Page 19 of Possessive Alien Mate

“Is-is something wrong, Rem? You, um, you look angry.”

“Finish your meal,” he said in a sharp tone, his happiness from moments ago evaporating. “After dinner, I want you to go to our bedroom and wait for me. We have something to discuss.”

Her eyes filled with worry, but she nodded and slowly took several more bites of spaghetti. He rose and started clearing the table.

“I-I can help with that,” she said, reaching for a plate.

“No, go upstairs.” His fury was steadily building. He had the sudden urge to grab her and shake her and demand she spill her secrets, but he refrained from rushing around the table to accost her. He needed some time to calm down before he confronted her with the proof of her lies.

She turned and hurried out of the dining room.

Fluxx. How could he ever trust her now? What would possess her to lie to him about her uncle owning a video comm? If she didn’t wish to contact her relatives on Earth, he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just say so. Instead, she had lied.

Had she lied to him about anything else?

He finished clearing the dining room table, tossed the dishes into the refresher, and wiped down the kitchen with angry movements.

With a growl of frustration, he stalked upstairs to find his errant mate.

* * *

Why wasRem angry with her?

Tyra paced back and forth over the rug in the center of their bedroom, racking her brain as she tried to understand what she might’ve done to upset him. It was possible he was mad about something that didn’t have anything to do with her, but given the furious way he’d glared at her, she had a horrible suspicion that she’d done something to incur his wrath.

She replayed the last few days. They’d enjoyed time on the palace grounds and he’d even introduced her to the king and his mate, a human woman named Esmay. Yesterday, they had taken their midday meal in the banquet hall with dozens of other guards, royal dignitaries, and others who lived in the palace. It had been clear to her after meeting several guards that many were surprised by Rem’s decision to take a mate, though she didn’t understand why.

Rem had become angry with her twice during her first day as his mate—first, when she had behaved too cordially to the purple males they met in the forest (in his opinion, anyway), and second, when he’d glimpsed the picture of her father in her locket and assumed it was a lover she’d left behind on Earth.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Rem had apologized for grabbing her roughly and also for his reaction over the necklace, and she had accepted his apologies, however, now she was starting to worry he was prone to angering easily. If she couldn’t even figure out what she’d done to upset him, she imagined his reasons for being angry with her this time weren’t justified either.

She was pretty sure she hadn’t smiled at any of the guards she’d met at the palace. She also hadn’t spoken to any of them alone. Rem had been by her side the entire time, with his arm wound tightly around her shoulders.

Furthermore, she had also done her best to take up some of the cooking and cleaning duties around the house. She’d learned how to use the gadgets in the kitchen, as well as the clothing refresher. She had made a serious effort to keep house, emulating her aunt, who had always kept an impeccably tidy house, as much as she could. But was she still not doing enough around the house to please him? She gulped hard and turned to face the door.

Footsteps sounded on the stairway.

Her stomach flipped.

Oh God. He was finally on his way up to talk to her. Her legs suddenly felt like jelly and she struggled to remain standing. She hated that she was all at once afraid of him. She didn’t think he would physically hurt her, but she still hated conflict and wasn’t looking forward to this confrontation.

The door zipped open and he strode inside, his huge presence filling the room. His gaze remained dark and furious. His nostrils were flared and his muscles tensed. He looked murderous and she repressed a shudder. She was still racking her brain and still coming up empty—she had absolutely no clue what might’ve set him off.

But she didn’t want to cower. She’d come to Mars seeking a fresh start, a new life, and she didn’t want to be the scared little girl she once was. She lifted her chin and tried to summon her bravery. Whatever accusations he threw her way, she was prepared to meet them.

She drew in a deep breath, bracing herself for his anger.

But his next words made her blood run cold.

“You lied to me, Tyra. You lied.”

Chapter 15

Confusion washed through Tyra, as well as a deepening sense of fear. What in the world was Rem talking about? She hadn’t lied to him. Not that she could recall.

He stalked closer and thrust a tablet into her hand. She recognized the Martian Affairs emblem and began reading the short missive it contained, which was written in Galactic Common. She gasped at the contents of the message and backed away from Rem, almost dropping the tablet as her hands commenced shaking.

Oh God. She had lied to him, but she’d forgotten all about it. She’d told him her aunt and uncle didn’t own a video comm, but this memo from Martian Affairs was informing him that not only did they possess a video comm, but they’d had it installed in their home many years ago. The clerk in communication with Rem had even included their comm number.

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