to develop between my legs as my body reacted to him, not caring we were in front of everyone.
He was the male who had spent almost every night with me in our dreamscape and he was now caressing me with kisses. If he hadn’t made me a mother against my will, I would have thrown myself at him—had him take me away to somewhere private, so we could explore each other in person. I would have been excited to be together again.