“I don’t understand.”
“I can’t explain without betraying a confidence. Sorry.”
“Okay. What are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to be a runaway groom, are you? I understand your feelings and all, but I’ve gone to a lot of work for this speedy Earther wedding, you know?”
“I know. I’m not going to run away. I promise. The Royal Magistrate Guard would eventually track me down. And I don’t want to live my life on the run, looking over my shoulder until they catch me. And they would.”
“True.”
“There is nothing I can do. I’m stuck. I am doomed if I do and doomed if I don’t go through with this arranged wedding. My singular chance was if Francine’s parents had called it off last night. Since that didn’t happen, I’m back to stuck.”
Valene pressed her hands together, exerting pressure on his fingers. He looked into her steadfast gaze. “Don’t do anything foolish, Axel.”
“What do you mean?”
Her stare remained steady. He was unable to look away.
“I mean, don’t do anything to alter the wedding plans.”
“There’s nothing Icando. That’s the problem.”
“Well, stop trying to think something up. Go with the flow.”
“Why?”
Valene lowered her head, briefly shaking it. She lifted her gaze and in a low-pitched, pleading tone, said, “You have to trust me, Axel. The wedding will be beautiful. It will be perfect in every single way. You’ll see. Please don’t run away. Please don’t do anything to ruin the day.”
Axel knew Valene was trying to help. She had done a lot in the past couple of weeks to see that all the details were perfect so Francine’s snobby parents wouldn’t find fault with her work.
Not to mention that she faced a daunting task with her own love life if she continued to see the human sheriff, Wyatt Campbell.
Did Valene want Axel to consider moving to Alpha-Prime with Francine after their wedding? Was she working so hard to make everything just right so that when she announced to the world her choice of mate, she’d move to Alpha-Prime and at least have family there in the form of Axel and his bride?
Axel loved his sister, but wasn’t certain he’d be willing to promise a galactic move. If he went to Alpha-Prime, Lucy would be there. Eventually, she’d be married off to whatever Alpha goober guy her parents had arranged for her to marry.
He couldn’t think of a worse future. Every holiday, family gathering and social outing, they’d all be together. His sister, happily in love with her human mate, would see Axel and Francine doing their best to be friends and keep the peace along with Lucy and her goober dude doing the same.
Axel mentally shook his head to dissolve the vision of the imaginary family gathering. He didn’t want to picture Lucy with anyone else, goober dude or not.
“Promise me out loud, Axel,” Valene said.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I promise not to ruin the wedding plans for tomorrow that you worked so hard on.” She still held fast to his hands, thereby thwarting any attempt to cross his fingers.
“Go to the bachelor party. It’s just our brothers and one or two others.”
“Others? What others?”
She shrugged. “It’s possible that Cam invited Wyatt Campbell and Hunter Valero, since the party is at a human bar.” Hunter was the human sheriff of Old Coot, Arkansas.
Axel nodded. “Okay. I’ll go,” he said, sounding like he was headed to his own execution.
“And try to cheer up.”
He grinned exaggeratedly, widening his eyes to look manic and scary.
