Her words gutted him. He could feel the truth in her statement, and it weighed him down.
Had the clan done a poor job taking care of their nestqueen? They had failed to ease her worries by becoming overly excited about what the Wudox males’ blooming meant for the clan. They’d added pressure on her and the choices she would have to make soon. She couldn’t confide in her mates about her feelings concerning the clan and any future offspring. His nestbrothers’ blooming must have worried her, especially considering the obligation she already felt to provide the offspring for the future.
Odelm knew he was just as guilty as his nestbrothers. He’d made it well known how much siring her future offspring would mean to him, and it had blinded him to her wants and needs.
This was what Xylo had warned him about on the CEG Space Station. Even though Odelm had listened to his nestbrother’s words and understood his stance on the subject, he hadn’t taken them as seriously as he should have.
Despair overtook him, his knees buckling as he collapsed onto the floor.
“I am sorry for failing you,” he pleaded, lowering his forehead to the ground. “Please forgive me for my actions and any hurt I may have caused.”
He winced as the sound of steps neared him. Her hands gripped his shoulders—by his bond thread and her touch, he knew it was his nestqueen, for he would never allow another female to touch him so.
“Odelm,” she comforted, the rawness in her voice was echoed by the sad gray and worried orange in her aura. “Look at me, my love.”
Heartbroken, he lifted his head, unable to meet her gaze.
“My sweet, sweet musician,” she muttered, cupping his chin with both hands as she raised his eyes to hers. Tears met him, gutting him all over again. “I know how devoted you are to our clan and me. Your drive to sire offspring with me is the result of a need to prove yourself to both the clan and the universe. I can't fault you for that. I would blame the ishing luwsk who originally severed your bond, but if she hadn’t, I would've never had the chance to cross paths with you."
“That’s where you are wrong. The Stars led you to me for a reason. But I’ve been selfish and have prioritized my needs over yours." Odelm choked, absorbing his nestqueen’s sadness as his tentacles wiped away the tears that fell freely from her eyes. "I am to blame for causing so much disorder within our clan. If I wasn't clamoring about being chosen as a Favored, it was siring your offspring, regardless of the consequences.”
“Starting tonight, let’s fix any wrongdoings and heal our wounds,” she breathed. “Then, once these dates are over, you can help me explain to the rest of the clan that I don’t want to get pregnant again for some time.” She glanced toward the stage and sighed. “Perhaps I can even convince Xylo to have his team study some sort of birth control—though it will probably be pointless due to my fast healing. I hope that won’t somehow interfere with your biological triggers when your bonding spores are inside me.” Frowning, her eyes intense, she stared at the dimming sunset through the auditorium’s dome in silence.
While he didn't need a concert hall to feel accomplished, receiving the amazing feat of architecture from his nestqueen would remain one of the highlights of his life. Standing in front of Destima’s citizens as she declared him one of her Favored, and how she’d designed this hall for him, spoke volumes to him, the clan, and the universe.
The amount of imagination and thought she’d put into the intricate design was breathtaking. The building itself was shaped like a four-point flower, each petal a separate dome, surrounding a more extensive sphere in the middle. Each petal held offices, storage, and dressing rooms under the water’s surface, giving an independent feel to each area.
At its core was the hall’s lobby, where Selena had delivered her speech just a few days ago. Underneath the foyer, where the rest of the sphere was submerged underwater, lay a space for an exclusive restaurant if a business venture wanted to rent the room.
Different detailing was inlaid in each petal dome’s plexiglass, in a theme matching the petal’s purpose. The auditorium’s center was slightly raised, surrounded by seating under a dome closed off with detailing lining the space above the stage. The central viewing window in the ceiling provided natural lighting during the day and a gorgeous view of the stars at night. The ledge above the seating permitted him to add special lights or effects to the shows, projected onto the center stage.
Odelm couldn’t wait to stand in front of a sold-out auditorium and put on performances in Selena’s name. He could almost hear their cheers as he stared at the seats.
But now wasn’t the time to fantasize about the future, not when he was supposed to serenade his nestqueen.
“What ails you, Selena?” He wrapped his arms around his nestqueen, feeling her sigh as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “Tell me what I can do to take your worries away.”
“I am thinking about how difficult it will be to come up with a solution to prevent conception.” She leaned against him and covered his hands with her own. “If Xylo and his scientists can tailor a form of birth control for my body, how will the medicine interact with my males? I don’t want to harm the clan any more than I already have to delay having any more offspring.”
“If Xylo does concoct birth control that somehow prevents our spores from activating our bodies for our one shot, you have nothing to worry about.” Odelm tightened his hold on her, sending her all the calming vibes he could. “Remember,
