Page 35 of Krin

With no hesitation, I approached one of the empty chairs in front of the expansive viewscreen. Dril looked at me, then at Aza with a confused expression while turning in his chair.

I was concerned he would refuse to speak to me, but to my astonishment, he grinned and signaled for me to join him.

“It is nice to see you here. Have a seat. I will explain the helm to you if you would like that?” He posed it as a question, and I felt so happy to be acknowledged that I couldn’t find the words.

I nodded enthusiastically.

Aza piped, “I’ll leave you with Dril, then. See you later.”

As he turned to go, I thanked him and gave him a wave before returning my attention to the viewscreen. Perhaps things would finally fall into place for me.

I knew Krin was already mine.

Now it looked like the crew might accept me, too.

14

Krin

I SENSED RILEY THEmoment she stepped onto the bridge, and sent a telepathic message to my first officer, who confirmed that my K’sha was sitting at the helm. Ezan’s response was filled with mirth as he explained.

It appeared she had found an ally in Aza who was trying to help my mate feel like she belonged. Thankfully, Aza and Dril were no threat to me. It was a relief to know they were the ones helping her.

Now that I had claimed Riley and solidified our bond, I felt more secure about our relationship.

No one would bother her, knowing she was mated to me. Her happiness was important. If Riley wanted to join the crew, I would support that. Trex had been correct in his assessment of human females.

I believed in my K’sha’s ability to look after herself. But I would also never stop being protective of her.

The door to my private meeting room closed behind me. I walked over to Riley who sensed my approach through our mating bond.

“Are you considering joining us on the bridge?” I asked, happy when she angled her head and beamed at me.

“Hey. Maybe. I mean, if I can.” Her eyes went from me to the Commander and back to me again.

Ezan nodded in silent acknowledgement confirming he had no objection to her being there.

I placed a hand on Riley’s shoulder. “If this is where you want to train, then I am happy with that,” I stated.

She looked at Dril who was watching her passively.

“Are you okay with training me?” she asked him.

He gave her a small smile. “Yes. I am sure we can find something you are well-suited for if you don’t want to work at the helm.”

The helmsman, whom I had known for manytenri, sent me a mental message. ‘She is safe on the bridge, Captain.’

I realized I still had my hand on Riley’s shoulder, so I gave it a squeeze. She glanced up at me again.

“When you are ready for a break, come see me,” I said before dropping my hand to my side.

“Okay,” she responded before turning her attention to Dril.

I stood behind her chair with my hands clasped behind me.

Ignoring everyone else, I watched my K’sha with an overwhelming sense of pride.

It pleased me that Ezan didn’t oppose the idea of including my K’sha in the crew. His logical, sensible point of view made me realize my fears had been unfounded. I would continue to make amends to my K’sha by telling the crew to accept her as one of them.

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