Bang.
Did my mating lust blind me from the one thing I didn’t want?
Bang.
What if she hates me and wants nothing to do with me? We just became mates, and now—
An incredible force whipped him around, pinning his body to the wall with his arms and legs spread. Before he could snarl at the assailant, a hand smacked him across the cheek, snapping his head to the side.
“Who dares—”
“No, you listen to me, Kaede,” Oeta growled as she grabbed his chin and jerked him around to face her. The intensity of her aura was blinding, and he tried to look away to no avail. “Don’t you dare start spiraling. You are going to accept the consequences of your actions and be a father to your offspring. She will need you now more than ever. If you dare attempt to run away, I will end you myself. I have your mental signature; you can’t hide from me.”
“I’m not running, and I never will,” he spat. “She didn’t ask for this. She told me she wanted some time to adjust to life as a new mother and leader. Selena wants a chance to explore before bearing another child. Now, I’ve taken that away from her and forced her to delay her dreams, because I couldn’t keep away from her.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Celyze comforted, his skin still shimmering. “The Stars willed Selena to cross our paths and gave you a chance to reconcile your differences—”
“You were two lost souls coming together,” Oeta interjected. “You were the familiar face she yearned for, and she was the female you dreamed of but could never have. If the Fates placed you in the same constellation, then you shouldn’t beat yourself up for following the Stars’ path. Things happen for a reason. Love her. Protect her. Support her.”
“I always have. Now that she’s mine, I will never let her go.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zirene
His Nova was pregnant. Again.
That was why she reeked of Kaede.
While a part of him was ecstatic, another part knew trouble would soon follow, once the news spread. He didn’t dread it, for cubs should be celebrated, but they would have to be prepared. He didn’t trust the Quaww—or anyone else who had shown hostility toward Selena or his empire—to leave them in peace.
They were at a vulnerable time in Aldawi history, with a new Sovereign coasting on the edge of insanity, and his Nova pregnant with her bodyguard’s offspring. Doubts and questions would be voiced, and he needed to remain in control of his sanity and his empire. The most dangerous enemies were the ones who wouldn’t show their dissent until it was too late.
He didn’t want to kill or face another in a challenge, but he wasn’t afraid to defend his clan. Ever since Selena had stepped into his life on the CEG Space Station, he had promised he would never resort to violence, unless provoked.
Defeating his sire had been his first kill since he’d attempted to rescue Selena that fateful day she had found her own escape. The Yaarkins War had ended. Tensions with the Quaww had plateaued while they focused on their civil war, but he prayed to the Stars they could come to their senses and leave his empire alone.
He didn’t want the beginnings of another war in his hands so soon. He was still adjusting as a new ruler and handling the empire’s resistance to his changes.
Zirene glanced at the live feed on the giant vidscreen wall of his office. He watched Aunya direct B and her sisters on the placements of the night lamps around the nestroom. Selena lay between Xylo and Odelm on her nestbed. The princes were positioned together near her feet, with their appendages tangled around her legs. Xylo’s fathers and the rest of the medical team were hovering around them with tablets and medscanners at hand.
It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.
Selena was safe in her nestroom with her nestmates while her Oetsae healed them. Zirene didn’t understand how an energy being could do what Euouae claimed but decided not to question it. The Oetsae were a powerful species, if granted hosts; within their orb housing, they were weak. He had presented an orb attached to a necklace to Selena, because her orb’s coloring was different from those powering the builder robots. While the rumors upon the CEG Space Station about her jewel being a good luck charm, or a healing trinket, had been news to him, he had accepted them. If there were any truth in them, he could only benefit.
The necklace had been meant to show her, and the rest of the universe, how important she was to him—and how much he was willing to sacrifice for her.
Selena and Kaede were the first living Oetsae hosts in their time, and he had witnessed the things their Oetsae have done for them. While he would never force anyone to become a host, the thought of creating a specialized team of Oetsae-hosting individuals had crossed his mind.
The subject was touchy, and now wasn’t the time to bring it up, but if he could grant the dying Oetsae a willing host and guarantee their loyalty, he would. Another special force of enhanced warriors, healers, and long-distance communicators and teleporters could tip the balance of power in the galaxy in the Aldawi’s favor—especially when the Quaww’s civil war and the arrival of the outsiders didn’t sit right with him. He had witnessed enough of war—and history—to know that something monumental was about to happen.
Stars be damned, Selena and their cubs would have no part in it.
Gripping the arms of his chair, he growled.
He wanted nothing more than to be free from all of the responsibilities of ruling and settle down with his clan. He would be glad when the capital construction was finished, so he didn’t need to be far from his Nova or their cubs.
A soft chuckle escaped Selena’s lips as a gentle smile graced her face, giving Zirene hope that she was healthy and happy in the mental construct. The spots on her dark skin glowed purple and pink, displaying how much love she was feeling.
