Luna’s Alien Mates

Chapter 10

Zigur

Zigur did not understand why he was drawn to the strange-looking female, only that every fiber of his being insisted he stay close. From the moment she stepped off the flying ship, he had been unable to look away. She was small—so tiny and fragile compared to the females of his kind—yet there was something about her that commanded his attention.

Her scent was the first thing that hit him, sweet and warm, like nothing he had ever known. It wound through his chest and stirred instincts he had long thought dormant. Instincts he had once believed were broken. Since being outcast from the Yaayi Clan, his body had been quiet, almost numb. No mating heat, no driving need like the others spoke of. He thought he had been spared that torment. But now, standing among the shadows, watching her, Zigur could no longer deny that something inside him had awakened.

Daku crouched high in the treetops, watching too. Unlike Zigur, Daku did not care for females. His punishment had left him scarred, bitter. The faint mate marks on his thighs were a cruel reminder of what he had once been denied. Still, Zigur knew what Daku did when he thought no one was watching. He had seen him many times, hidden among the branches, touching himself until his breath came ragged and his face twisted with pleasure. Zigur had not understood it at first, but now, watching the female, he finally did.

The Zaali queen had placed the tiny female in the holding place, the place where males awaited judgment before being banished. It did not sit right with him. Never had he heard of a female being treated this way. What could she have done to deserve it?

Then he saw her reach for the males locked inside with her, touching them as if claiming them. Her fingers brushed their skin with a kind of quiet defiance, her touch soft but sure. And Zigur’s chest ached with something sharp, something startlingly like hope.

She had chosen.

Never in his lifetime had he heard of a female choosing her own mates. Females were chosen, claimed, taken by those deemed worthy. But this one… this one had looked at two males and made her decision for herself.

It changed everything.

It made Zigur wonder—if she could choose them, could she choose him too?

His hands tightened on the branch as the thought took root, stubborn and wild.

“Daku,” he called softly, never taking his eyes from the holding place. “Come see. The female touches the lesser males. She has chosen them. We must help her before the queen decides her fate.”

Daku dropped soundlessly from the treetop, landing beside him. Even standing here, Zigur could feel the shift in his companion, smell the way the female’s scent affected him. Daku’s c**k strained against the thin fabric of his coverings, and Zigur knew that if he stayed too long, he would give in to the need to touch himself again.

“It is not my problem,” Daku muttered, though his voice was tight, his pupils blown wide. “She chose them. What do you expect me to do? I will not help.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaping back into the canopy.

Zigur stayed. He could not tear himself away. The Zaali warriors patrolled poorly—sloppy, distracted. They did not sense him or Daku, had not since the first day. Zigur stayed still, silent, watching, waiting. He told himself it was to make sure the female was safe, but deep inside he knew it was more than that.

When the warrior guarding the holding place suddenly turned toward the tree where Zigur crouched, he stilled. So, one of them could sense him after all.

The warrior didn’t call out, didn’t challenge him. Instead, he simply watched, and Zigur knew this male understood—knew that he was not here to harm the female.

Hours passed. When the warriors finally left, Zigur made his decision. He dropped from the branch, silent as falling leaves, and crept forward. His claws made short work of the holding place locks. The sound was small, but the male who had sensed him earlier was suddenly there, seizing Zigur’s shoulder.

“Thank you, brother,” he said simply.

Together, they freed the others. Zigur’s gaze went immediately to the female, sleeping now, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Being this close to her was dangerous—his heart thundered in his chest, his body tense with the need to touch, to hold, to claim.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he turned his attention to the others, helping them to their feet and guiding them into the safety of the forest.

When they reached the trees, he leapt up first, offering his hands to Axoh, the one they called her Takxe, as he carried the sleeping female. Axoh hesitated only a moment before placing his upper hands in Zigur’s, allowing him to help him up without jostling her.

They moved swiftly through the treetops, Zigur leading the way. This was where he belonged—silent, unseen, a shadow among shadows. They traveled until the night air grew damp with approaching fog, until the sounds of Zaali warriors were too far behind them to follow.

When at last they stopped, Zigur pointed to the higher branches of the Klaven tree. “We should rest,” he murmured. “I can build us nests here. We will be safe from the warriors until morning.”

Daku reappeared, wordless, already bending branches to weave the wide leaves into a resting place.

Zigur worked quickly, his hands steady despite the tension thrumming through him. When the nest was ready, he gestured for Axoh and the warrior Vallyn to place the female inside. She did not wake. Her face looked soft, untroubled in sleep, and Zigur’s chest ached at the sight of her.

Her name, he learned, was Luna.

Luna.

It sounded like light, like something distant and untouchable. He whispered it under his breath once, tasting it like a promise.

He built another nest for the injured male, Nvaa, then returned to sit near the edge of the branch, tail curled around him for balance.

He would not sleep tonight.

He would keep watch.

Because something deep in his bones told him this female—Luna—was his purpose now. And Zigur had lived too long without purpose.