Chapter 15

Elian had never been in love before.

He”d had crushes, of course. A dashing young pilot, a kind mechanic, a pair of soldiers with laughing eyes and bright smiles…

His feelings had all been fantasies, really. Elian had never done any more than enjoy the time spent with those men as friends. With the war raging, time was in short supply.

But this… this was different. Rael was different.

Elian had never met anyone like him. The alien leader was fierce and powerful, with a warrior”s instincts that were utterly alien to Elian. And yet, beneath that hard exterior, he had a tender heart. He was fiercely loyal to his people and his planet, and he had a sense of humor that was surprisingly close to humanity”s own.

And when he looked at Elian, for the first time in his life, Elian felt seen. Understood.

And desired, too. The way that Rael looked at him… it sent shivers down his spine. Elian”s heart fluttered at the thought.

But now, alongside that fluttering heart, there was a leaden weight in his gut. Love was supposed to be a happy thing, wasn”t it? A joyful thing?

But there was danger here, too. Elian was a fugitive. An enemy of Rael”s people, trapped behind enemy lines. There was nowhere safe for him. Korvax”s relentless attacks were proof of that.

And now Rael was wrapped up in it.

As Elian trudged along the path behind Rael, guilt churned in his guts. Rael had called him mate… But what did that mean for Rael? How could he even keep Elian with him? What would a life together even look like for them? Rael couldn”t live his life hiding a fugitive, jumping at shadows.

Rael deserved better than to be a traitor to his own people.

Before Elian could get too lost in his thoughts, Rael held up a hand, listening to the air.

Elian strained his ears, too. After a moment, even he could hear it: the sound of footsteps on the road, getting louder.

On Rael”s hand-signal, Elian dodged off of the road. He ducked behind a thick shrub, concealing himself from the approaching person. His heart pounded in his chest as he listened to the footsteps growing closer and closer, the adrenaline spiking through his veins making every sound seem amplified.

Who was this? Another bounty hunter? Someone from the Borraq military, hunting him down? Korvax again, somehow, back on their trail and now even more determined to take Elian?

Finally, a rough voice broke the silence of the road. ”Rael? Is that you?”

Risking a cautious peek through the thick leaves that hid him, Elian caught sight of the newcomer. It was another Borraq, this one older and more weathered than Rael. His golden skin was crisscrossed with scars, and a thick braid of jet-black hair hung down his back. One of his horns was broken, the pointed edges jagged. Despite his scars, the alien carried himself with the same easy grace that Elian had come to associate with Rael.

Rael stepped forward, meeting the stranger with a gesture that seemed equal parts greeting and challenge. One of Rael”s allies? Elian strained to catch their words.

”Zarrack,” Rael said. The name reverberated then snapped, like the roll of a distant thunderstorm. ”I didn”t expect to encounter you out here.”

The one called Zarrack let out a rasping chuckle. ”Nor I you, pup. What business brings an alpha so far from his clan?”

Elian saw Rael”s jaw tighten almost imperceptibly before he replied. ”Medical supplies. A young clansman needs treatment. I”m heading to the city to find it.”

Despite the remote wilds that they were in, Zarrack seemed entirely at ease, an amused glint in his eye. ”Is that so? You”re in luck, the medics in Yattara just got a shipment. I”m just returning from there myself.”

”Off to outpost Ylera?”

”No, the Thar clan”s village.” Zarrack grinned. ”Heard they run a decent card game, and I thought I might try my luck.”

Rael laughed. ”Watch your back, old man. They”re the most relentless cheats in the east.”

The two Borraq exchanged pleasantries — and more than enough playful jabs at the moral nature of the Thar. Listening to their easy conversation, Elian breathed a little easier.

But then it went wrong.

Zarrack”s head suddenly snapped up, nostrils flaring as he drew in a deep breath of air. The content expression melted from his face in an instant, replaced by a look of cold calculation. His hand strayed toward the wicked-looking blade hanging from his belt.

”What”s that scent?” he growled, his gravelly voice now laced with menace.

Oh, no.

Zarrack”s piercing gaze swept over the area, searching. Elian sank down behind his cover, his heart hammering in his chest. He shrank in on himself, trying to get as small and unobtrusive as possible.

If Zarrack didn”t let this drop… To save Elian, would Rael be forced to fight an old friend?

A cold sweat broke out over Elian”s skin.

But when Rael”s voice rang out, it wasn”t in challenge. ”Elian, come out,” he called, the command laced with resignation.

That seemed like insanity… But Elian trusted Rael. Heart in his throat, Elian stepped out from behind the tree.

Zarrack”s eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him. His hand instinctively tightened on the blade at his hip. ”What is this, Rael?” The seasoned warrior”s voice was a growl of barely contained hostility.

Rael”s stance was wary, his body angled slightly to put himself between Elian and the potential threat. ”A human ship crashed in my territory,” Rael continued, speaking calmly. ”This is the only survivor. I aim to collect the price on his head.”

Elian”s heart pounded in his chest as Zarrack eyed him with open disdain. The grizzled Borraq warrior”s gaze was like a physical force, weighing him down with centuries of hatred and mistrust. Elian had faced his fair share of hostility in his life, but there was something primal about Zarrack”s loathing that chilled him to the bone.

Zarrack”s eyes narrowed, flicking between Rael and Elian as he evaluated the situation. Elian could practically see the calculations flickering behind the old warrior”s eyes, weighing the risks and opportunities. Elian”s pulse thundered in his ears as he waited for the other shoe to drop, for Zarrack to see through the deception and attack.

But the moment stretched on, taut with unspoken tension. Finally, Zarrack met Rael”s steady gaze, his own eyes glinting with warning. ”Humans are cunning, devious creatures,” he growled, his voice like gravel. ”You would do well not to trust them.”

He pounded the crisscrossing scars that marred his chest. ”I was taken by them during the war. Tortured for months on end for no purpose. I know of their cruelty first hand.” As he spoke, Elian saw flashes of a deep pain cross Zarrack”s features.

Rael dipped his head in a shallow nod of acknowledgment. ”I am being cautious, Zarrack.”

”Could stand to be more cautious, if an old dog like me could scent your scheming,” Zarrack cut him off, flashing a grim smile that didn”t reach his eyes. ”I knew your father, pup. I don”t want to see you sharing his fate.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Elian saw Rael”s jaw tighten almost imperceptibly. ”I know what I”m doing,” Rael stated, holding Zarrack”s gaze with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of Elian”s neck prickle.

The two Borraq sized each other up, a silent conversation playing out in the tilt of their heads and the set of their shoulders. The weight of their shared history, of traditions and experiences Elian could never fully understand, stretched between them like a physical force.

Finally, Zarrack gave a grunt of acknowledgement and stepped back. ”I”ve got a card game waiting for me,” he said, the edge of menace fading from his tone.

He slapped Rael on the shoulder with a calloused hand. ”Let”s hope I don”t have to collect your bounty next time we meet, eh?”

The words were light, but Elian couldn”t shake the feeling that there was a darker meaning lurking beneath them.

Elian froze, his heart pounding in his chest, as Zarrack started down the path towards him. But the grizzled Borraq warrior walked right past without so much as a glance in Elian”s direction.

As Zarrack”s heavy footfalls faded into the distance, an uneasy silence settled over the road. Elian let out the breath he hadn”t realized he”d been holding, his shoulders slumping with relief.

”We should keep moving,” Rael rumbled, already turning to continue down the trail. ”I thought this trail was remote enough, but Zarrack may not be the only Borraq out here.”

Elian fell into step beside the towering alien, stealing sidelong glances at Rael”s impassive profile. He couldn”t quite shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him during the tense encounter.

”Zarrack...” he began hesitantly. ”He was...”

”Fearsome?” Rael finished with a rumbling chuckle. ”An old friend to my clan, but a formidable warrior. Don”t let his gruff manner fool you. He”s got a surprisingly soft heart under all that scar tissue.”

Elian arched an eyebrow skeptically. ”If you say so. He looked ready to gut me where I stood.”

”Don”t take it personally. Zarrack has… history with your kind. The war left its mark on him, same as it did all of us.”

A pang of sadness twisted in Elian”s chest. No matter how close they might become, no matter the depths of the bond growing between them, he and Rael would always be divided by the brutal legacy of that terrible conflict.

Elian was an alien here, an enemy. His very existence put Rael at risk simply by association. Even Zarrack, Rael”s long-time comrade, had looked at Elian with open hostility.

As much as Elian”s heart might yearn for the impossible, the sensible path forward was clear.

He had to leave Rael.

But he knew that Rael would never willingly let him go, not after everything they”d been through together. The alpha was too stubborn, too possessive, to simply release his claim.

And if Rael insisted on staying with Elian, Elian knew that he wouldn”t have the strength to walk away from him. Not from Rael.

So Elian would have to be the strong one.

He would have to make the hard choice, for both their sakes.

Elian swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat, forcing his expression into an impassive mask as he looked ahead. He knew what he had to do.

No matter how much it shattered his heart, he had to leave.