Page 41 of Orange Lake
“I would rather it be you.”
Roqs stiffened then shuddered. “Honestly, at a time like this?” he asked without looking at me straight.
I stayed quiet. I am not the type of manasty to repeat myself. And Roqs knew I am straightforward. I always mean what I say.
So the timing is not right. We are about to descend on Kilo’s camp with only 10 people. The goal is to destroy the Shura. Especially now that we know from Coone that Kilo is working with the Chons. For some reason, I could not see Kilo working with the Chons who wanted to mine our planet. It will destroy us. Destroy everything. It is either the Chons have something he wants, or he finally stepped into the evil miasma that plagues a manasty. No one can come back from that evil once it is crossed.
Still, my mind keeps bouncing back to Brin. I feel that I’m still in an impossible dream. When this is over, we plan to head to the Council’s doctors to check if mating with her is possible. Mating as in sex, we know it’s possible. But to have an actualmate!Crix, Jigen and Volks are sure we are mates. But if the Council verifies it, that means I can keep her here. Officially. Then find a way so she can go back and we can go visit her family once in a while. I wonder if her parents will accept me?
“Zirc!” Roqs chided.
I understand why Roqs is like this. Everyone knows he and I want to be mates. But it wasn’t there. We knew.
Still, I do not want to lose Roqs. I will die happy having him and Brin in my life. I will try to explain this to him.
“Roqs, you know I –”
I was cut off when he decided to turn his back on me. And leave. I scrunched my forehead. Roqs is an Alpha. He does not turn around like a coward -
I never saw it coming.He delivered a punch straight to my gut.
“You hit like a baby,” I taunted but knew that Roqs is trying to come to terms with himself.
Clutching my gut and slowly straightening myself, I watched warily while he continued to glare at me. All at once, everyone is quiet. Waiting in anticipation if it will be an all-out brawl.
Then I looked straight into his eyes, I knew he wouldn’t accept second best. We are similar in that way.
“That’s for all the years you made me wait asshole.” He straightened and took a deep breath.
Inside, I felt torn. I knew it was not fair. We both knew I was holding onto him to be my mate. I’ve tried to go away thinking that might be a way to trick the mating bond.This mission is going to tear us apart.
I straightened fully. The physical pain from the blow is nothing to the storm gathering inside me.
“Don’t,” Roqs said. Yes, he can read my mind. He might have accepted what is truth. I am still finding it hard to believe that Roqs is willing to let go. Now I’m the one angry.
But we have a mission. I can see it in his eyes too. Feel in the others as well. We can’t afford any mistakes.
I took a deep breath and exhale. It felt as if the whole room also exhaled. I have a duty. And that trumps all.
“Later,” I said gruffly. It took a huge effort not to growl.
“Perhaps a meal before we go to the mission?” Coone asked from his post, his head almost touching the ceiling of the room. He always loved to be in high places.
Roqs threw a blaster at Coone who promptly caught it and stashed into a pack suspended beside him. Jigen cleared his throat. He can’t keep the weapons away from Roqs and Coone.
The action dissipated the thick air. Good. We can now concentrate on the mission. Things with Roqs I can compartmentalize. Yet, even now, it’s hard to think to be away from Brin.
With silent consent, we all converged on the holo table.
“You want to run through it again Zirc?”, Crix asked.
It was clear that they trust me enough to lead this mission when normally, Crix should be leading this expedition. His ship, most of his crews, and he came from the Purple Tribe. However, that is what makes Crix powerful. Pride is nothing when it means failure.He will gladly hand over the mission to someone else more capable. And in this case, they decided me and my Silver Beast are better suited to lead them. In hindsight, they might be right. I have the hardest hard on against Kilo, Nialla and their gang. I want them out of the picture to protect Brin's identity.
I brought up the holo of the land and updated the latest scan of the area where Coone said his network of spies last saw Kilo. They are currently camped in a valley bordering the Purple Tribe’s farthest lands and the no man’s land. The no man’s land is home to most pillagers. It is a wasteland of old technology and it is said that the land is barren except for the ones bordering the other tribes.
“We disembark here,” I said pointing to a coordinate just behind the town in the east. “We assume the worst case scenario. There will be sensors and look outs. The prisoners will likely be here.”
I pointed to a location almost at the center of the gang’s makeshift camp. What makes Kilo deadly is their efficiency in moving hundreds of slaves with equal amount of gang members. Some slaves become members but most of the time, the captives are sold or end up dead.
