“I want to go back. I want to run back there and tell him I love him and I forgive him and I don’t care about anything else.” The words tumbled out. “But I can’t. I can’t just forget and pretend that nothing happened. How?” I pulled backfrom Mierva, wiping my face. “How do I forgive something that hurt this much?”
“By deciding that your future together is more important than his past mistakes,” Mierva said. “By believing that he can change. That he will change, because he loves you enough to try.”
“What if he doesn’t? What if this is who he is? What if loving him always means fighting for my freedom?”
“Then you leave,” Baleck said simply. “But Cleo, you won’t know unless you give him the chance to prove himself. When our crew comes back, you’ll see what kind of male he really is. Whether his words about letting you choose were true or just convenient.”
I nodded, exhausted by my own emotions. “I’m so tired of feeling like this.”
“I know,” Mierva said. “But it won’t be much longer. Our people will come back, and when they do, you’ll know what to do.” She tapped a finger to the center of my chest. “You’ll know it in here.”
That night, I lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling. Not far away, Rezor was probably doing the same thing. Both of us alone. Both of us hurting. Both of us waiting for a decision that would change everything.
I thought about what Mierva had asked me. What did I actually want?
I wanted freedom. The ability to make my own choices, to chart my own course. I wanted to explore, to learn, to keep growing instead of staying static.
But I also wanted Rezor. Wanted his laugh, his strength, his fierce protectiveness that sometimes went too far but camefrom a place of love. Wanted to wake up beside him and build something together in this strange, beautiful valley.
I wanted both.
The question was whether I could have both. Whether there was a way to be free and be his. Or whether those two things were fundamentally incompatible.
Our peoplewouldcome back. Soon, probably. Zara wouldn’t wait long. She’d gather whatever resources she needed and return with an unstoppable force, determined to bring me home.
When she did, I’d have to choose. Stay or go. Rezor or freedom. The valley or the stars.
Except maybe Mierva was right. Maybe those weren’t the only options. Maybe there was a third path, one I couldn’t see yet because I was too hurt and too scared to look for it.
I closed my eyes, feeling tears leak from the corners. Everything felt like it was balanced on the edge of a knife. One wrong move and it would all come crashing down.
But I couldn’t stay suspended in this painful limbo forever. Eventually, I’d have to step forward. To make the choice. To build the life I wanted instead of just avoiding the one I feared.
I just hoped that when the moment came, I’d be brave enough to choose right.
CHAPTER 17
Rezor
The ships appeared on the eighth cycle after Cleo stopped treating me as her mate.
I was in the council chambers when the alarm sounded—three sharp bells that meant an unknown threat approached from above. My steps thundered as I ran for the plaza.
Above the valley, two massive vessels hovered like impossible metal birds. Not crawlers. Not anything designed for atmospheric storms. These were starships, sleek and powerful, hanging in the clear blue sky with a grace that defied everything I knew about the world.
Cleo’s world.
Around me, people scattered. Mothers grabbed their young ones and ran for their homes. Warriors converged on the plaza with weapons that were useless against whatever arsenal the ships contained. The council members emergedfrom their chambers, their eyes flashing with colors I’d never seen—confusion, fear, awe.
“Lord Rezor!” Torak’s voice cut through the chaos. “What do we do?”
“Nothing.” I kept my eyes on the ships. “We do nothing. These are our guests returning.”
“Those are warships,” Dira said, her voice tight with fear. “They’ve come to take the valley.”
“No.” I watched as several smaller craft emerged from the underside of the larger vessel. They descended with controlled precision toward the central plaza. “They’ve come to take their people home.”
The words tasted like ash in my mouth.
