ALLEX

Gwen and Priya walked ahead of us along the corridor leading away from the throne room.

As soon as we had taken a few steps down the hall, Anders turned to me. “What is the matter with you, Allex?” I looked up at him, surprised by the anger in his voice.

“Nothing.”

“You’ve got a problem. Why didn’t you tell Father that Priya is your bond mate?” Anders shoved me against the wall.

I rubbed my shoulder.

Avren’s stare was disapproving. “He’s right, Allex. Your behavior in there was stupid and insulting.”

“You shouldn’t feel insulted.”

“We’re talking about Priya, not us.” Anders looked me in the eye. “You can be a real idiot sometimes. She must be furious with you.”

I hadn’t thought about how Priya would feel if I didn’t tell Father about her. I wanted to protect us from his ridicule. I didn’t want to deal with any insults and slurs disguised as compliments.

I didn’t want her to think I was ashamed of her.

“I didn’t need to tell him.” I knew the argument was weak as soon as I said it. “He had begun to reconsider his position already.”

“You’re a fool.” Anders shook his head. “Nothing you’ve done will matter if Priya tosses you out the door. She’s human, not Auxem. She may love you now, but she’ll get over you if she decides you aren’t worth it.”

Avren spoke up. “You, on the other hand, are from Auxem. You’ll never get over her if she decides to leave because you won’t claim her.”

They had a point.

In front of us, Priya and Gwen were whispering in heated tones. Gwen glanced back at me with a look that could have torn me to shreds. I slowed to a halt. Gwen and Priya disappeared around a corner.

“I never thought of it that way.”

“You can’t keep thinking only about yourself.” Anders held out his arm to stop me from running after Priya. “You have to think about Priya too.”

“I know.” I was feeling irritated. They were telling me what to do again.

“Swallow your pride. Be prepared to kneel and grovel when you get back to your room.” Anders changed the subject abruptly. “When was the last time you flew?”

I didn’t remember. It had been longer than four days, and it made me sick to my stomach to think about it. My brothers must have seen the dismay on my face.

“Get out of here, Allex.” Avren sounded concerned. “We’ll take care of Priya. She’ll see you soon.”

“Okay.” The word was barely out of my mouth before I started running toward the flight room. Ten minutes later, I soared straight up. I could barely see the top of the room, reaching high above me.

It felt good to stretch my wings.

There weren’t many of us flying. Most people were at the top of the room. I enjoyed the privacy. It gave me a chance to gather my thoughts.

In here, I could see I was being immature about my father. How could I hate him and still be scared of him? I was an adult. It was time to tell him the truth. I needed to stand up to him. If he disowned me, Priya and I would go somewhere else.

My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of defying him. If I damaged our relationship further, he might abandon me, just like mother did. I didn’t remember much about her. My earliest recollections were of fear that my brothers and my father would disappear, and I would be alone.

I supposed the same concerns were guiding my behavior. How else could I explain it? Flying always cleared my head. I knew I would have to stand up to my father and tell him about Priya, no matter how terrified I was.

When I returned home, Priya had already fallen asleep. I watched her rest peacefully before taking a shower, crawling into bed next to her, and going to sleep.

* * *

PRIYA

When Allex was asleep, all the problems were gone. The worry lines were smoothed out. He looked like an absolute angel.

But I still had to leave.

Gwen had told me Elle threatened to divorce Ayrie. It was the only way they wound up staying together. She needed to make him realize he loved her. When we discussed my situation yesterday, we had decided Allex needed a good old-fashioned kick in the ass. I was leaving, but I didn’t want to.

Gwen was going to fly me to a planet where I could hide for a while. She gave me the funds for a couple of nights in a hotel, again under an assumed name, but still using Madellan credits.

I didn’t want to use the joint account Allex had set up for us. I was worried he would be able to track my location. Now that I had a criminal record, my Earth accounts were probably frozen.

After a few days, I would gauge his reaction. If he spoke with his father or Gwen, showing he truly cared about me, I would return.

I hadn’t given any thought to what I would do if anything else happened. It wouldn’t end well for either one of us. I understood where Allex was coming from and why he was behaving the way he was, but he couldn’t use it as an excuse. He needed to stand up to his father and tell the truth to his brothers. He was his own man and could make his own choices.

I also wanted to know if he thought I was important enough to do something he didn’t want to do. Otherwise, what kind of relationship would we have? It was one thing to start off in hiding due to unusual circumstances. It was another thing entirely to skulk around in the shadows indefinitely because he had family issues.

I stopped staring at my bond mate and quietly grabbed my packed bag, letting myself out of the apartment without a sound. I kept to the back corridors out of habit as I made my way to the docking bay. Gwen hadn’t told anyone about our scheme, and I hoped she hadn’t had trouble sneaking out while Anders was sleeping.

The bay was practically empty. Only one ship was active today. It must be ours. I didn’t see any sign of her and the door wasn’t locked. My streak of good luck was holding. As soon as Gwen arrived, we could fly out of here.

I opened the door and climbed into the shuttle. Carefully closing the door behind, I turned around and froze with a sharp intake of breath.

Sitting in the pilot seat was the King of Auxem — Crindol Madellan, Allex’s father.

* * *

I stared at the king without making a sound. To my surprise, his expression changed first. A smile broke out on his face, catching me off guard and completely changing his appearance.

“We have to stop meeting this way, Miss...”

“Bhatt.” I could barely think, but at least I could remember my last name.

“Miss Bhatt. I suppose you weren’t expecting to see me here.”

“Not at all.”

He nodded, then steepled his fingers together. “You’re an interesting person, you know.”

I wondered if I was interesting enough to keep out of prison.

“You should count yourself fortunate. If I didn’t think you were interesting, I wouldn’t be talking to you. I could snap my fingers and have you taken away.”

I felt myself start to sweat. The king seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I tried to pull together a sentence. “I’m pretty confused...” How should I address him? I decided to try for Earth royalty. “Your Majesty.”

He eyed me speculatively. “Mr. Madellan will do, for now. You survived hiding on my ship for months. When we finally discovered you, we sentenced you to prison, where you should be right now.” His eyes flashed in anger. “Before we could transfer you, someone rescued you in a ship that looked remarkably similar to the fighters I recently purchased. And the person flying the ship looked like my youngest son.”

I didn’t say anything. He knew everything about me, and I didn’t think opening my mouth would improve the situation.

“My son is fighting for you. He believes you deserve a pardon. I don’t understand why he thinks you’re so important — something doesn’t add up.”

I swallowed hard. Where was he going with this? I had been staring down at the floor, but I raised my eyes to meet his. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Mr. Madellan, remember?”

“What do you mean, Mr. Madellan?”

“It wasn’t only Allex. Anders and Avren were defending you as well. What have you done to work your way into their hearts?” He gazed at me in confusion, as if I were a puzzle he could solve if he stared at me long enough. He shook his head. “But this isn’t about the others, is it? The critical relationship is between you and Allex.”

“Is it?” I wouldn’t betray him. I hadn’t before, and I wasn’t willing to now.

The door of the docking bay opened. Allex ran in shouting, followed closely by Gwen. I stared at them through the window. Could they see his father in here?

“Priya, you can’t leave me.” Allex’s loud voice echoed through the empty landing bay. I glanced nervously at his father. “You know I love you. I’ll face them and explain everything. Stay here.” His voice sounded anguished.

I don’t know what sort of apology I had expected from him, but a few sentences were enough for me. His only option was revealing everything. In an instant, I had forgiven him completely.

The door burst open, and Allex charged in. He stopped immediately after seeing his father and me in the middle of our intimate conversation.

“Hello, Father.”

“Allex, I believe you have some explaining to do.”

* * *

ALLEX

What was Priya doing with my father?

I wasn’t mentally prepared for this. When I realized Priya had left, I contacted Gwen immediately. She had been talking with Priya last night and had some idea of where she was.

Gwen had caved immediately, telling me everything about the plan they concocted. She felt that if I was prepared to tell everyone the truth it was better than Priya leaving me.

The mere thought left me shaking in a cold sweat. I had run all the way to the docking bay, hoping I could stop her. I couldn’t lose her again. We were supposed to be together, and if I had to confess things to my family, I was ready.

I tried to catch my breath and figure out what was going on, but there were too many things to think about. Sometimes the simplest approaches were best. “What are you doing here, Father?”

He tilted his head to the side and watched me. “I wanted to talk to your stowaway.”

I was still out of breath from my run. I preferred to avoid confrontation, but not if it meant losing Priya.

“She’s not my stowaway.” I moved beside her and took her hand. I closed my eyes for a second, gathering my courage, then looked my father straight in the eye as I spoke. “She’s my bond mate, and we’re getting married.”

Priya’s head shot around. The marriage was news to her. I held up a titanium armband which I hoped to clasp around Priya’s bicep.

Father’s eyes darted to the band I held. “I didn’t think my son could be so irresponsible.”

I didn’t know what I had expected for being honest with him. I was prepared to shout back at him, but before I could speak, Priya had stepped forward and started defending me.

“Excuse me?” Her dark eyes flashed. “Who do you think you are to talk to him this way? From what I know of Allex, he’s the most responsible of your sons, next to Arnon.”

“That’s true,” Gwen murmured behind us. I had forgotten she was here.

“He’s always done what you asked without making waves. Now he’s done exactly one thing for himself, and you can’t handle it.” She poked him in the chest. “It’s bullshit, and you know it.”

My father looked like he was going to explode, but unexpectedly started laughing and couldn’t stop. I had never seen him like this before. When he regained his composure, he spoke. “Miss Bhatt, I realize why Allex likes you.”

Priya wasn’t going to be deterred by his sudden charm. “I think you owe someone an apology.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

My father smiled as if she were joking before realizing she wasn’t. I thought I saw his eyes getting misty. Was he about to cry?

“It has been so long, I’d almost forgotten how wonderful women could be.” He straightened and looked me in the eye. “Allex, I’m sorry for insulting you and your fiancée. Please accept my apology.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was my father doing something just because Priya told him to?

“If I could, I would right every wrong I’ve committed since your mother died.” His voice choked up. “Especially to you, Allex, the baby.” He looked me in the eyes, his face filled with sorrow. “Your mother made me a better man. I have missed her every day. The pain ruined me, but you boys banded together and refused to be knocked down.” His eyes were empty and lonely. “You left me out of your little circle, but maybe that was for the best.”

“I never knew my mother.” The old pain was returning, and it felt worse than ever. “I never knew my father, either. I think losing you was harder. You were right there, and I couldn’t have you in my life.”

There were tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Allex,” he whispered.

What was I supposed to do? I glanced at Priya, and she nodded her head at my father. I looked at the old man, worn out from the pain. We had left him out of the family because he had hurt us so much. It seemed cruel in retrospect.

I knew how hard it was to be without Priya and I had a window into his pain. Could I leave him hanging and keep fighting old battles?

I couldn’t. “I forgive you, Father.”

I imagined I could see a weight lift off of him. He looked lighter, happier, and younger. A sense of relief came over me.

“Bless you, Allex.” My father came to me and hugged me. I couldn’t believe he had realized his mistakes and apologized. I felt as though I had been waiting my whole life for this moment. I had no illusions that all the years of neglecting me could vanish in a second, but it was a start. After a move in the right direction, we might someday be a proper family again.

“Priya, I apologize for the pain you suffered at the hands of the prison authorities. Bless you for your honesty and sharp tongue. Call me Crindol. All my other daughters-in-law do.”

I snorted, and she grinned.

He climbed out of the ship. “I believe a shotgun wedding is in order.”