The twins lost their grip, stumbling to the ground as Meti held on tightly, her claws gripping his bodysuit’s collar, refusing to let go. Kaede took advantage of the twins' position and put his weight on his elbows as he clawed at their stomachs.
“Caught,” Kaede declared, smiling. His wide grin showed all of his teeth—as if he was intimidating them—as his fangs glistened.
I’d never seen him so happy… so relaxed… so attractive. Something about the scene made my stomach flutter, whether it was their happiness or how precious the moment was.
This was the cubs’ first time being active.
While Xylo has assured me Aldawi cubs only slept and ate for the first five to seven days, I was still nervous about how they would progress and grow compared to other Aldawi cubs. Their noises weren’t words—Aldawi or Galactic Common.
Almost all species’ children had a basic understanding of their native tongue from birth. Some could speak in a few days, while others took a few months. Circuli offspring were one of a few quicker species, capable of activity and basic telepathic communication once hatched, while the Aldawi were like most species when it came to their growth development.
I tried to hold back the tears as I watched Kaede play-wrestle with my three cubs. It was clear the cubs were working together as they tried to take him down to the floor. Meti took the high ground and went for his throat. I could tell Kaede was being careful with them, making sure they would not be injured.
“What is wrong?” V’dim asked, halting the comb mid-stroke.
“My cubs…” I replied, lost for words as tears started to fall.
“Selena. You do not need to worry,” V’dim assured as he continued to comb my hair. “It is a pretense. Practice. Training. Kaede isn’t going to harm your cubs. This is completely normal for many warrior-based species.”
I laid in silence as V’dim worked out the tangles, watching my cubs try to conquer Kaede.
I surveyed the room and noticed Z’fir was missing. My threads to Xylo, Odelm, and V’dim were in the room, but he was distant. Why was he missing when the rest of the clan was here?
“Z’fir?” I asked, slightly tugging the thread, hoping not to floor him as I did Xylo when he first taught me how to communicate mentally.
“Is everything all right, Selena?” Z’fir replied urgently.
“I woke up with you gone… I was wondering where you were,” I asked and cringed right away. I sounded needy as if I was incapable of getting by in a room filled with four other males. “It wasn’t my intention to invade your privacy. I was just—”
“You are fine, Selena. I know you didn’t have any ill intentions,” he comforted. “Even though V’dim and I are the Co-Commanders of the ship, it is my shift to supervise the Destiny to allow the other captains their time off, especially since we are docked. We want to make sure the other two captains and their assistants have time to explore the space station since it has been a while since we docked somewhere. I shall be back soon and before bed… that is, if we are welcomed to join the clan in your nest.”
Instinctively, I pulled V’dim’s faint thread to his and added him to our conversation. V’dim halted his brushing. I turned my head and met his startled face; he was shocked by me adding him to the conversation so suddenly.
“You both are welcome to join us in my nestbed. I am court bonded to you both, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” they both replied at the same time.
“Then, it is settled. I am not going to break this court bond with either of you… unless either of you doesn’t want me to be your nestqueen. I know our agreement was originally political—and if you both want it to be that way, that is fine with me. You don’t even need to share a nestbed with us, but I was hoping we could live as a clan even if the three of us were only close friends. I know traditionally, court bonded nestmates start sleeping with their nestqueen’s clan the first night, but I am willing to delay that if you both need time to process everything.”
There was a moment of silence from them. I studied V’dim as I waited.
He had a more traditional Ulax coloring than Odelm and reminded me of a deep body of water. His skin was cobalt with loose swirls in a variety of blues and violets. His anemone hair was thicker than Odelm’s, too, but a nice indigo shade. The darker coloring made his turquoise eyes pop while Odelm had a youthful aura about him, flamboyant and brightly colored. V’dim radiated maturity, seriousness, and order—like Z’fir.
Perhaps it had to do with the princes being raised together and sharing a nestbrother bond from a young age as they grew up together. It made me wonder if they were capable of being individuals with separate thoughts and dreams, or if growing up together with such an intimate bond create a shared persona split between two life-forms. Z’fir and V’dim were both considered strong in their mental capabilities, especially for being male. Was their connection the reason why their powers were stronger than most males? Did they somehow share each other’s abilities through their shared bond?
“We would be honored to share a nestbed with you and your clan,” Z’fir said.
V’dim cupped my cheek, drawing my gaze to his.
“We won’t pressure you to decide whether you want to make our bond permanent or when. That decision is up to you and only you.” He paused and licked his lips nervously. “We would like to wait until we settle on your moon. A Circuli male separated for a long time from their nestqueen would cause unpleasant effects on his body. Once a male injects their bonding spore, their life is bonded to that female. That is why the
