Page 8 of Avery

"No, that's fine," I say a little more harshly than I mean to. "Avery's not my mate."

I turn back around to say goodbye to Avery, but she's already turned her back to me. I think her shoulders are shaking, but I don't know what could be causing it. The door shuts gently, cutting off my view of her. I hiss at it and turn around to leave.

Jia gives me a hard look. The soft, sweet expression she was wearing when she offered me a place to wait is gone. Whatever, I'll go to the ship, undress, and make my way back here so I can wait for Avery. I don't need a special place to stay. No one even knows I'm out here anyway.

One other female has come to the sanctuary to go through her heat since Avery went in four days ago. I've been lying on the ground in one of the corners, away from any doors, since Avery then.

I've only left twice to get food and water. I can survive for quite a while without it, but it does make me more of a cranky male. Not that anyone ever notices since no one has even messaged me on the comm to ask where I've been. At least they hadn't when I went to get food this morning and checked to see if I missed anything.

A soft rumbling sound catches my attention at the entrance of the sanctuary. A male, carrying his small Rytharian mate, comes walking in, his purr vibrating through her body and filling the room. She's curled up against him, her body shaking as the start of her heat takes hold of her. His purr calms her, though, and it has me wishing I had that to offer Avery when she's feeling so stressed or scared or really any time. It makes her feel safe, I know, because when Holoth did it for her, she melted, and her pains eased.

A few sisters meet the couple as they grow closer to the doors. I shift my body, wincing since my limbs have started to fall asleep. I don't catch most of the conversation since they're all speaking in hushed voices to keep the female in heat from stressing anymore. The male sets her on her feet and two of the sisters help to guide her down the same hallway Avery disappeared down.

"Do you want me to show you to the mate's room?" Jia asks, her voice growing louder now that it's just the two of them.

The male's eyes are wild as the door closes, separating him from his mate. He gives Jia a small nod, his hands running through his hair and over his eyes like he's trying to keep himself from losing it. I don't know what happened to his mate to whereshe needs to be here for her heats, but it's something I feel for both of them.

Jia shows him down another hallway, and I can't help but follow now that my limbs are back in working order. I know I'm not a mate, but my curiosity is piqued.

Jia opens a door down the hall, motioning for the male to follow her inside. I slip in as well. My body is small and agile enough to get through without anyone noticing me. Rytharians have a good sense of smell, but these rooms are filtered to keep the smells of female heat from filling the rooms, and the male smells from reaching females who might be traumatized.

The room is small, with a bed in one corner and a comm screen on the wall near it. There's a small fridge that I'm assuming has food and drinks, so the male doesn't need to leave. Jia turns the comm screen on, and the image instantly flickers to one of the heat rooms where the male's mate is getting situated with the other females. I avert my gaze, knowing none of this is for me to see.

"She's allowed you to observe as much or as little as you want. If you want to talk with her, it's this button." Jia points at something on the comm, and the male gives her a nod. "She does much better when she knows you're here with her." Jia gives the male a soft smile, trying to make him feel better. "You're a strong male for being here with her."

My stomach revolts at what I'm seeing—not because it's distasteful. Well, my snooping on it is distasteful, but that's not what has me feeling sick. This male has access to the female he brought. He can see her and speak with her. Maybe she can even see him. I don't know.

What I do know is this was offered to me for Avery, and I rejected it. The female didn't tell Jia before she went back to the room what the male was allowed to do, which means it wasspoken about beforehand. I grind my teeth together. Did Avery want me here?

"If you need anything," Jia says, opening the door out of the room. I don't wait for her to finish speaking before I slip out. I hate myself right now. So, I curl back up in the corner, in the dirt, and I wait.

five

Avery

My comm tablet pings with a notification, which is surprising considering the only people who message me are in the group chat, and Phial's comm didn't ping. I narrow my eyes at his sleeping form above me like I can tell if he's actually asleep or not. I swear, sometimes he's pretending.

I unfogged the glass of the dome about ten minutes ago, but Phial didn't notice, and I'm pretty sure he's asleep. Is it weird if I stare at him while he's asleep? I mean, he fell asleep with the glass fogged, so maybe this is a breach of privacy. I frown at myself and tear my eyes away from his face.

Need to talk.

The message is from Sloane only, which has my heart racing. I've never seen Sloane not send a message without at least five exclamation points. The fact that this is an ominous 'we need totalk' message with a period has me immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusions.

I suck in a deep breath and steady myself. I knew they'd all find out eventually. I just hoped I might be able to be the one to break the news to them so it didn't feel like such a betrayal.

I crawl out of the nest, leaving the glass unfogged so Phial doesn't think I'm still in there when he wakes up. His body shifts as I crawl out, but he doesn't stir awake.

My hands are shaking when the door to his room slides open. I walk down the hall toward the room Sloane shares with her mates. I can do this. I'll just explain to them that I didn't want to worry them until I knew whether or not my past has anything to do with me being smuggled.

"Girl," Sloane says when she sees me slowly slinking toward her room.

My eyes go wide as she leans in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. She shakes her head. But, wait, is she smiling?

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask, thinking maybe my secrets are safe. I mean, I need to come clean now anyway because I can't go through this kind of panic again.

"We can talk in here." Sloane tilts her head into the room. "Alik and Jovi have questions for you."

I knot my fingers together and give her a quick nod. She pulls out a chair for me to sit on before sitting on the edge of the bed where her mates are already waiting. They all lean with their elbows on their knees, waiting for me to say something.

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