Possessive Alien’s Mate by Luna Hunter

Chapter Sixteen

Thiray

“Thiray th’Rasda Di’ylian.You stand before the Council and the Matriarch accused of bringing an outsider to our sacred planet and endangering our entire species. How do you plead?”

All eyes are on me.

A hundred or so high-ranking Thaana are in the audience behind me, their hateful stares burning into the back of my skull. Scholars, priests and judges, the lot of them. There are no warriors on the Council. Not a single one who has undergone the Trials, who has traveled outside our planet’s protective atmosphere and who has experienced all the wider universe has to offer.

Warriors like me are sent into space to protect the interests of the Thaana from afar. We ensure that the location of our planet remains a secret, stopping plots before the ideas themselves have even sprouted.

We also have to take care of ourselves on our life-long missions. Most turn to bounty-hunting, only taking on jobs on those who deserve death. It’s a solid way to earn credits, hone your skills, and make the universe a better place.

But we can never intervene. We cannot upset the balance. We must stay neutral, and let the empires that be wage their wars, conquer their planets, eradicate their enemies. Without ever choosing a side.

All because she wills it. The Matriarch, the ever-present figure in Thaana society.

She sits in front of me on her throne made from Elderwood, her judging eyes staring me down. She’s shrouded in many colorful robes, but her pale, wrinkled face and astute eyes are as clear as day. Wimo’Neem, The Matriarch of Thulara, is over ten thousand years old, her life sustained by a direct connection to Yssadril.

The sacred cathedral where we have all gathered is a monument to the Life-Tree, a celebration of our planet… and a place to punish those who diverge from the status quo.

I stand up, the chains around my ankles and wrists jangling. I take a moment to survey the crowd. I spot a familiar face in the back, guarding the exit — Zusin’Xeeram, an old friend from the Academy. Good. Someone other than the Council needs to hear what I have to say.

“I have brought an outside to Thulara, yes. I refute that it’s a crime,” I say loudly.

“You refute our most sacred teachings?!” Wimo’Neem crows.

“I do.”

The crowd murmurs loudly.

“Preposterous!”

“Traitor!”

The Matriarch raises a bony finger and the murmuring stops instantly. Her hateful eyes land on me. I feared her gaze in the past, but not anymore. Viliana’s love has given me strength beyond my own imagination.

“You are a Warrior. One of our best, still, a mere Sword — and our ancient teachings are the Shield. You think you know better than the most educated of our kind? Ones whose life eclipses yours tenfold?!”

“You may have the advantage of age, but I have the advantage of experience,” I boast proudly. “I have traveled far and wide across the universe. I have seen the results of our policies first hand. I have seen planets conquered. I have seen people slaughtered. I have seen cultures destroyed. All the while our so-called laws have restricted us from lifting even a single finger.”

“The laws you deride have kept us safe for all eternity, warrior! They have preserved our paradise!”

“How can Thulara be paradise if we keep others out?” I ask.

My gaze flickers to Viliana. She is kept far away from me, in a small stand for witnesses in the back row. The worry is etched into her face. I’m sorry she has to see all of this, but it is important she knows the truth.

Any place where she is not allowed cannot be paradise.

“Are we on the right side when we hoard our resources? If we shut ourselves off from the universe that we are a part off?”

Wimo’Neem scoffs. “We are on no one’s side but our own, warrior. Let those measly empires fight their wars. They will crumble as time passes. We are eternal.”

“That is where you are wrong. The Uttux have the entire universe in a tight, vice-like grip. Nothing happens without them knowing about it. They are, de facto, God-Emperors. Their strength rivals ours, and unopposed, they will soon eclipse it.”

“Blasphemy!” The Matriarch thunders. “The Uttux are mere children compared to us!”

“A thousand years ago, yes, but where we are stagnant, they are growing. I have seen them. I have visited their homeworld. I have seen their work in action. They are gene sorcerers now, capable of amending their own genetic structure, and those of others. They have all but eradicated the Dohan. The time to act is now! Not only because it is right, but also because it is necessary. All opposition to the Uttux will perish soon, and then it will be our turn. That is what will happen. Irrevocably.”

“What do we care about the Dohan? Brutes, all of them,” The Matriarch says. The crowd hums in agreement. “No one’s ever had the power to oppose us. That will not change.”

“You claim neutrality,” I say as I look across the room, staring into each and every soul. “Explain that to me, please. If we let the Dohan die when we could prevent it — how are we not their executioner as well? Their death is not the Uttux’s responsibility alone. No, we share it. We are not neutral. Neutrality cannot exist when entire species are being eradicated. Neutrality is a lie we tell ourselves to avoid the cold hard truth. The truth is that we are in league with the Uttux. We allow their reign to continue. We turn a blind eye to their crimes against all life. We are as guilty as they are!”

The entire room is silent.

Wimo’Neem looks angry enough to explode. I have never seen this much color on her pale, gaunt cheeks.

“I can see the time off-planet has dulled your senses, warrior. You refute our sacred teachings. You would lead us into a war, and destroy everything we worked so hard for to protect. You are a traitor. For your crimes, your connection to Yssadril will be severed!”

The crowd gasps. I am not fazed. I have foreseen this.

“You will be made mortal!” The Matriarch screeches. “Like all those you want to protect! You will be banished from our world, forced to wander the galaxy you love so much!”

I lower my head and accept the punishment. A mortal life spent by Viliana’s side, fighting for her and her Dohan friends is the best life I could imagine. I have done my duty, I have pleaded my case and spoken truth. Now it’s up to my people how they act. I know what I will do.

“As for the human female,” the Matriarch continues. My eyes fly up. She smiles. “The female knows too much. She will not be allowed to leave.”

My heart drops. “Viliana is innocent! You cannot keep her!”

“You have brought her here!” Wimo’Neem says. “She knows too much! Be thankful I do not have her executed on the spot. Dismissed!”