Luna’s Alien Mates

Chapter 9

Luna

I didn’t understand what was happening.

Everything was chaos—the shouting, the clash of bodies, the way my pulse roared in my ears like a drum I couldn’t shut off. Not having a translator right now was killing me. I couldn’t understand a single word of what was being said, and it made my stomach knot with dread.

But the moment Nezyn released my hand, instinct took over. I bolted toward the massive male who had Axoh pinned. My voice trembled, but I forced it out anyway.

“Let him go,” I demanded.

The big alien’s glowing eyes snapped down to me, unreadable and intimidating in the firelight. For a terrifying second, I thought he wouldn’t listen, that he might toss me aside the way someone might shoo away an annoying insect. But then his gaze flicked toward the fight still raging across the room, and after a tense pause, he obeyed—dropping Axoh and charging toward the other males.

I stumbled forward, nearly tripping as I reached Axoh. “Are you okay?” My words were rushed, panicked, desperate.

Screams echoed behind me, deep and guttural, as more males joined the brawl. The sound made every hair on my body rise. Then came the queen’s voice—deep, booming, like thunder shaking the walls. I turned, just in time to see her rise to her full height.

My breath caught. She was taller than every single male in the room, her presence radiating power and danger. She barely wore anything, her bronze skin catching the firelight, and her chest was completely bare. Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I tore my gaze away and focused on Axoh again.

Vallyn had appeared at some point, silent and watchful, his spear angled toward the chaos like he was ready to kill anyone who came near us. The fighting finally slowed, then stopped entirely, leaving only the ragged sound of breathing and the coppery scent of blood in the air.

My eyes found Nvaa—the gentle one, the one who had always been kind to me. He was cradling his arm, which hung at a sick angle that made my stomach twist. Blood streaked his face, his normally bright expression darkened by pain. I gasped aloud, covering my mouth with my hand.

The queen’s sharp, commanding voice cut through the air again. I couldn’t understand her, but one word stood out clear as day—mate.

Mate.

My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t know what she was asking, what she was demanding, but the sound of that word sent a strange shiver through me.

When Axoh stayed silent, I acted on impulse. I reached out and pressed my palm against his chest. “Axoh knows my words,” I told her quickly, hoping she’d understand.

Then I turned to Vallyn, touching his arm without thinking. His entire body went rigid, his spear lowering slightly, and I quickly withdrew my hand. “Sorry,” I whispered. I had almost forgotten he hated being touched.

When I looked around the room again, every single person was staring. Their expressions were a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief. Even the queen’s golden eyes burned with something that looked dangerously close to fury.

Oh no.

Another male seized Vallyn, wrenching the spear from his hands, and before I could protest, another one had grabbed Axoh again.

“What is happening?” I whispered, my throat tight. “What did Nezyn say to her?”

The sneer on Nezyn’s face as his gaze found mine was enough to make me back up until my shoulders hit the wall. My chest felt tight, my heart hammering as if it might break through my ribs.

There was more yelling from the queen, and then one of the males pointed toward the door.

We were being taken outside.

I glanced at Vallyn. His arms were pinned behind his back, his twin tails hanging limp and defeated against his legs.

“This is not good,” I muttered under my breath as they herded us toward the exit.

“Are we okay? Vallyn? Axoh?” My voice was shaking as I looked from one to the other, searching their faces for reassurance I didn’t get.

Axoh only shook his head. The look he gave me turned my blood cold.

I felt dizzy, lightheaded, my heart slamming into my ribs. Were they going to kill them? Were they going to kill me?

We were dragged into the open, and what I saw made me want to throw up.

Dozens of Aashi males were gathered, watching us, judging us, their eyes burning holes in my skin. I wanted to disappear, to sink into the dirt beneath my feet.

Finally, we were shoved toward what I could only describe as a primitive jail. No roof, just wooden poles forming a cage, a crude gate at one end. Vallyn was thrown inside first, then Axoh, then Nvaa.

When they pointed their spears at me, I didn’t fight them. Oddly enough, I felt safer inside that cage than outside it.

The space was in the center of the clan grounds, and it seemed like every pair of eyes in the entire village was fixed on us. Their voices rose, speaking words I couldn’t understand, but they made Axoh and Vallyn bristle, their tails lashing from side to side as if ready to strike.

Poor Nvaa collapsed near the far side of the fence, looking so small and broken that my heart ached.

“I don’t care what any of them think,” I muttered under my breath, fire rising inside me. “I am not marrying that smug bastard Nezyn. Not now, not ever.”

I knelt beside Nvaa, gently brushing hair from his bloodied face. “Nvaa, are you okay?”

His eyes flickered open, pain clouding them, and my throat tightened with tears I didn’t want to shed.

Vallyn repeated my words to him in their language, and Nvaa nodded, murmuring something I didn’t understand.

Vallyn looked back at me and said softly, “Luna. Yes.”

But I knew he was lying.

I could see the way Nvaa’s arm was bent—he needed a healer.

“Axoh, can you heal him? Fix his arm? His face?” I pleaded, gesturing frantically.

He only gave me a look that said he didn’t understand. I tried again, saying the only word I knew—“Takxe”—while pointing to Nvaa’s arm.

Axoh shook his head and said something in their language, his tone regretful.

I bit my lip. He had told me he was a healer. Why wasn’t he doing anything? Or had I misunderstood all along?

I ripped off part of my T-shirt and gently wiped the blood from Nvaa’s face. His eyes widened in surprise, as if no one had ever done something like that for him before.

Axoh said something then, and when I looked up, he was smiling at me.

Hours passed before the suns finally set and the moons rose, casting silver light over the cage. The night air cooled, brushing against my skin, and I shivered slightly.

Vallyn never sat, never moved, just stood there like a stone pillar, his gaze scanning the crowd like he was ready to defend us at any second.

Trying to lighten the moment, I blurted out, “Vallyn, I need to pee. Do you need to pee? Where can we pee?”

His serious expression cracked, just barely, and a laugh bubbled out of me. The sound startled all three of them. Maybe I was losing my mind.

“This was definitely not in the brochure,” I said under my breath, giggling again. “Oh right, they didn’t give us a damn brochure for any of this.”

Vallyn stepped closer and—shockingly—touched my arm.

I froze, staring up at him.

Then he smiled.

My heart stuttered in my chest. Gods, he was beautiful. Strong. Mysterious. And those tails—

I swore I felt one brush against my leg, gone before I could grab it.

He pointed toward the far corner of the cage. “Pee. Luna.”

And just like that, the moment broke. I patted his arm in thanks and did what I had to do.

When I came back, Vallyn was sitting at last, right beside Axoh.

I hesitated, heart thumping, then moved toward them. They opened their arms in unison, inviting me in.

I didn’t think twice.

I wrapped my arms around both of their necks and clung to them.

The crowd outside shouted something that made my skin crawl, but I didn’t care. For the first time all day, I felt safe.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, a hand was clamped over my mouth.

Panic shot through me like ice water, my stomach dropping, my scream dying in my throat. I clawed at the hand, my vision wild, until my eyes finally focused on who held me.

Vallyn.

He pressed a finger to his lips, urging silence.

I forced myself to breathe, to calm down.

Then I felt another presence—Axoh, his arms closing around me from behind, holding me firmly but gently.

“Sleep,” he whispered against my ear.

And for the first time since stepping foot in this alien place, I let myself trust them.

I let my head rest against Axoh’s chest, inhaled his warm, earthy scent, and closed my eyes.

And just before sleep claimed me, one thought settled in my mind like a brand:

I was exactly where I was supposed to be.