“It’s too personal for me,” Tori muttered, frowning as she shook her head. “She’s a stronger person than me. I wouldn’t want anyone to know exactly what I was thinking at all times, especially my mates. I would always be paranoid that I may have offended or hurt them.”
“We can shield each other if needed, but such a connection also helps us understand the thought process that leads to an outcome,” V’dim explained. “Without it, I think there would be more disagreements, especially amongst large clans.”
“She hasn’t shielded us since she’s returned,” Odelm announced. “It isn’t because she’s shielding us from the rest of the mental web, but she’s doing it because we ground her. It reminds her that we are alive and well. After being gone for a long time, it gives her a sense of normalcy.”
“That is because when she woke up in another galaxy as the rest of us were all in Cyropods, for the first time since she entered a courting bond with me, her mind was silent. There weren’t any foreign thoughts or emotions that she’d grown used to,” Xylo explained. “I’m not shocked that she found a way to tie Kaede to her because out of all of us, he would be the least likely one to leave her side.”
“She’s the very thing he always wanted,” Zirene said, his tail whipping back and forth. “Now that he has found her, and they are mated, he won’t ever let her go.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Kaede
His eyes shot open as the ringing in his ears intensified.
Grumbling, he tightened his hold on Selena as he tried to go back to bed—only to fail.
His leg was wrapped possessively over Selena’s, preventing anyone from taking his female away from him, especially while he was asleep. Snaking his hand around her stomach, he pulled her close and breathed in her scent.
She was his—and he wouldn’t let her go.
After tasting her aroma, he now understood why Z was so upset when she first returned. It was because her scent had changed—it no longer smelled like an exotic flora, but now it had a musky spiciness to it.
Since she was pregnant with his daughter, Kaede’s aroma had merged with hers, creating a repellent for any other interested male.
Somehow, it filled him with a sense of pride, knowing that before even scanning her, she was already displaying signs of her pregnancy—and him being the sire.
Deciding it was time to report to the others while she continued to sleep, Kaede leaned forward and kissed her forehead before slowly lifting his leg from hers. After he climbed out of bed, he turned around and tucked her in, making sure she wouldn’t notice the temperature change while he was gone.
Picking up his uniform’s smart disc, he placed it onto his chest and activated it, feeling the smart material shimmer across his skin.
Watching Selena curled up in his suite’s bed, he burned the memory into his banks before teleporting to the tree line.
Kaede watches the crowd gathered under the pavilion as they ate and talked amongst each other. It looked like something Selena would’ve enjoyed if she were awake, bonding with her clan and friends as they had dinner and watched the sunset.
Zirene caught his stare and nodded.
Right as Kaede was about to turn, Xylo locked his gaze with him. Kaede jerked his head toward his room and slowly blinked. Xylo nodded, understanding from their silent exchange that their shared mate was currently fast asleep in his bed.
Without delaying or needing instruction, Kaede turned around and walked deeper into the woods. Even though it was getting darker, Kaede knew his way around the whole villa estate, and the location he was headed was one where Z and he had private chats often, away from prying eyes and ears.
His drones hadn’t picked up any unusual activity as they continued to do their rounds around the estate and the rest of the moon.
As soon as he reached the railing, Zirene appeared.
“You told her?” Z asked, no need for pleasantries; he went straight to the point.
“Yes, I did,” Kaede replied, leaning against the trailing as he watched the ocean below. “It was hard to do.”
“How did she take it?”
“Somehow… she took it well.” He sighed as he sent thanks to the Stars. “She doesn’t regret it, but she wants Euoaue to make her body prevent itself from becoming pregnant again. My REI will do the same for me, since like you, my genetics tend to override any naturally occurring birth control she may have.”
“Will it ruin her cycle?” Zirene let out a huff. “I am worried about her connection with her Circuli mates. Their bodies require the existence of her cycles to produce their manhoods. If it ruins her estrus, then I am afraid she may become upset and blame herself.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Zirene
