Everything would be all right over time.
It would be a while before they would have their limbs back, but it was worth the cost to protect their nestqueen from danger.
Not once was there a thought from Selena about being ashamed of them—or even worse, wanting to eliminate them like the queens of their home planet, Circul, had demanded for any handicapped or disabled. Even if Destima had a population problem, his nestqueen wasn’t the type of leader to force her citizens to endure such barbaric practices. Instead, she would’ve come up with another solution, like relocating to another planet in Aldawi space, whether it was already colonized or not.
His old queens preferred to keep Circul isolated, and after witnessing the princesses at the Assembly, he understood why. By isolating their people, they would rather have their citizens suffer from overpopulation and regulate those without able bodies to prevent another set of queens’ rise to threaten their power. Those princesses wanted to work around their mothers’ unwritten rules by taking the princes as their nestmates, thus becoming the queens of Destima.
Selena was a threat to the Circul royal lines—and by ruling Destima without any strict rules. Xylo knew that once the news had spread about her accepting new residents, that Circul’s citizens would attempt to come to plead their case.
No, Selena was determined to stand by them as they fully recovered—and that shocked his bondmate.
Xylo glanced at Odelm, who stared at her with his mouth ajar, shocked from the trial of thoughts he picked up from their nestqueen’s positivity.
“And what about the princes?” Selena asked, turning toward them. “Has their struggles caused any permanent damage?”
“We are fine, Selena,” Z’fir said, nodding his head. “Everything is well.”
“But your coloring?” She shot her hand out and gestured to their whole body. “Why aren’t you back to your normal coloring yet?”
“They’ll have their coloring back soon enough.” Chyox chuckled. “You have other things to worry about. Other than lost limbs, typically it’s the last thing that returns to normal. You’ll know when they are fully recovered when their skin is shiny and new. Then you can relax, knowing that your nestmates have completely returned to their old self.”
“So are you saying they don’t need to be near me anymore?”
Odelm shook his head. “We will always want to be near you, Selena.”
“We believe you should put your focus on your Favored,” V’dim advised, nodding to the males in question. “The worst has passed. Let Z’fir and me heal by ourselves from now on.”
“Is what he said true?” Selena scanned the medical staff for confirmation. “Are my princes well enough to not need much of my attention? Are they able to start work soon?”
“I believe your concern over them will be unneeded,” Usthu replied, as the others nodded. “You can think about their current coloring being almost like a minor bruise. The bruise itself is insignificant once proven nothing is wrong, but the slight pain can linger until the body makes it go away. It’s the same thing—but instead of pain, they will tire easier. Treat their skins’ discoloration as a body-wide bruise. Over time, their bodies will heal themselves and become shiny and new. Their milky white film will shed itself, revealing a smooth, scaled skin underneath. Soon after, your Wudox mates’ moss will blossom. It is then when you’ll know they are completely healed.”
“They’re all right, Selena,” Chyox soothed. “And once their bodies shed their film, you can ravish them all you like.”
“Chyox!” Kaica hissed as her hair started to turn an embarrassed yellow. “You can’t say that!”
“What?” He blinked at his nestqueen. “Selena has been known for being sexually active. It’s a good thing she has acquired a new mate because—”
“Because it will take time for your Circuli mates’ bodies to be capable of creating the necessary… components that are required for them to reproduce,” Oeta interjected. “So, Selena, don’t be concerned if they aren’t attempting to mate with you. It’s not because they won’t want to.”
“Instead, you should focus on yourself and your Favored,” Usthu said as he wrapped an arm around Kaica and pulled her close. “We will make sure your clan is well.”
“Myself?” Selena asked, frowning. “What do you mean about that?”
“Selena,” Oeta said gently as she glanced down to the center of her chest. “He’s talking about your scar—-and the things your kidnappers did to you.”
Selena placed a hand upon her chest and slowly traced her scar from her collarbone to her navel.
“Just tell me,” she begged. “Just tell me what damage they’ve done to me.”
“What are you referring to?” Xylo asked, wrapping an arm around Selena as he tried to comfort her. He didn’t miss the slight tremble in her voice, nor the worried thoughts she projected.
“You have nothing to fear,” Oeta soothed.
“Will I?” Selena placed her hand on her stomach, palming it. “Will I be able to have more children?”
Stepping forward, Oeta wrapped her arms around Selena, spreading her wings as she formed a protective shield around her. “Yes, without a doubt. You’ll be able to have more children if you want to.”
“Bless the Stars.” Selena sobbed into Oeta’s arms. “Bless the Stars.”
