What happened to relaxing? Was I unconsciously creating problems within my clan?
“You may not want to believe you have favorites, Selena, but unconsciously you have already declared them.” Z’fir gave my leg a gentle squeeze, rubbing soft circles with his thumb. The coolness of his skin battled the warmth radiating from Zirene behind me. “It’s clear that Xylo is the leader of your Favored, followed by Odelm and Zirene. Xylo and Odelm have been with you since the beginning, and have built a connection with you that almost rivals the one I share with V’dim.”
“But—”
“No, listen to us, Selena,” V’dim urged, gripping Z’fir’s shoulder as he leaned closer. “It wouldn’t be fair to deny Xylo and Odelm their rightful place. It’s only natural for our species to have set ranks within our clan, so why not grant them the titles that they deserve?”
“And just because they are your Favored, doesn’t mean we are any less yours. You were the one who took us in.” Z’fir shot a glance toward my other nestmates. “It wouldn’t be fair to keep us all on the same level. As much as you care for us, you love them. They are your foundation—we shall be your walls, as we protect you from outside forces.”
“We’re happy to remain in your outer rim, for that is the place we deserve,” V’dim explained. “Just because we aren’t Favored, doesn’t mean we will think any less of you or the clan. It is the Circuli way. Living in uncertainty will only cause strife between us until a choice is made.” He shrugged. “Blame how we have evolved over the generations, but our drive is to be claimed by a nestqueen and to be accepted in her clan. By not assigning us a place, our nature drives us to rank ourselves until you declare a defined hierarchy.”
“We understood why you wanted to keep us on even ground. You didn’t want V’dim and I to feel left out, but we don’t want to ruin the clan’s peace because we made you afraid to hurt us.”
They were right.
I wasn’t being fair to my clan.
Xylo and Odelm had stuck by my side since the beginning. While Xylo didn’t stress about becoming a Favored, for Odelm, it was almost as if his quality of life depended on it. He craved my attention, wanted to sire my offspring, and needed to be loved. Living as a severed male for such a long time had changed his priorities, and I didn’t want to be the reason why he suffered.
My Circuli princes weren’t delusional. They knew where we stood within our relationships.
I just didn’t want to make this impactful decision tonight. We were supposed to practice my speech, relax, and go to bed early. Instead, I was on the brink of crying because I didn’t know my actions had made them silently struggle—maybe even suffer—without my knowledge.
“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice breaking.
“As surely as you are our nestqueen.” Z’fir leaned forward and cupped my cheek, pressing his lips gently to mine. “Give our nestbrothers their titles, for being in your clan with you as our nestqueen is enough for us.”
Pulling away, he left me breathless, watching me intently with his radiating emerald eyes.
A red glint caught my eye, and I glanced away from him toward V’dim. On his shoulders appeared a sea of tiny crimson buds, faintly glowing against his dark-green moss.
Without thought, I reached for his chest and lightly ran my hands over the buds. Something clung to my fingers, making me pause. I shot a confused glance at Z’fir as I turned my hands over to find red pollen covering them.
“What’s this?” I peered over my shoulder toward Xylo. “Is he well?”
Xylo regarded me sheepishly until I spotted the same buds on his shoulders, only in teal. “What’s happening to you two?”
Curious, I did the same to Xylo and traced my hands along with his buds, mixing his teal with Z’fir’s crimson on my hands. I rolled my thumb along my fingers, feeling the similar consistency clinging to my skin.
Were they ill?
Frantically, I scanned my Ulax nestmates’ bodies, only to find no sign of injury or sickness. They both met my gaze with smiles, as if they knew what was happening to their nestbrothers and it was some secret joke between them.
“Xylo, you’re a Master Scholar. Tell me what’s wrong, or I will contact Chyox,” I scolded, glaring. “I am sure he will have no reservations telling me what’s wrong with my nestmates.”
“You are nearing your heat-cycle,” he replied, failing to hide his smirk. “Your body is about to enter its ovulation period, and it is sending us signals to prepare our bodies to copulate with you, in hopes of creating offspring—if we are chosen.”
“By the Stars,” Z’fir muttered. “I never thought I would experience this. Not so soon.”
“Well, you had better get comfortable because it’s only going to get worse,” Xylo replied. “If you thought separation was bad, you’re forgetting our nestqueen is a demi-human. She will cycle once a moon.”
“A moon?” Z’fir choked. “She already has unparalleled levels of desire. How are we supposed to keep up with her?”
“I’m right here, you know,” I grumbled, rubbing my hands together as I tried to wipe off the pollen. Raising a hand to my face, I sniffed. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Selena—”
Immediately, a tingle of electricity spiked down my spine, initiating an ache in my core.
“Oh,” I moaned as a heat coursed through my body. “This is more potent now, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Selena,” Xylo replied. “Whatever you do, don’t ingest it, or you may be affected all night.”
“It looks like we are going to have to work together to take care of her after all,” Zirene chuckled.
Chapter Four Zirene
He’d planned to seduce Selena and take her in front of her Circuli mates. He didn’t see a reason to hide their time together; the other males would feel what she was experiencing as they rode her
