The familiar snap, only made by Kaede's new suit, sounded behind him. He swiveled his ears back to hear what was going on behind him. He trusted Kaede to successfully save his Nova's Favored. The Circuli were a resilient species, and as long as their nestqueen lived and stayed nearby, their bodies could survive almost any damage.
But that didn't make what his sire had done any less gruesome. It took a special kind of dishonorable male to wrongfully attack another, defenseless or not. His ambush had been a vulgar move.
If the Favored had died, he didn't want to imagine how Selena would have felt. Would she have spiraled out of control, afraid to leave her remaining nestmates’—or his—side? There was only so much grief his Nova could take before she would crack and become a husk of the female he’d once known, that he’d spent all these years molding and learning about.
His sire smirked, taking advantage of Zirene's split focus, and lunged, regaining Zirene’s full attention.
Zirene snarled, swerving to the side as he dodged Royak's older copy. Unfortunately for his sire, he had spent many years sitting on the throne instead of training in daily drills and fighting in the Yaarkins War. His idle lifestyle had left the Sovereign old and lazy, out of shape. His only advantage was his dominance over other Aldawi and years of practicing his cunning shadowstep maneuvers. Only a powerful Aldawi with complete control of his shadow could do what he’d done to Selena and her two Favored. The move made Zirene question what else he had behind his ear.
"Getting too slow," Zirene chuckled, stepping side to side as he tested his reflexes. "Why don't you yield now so you can return to lounging on your throne?"
The crowd rumbled, some making stifled cheers while others sounded growls of disapproval. What they disapproved of, Zirene didn't know nor care.
"Why don't you take it from me?" the lighter-colored male challenged. "What are you afraid of?"
"Becoming the despicable male that you are," Zirene growled, knowing his confession would forever change the tides of their empire. "I refuse to bind myself to a throne while you allow our enemies to roam freely within our territory. If it weren't for Royak and me, the empire would have been overcome by the creeping approach of our neighbors and long-standing enemies, the Quaww and their allies. If we hadn’t stepped in, our empire would have neither a second or third-star system nor the power that we’ve acquired."
"You mean, you acquired, son," he hissed. "You refuse to share your spoils with your Aldawi brethren outside of your own fleet, yet you allow your demi-human super soldiers to roam freely alongside them. How is that fair to your own people?"
"You're one to talk, father," Zirene spat. "While the rest of the empire fends for itself, our three-star systems managed entirely by your sons. You sit here without lifting a claw. You are only Sovereign by name, not by right." Zirene crouched, preparing for a counterattack. "Besides, I thought your motto has always been 'finders, keepers'?"
"Funny you should ask—"
"Prince Zi—" Kaede shouted, instantly cut off.
The Aldawi Sovereign stood tall, waving off the room. "Hush, cub," he ordered as Zirene felt his sire's dominant aura flare to life. "Can't you see two royals are talking?"
One by one, the room fell to its knees once again, and the grounded guards exposed their necks to their leader. Somehow this felt too easy.
"You lost, father."
His sire gave him a malicious grin. "No, son, I think I won."
"The rules state—" Royak began.
"You see, sons, I may have lost the battle, but I won the war," he chuckled. "While you’ve been occupied here, the response of your soldier has told me I've delayed you enough for my hired agents to take your precious Nova."
"You lie!" Zirene barked, taking a tentative step forward. "She is safe aboard my ship."
"In my hangar," he purred. "Even with all your new tech, your hull isn't invincible."
The ringing in the back of his head confirmed his sire's mocking story. When he had asked Kaede to focus on stabilizing her Favored, they had erred by leaving Selena alone in his cruiser. Now Kaede was here, unable to assist with his drones, trapped under the command of his sire.
The only way to release him from his immobile state would be to defeat his sire, forcing him to submit.
The ringing was growing louder with each passing moment. He had no other choice. If he didn't act now, who knew what terrible plans his sire would enact on Selena.
Zirene hoped Kaede would be able to rescue her in time.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded, advancing on his sire. "She never did a thing to you. It’s me you want, not her!"
"But you see, my son," the Sovereign chuckled. "I only wanted one thing: heirs. And both you and Royak have failed to give me that, even after all these years. Then I had to learn from my sources that you went behind my back and took this mere experiment in, as not only a Seedbearer but a mate? What a disgrace you are to the Darcaw name. I did what any leader would to protect my lineage: I took out the trash. To the highest bidder, of course."
The heat within the room wasn’t enough to thaw the ice in his veins. The ringing in his head echoed his heart's rapid beat, as darkness fell upon him.
This sorry excuse for a male dared to take his most prized possession away from him.
Now he had to pay for stealing his Nova.
Zirene threw his head back and roared as the thin control of his power snapped. Instantly, his dominant aura expanded at full strength, forcing everyone within his reach to submit.
Only two males within the room dared to try to fight his power
