The Alien’s Obsession by Zoey Draven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Ifear it is lost,” Vaxa’an confided, through the Com screen in Kirov’s personal lab.

“Cruxan has yet to locate it? It has been almost half a lunar cycle since it was taken,” Kirov said, reading the frustration on the Prime Leader’s face.

“No,” Vaxa’an replied. “The male who took it was brought in for questioning, stripped of his warrior rank, but he handed it off before Cruxan got to him. We are still debating punishment.”

“Who could he have given it to? Other warriors in his unit have already been questioned, tev?”

Vaxa’an hesitated. He’d been doing that more often lately and Kirov knew that it stemmed from his own actions when he’d stolen Lainey from the Golden City. His friend and warrior brother no longer trusted him like he used to. He probably never would again.

“It was revealed during questioning of the warrior’s unit that his blood sister had gone to the Mevirax, to join them.”

Kirov cursed.

The Mevirax. The Others.

They were a dissenting group of Luxirian warriors that had rebelled during Vaxa’an’s sire’s rule, long ago. Their exit from Luxirian society had been a bloody one, but they had taken their possessions, their females, and offspring and had gone to live in the wild lands of Luxiria, starting their own tribe. They were rumored to live near the cave of the Pevrallix, a sacred place.

No one spoke of them. No one dared to.

To make matters worse, Vaxa’an’s own blood brother, Jaxor’an, had joined the Mevirax, shortly after the Jetutians unleashed their plague, killing Vaxa’an’s and Jaxor’an’s mother and, by extension, their sire, leaving Luxiria to Vaxa’an’s rule.

“You believe that this warrior gave the crystal to his blood sister?” Kirov asked, trying to see the logic behind that. “Why? What need would the Mevirax have of our most powerful crystal?”

“I do not know. But there are rumors,” Vaxa’an said quietly. “Whisperings.”

“Of what?” Kirov growled.

“That their females can bear offspring.”

Kirov stilled, but then shook his head, “Impossible. Privanax has worked tirelessly in his labs concerning our females’ fertility. The Mevirax…they have stones and earth. They do not have our technology.”

“Perhaps technology is not what the females needed,” Vaxa’an countered. “Perhaps the Fates healed their females.”

“You believe these rumors?”

“I do not know what I believe,” Vaxa’an said, shaking his head. “But I do know that there are more and more reports of females gone to seek them out, of Breeding pairs leaving the Golden City, hopeful for offspring of their own. It does not seem as if the rumors have reached the outposts yet, but I fear that in time, they will.”

“You just mention this to me now?” Kirov asked, frustration mounting. His temper had been quick of late, especially since last night.

“I will give information to my Ambassadors as I see fit,” Vaxa’an growled.

Kirov blew out a sharp breath, knowing it would take time. “If you wish to personally punish me for taking my fated mate, then fine. But these matters concern the Luxirians residing in the outposts and I do not appreciate being kept in the dark.”

Kept in the dark.

Words his female had shot at him last night, words that had buried into his soul and festered.

She’d been right. It didn’t feel good. It felt like betrayal.

Vaxa’an went silent, tension radiating through the feed, before the Prime Leader finally said, “I will need you back in the Golden City in six spans. I am calling all Ambassadors here so we can decide on proper action with the council.”

Kirov gritted his teeth, but forced himself to nod, trying to keep control of his temper. “Yes, Prime Leader.”

Vaxa’an inclined his head and then cut off the feed. Kirov stared at the blank screen and cursed, running a hand over his horn in frustration.

It was late in the evening. Usually, his luxiva would be with him at the labs at this time. They would be working on their project, but Kirov had not gone to her, still guilty and aggravated about what had transpired between them the night before.

The call with Vaxa’an didn’t help matters and once again, Kirov was running out of time.

All morning, Lani had been distant. They had hardly touched, hardly spoken. And it physically hurt him…knowing that he was the cause, knowing that he was giving her reason to detach.

Kirov gave a frustrated bellow, hearing it echo around the quiet space.

She didn’t ask much of him either.

She only wanted to meet his sire.

She only wanted him to be honest.

Why was that so hard?

For many reasons, he knew. Reasons that he could and could not verbalize to her.

But he hadn’t even tried. He hadn’t even tried to tell her why he’d kept her away from his sire. He hadn’t tried to explain the situation. It had nothing to do with her. Yet, she believed it did. She believed that Kirov was ashamed of her, had alluded to it last night.

And he’d said nothing.

Kirov squeezed the edge of the table so hard he felt the metal bend beneath his palms.

He’d said nothing.

Throughout that morning, throughout the rest of the span, and the time alone he’d spent in his labs, something became very apparent to him.

Either he opened up about his sire, or he would lose her forever.

There was no contest between the two and Kirov knew that he’d put it off long enough, risking everything he’d built with Lani in the process.

He’d been a fool.

But he knew what he had to do, what he should’ve done a long time ago, from the very first moment his luxiva had stepped foot in Troxva.

Kirov set his jaw and pushed back from the table. He shut down his Coms for the night and then left the labs, heading towards his hovercraft.

It would happen as soon as he returned to the dwelling.

Kirov would introduce her to his sire.

Then he would pray to the Fates that she didn’t run from him afterwards.