Page 55 of Alien Engineer's Mate

"Emily, sweetheart!" The grandmotherly woman's voice was warm as she crouched down in front of the crying girl. "I was just about to start building models. Remember those engineering blocks your papa brought in last week? We're going to use those today."

Emily pressed herself against Eira's legs, sobbing harder. "I want my Papa!"

Grace picked up Red Dragon and brushed off his ribbon. "Look, Emily! He needs his special chair. The one we made yesterday?" She tugged at Emily's hand. "We gotta finish it before Papa comes back."

"That's right," Mrs. Phillips nodded. "And Miss Diaz just brought in some new ribbons for decorating. Beautiful sparkly ones."

Two other staff members appeared as if summoned, positioning themselves between the children and Aisha's group. Miss Diaz knelt down to Emily's level, her voice gentle. "Would you like to see the ribbons? There's a gold one that looks just like your papa's honor beads."

Emily hiccuped, her sobs quieting as she looked up at Eira. "Can... can I save one for Papa?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Eira brushed tears from Emily's cheeks gently. Every part of her wanted to gather Emily up and never let go, to protect her from every cruel word andsideways glance. But Emily needed normalcy right now, needed the comfort of routine and friends. "Why don't you and Grace go pick out the perfect one?"

Kyle stepped forward, his datapad forgotten at his side. "I'll help too. We can make it extra special."

Mrs. Phillips smiled warmly. "What thoughtful siblings you have, Emily. Come along then, all of you. This chair won't decorate itself!"

Emily allowed Grace to lead her inside, still sniffling but distracted by the promise of ribbons, with Kyle following close behind.

Eira waited until the door sealed behind them before turning to face Aisha. The rage she'd been containing all morning hardened into something cold and sharp. "Quite a change from your behavior at dinner the other night," she said, her voice cutting through the air like a whip. "When you were so desperate for Maax's attention."

"I never—" Aisha started, but another voice cut her off.

"Oh please." A redheaded woman Eira remembered from the mate program orientation meeting stepped forward. "We all watched you chase him for months. Showing up at engineering, trying to get assigned to his projects?—"

"And what about the night you tried to get into his quarters," added another woman, her eyes narrowing. "Remember that? When you claimed you had an 'urgent engineering issue' at midnight?"

Color flooded Aisha's cheeks. Several women in her audience exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from rapt attention to something more calculating.

"I was just being friendly," Aisha's voice wavered. "Trying to help him adjust?—"

"Oh fuck off!! Is that what you call stalking now?" The redhead's laugh held no humor. She turned to Eira. "She's beenlike this since the mate program started. When she couldn't get matched herself, she started targeting specific warriors. Maax was just the latest."

"That's not—" Aisha sputtered.

"Tell me something," Eira asked, looking around. "Why are you always here? I've never seen you with a kid. No reason to lurk around a nursery except to cause trouble for others."

The women around them shifted uncomfortably. One of them took a deliberate step back from Aisha's side. Others followed, the tight circle around Aisha beginning to dissolve.

"I volunteer—" Aisha started, but another woman cut her off.

"Actually, you don't." The speaker was one of the mothers Eira had seen at drop-off before. She had two cute little boys. "I checked when you kept trying to get information about my sons' schedules. The volunteer roster shows no record of you."

Murmurs rippled through the group. Another mother spoke up, her voice sharp with dawning realization. "You told me Marcus was asking for playdates with your nephew. I didn't even question... but you don't have a nephew here, do you?"

"I think," said the redhead slowly, "we should speak with security about unauthorized nursery access."

Aisha's composure cracked. Her gaze darted around the group of women who'd been hanging on her every word moments ago but found no allies in their hardened expressions. "You can't—I would never—" She spun toward Eira. "This is your fault! You and that purist?—"

"That's enough." Leo's quiet voice carried unexpected authority. He stepped up beside Eira, his father's steady strength in every line of his young face. "Mom, we need to go. The appeal starts soon."

Something in her son's tone cut through the rage clouding Eira's mind. He was right. They were wasting precious minutes on Aisha when Maax needed them.

"You know what?" Eira turned her back on Aisha despite her spluttering protests. "You're not worth another second of my time. I have more important things to do than deal with a petty, jealous woman who gets her kicks from terrorizing children."

She strode away, Leo matching her pace. Behind them, she heard the redhead speak again: "Security? Yes, I need to report concerns about unauthorized nursery access..."

The lift arrived with a soft chime. As the doors closed, Leo's hand found hers and squeezed. "You were great back there, Mom. Maax would be proud of you."

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