Page 64 of Alien Prince's Fated Mate

“Come.” Tharon pulled me to my feet. “One last check of the supplies, then sleep.”

The stable yard lay quiet under a blanket of stars. Our mounts dozed in their stalls while we triple-checked packs and weapons.

His hands caught mine, stilling their nervous movement. “Niam.”

I couldn’t meet his eyes. “We need to-”

“Look at me.”

I did, finding warmth and steel in his gaze.

“Whatever happens,” he said, “fear nothing. I won’t let them take you again.”

“I know.” I pressed my face into his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. “But what if-”

“No.” His arms tightened around me. “No what-ifs. We go in. We do what must be done. We come out. Simple.”

I huffed a laugh against his shirt. “When you say it like that...”

“I say it like truth.” He tilted my chin up. “Trust me to protect you, my queen.”

“I do.” The words came easily now. “With everything I am.”

His kiss was gentle, a promise sealed in starlight. When we parted, some of my fears had eased, and after we returned to our room, sleep came easily.

The others joinedus as false dawn painted the sky. No one spoke as we mounted up, the weight of our mission settling around us like cloaks.

I looked back once as we rode out. The inn’s windows glowed warm against the darkness, a reminder of safety freely abandoned. Then I faced forward, toward Terr and whatever waited in its shadowed rings.

THARON

The valley stretched dark between towering peaks, rock walls blocking most of the starlight. With my enhanced night vision, I watched Niam move through our makeshift camp with careful control that didn’t quite mask her exhaustion. Each step measured, deliberate.

The metallic taste in the air grew stronger - we must be getting closer to Terr. The villarts shifted restlessly, nostrils flaring at the unfamiliar scent. Above us, night birds fell silent as another drone passed overhead, the third in the past hour.

“It hurts to watch them face danger willingly.” Korrin’s voice barely carried over the wind.

My gaze stayed fixed on Niam as she helped Mila check their supplies. “You'd think it would get easier.”

“It doesn’t.” He scrubbed at his hair. “Denna still surprises me. Even though she was raised by warriors, I still want to lock her away somewhere safe.”

“How did that work out for you?”

His soft laugh held no humor. “About as well as you’d expect. She had me flat on my back in the practice ring within a month.”

“Different kinds of strength.” I watched Niam demonstrate something to Denna, her movements precise despite her fatigue. “Not always the ones we expect.”

“No.” Korrin straightened as Ashur gave the signal to move out. “But maybe that’s what makes them worth following into danger.”

We mounted up in silence, the group falling into practiced formation. No need for words anymore - we’d learned to read each other’s signals over the past days. Niam’s hand brushed mine as she passed, a touch that said everything necessary.

The metallic scent grew stronger as we rode, making my nose itch. The villarts’ ears twitched in constant motion, alert for threats. When the first mechanical whine reached us, we froze as one unit.

I gestured toward a natural rock formation, unnecessarily as it turned out. The others were already moving, leading their mounts into the shadows. Niam pressed close against my side as we waited, her breathing steady and controlled.

My beast wanted to grab her, run far from this danger. But I forced myself still, trusting her judgment. Trusting all of them.

The drone made three passes, its search pattern growing wider each time. I counted Niam’s heartbeats until she gave the all-clear signal. As one, we melted back into motion.

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