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Zehn didn’t seem entirely convinced. He prowled the edge of the clearing, his powerful muscles rippling beneath his fur. “And if they send ground units instead of drones?”

“Then we’ll hear them coming from miles away,” Khaaz replied. “The local wildlife is sensitive to their presence. They’ll give us plenty of warning.”

The two aliens stared at each other, another silent communication passing between them. Finally, Zehn gave a curt nod.

“Fine. We rest, then move at first light.” He turned to me. “You should try to sleep, Everly. Tomorrow will be demanding.”

“That’s what I was trying to do before all this happened,” I said, gesturing at the destroyed drones.

Khaaz watched me with those too-bright eyes, his expression unreadable. There was something in the way he looked at me—like he was afraid of me, or afraid for me. It made no sense. I was the vulnerable human here, surrounded by alien predators and hidden threats.

“I’ll take first watch,” Khaaz announced abruptly, breaking the tense silence. Without waiting for a response, he turned and melted into the jungle shadows with disturbing ease.

Zehn watched him go, then turned to me. “He won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why does he care? Why do either of you care? I’m just some random human who happened to have weird dreams.”

Zehn’s expression softened slightly, which on his fierce features looked almost comical. “Not random, Everly. Never random. The universe doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to fate mates.”

“There’s that term again. ‘Fate mates.’ You keep saying it like it should mean something to me.”

“It will,” he said simply. “When you’re ready to understand.”

I sighed, suddenly bone-tired. The adrenaline of the drone attack was wearing off, leaving me drained. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to understand any of this.”

Zehn gestured to the shelter he’d constructed earlier. “Rest. I’ll join you soon.”

I wanted to argue, to demand more answers, but exhaustion was winning. I retreated to the shelter, wrapping myself in the strange but comfortable alien blanket Zehn had provided. As I closed my eyes, I couldn’t shake the image of Khaaz’s luminous gaze, or the inexplicable feeling that I’d known him all my life.

9 /ZEHN

I stalkedthe perimeter of our makeshift camp, my heightened Rodinian senses cataloging every scent, sound, and shift in the environment. The forest was quiet but for the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures and the soft whisper of wind through the canopy. My paws barely made a sound on the undergrowth, decades of Legion Reaper training allowing me to move like a shadow even in my natural form. Nothing escaped my notice—not the faint tracks of some small animal heading east, nor the subtle change in air pressure that suggested rain before dawn. But most importantly, I could sense Khaaz’s position as clearly as if we shared a neural link, his scent and energy signature as familiar to me as my own.

The moon cast dappled silver light through the trees, illuminating patches of the forest floor. I extended my claws briefly, testing the air. No predators. No threats. Just the three of us in this small corner of wilderness.

Khaaz was moving in a wider arc around us, keeping to the shadows as he did. Despite his scars and the experimental hybridization that had been forced upon him, he moved with the same lethal grace as any pure Rodinian. Perhaps even more so.I knew he wasn’t just standing guard—he was giving me space with Everly. Giving us time.

I finished my circuit and retreated back toward our shelter. My ears swiveled, picking up Khaaz’s soft growl of acknowledgment from somewhere in the darkness. All clear. We were safe for now.

Inside the small cave we’d claimed for the night, Everly lay curled on her side, her breathing deep and even in sleep. My chest tightened at the sight of her. Even with dirt smudging her face and her clothes torn from our escape, she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. My fate mate. The one the universe had chosen for me when I’d thought such a gift impossible.

I moved to her silently, lowering my massive frame beside her sleeping form. Her long black hair had fallen across her face, and I gently brushed it back with one claw-retracted finger, careful not to wake her. She’d been through too much today. Needed rest more than anything.

The scent of her, that unique blend of human female and something else—something that called to the deepest, most primal part of me—filled my nostrils. I inhaled deeply, letting it center me. Ground me. The fierce protectiveness that had taken hold of me since the moment we’d shared our first unity dream swelled anew. I would tear apart anything that threatened her.

I gathered her carefully against me, her small human form fitting perfectly against my larger Rodinian one. She stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible in her sleep before nestling closer, seeking my warmth. The trust in that unconscious movement nearly undid me.

As I held her, I understood why Khaaz had volunteered to take the outer perimeter tonight. He knew what this time meant—what it could mean—for Everly and me. Another unity dream could strengthen our bond, help her understand what we were toeach other before she had to make her choice. Before she had to decide whether to accept or reject me.

The thought of rejection sent a cold spike through my chest, but I pushed it aside. Whatever she chose, I would honor it. Even if it meant succumbing to thedeliria amoranta, the madness that claimed unmated Rodinians whose fate mates denied them. Even if it meant being relegated to the front lines as nothing more than a berserker weapon until death finally claimed me.

She was worth it. Worth anything.

I closed my eyes, my body curving protectively around hers, and allowed myself to drift. To seek that strange between-space where fate mates could connect on a level beyond the physical. The unity dream.

It came more easily this time, like slipping into warm water. One moment I was in the cave, and the next I was somewhere else entirely—a space that existed nowhere and everywhere, created from our shared consciousness.

She was there, waiting. As if she’d been expecting me. Her eyes, those deep dark pools that had captured me from the first moment, watched me with a mixture of desire and wonder. In this space, there was no fear, no hesitation—only the raw truth of what we were to each other.

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