Page 47 of Alien Engineer's Mate

They reached the residential section too soon, the familiar corridor stretching ahead to their quarters. The children's steps had started to drag, exhaustion catching up with them after the long day.

Maax's heart swelled at the sight of them all together. The words he'd been holding back all evening pressed against his chest, demanding release. He caught Eira's hand, drawing her to a stop just outside their quarters.

"I need to ask you something." His voice came out rougher than intended, thick with emotion. "About tomorrow."

She turned to face him, something softening in her expression. "What is it?"

"It's the final day of courtship." He struggled to find the right words, to express everything in his heart. "I want... that is, would you..."

"Yes." The simple word carried such certainty it stole his breath. "Whatever you're trying to ask, yes."

Relief and joy crashed through him. His hands cupped her face as he bent to press his forehead to hers. "Tomorrow then. I'll speak to the program first thing and formalize my claim."

Movement at the end of the corridor caught his attention, and the corridor lighting shifted to alert status, bathing everything in harsh red. Security appeared at both ends of the corridor, weapons raised.

"Lead Engineer Maax." The security lead's voice was cold with authority. "You are under arrest. Step away from the civilians."

"Papa!" Emily launched herself at his legs, clinging with desperate strength.

Kyle and Grace clustered together as Eira stepped between Maax and the security forces.

"There must be some mistake," she said. "You can't?—"

"Step aside, Lady Coleman." The security warrior's tone left no room for argument. "You don't understand the situation."

"Papa, please!" Emily sobbed, clinging to his leg. "Don't let them take you!"

Maax froze, all his attention on the warriors around them. He wanted to fight, to protect them, but the weapons trained on his family left him no choice. He couldn't risk their safety.

"Be brave for me, poppet." He pressed a kiss to Emily's head as the security forces moved forward. "I love you."

Grace's sobs mixed with Emily's screams as they pulled him away. The last thing he saw was Eira gathering both girls close, tears streaking down her cheeks as Kyle pressed against her side.

The corridors blurred as they marched him toward detention. All he could hear was Emily's desperate cry and the tears on his mate's face. His family was devastated and broken because he had failed to protect them somehow.

He had failed them all, and he didn't know how.

The security officer'sback was as rigid as the corridor walls surrounding them. "I repeat, you do not have clearance for that information." His words sliced through Eira's rising panic, sharp and dismissive.

"But they just took him!" Her voice cracked as she gestured along the corridor they’d taken Maax down. The image of him being dragged away replayed in her mind, his expression haunting her. He hadn't fought back. Why hadn't he fought back? "You can't just disappear someone without explanation. There are laws?—"

"Laws that require proper security clearance to discuss. Clearance you don’t have, Lady Coleman,” Another officer stepped forward, his uniform pristine, his expression carved from stone. "Please return to your quarters."

Eira's hands trembled. The overhead lights cast harsh shadows, making everything feel surreal, like a nightmare she couldn't wake from. But the racing of her heart, the cold sweat trickling down her spine—those sensations were real enough.

"At least tell me where you're taking him." She planted her feet wider, refusing to be dismissed. "Is he being charged? Does he have representation?"

The first officer's hand twitched toward his weapon. He didn’t draw it, but the threat was there. "Ma'am, if you continue to interfere with security operations?—"

"Interfere?" Heat flooded her face. "You ambushed us without warning, or explanation, and just took him. How is asking what's happening interference?"

A third officer approached, datapad in hand.

"Your concerns have been noted." His tone suggested they'd been noted and just as quickly discarded. "But this is a classified matter. Return to your quarters or we'll be forced to escort you."

Her throat closed around a scream of frustration. They were like automated response units, programmed to repeat the same useless phrases. Her fingers curled into fists, nails biting into her palms. The pain helped ground her, kept her from doing something stupid like trying to force her way past them.

“Mom?” She looked up to see Leo and Sheena in the corridor behind the security officers. Leo’s eyes were wide and concerned. "What's going on?"

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