20. More than Honorable

My stomach dropswhen I see the jewel raise Lena's marked palm for the elders to see.

This isn't what I wanted…I need more time to explain things, to make it right.

The air in the room grows still. The purple swirl on her human palm silences everyone in the room.

"Hopeful Kitaico, how can this be?" a lesser elder asks, his voice laced with uncertainty. "She is marked, but you are not?"

My skin prickles as my camouflage shifts colors to a muted gray. A wave of nervousness washes over me. The atmosphere in the room is thick with anticipation, and I can't hide my anxiety about explaining the status of my relationship with Lena.

"Because humans have nothing to sting with!" Lena twists her wrist from the jewel's grip, only to throw her hands up in the air. Her frustration is obvious from her tone. "God, our bodies are already so different from each other. Why is this surprising?"

My mate, who is clearly not an Andjin, is right. We are different, and I can't help but cringe as she gives the elders an attitude.

Was she like this in the cave when I couldn't understand her? A part of me worries if I even really know her at all.

But when she looks at me, a gaze so sweet that I can't break away, I know she is mine and I am hers.

"If she is marked, she must be compatible with our kind. The mating barb should only be present during ovulation." Chancellor Hirouz's voice cuts through the fuzzy feelings.

"My mate could carry my young?" The words slip from my lips, tasting almost as sweet as she does.

The council"s shocked murmurs fill the space, but the room grows quiet when Hirouz stands.

"The human is marked, but we cannot allow you to claim her as your mate until you are found worthy. You are smart enough to understand this, Kitaico," he scolds.

"I don't need him to be found worthy. I just need him!" Lena begs, her voice cracking with desperation.

"Do you both swear, on the spirit of the Great Mother, that no breeding has occurred yet?" a deadly serious Hirouz asks.

I don't give a second for my mate to answer—I don't want to mince words.

"I haven't rutted Lena, despite the heats," I tell him truthfully. "My seed has never laid within her."

Chancellor Hirouz's foretentacles rub slowly over each other, as if he's deep in thought.

"I can't imagine the fortitude and willpower it took to resist a female in heat. Having gone through it with my own mate, I understand the hardship you must have endured." He pauses as if readying to say something profound—but Lena's voice cuts through that silence.

"I begged him to fuck me. He was more than honorable. Shouldn't that be proof enough of his worthiness?" The sound of her voice is filled with cracks, as if it were on the verge of shattering, like she knows she's fighting a losing battle.

"He has one last test," the chancellor says with less patience.

"If he passes that test, can we be together?"

"Your human body seems compatible with continuing the Andjin bloodline?—"

"Is breeding all you care about? What if I loved him? What if we can't be apart without hurting…doesn't any of that matter?" Lena's fists are balled up at her sides as she cuts off Hirouz. I know I should remain humble and reverent in front of the elders, but I can't see her suffer.

I stand to my full height in the sight of the assembled elders and rush to Lena's side. Great Proving be damned.

I know she's my true mate.

My arms, and the brothers, grip her protectively as she unravels. She bites her lower lip to keep from crying, but the fat tears spill all the same.

"I will fight for her," I say, knowing that my only options are to keep Lena or die trying.

In a tender gesture, one brother softly caresses Lena's cheek.

"It isn't done this way!" a lesser elder shouts.

"Is this what our species has come to? By the Great Mother's grace." Another is astonished at our boldness.

More murmurs build before Chancellor Hirouz lifts his palm, demanding silence.

"Elders, we cannot comprehend the mysteries of the Great Mother. Nor can we deny that this strange creature has taken Kitaico's mating mark." He pauses like before, but not long enough to allow Lena to get a word in edgewise.

"You must complete your last task, but I know you know this. You have my word that once you are found victorious, that you will be found worthy of your human mate."

Lena's yelp of relief fills the chamber as she slumps into my arms and tentacles.

"We can be together," she coos as she tenderly peppers my face with kisses.

"Soon I will have you completely," I respond, my heart filled anew with a burning hope.

"Until then, the human will stay with the jewels. Her fellow females can teach her more about our culture," Hirouz says.

Lena nods quickly. "Whatever it takes."

"I will direct the medics to provide our human jewel with heat suppressants as well," the chancellor advises me with a knowing glance. "To make sure we don't stretch the hopeful's willpower any further than necessary."

"Wait, there have been heat suppressants this entire time?" She looks hurt, her eyes filled with sadness.

I lean in closer and quietly admit to her, "I had no idea they existed."

"It is not something we encourage the use of here on the Korlyan Moon. In fact, I've only seen it used when a newly mated Andjin's mate has died. It's the kind thing to do."

If Lena died…I couldn't go on.

"We have two days until the battle. I hope you survive, Hopeful Kitaico, for what it's worth. May the goddess keep you." The chancellor breaks his steely demeanor only for a moment to wish me well.

"Battle? Kitaico, what does he mean if you survive? What in the hell is this last test?" Lena is frantic.

I let out an inaudible sigh, knowing this moment was coming.

"Chancellor, may I have permission to spend the afternoon with Lena, to explain the Great Proving?" I ask humbly, gulping at the thought it might be the last time we're alone together.

Hirouz turns to the elders on either side of him, their disapproving glances not going unnoticed.

"This afternoon, until the rest of the jewels retire, you may converse in private with Jewel Lena. A guard will be posted outside the door, but I will allow you this."

I bow, knowing he's given us much more grace than I deserve. I'll wonder about his reasoning later.

The elders watch us silently, their wise eyes observing every move we make. Lena's worry is etched on her face, her brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line. I can sense the fear radiating from her.

I hold Lena all the tighter, silently promising her we will face whatever comes our way as a united front. Our embrace is a silent reassurance, a gesture that I hope speaks volumes to these revered figureheads of my community.

I will win, I will claim Lena. There are no other options.