Kaede
Somehow, they had survived over two weeks of his mating heat.
Kaede was thankful that they had burned through the cycle the night before they arrived on Destima. He wouldn’t need to battle his instincts along with whatever was waiting for him at home.
There was only one task left—contact Z.
Kaede had been avoiding the male for his entire mission. A part of him didn’t want to admit to failing his master every single time he reported. Since he had found Selena, he also didn’t want to explain why he was mated to her.
Perhaps he was a coward, running from his past mistakes and decisions, but he had never been able to spend time alone with Selena until now. While they had passengers aboard theAbyss,they had been able to grow closer on a deeper level as they traveled back to Destima.
< REI. CONTACT Z. >
< CONFIRMED. >
Kaede stood at attention as he waited to meet the male he considered the closest thing to a father figure—who was now not only his master but also his clan brother.
A proud, darkly striped Aldawi male sat before him on the vidscreen in his new Sovereign chair. Leaning on his armrest, the royal pinned him with pitch-black eyes.
“Agent K reporting for duty.”
“You are ninety-one days late on your report,” he spat.
Kaede knew that if he were standing before him, Z would have thrown his aura at him with full force. Though he wondered if being mated to Selena would now render him unaffected by his power like her other mates.
“That was necessary in order to succeed in my mission, sir.”
“It was bad enough that I had to learn about Selena’s rescue through our dreamscape. Then the Fab Five started sending your journey’s updates in their reports. Explain yourself.”
“I have no explanation other than that I was working for the greater good of the Aldawi Empire and my selfish desires,” he replied honestly. “I did what you wanted me to do—return Selena to you at any cost. The cost was for me to get a chance to work out our relationship. I have never requested time off or leniency since you’ve rescued me, but I believe I have earned it.
“If I had to report to you every day to you and the Fab Five, I would never have had the time to explore our relationship and our future. Especially after learning what awaits her when she arrives tomorrow.
“For the next few months to a year, maybe more, Selena will never leave her nestmates’ sides in fear of what might happen if she wavers for even a second. I have been working with her to alleviate her fear of being alone in a shower, which is something that you, as her mate, need to know. Our female is damaged, but not broken, and she needs all the time we can give her to overcome her fears.
“So be mad at me, discipline me if you have to. I was only doing what I was told—rescuing your Nova and protecting her the best that I could. Now that we are officially mates, I can extend that care to her heart, as well. I will continue to be the best guard in your empire, but now we are mated to the same female, I will be your clan brother, as well.”
Zirene stared at him in silence. Without REI’s timestamp on their feed, he would’ve thought that his vidscreen had frozen.
“You make valid points,” he grumbled. “I have been working you and your siblings too hard. I hoped allowing Agent B and K to work alongside their mates would help create some relief, but instead of working with your mate, you are now workingforher. It will take some time for me to get used to the idea. However, having you as a clan brother may be a gift in disguise. Just… don’t fail me again.”
“I swear it, to both of you.”
