Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Raven

Raven was swinging in the hammock, her mind filled with questions about Arenk’s strange behavior when he’d dropped her off. She’d thought everything had gone smoothly, that he was content with how the night had unfolded.

Laro came out and stretched out across her lap. She began to run her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. He was asleep in no time, his arms wrapped securely around her.

“He’s adorable when he’s asleep,” a deep voice commented.

Raven’s head whipped around so fast she could have sworn she felt a crick in her neck. Those fiery red eyes still sent shivers down her spine.

“How did you get in here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

General Fleu held up a keycard. “I didn’t expect to find you here. Are you joining the game tonight?”

“Are you the reason I can’t drink now?” she shot back.

“Consider it a compliment. It was either that or—”

“To the lab,” she interrupted, her fingers resuming their gentle strokes through Laro’s hair.

“No, the king. He’d be intrigued by you,” General Fleu corrected, moving closer.

He leaned in, his breath tickling her ear. “I’m quite intrigued by you. You should join us tonight. You’ll enjoy the game I’ve planned.”

Raven knew she’d have to participate in the game to get access to his ship keys and make an emergency copy.

She nodded. “Will it be like last time?”

“Are your rules still the same?” General Fleu asked, brushing her hair away from her neck.

“Yes,” Laro mumbled, his eyes barely open.

General Fleu groaned. “You’ve been stingy lately.”

“Whine all you want. I’m not changing my mind, but you’re welcome to watch if you like,” Laro retorted, sitting up.

General Fleu sighed. “Next best thing, I guess. I brought dinner. There’s enough for all of us.”

***

Arenk

“Can you recall anything else, either before or after your keycard disappeared?” Arenk asked.

The man denied it a bit too quickly for Arenk’s liking.

“You’re aware of the penalty for selling government property,” Arenk reminded him, leaning against the wall.

“It was stolen. By whom and for what reason, I have no idea. I’m late for my shift, if you don’t mind,” the man said, hurrying away.

Another dead end. No one seemed willing to share information. He’d exhausted all his leads, and he couldn’t resort to force without a valid reason. The day was drawing to a close, but he knew the worst was yet to come.

A few nights ago, he’d gotten exactly what he’d wanted, only to realize it wasn’t what he truly desired. His current situation was bothering him more than he’d anticipated.

Arenk wasn’t sure when his feelings had changed, but they had.

His device buzzed. Lyka was already at their meeting spot. She’d been avoiding him since that night, but now, out of the blue, she wanted to see him. Perhaps she’d reached the same conclusion he had.

The drive was quick. They hadn’t been to this spot in a while, not since their third anniversary when they’d watched the sunrise together. It seemed fitting for the conversation they were about to have.

Lyka was sitting under their favorite fruit tree as the sun began to set. Cars zoomed by behind them as he sat down next to her.

“So you finally decided to call,” Arenk said.

“They’ve been overworking me the past few days, and since I’ve been avoiding them, I couldn’t get out of it,” Lyka explained.

“You’re always so busy,” Arenk said, scratching his chin. “I—”

He let out a sigh and lay back on the grass.

“Do you want me to come over again? The three of us together?”

He rolled onto his side to face her. “No.”

“So, we’re going back to how things were before?” Lyka asked, a smile playing on her lips.

He took her hand and pulled her down next to him. “No.”

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Then what is it?”

“I care about you deeply, but I want to end our relationship.”

The sound of her hand slapping his face almost drowned out the noise of the passing cars. His heart twisted in his chest. He couldn’t forget the sight of Raven kissing her,

nor could he erase the thoughts and feelings about her being with Laro and Dhol that now clouded his mind. Arenk didn’t want to share her anymore.

His blood had started to boil when Raven had suggested repeating the session with Lyka again. Raven was willing to do whatever pleased him, even if it meant disregarding her own feelings and desires.

“So it was her that upset you? I thought you didn’t get jealous,” Lyka said.

“This is a first.”

“But she’ll still be with Laro, so what good does it do to end things? You’ll never have her all to yourself,” Lyka pointed out, gripping his jacket.

“For now, yes, but you know better than anyone that I’m a patient man.”

“You’re throwing away seven cycles for someone you just met,” Lyka whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

Tears began to stream down her face. “What about our child?”

Arenk’s head jerked up, his heart pounding. He searched her eyes for any sign of deceit but found none. Lyka sat up and pulled a piece of paper from her bag. Arenk grabbed the paper and quickly read the results.

She was pregnant, and he was one of three potential fathers. They’d discussed this before and had agreed that if he was the father, he would go to the king and ask for her freedom and for them to be official mates.

He just stared at her for a moment, then reached over and placed a hand on her stomach. What was he supposed to do now? He had to keep his word. More than anything, he wanted to raise his child.

It was his dream. Lyka reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek. He hadn’t cried since he was ten.

“Will you keep the promise we made?” Lyka asked.

Arenk let the words hang in the air, “If this is my child.”

That spark of hope lit up her eyes again. His mind was racing, thinking about how he would break the news to Raven. If he was truly mated, things with Raven were about to get a whole lot messier.