Was I truly a black hole, drawing my loved ones closer only to throw them in the way of danger and harm?
The image of Zirene’s sire shadowstepping in slow motion between Xylo and Odelm, slicing off their appendages with two quick swipes of his claws, their blood splattering all over me, would forever give me nightmares.
What if they never regenerated their limbs? How would they function?
Xylo would have a slightly easier time adjusting than Odelm, who depended on his appendages to play all his unique instruments.
Worst of all, if they lost their appendages forever, they would no longer be known for their unique coloring—they would be judged among the Circuli for their handicap. The thought haunted me.
Staring down at my hands, I felt the need to clean off their green and blue blood so I could start healing from my trauma.
I refused to look in the mirror, afraid to see how I had fared as I stripped off my ruined clothes, leaving only the necklace upon my collarbone. I turned on the water before climbing into the shower, only to collapse onto the floor tiles. Laying my head against the cool metallic wall, I let the spray beat down on my skin.
I couldn’t feel my connections with my nestmates on Destima, and I was too afraid to try to reach out to Oeta, just in case I got intercepted by my stalker, Xenak. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with another incident today. I had already gone through a rollercoaster of emotions through today’s events—Zirene leaving, Odelm rejecting my Second position, being summoned, giving my cubs to Masmi, and now my mates were fighting for their lives.
Had I made the wrong decision, leaving my Circuli princes behind? If they had been here, we would have had two more warriors in the throne room to protect my Favored from the Aldawi Sovereign.
I just wanted to leave this palace.
Our mere arrival had caused too much stress for one day. The ship’s guards had pushed us off their flagship, where more guards waited in the hangar bay into rush us to the throne room.
Lost in my sorrowful thoughts, I didn’t hear someone enter the room until it was too late. A gasp escaped my lips as something sharp stabbed my neck, knocking me into darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Three Zirene
After many years of oppression by his father, he was finally ready to put him in his place. His Nova—while upset and hurting—was safe in his ship where she belonged, and he’d commanded Kaede to make sure her Favored were taken care of.
Somehow, word of his challenge had traveled fast within the royal guard; the throne chamber rapidly filled with spectators from wall to wall, ready to watch a fight.
The crowd was respectful enough to create a clearing around Odelm and Xylo’s unconscious bodies, leaving space along one wall for Kaede to return with help.
Royak stood next to the throne as the royal witness to Zirene’s challenge, ready to referee the fight and declare a winner.
“Prince Zirene Darcaw, Ruler of the Lunkai Star System, has declared a challenge against the Aldawi Sovereign,” Royak announced. “The terms are legally binding. If Prince Zirene wins, the Sovereign will grant Prince Zirene and me the freedom to choose our Seedbearers and determine whether we want to provide the empire with offspring. Since Prince Zirene has a Seedbearer and cubs already, he grants them and their clan immunity in all Aldawi dealings and protection within the empire. If Prince Zirene loses, then he shall bend to the Sovereign's demands.”
Royak’s powerful voice boomed throughout the room once more. “Are the contestants ready?”
“Affirmative.”
“I’ll make you suffer!” His sire shouted. “This is a waste of time. I can't wait to torture your Seedbearer. I hope she enjoys eating her nestmates. I heard Circuli meat is a delicacy on the black market.”
“Maybe to sick bastards like you,” Zirene snarled, circling his sire as his tail swiped wildly back and forth.
“So tell me,” he continued in a cruel, mocking tone. “How do her nether lips feel on your cock? Can you even enter her all the way? I bet with that mouth of hers, she enjoys swallowing.”
Zirene hissed as he tested his father’s defenses with a lunge to the side.
He knew what his sire was doing; he was trying to goad him into defending Selena’s honor and losing focus on the fight. The seasoned male wanted him to trigger his dominant aura first, which would instantly lose him the match, but Zirene wasn’t going to take the bait.
‘“Why do you care what she’s like in bed—unless you want a demi-human of your own?” Zirene cocked his head to the side. “But you’ve called them abominations. Why stoop so low as to sleep with one of them? Are you having issues in bed? Can’t get it up, you ancient fossil? Or are you so old and senile that no female would even go near you?”
The crowd around him shifted with suppressed laughter, making him smile while his sire glared.
“You’re the one who decided to take an abomination as a Seedbearer,” he seethed, stepping closer. “She must be an expensive lay if you’re willing to give up a moon for her. I hope she doesn’t run off with one of the males she brought with her. Or does she keep them because you can’t satisfy her unnatural needs?”
Once again, Zirene had to force himself to remain calm. This was a test of endurance to see who would crack first from the other's taunts. Little did his sire know that his insults mattered little to him. His sire could have recited a play-by-play of what he planned to do to Selena—Zirene would have simply listened and let his words fuel the anger within him.
His sire had never valued females, especially since Zirene's mother had cheated on him. He mostly indulged in male
