17. Harper

17

HARPER

S leeping in Yva’s bed every night might’ve been a mistake. I want everything that he offers, but I’m scared that it will be snatched out of my hands. Yet if I do nothing, then I will be left with nothing except regret.

How did the other women mated to the warriors deal with these fears? I need to talk to them today while the men are hunting and preparing the feast.

I’m sure Yva’s hoping I will announce my choosing of him at the feast, and it would be a good time. My hands are in my pockets as I walked back to my room, deep in thought about mating and love and all the things I had given up on.

Things he had given up on.

And now we have a chance. Together.

It’s foolish to stall. I should turn around and tell him before he goes hunting so we can celebrate at the feast…and after, in private. To hell with the consequences. We can deal with them when they turn up. I turn, ready to march back to his door, but my ex is standing three meters away. For how long has he been following?

“You’re out early,” Brett says as he walks toward me.

My cheeks heat because it’s clear why I am out early, and it wasn’t to go to the gym. “And so are you.”

“I heard that you’ve been up early for the last three days. Someone suggested I check in to make sure you’re okay.”

Someone has been gossiping about what goes on near the Honey warrior rooms. I thought the women were hoping to catch one, but instead they were reporting to others. “Why do you care? You left me and we’ve both moved on.”

His eyes narrow and he takes a couple of steps closer. “I hear you’re fucking an alien.”

I take a step back, my fingers curling, ready to fight.

“So what? A couple of new dicks in the colony is a good thing.” I try to sound casual, not afraid. I used to love Brett, and we had some good times before he broke my heart.

“They mate for life. Everyone knows that.”

I glare at him. “Lucky me. He won’t move on for someone younger.”

He grins. “Both my other matches live with me now. You need to consider what’s best for our future children. I don’t want them being raised by an alien.”

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have left me.” I take another step back and he stands there as though confused.

“You didn’t want to include my other matches in the relationship…but I’m offering you a chance?—”

“A chance at what?” Brett has nothing that I want. Six months ago, I might have listened to him and been swayed by his arguments because we did have several good years together.

“To have a proper human family. Me and my three matches.” He gives me that grin again. God, I used to think he was so smart. “We can raise all my kids together.” From the look on his face, he believes that sounds appealing.

“Just because your sperm is contributing to the genetic makeup of the colony doesn’t make them your kids.”

“It’s clear why you flunked science. They will be half mine.”

“And half mine. And I’ll raise them however I fucking want. With my alien mate. You know, who mates for life. I’m not going to leave him.”

“I remember why I broke up with you. You’re a bitch. An unreasonable selfish harpy who only cares about herself, not the colony. I should warn him what you’re like.”

I press my lips together, wishing I had already claimed Yva and that Brett couldn’t fuck this up for me. No, Yva isn’t like that. He loves me and chose me. I was just too scared to realize. “He calls me a princess. Maybe I’m only a bitch to you…I wonder why? Perhaps you’re the selfish harpy who only thinks about his dick.”

“You’re an alien whore. No man wanted you so you?—”

My fist connects with his jaw, and he rocks back. “You left me. Now, continue to leave me alone.”

I spin on my heel, anger pulsing in my veins.

“Harper, wait.”

I don’t turn around. I don’t want to hear anything else he has to say.

“You can’t be serious about this. He’s an alien.”

I turn and snap. “Why can’t I be serious about him? Have you seen how many men there are in this colony? Why aren’t I allowed to be happy? Does it kill you to see that I have moved on? What the fuck is your problem?”

Brett stares at me and rubs his jaw. “The other women they took as mates didn’t get a choice. They were captured. You’re being stupid.”

“And you’re being greedy, wanting everything your way.” I turn and keep walking, not caring if he follows me or not.

“You’re being irrational.”

“Me? You didn’t want me . Tell me if I was dating a human man, or woman, would you care?”

He smirks. “Well, you’re not, so it doesn’t matter. You’ll change your mind and then no one will want you.”

“And that would be different to now, how?” With so many women to choose from, a woman over thirty who works in the laundry doesn’t rank highly when it comes to desirability.

But Yva doesn’t care about age or job status. He wants someone he can talk to and laugh with. Who understands that life isn’t fair, but who can learn how to live with what we’ve been given while striving for more. And that’s what I want. Someone who doesn’t mind hard work, who is open and honest and doesn’t play games to win affection.

“You’ll lose friends,” Brett warns.

“Then they weren’t my friends to start with. Piss off, Brett. I don’t want to be a part of your harem.” I understand why the imbalance was created, because the colony needs children to thrive…the reality is something the planners never had to live with.

Why the Honey have too many men and not enough women, is something the scientists need to work out, but their society has adapted. It doesn’t bother them because that is how it is, and not every man expects to have a mate.

When I glance back, Brett has disappeared. I used to think he was ambitious and smart. A mechanical engineer who thought making a home with one of his matches was the right thing to do…until his next match was old enough to date.

He isn’t the only man to form a family unit with more than one of his matches. Not that there are any families with kids yet.

Unlike the Honey, we grew up seeing our parents as part of a couple and that is what most of us expected even though the reality is turning out to be far different.

Perhaps we need to invite more banished warriors to join the colony…or would that upset the balance of things for the tribes and for us?

When I reach Yva’s door and knock, he doesn’t answer.

“Fuck!”

I lean against the door, not knowing what to do. If I wasn’t such an idiot, he’d be mine already. Now, he won’t be back until tomorrow. I tip my head back and blink a couple of times to clear the tears that are threatening to spill.

Ruby, wearing only a towel, sticks her head out of the room next door. “Are you okay?”

I wipe my cheek. Clearly not okay. “I just realized I should have told Yva that I choose him before he went on the hunt.”

We could’ve waited to have sex. Couldn’t we?

Probably not.

But I didn’t want him to miss out on the hunt when it’s something all the warriors were looking forward to.

“Choose him at the feast. He’ll like that.” She winks at me and closes the door as if that’s the answer. She’s right, that’s the obvious thing to do, but I’m worried that my last chance at happiness is about to be snatched away.