Page 39 of Her Alien Warrior
"I didn't mean to wake you, but I think I need a bit of separation from the program for a bit."
I gave her a big hug, and told her what happened, at least what she needed to know before I took the easy way out and ran away once more. I knew I was running, but it was better than what awaited me if I stayed. If General Tensel was right, then it was only a matter of time with him before I lost my own freewill and mated with him. I didn't want to be an animal that mated because we were compatible, and if he was going to be the one that showed up, and Sou-el kept on disappearing then I needed to remove myself from the equation.
If I go into a stasis pod, then I'll wake up when we arrive on Trillume, and General Tensel will then be a commander and stay aboard his ship to find another compatible mate. General Sou-el was bound to his research and as a future commander he wouldn't be overseeing the research center I'd be woken up in. I'd see my daughter again and try to forget about both of them. The Blue District would be a great place to do that. As the saying went, best way to get over someone was under someone else.
Chapter fifteen
General Sou-el
When my intern Becky came through the doors, I glanced over her shoulder with a hopeful expectation to see her guardian following behind. The door slid closed with no sign of Renee, and it must have meant she decided to stay with her research group, though I was assured that she had clearance to leave at any time.
I had been disappointed to not find her there when I left the lounge to seek her out, but I was certain she must have been with her daughter. The very spawnling that glared at me from my office doors. I grunted with the obvious signs of her suddendisapproval of my presence. This was not a good sign, especially when honoring her with my wisdom was one way to prove my worth as a mate to her guardian, and my future mate.
"What has you in a state of agitation?" I asked, hoping that perhaps her display had nothing to do with me, but of some other cause. I could assist her in solving her discomfort, though Elder Edilm would say not all things are to be fixed but felt. I have yet to understand his words. Perhaps, today would be the day, and I could be thankful there would be nothing to fix.
Becky lifted a brow. "You don't know?"
"Speak plainly. I will not hold your displeasure against your internship."
"You and General Tensel humiliated her. Mom came back from the lounge crying, and talking about how all you cared about was your stupid research about how humans were nothing but malleable mammals reacting to bodily stimuli. You know, I actually thought you'd be a good change for her, but you're worse than dad."
My hearts stopped beating as I processed her words, this was not something to be felt and forgotten. This was something that had to be fixed immediately. I had hoped Renee would come to my office last night, I had clearly invited her to rejoin me in my room. I would have explained that General Tensel may have been trying to prove fated mates didn't exist, but we were proof that it was real. That we were more than merely animals seeking out our continuation of our D.N.A. but a bonding of our beingthat no other mating could replicate. It was too soon to rely on our bond to be stronger than her doubts, but she had to feel the draw between us.
"I have never related us to beasts, but I do not doubt many matings are nothing more than companionship and biochemistry as General Tensel describes." Seeing her displeasure at my words, I amended, "I have stated plainly that I consider her more than that."
"What exactly did you say?" Becky was not convinced at my sincerity, and if the circumstances did not involve my Pulsunne thinking I had dishonored her I would praise the loyalty she showed to her guardian. As it was, every nerve in my body was on fire and in need of seeing my mate immediately to calm my anxiety that I may never see her again.
"I told her she was my Pulsunne, and I would earn her honor the right way," I ground out with my irritation growing at the very thought of Renee thinking I had considered her an experiment. This was not a topic of discussion with a spawnling. If Renee had not already had a mate, I would have taken her as our old customs dictated and there would have been no doubts about our bond. She would be wearing my mark, and she would carry my D.N.A. which has been shown in other human mates to increase their life expectancy.
My epul throbbed, and Becky's words caught up with my scattered mind. She had said Renee spoke with Tensel, and that meant she also saw her offering dangling from the wrongwarrior's hair. She would double her efforts in hiding behind her previous hurts in life, repeating to herself about how the body lies, and her draw towards me was false.
"Pulsunne..." Becky repeated the word with confusion.
"My fated, the song of my hearts, my mate,mine," I growled out as I paced the office, growing more riled up.
"Are you okay?" she asked, taking a step back. Her instincts were correct to be wary. My hearts were pounding, and I felt this before after I had Renee's blood. Horve's vine, how was this possible? I was at the beginning stages of rut? It wasn't possible…
"No," I snapped, then softened my tone to add, "I'm not okay. I may not see it, but you'll probably notice that my eyes have dilated, and if a medic were here, they would see elevated markers of adrenaline. I can feel my skin itching, and my hearts beating faster. My enzyme production is seeping from my pores to attract my mate to help balance my levels. I'm most certainly at the beginning stages of rut where I still have my faculties, but if this continues, I will not remain in my right mind."
"What do we do?"
"Wedo nothing. You are staying here, and another research lead will assist you with your studies. I am going to find my mate."
"Uh, that's going to be difficult," she said with unease.
"Why?" I gritted back, trying to hold back my uncomfortable itch crawling along my scales that begged me tofind someone to fight or rut, anything to stop the ache. As she hesitated with her answer, I roughly swiped at the table connected to my screens and contacted the Head of Research at the Blue District, the only one I could think of that didn't have an issue training a human. It was above his duties to train others, but he was the one who agreed to train her from the beginning, chose her specifically from the batch of applicants.
Message sent, approval codes added to my office, and he would have complete access to run the experiment from here remotely. All Becky would need to do is observe and listen.
The spawnling chewed at her lip nervously, debating whether she should say anything, but decided after I was finished securing her training to say something.
"Stasis."
One word, and that was all it took to strike me cold.
"Stay," I commanded of her with a stern look before leaving. Protocols for stasis were started for her because of me, and it was possible a pod was prepared. Even still, she would need to be sedated, monitored, then the stasis pod would fill with the fluids as her body was prepared for long sleep. If she went this morning, I had time to retrieve her before things were too far in the process.
By the time I rushed through the doors of the stasis chambers, I was heaving, and baring my fangs. Fight or rut. Soon, I would lose my ability to communicate beyond action.
