Page 10 of The Highseer's Mate

“Draxel,” I bark out.

I need to present her to the council. Normally, we would all vote against getting involved with something like this—an alien—but a mate is something very different.

Draxel grunts as he steps inside. Our best hunter, he’s shorter than me, but he’s quicker.

My mate ruffles, sucking in a sharp breath as she takes in the male at my side. She mumbles something and takes another step away. I grit my teeth.

“Varek? Is this a—”

“A female. Mine. Go find the council and bring them here. Now. And speak of this to no one.”

Draxel nods and sees himself out.

The sooner I present her to my fellow Highseers, the faster I can help her.

She has a nasty cut on her forehead, with a strange dark red liquid dried on her perfect skin. Is that her blood? My need to protect her is too strong to deny and I take a step toward her, ducking under my hammock.

She hurries away from me, pressing her back against the wall. Her hands raise and her mouth opens, a soft, melodic voice filling the room. I can’t understand her and it makes me want to bring down the walls around me.

My mate. My woman. And I can’t even tell her.

She doesn’t seem to know what she is to me. If she did, she wouldn’t fight it. Being chosen by the glows like this is something of history. Of destiny. It is the most precious part of life.

I’ve spent years preparing for the day—if I were ever lucky enough to be blessed—when the patterns emerged. Now that it is here, it feels tainted.

In Vrut tradition, the first night is for bonding. For taking the official mate bond.

But this female doesn’t even want to be near me.

“I will not hurt you, woman,” I say.

Her head cocks as she hears me, watches me intently.

“But you are mine now and this is our home.”

Her throat bobs on a swallow and another streak of liquid falls down her cheeks. My chest flares bright green and constricts, squeezing out all the air in my lungs.

I hear others approaching my leathers and turn to greet them, giving my woman my back. It’s risky, but she seems too afraid to strike like she did out in the marsh. I reach up and run the spot on my throat that she punched.

Feisty little thing.

Mydros, Elyra, and Kylor duck under the leathers and enter my quarters, their eyes immediately landing on my woman. Each Vrut startles, their spinal bristles flaring as they realize what I have done.

“Varek,” Kylor asks. “What is the meaning of this?”

The oldest of us. The wisest. The softly glowing pendant adorning his neck indicates his status among us.

“Where have you been?” Elyra asks. Wrinkles deepen around her black eyes as she takes in the state of my female and then regards me again, her stare dripping with disapproval.

I serve as the fourth Highseer of the council, but right now, I am on trial.

“I went to explore after the loud crash. I found something past the marshes.”

“Clearly,” Mydros barks, his shoulders shaking with fury.

“You were not to go,” Elyra reminds me.”

I know. I was there when we decreed it. But something forced me out there, and now I realize it was the luminite.

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