Page 22 of Alien Engineer's Mate

But it was the bathroom that broke her. She stepped inside and stared at the massive shower enclosure, the separate bath, the double sink with its elegant fixtures. The colony had had tiny shower cubicles, and water was strictly rationed. Here...

"Mom?" Leo said behind her. "There's a basket of stuff on your bed. It has our names on it."

She followed him back to the bedroom, where a large basket sat in the center of the bed. The note attached bore the LMP logo:

Welcome home, Coleman family. We hope these items help you settle in. Additional clothing and necessities will be delivered tomorrow.

The basket overflowed with fresh clothing, toiletries, and small personal items for each of them. She lifted out a soft sweater in her size, then found school supplies for the kids, including a brand new datapad for Leo.

Beneath the clothing, she found a thick information packet titled "The Latharian Mate Program: Your Journey Begins." Her fingers traced the embossed letters as she set it aside to read later, when she could focus on understanding what came next.

Her vision blurred as she sank onto the edge of the bed, still clutching the sweater. This was too much. Too perfect. The cynical part of her brain that had kept them alive on the colony screamed that there had to be a catch, that nothing this good came without a price.

"Can we really stay here?" Grace's small voice drew her attention to where her daughter stood in the doorway, hugging her stuffed bear.

Eira swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. "Yes, baby. This is our home for now.”

Gracie watched her expression like a little hawk. “Will we have to go back to our before-home?”

“Back to the colony, you mean?” Eira asked, opening her arms so her daughter could climb onto the bed and fall into them. “No baby, we won’t be going back to the colony. We’ll stay here until they find a proper new home for us.”

Kyle appeared in the doorway, practically vibrating with excitement. "Mom! The bathroom has real water! And the tap stays on for more than thirty seconds!"

A laugh bubbled up through her tears. Trust Kyle to focus on the practical details. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, embarrassed to be crying in front of her children.

"Why don't you three explore while I start unpacking?" she suggested, needing a moment alone to collect herself.

They scattered, their excited voices echoing through their new home as they discovered more features. She heard Kyle explaining the entertainment system to Grace, and Leo's footsteps as he checked every room again.

She picked up the mate program packet, thumbing through the pages. Words jumped out at her… "courtship periods," "cultural integration." A section on children caught her eye: "Warriors value family bonds and consider the care of offspring, including those from previous relationships, to be an honor."

She thought back to how Maax had interacted with Kyle, and how his entire bearing had softened when he spoke to Emily.Stopit, she told herself. She couldn’t pin her hopes on one handsome warrior just because he was kind to her kids.

She turned to the window, watching the curve of Earth below. The view was beautiful, even relayed through a screen. James would have loved this place. The thought made her bite her lip. He would have been in his element here, exploring every system, figuring out how everything worked. She could almost hear his voice:"See? I told you things would get better."

But he wasn't here to see it. He would never see their children in these beautiful rooms, never know they finally had enough food, enough space, enough of everything. The grief rose up to choke her, mixing with hope and fear and too many other emotions to name.

A soft chime sounded, and a gentle voice emerged from hidden speakers. "Environmental controls are now calibrated to your preferences based on medical data. Please let us know if you require any adjustments."

She laughed through her tears. Even the bloody air was perfect here.

"Mom!" Kyle's voice carried from the kitchen. "Can we have real food for dinner? There's actual vegetables in here!"

"And juice!" Grace added. "Real juice!"

She took one last look at the Earth view, then straightened up and wiped her eyes. She would worry about what came next—about meeting potential mates, about building a new life here—later. The mate program packet waited on her bed, promising answers to her questions about the matching process, about how she might find someone who could love her children as much as she did. But right now, her children needed her present and focused.

"Coming!" she called back, heading toward the kitchen. "Let's see what we can make."

Maax movedthrough the first position of thediraaneshwith the other warriors, his muscles protesting more than usual from lack of sleep. The training hall's polished floor reflected the morning light streaming from the hidden lighting strips, catching on the decorative metalwork that traced ancient battle scenes along the walls. The massive space echoed with the soft sounds of two dozen males moving in sync, their breathing a steady rhythm in the morning quiet.

His eyes burned from exhaustion. Emily had finally fallen back asleep after her nightmare, curled up in his arms on the living room couch again, but he'd lain awake for hours after. She'd been so excited this morning, though, skipping on their way to the nursery as she told him about all the games she wanted to play with her new friend, Grace.

"Your form is slipping, brother." V’Ash's quiet observation pulled him back to the present. The other warrior's dark eyes narrowed as they shifted into the second form, and Maax’s thigh muscles burned as they held the deep stance. A drop of sweat rolled down his back.

He adjusted his position, forcing his attention back to what he was doing. He neededdiraaneshthis morning, and the discipline it brought. But Eira’s green eyes kept appearing in his mind, bright with determination as she'd watched over her children in the medical bay. The way she'd smiled when he'd mentioned the gardens, like he'd offered her the most precious gift...

His stance wavered again, and V’Ash kicked his foot, subtly adjusting his position.

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