"True mates are rare among our kind," Vida continued, lowering her voice."When a Triaxen finds his match, children usually follow quickly."She touched Ancelin's hand."We all consider you family now.Am I embarrassing you?The men are too absorbed in their conversation to hear us anyway."
“Krevan hears everything.”Ancelin sighed.
Vida's eyes softened."I've waited years for this moment—meeting you, seeing Krevan happy again.He's my firstborn and watching him suffer through that wrongful conviction nearly broke me."She squeezed Ancelin's fingers."Gillian's death was truly an accident."
"I know.Krevan explained everything," Ancelin said, finishing her tea.
"I'm glad you've embraced this life," Vida said."It happened fast for me too with Aiden.I knew nothing about Triaxens then.They move quickly once they find their mate—it's instinct, but also devotion.Had I heard all the frightening stories about them beforehand, I might have run the other direction!"
"The nausea's passing.Do you think I should try to eat something?"
"Yes, but take it slow.I'll have a plate ready soon—just tartis roast.The men need their meat, especially after being out in that cold."
"Ancelin."Krevan broke away from his conversation with his father."I need to show Father and the others the power crystal in my office.Will you be alright?I can stay if you're still unwell."He leaned down, pressing his lips to the curve where her neck met her shoulder.The graze of his teeth sent a current through her body, warming her to her fingertips."Better?"His voice dropped to a low rumble.Heat bloomed across Ancelin's cheeks as she nodded."You're flushing again.Are you certain you're feeling well?"
"I'm fine.Go ahead with your father.I'll stay with your mother."The lingering warmth from his venom spread through her veins, easing her nausea.
"Call if you need anything."Krevan squeezed her hand before departing.The men's voices faded as they followed him to view the hidden power crystal.
Once they were alone, Ancelin leaned closer to Vida."What's the truth about Triaxen males?Beyond Krevan's reputation for being...dangerous.Was that just because of his imprisonment, or is it common among them?"
Vida pressed her lips together, checking the roast before answering."They're complex creatures.Formidable when threatened, yes, but that's not the whole story."She closed the oven door carefully."With casual partners, they take what they need without much consideration.Some women find that intensity...appealing."Her expression suggested she found this puzzling."But with their true mates—" she gestured toward Ancelin "—everything changes.Their devotion becomes absolute.The protection, unconditional."She wiped her hands on her apron."The family bonds run deep.Every man who came here today would die before letting harm come to you—not just because you're Krevan's mate or a Vallex, but because you're now part of something larger than yourself.The Triaxen community."
"What does it mean to be a Vallex?"
"When a Vallex enters a room on Triaxe, everyone stands," Vida said, her eyes taking on a distant look."Their word carries the weight of law, though they hold no official title.For generations, when crisis strikes, people look to the Vallex family first."
"So, when Krevan was sent to Hellgate..."Ancelin trailed off.
"It was like watching royalty thrown to wolves."Vida's knuckles whitened around her teacup."That Earth judge knew exactly what he was doing.A Triaxen doctor from our most revered family, convicted on the flimsiest evidence?The witness even testified that Gillian attacked Krevan first, that she screamed death threats while trying to stop him from calling authorities."She set the cup down with careful precision."But the judge needed to make a statement.So, he sentenced my son—a man guilty of nothing but defending himself—to a place where monsters are sent to die.And our people have not forgotten."
"A single judge decided his fate?"Ancelin asked, her brow furrowing.
"One of the many shortcomings in our justice system," Vida said, clenching her hands into fists before she forced them to relax."No juries on Triaxe."
"But that's the past now."Ancelin touched Vida's arm gently.The older woman's jaw had tightened, her eyes distant with old pain."He can return home to Triaxe, to his family.This place—Verrian—it's been little better than a prison for him with its bitter cold at least half of the year."She shivered, remembering the howling winds and tornado that could have claimed her life."If he hadn't found me and offered me protection and shelter when he did...I would have been a victim of this planet."
"You found each other," Vida said, her expression softening as she squeezed Ancelin's hand."That deserves celebration."She moved around the kitchen island with surprising grace for her size."Come, daughter.The tartis sandwiches are ready, and those men won't wait forever."
As they entered the office, Krevan stood head and shoulders above many of the other Triaxen males.His eyes found hers immediately, and something warm unfurled in Ancelin's chest.The grief that had driven her across the stars seemed to recede a little more each day.Krevan crossed the room in three long strides and took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers.
Chapter 16
For fourteen more days, the storm howled outside their shelter.The pantry shelves grew bare as twelve hulking Triaxen males and their two female companions depleted their stores.When Ancelin prepared a simple chocolate pudding one evening, Krevan's eyes narrowed at the other men who reached for it.He positioned himself between them and the dessert."She made it for me alone."His possessiveness only worsened as the days wore on, his dominance over the other males becoming more pronounced while the cramped quarters frayed everyone's nerves.Yet whenever Ancelin's illness flared, Krevan would transform instantly—his fierce demeanor melting away as he cradled her, his whispers tender against her ear.
The morning winds finally stilled, Ancelin padded into the kitchen alone.Sunlight streamed through frost-edged windows, illuminating the unusual sight of sleeping Triaxens sprawled across furniture and floor.She measured the last of their coffee grounds carefully, inhaling the rich aroma as it brewed.A celebration was in order.As she gathered ingredients for a cake, Vida appeared wrapped in a thick robe."Need any help?"she asked, tightening her belt."The men exhausted themselves last night—out there in the snow, wrestling like children."
"They were fighting?In the snow?"Ancelin's jaw dropped."Why?"
"Cabin fever," Vida said, massaging her forehead."I woke to shouting and found them all bare-chested in the snow, steam rising from their skin.The cold doesn't affect them like it used to."
"Their bodies adapted that quickly?"
"They can't help themselves," Vida said, her fingers whitening around her mug."I barely made it to the window before Krevan had three of them on the ground.The others just circled, waiting their turn."She leaned closer, voice dropping."Then his father stepped into that circle.The sounds they made..."She shook her head, then her expression softened unexpectedly."Hours later, they were all sprawled across our furniture, bruised and bloodied, snoring like satisfied children.Without these...displays of dominance, they become dangerous.Like predators without territory."Her eyes locked with Ancelin's and she smiled.
"Krevan has been different lately," Ancelin admitted."More...demanding."
"He was different before Hellgate.Krevan was much more mellow," Vida whispered."But first things first—Coti soon for your test.”
