He nodded in reply. His face was stoic, his eyes filled with sadness.
“The decision is made, and it is up to your clan to fulfill your end of the deal.” He paused as the lights in the chamber returned to normal. “Thank you, Selena, for your time. You may return to your party.”
“Thank you for your time and allowing me to have the freedom to live my life,” I said, bowing my head.
I turned around and faced the males who set me up. Seeing them raised my simmering anger to a boil.
Prince Royak looked concerned as he watched me approach, yet Zirene’s face was filled with a smug smirk. Both of my nestmates looked distressed, probably because they couldn’t feel me through our connection with Mwe temporarily blocking them. It didn’t matter. If they knew I would be making my case alone, they were part of the guilty party.
It hurt me that these three males, who were deeply connected with me, decided to keep secrets from me.
Hurt. Betrayal. Anger.
Those emotions were swirling inside of me, waiting for me to release them.
When I looked at the Circuli princes, their attention wasn’t on me. I glanced at the direction of their gaze to the Circuli desk. The two female Circuli looked at my group in hatred.
Why? What did we do?
I jerked my gaze away, realizing the whole chamber was watching me still. I hurried to my party, refusing to meet their eyes and returned to my original spot between my nestmates. Almost instantaneously, they tried to wrap one of their appendages around my wrists. I jerked them away, refusing to allow them to touch me while I didn’t know if they sided with Zirene.
“Now we have that settled,” Chamber Master Mwe chuckled and grabbed his tablet. “It is time for the last part of the agenda. I believe the Circuli representatives have a complaint against… the Aldawi… for arranging for the separated Circuli vessel to settle on the moonDestimaof the capital planet Lunkai, in the second-star system ruled by the Aldawi.” His gaze roamed the room. “Usually, we don’t deal with complaints between minors and their major, but this is a sensitive topic due to the nature of the events that caused it.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“I am sorry, Selena. It seems you are the main topic of this case as well.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Odelm
The moment Selena flicked her wrist away from him, dread filled Odelm as he realized how much trouble they were in. She’d never denied comfort from him. That she now did—in front of a crowd—just proved how much he’d failed his nestqueen.
He glared at the Chamber Master. If it wasn’t for him mentally blocking Selena, he could comfort her and explain everything.
Odelm would have been distraught if Zirene and the princes hadn’t already explained how today would go, with the Chamber Master isolating Selena. Having the courting bond severed once was hollowing—losing Selena when she was unconscious was something he didn’t want to feel again. He could still feel that she existed at the end of their connection, but it was muted. He felt no emotions and could not hear any of her loud thoughts.
“We will have our chance to explain to her soon, nestbrother,”Xylo said, his voice laced with uncertainty.
“I don’t like this. We should’ve warned her. I fear for what will happen once we are done.”
“She maybe upset with us at first, but she will understand. I fear for her health. Everything is new to her, and the stress of the current events will only cause harm. We need to get her to our new home and settled soon. I am afraid of what will happen when she finally collapses from doing too much.”
Odelm could feel his tentacles tremble from their default, relaxed state wrapped up around his chest. Instinctively, they wanted to wrap around Selena and comfort her. This wasn’t the time or place to do so, which resulted in him fighting his body’s urges.
“The Circuli representatives may state their complaint,” Chamber Master announced.
Both female Wudox and Ulax representatives stood and smiled sweetly at the Chamber Master.
“Thank you, Chamber Master, for allowing us to bring forth our complaint against the party on the chamber’s floor,” said the white and pink Wudox.
“We would like to address the news about residents of the ship,Destiny, being allowed to colonize an Aldawi-owned moon with both princes aboard unmated to a nestqueen. As you know, males don’t rule on Circul. They only assist the ruling queens. Therefore, since they are unmated, they have no one to rule and are incapable of providing offspring to continue the royal line for the new settlement,” said the lavender and yellow-colored Ulax.
“The Queens want us to claim each other’s brothers and rule the new Circuli settlement while providing heirs through our Favored. This would guarantee the settlement won’t become unruly or a drain on the Aldawi resources,” explained the female Ulax representative.
“Hold up,” Selena barked. “Let me get this straight. The Circuli Queens banished both Prince V’dim and Prince Z’fir because they refused to be split up and forced to take separate nestqueens. Then the princes spent five years searchingfor a habitable planet—after they and their crew spent years helping the Aldawi get rid of the Yaarkins—and when they are finally offered a place to settle as a reward for rescuing me, you both are demanding to take it all away?
“I don’t know if you heard, since it seems like this important part of the news didn’t reach you, but I am the owner of the moon.” Selena pointed at her chest. “Me. Only Prince Zirene—to whom I am the Seedbearer and Mate—Prince Royak, the Heir to the Aldawi Throne, and the Aldawi Sovereign have the power to overthrow me. This means you can’t do a thing, and the CEG would be wrong to step into your petty power play.”
