Page 17 of Alien Prince's Fated Mate

Niam pulled her thin robe tighter. The cave’s chill air raised bumps along her arms. I could warm her. Should warm her. My cloak would envelope her small frame completely...

No. She’d reject any such gesture. The wariness in her posture whenever I moved too quickly told me enough.

I arranged the kindling with careful, measured movements. “The fire will help.”

She nodded without looking up. The device’s metallic surface reflected blue light across her face.

My instincts screamed to block the cave entrance, to guard my mate from any threat. Instead, I positioned myself between her and the opening while maintaining a respectful distance. The monster inside me snarled at the compromise.

The fire caught. Its warmth did nothing to ease the fever building in my blood. Each breath brought more of her scent, stoking the Valti’s hunger. I needed to hunt - both to feed her and to burn off this dangerous energy.

“Stay by the fire,” I said, rising. “I’ll find us something to eat.”

“I don’t need a keeper.”

“No. But you do need food.” I strode toward the entrance before my control slipped further. “I won’t be long.”

She nodded without looking up from the device. “Don’t go far.”

“I won’t.” The promise came without thought. Even now, the need to protect warred with the urge to claim. I had to get away from her scent before I lost control completely.

The night air filled my lungs with scents - rock dust, mountain herbs, and beneath it all, prey. My Valti senses cut through the darkness. Each shadow held meaning, each rustle spoke volumes.

There. A flash of movement on the ridge. Rock tserna grazed along a narrow ledge, their curved horns stark against the mountainside.

Without a bow or sling, no time to set a snare and wait... I bit back a curse. The proud prince of Zashi, reduced to hunting like a common beast. My mother’s voice mocked me from memory: “Only savages hunt with teeth and claws. You must stay above that, always.”

I was glad she was dead, taking her poisonous words with her.

The closest one, a young male, strayed from the herd. Perfect. But the angle...

I let the Valti rise just enough to sharpen my reflexes. Power surged through my muscles as I crept closer. The beast purred at the prospect of the hunt.

One chance. The tserna’s head lifted, testing the air. Now.

I launched myself from the higher ledge. The distance vanished as Valti strength propelled me forward. My claws extended mid-leap.

The impact drove us both to the ground. My hand clamped around its muzzle, silencing any cry. One swift twist and it was done. Clean. Quick. But the sight of my claws buried in its flesh...

I rose, wiping blood from my hands. A prince of Zashi should hunt with fine weapons, not tear at prey like an animal. But Niam needed food.

Niam. The thought of her waiting in the cave steadied me. I extended my claws again, this time to butcher the carcass. The tender cuts went into a pile for her. The rest I could eat raw if needed.

“First proper weapon I find,” I muttered as I cleaned my claws on the grass. “Then I’ll hunt like civilized people.”

The meat would strengthen Niam. That mattered more than my pride. I gathered the best portions and headed back toward the cave, leaving the rest for scavengers. At least the kill had burned off some of the dangerous energy that built whenever I got too close to her.

But now I had to return to that small space, filled with her scent...

Fear struck me, and I sprinted back to the cave, cursing myself for leaving her alone. The meat bounced against my leg with each stride. What if temple guards found her? What if the skyclaw returned?

The cave entrance yawned ahead, dark and empty. No signs of intrusion. My nose confirmed it - only our scents lingered.

Inside, the fire burned low. Niam slept curled against the wall, her strange device clutched to her chest. Her breaths came slow and steady.

My shoulders dropped. Safe. She was safe.

I added wood to the embers, careful not to wake her. The flames caught, casting orange light across her face. Even in sleep, her jaw stayed set with determination.

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