CHAPTER ONE
CyleFor the first time in a rotational decade, I felt a spark of hope that this wasn’t the end of my species. Seeing my brother with his new mate fed my drive to find a solution. They were mates even though she was an alien. Nobody had thought it possible, yet here they were, handfasted and utterly in love.
Ever since returning from Peritus, or Earth, as the natives called their planet, I’d spent all my waking hours in my lab. After sleeping on my chair for several nights, a bed magically appeared in my office. On one of my many to-do lists was a note to increase my assistant’s rise. He always knew what I needed before I did. Without him, I’d probably forget to eat and sleep altogether.
The weight of responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders. I was Albya’s First Scienti
