“The Quaww struck three border systems simultaneously.” Z’s voice carried the sovereign-cold cadence he used for councils and executions. His paw didn’t leave Selena’s face. A contradiction, that tenderness. A weakness he refused to name. “Coordinated. Precise. They’ve been planning this for months. Possibly years. Lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.”
“Casualties?” Selena didn’t flinch. Her voice stayed even, steady, as if she could keep the galaxy from spilling apart by refusing to shake. His star was filling her role as the Aldawi Beacon by supporting her Sovereign in their empire’s greatest time of need.
“Still being tallied.” Z’s eyes went darker than royal purple, nearly black. “Hundreds confirmed. Thousands projected.”
Kaede watched her take it in. The slight stiffening of her spine. The way the spots along her arms deepened, not with fear—
Resolve.
Dangerous, beautiful resolve.
Stars, he loved her for it.
It terrified him in the same breath.
Zyxel hovered at the edge of their tight formation, coiled too neat, too still. Crimson naga form held in check, chartreuse eyesflicking between Selena and Kaede like he was trying to find the rules of this clan by watching the way they stood.
Each glance scraped at Kaede’s fangs.
A sealed bond didn’t buy trust. It bought responsibility. There was a difference.
It would take time for him to fully accept him as a clanbrother. Time that was always eluding them.
“You said something worse was coming.” Selena pressed. “It’s the Verya, isn’t it?”
Z’s jaw tightened. His gaze cut to Kaede—one sharp look between males who’d survived too many impossible situations to waste time on denial.
Tell her, that look said.She needs to know.
Kaede stepped forward, placing himself at Selena’s flank by instinct, body angled to intercept. The landing pad wind cut across his armor, whipping his cape. He barely felt it.
“Celyze received a vision during the night,” he said. No softness. Not now. “The Verya have been tracking you since your discovery.”
Her eyes narrowed, ocean-deep, asking for an explanation without pleading for it.
“They’re genetic collectors,” he continued. “They harvest unique DNA for breeding programs. They’ve conquered their galaxy, and now they’ve marked ours. You aren’t a target, Selena. You’re their war prize.”
A beat. Long enough for the words to settle like poison—ruining any fragment of joy she might’ve had.
“Ryzen’s brother was captured by them.” Kaede’s voice stayed controlled because if he let it slip, he’d show too much of what he planned to do to the first Verya he got within range. “And they’re coming for you next.”
Selena’s hand went to her belly.
The motion was small. Instinctive.
It ripped something primal through Kaede’s chest anyway.
His daughter. His mate. Hiseverything.
He’d burn a galaxy to cinders before he let the Verya touch either of them.
“We need to board,” he said, sharper than he meant. “Now. Every moment we spend here is a moment they close distance.”
“The cubs?” Selena’s gaze swept the landing pad, searching—already calculating who was exposed, who was at risk.
“Already aboard with the others. Protected.” He forced his tone down, forced it into something soft for her. “I didn’t come for you until they were secured. You know that.”
Something flickered across her face—gratitude, yes, and the edge of irritation that he’d made a decision without her again.
