Page 67 of Alien Prince's Fated Mate

The door closed. My heart stuttered. Serra’s fingers worked a complicated pattern on a hidden lock.

“Foolish girl.” Her voice cracked as she pulled Mila into her arms. “Bringing trouble back to my door.”

The reunion froze as Serra spotted Tharon’s height, my pale skin visible through gaps in our face wrappings. Her eyes narrowed with calculation.

“Upstairs,” she ordered. “Now.”

Hidden stairs led to private rooms above the main floor, wood worn glass-smooth by generations of careful steps. The sharp chemical smell faded, replaced by dried herbs hanging from the rafters - medicinal and practical.

Mila pulled down her face wrappings first, revealing a tentative smile. “Mother...”

Serra’s face crumpled. She grabbed Mila in a fierce embrace, her fingers digging into the rough cloth of the rag man’s disguise. “My foolish, brave girl.”

I hung back with Denna, watching mother and daughter cling to each other. The room felt impossibly small with all of us crowded inside - the three disguised Shakai warriors taking up more space than they should despite their hunched postures.

Thundering footsteps on the stairs made me flinch. Two young men burst through the doorway, identical in height and build. The twins - Pol and Ren. They froze at the sight of their sister.

“Mila?” Pol’s voice cracked.

She untangled herself from Serra’s arms. “Hey little brothers. Though not so little anymore.”

They moved as one, sweeping her into a crushing hug that lifted her feet off the floor. I pressed closer to Tharon, his solid presence steadying me as the family reunion played out.

“How?” Serra demanded when the twins finally set Mila down. “The Temple never releases its chosen. Never.”

“That’s...complicated.” Mila glanced at me. “Mother, these are my friends. Denna and Niam. Also from the Temple. Niam is… was, the Oracle.”

Serra’s sharp gaze took us in. “More complications?”

“The Temple isn’t what you think,” I said quietly. “The priests aren’t just taking girls for service. They’re killing them.”

The words fell like stones into silence. Serra’s face went bone-white.

“What?” Ren’s hands curled into fists.

I swallowed hard. “If a girl can’t learn their ways quickly enough, if she fights back too much...they use her body to repair their machines. They’ve been doing it for generations.”

“That’s not possible,” Serra whispered. But doubt crept into her voice.

“I saw it happen.” The memories rose up, threatening to choke me. “I helped them do it, before I understood what washappening. Before the lightning strike broke their control over me.”

Tharon’s hand found mine. I squeezed his fingers, drawing strength from his touch.

“How did you escape?” Pol demanded.

“We had help.” Mila reached for Ashur’s hand. “Mother...there’s something else you need to know.”

Serra’s eyes fixed on their joined hands. “Show me.”

Slowly, carefully, Mila unwrapped Ashur’s face coverings. The gasp from the twins echoed in the small room as bronze skin and blue-green hair emerged.

“What is he?” Ren grabbed for a knife.

“He’s my mate.” Mila stepped between her brothers and Ashur. “And he saved my life.”

THARON

Ipressed deeper into the shadows, every instinct urging me to shield Niam. My Valti clawed at my control, demanding I protect my mate from these strangers with their sharp movements and sharper knives. But that would only make things worse. This wasn’t a situation I could solve with fangs and claws.

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