Healed By The Stars: An Alien Reverse Harem Standalone Romance (SOS Space Station)

by Jade Waltz

  “Rowdu horns have multiple purposes.”

  “And they are?”

  “Whenever a Rowdu is aroused, their horns will glow. Some say they are beacons to let each other know when they are horny.”

  I winced from my lame confession, but she wasn’t running away screaming, so I could take that as a good sign.

  “You are attracted to me?” she said, studying my glowing horns intensely. “And aroused?”

  “If you had continued to press against me as you checked my temperature, you would’ve been able to confirm it yourself,” I confessed. “I was trying my hardest to prevent you from unintentionally rubbing my cock with your leg, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to hide its hardness from you with these pants on.”

  “But you are alone with me, your core, and you haven’t even attempted to fuck me so that you could seal me to you forever.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what I had told her. “Do you even want me?”

  “Elya, of course I want you,” I begged, palming her cheek with my free hand as I directed her to look at me. I didn’t miss how tears had formed on the corners of her eyes, nor the trembling of her bottom lip as she stared at me, lost and confused. “I don’t know what those monsters have done to you, but I want to tell you that they are an outlier when it comes to my species.

  “Rowdu males worship their cores and would do anything to please them. And if I could do something to stop what had happened to you in your past, I would—not because I don’t want you, but because you deserve to experience how incredible this bond can be—should be.

  “I can promise you that both my brothers and I want you very much. Your species may call it rash compared to your mating practices, but we believe in the Stars and the connection they gift to us. Ever since we’ve met, I can’t keep you out of my mind. It drives me insane knowing that a triad before us has abused you, our core, and got away with it. I’ve been having issues staying up all night, wondering how I can prove to you that my brothers and I won’t be a repeat mistake.

  “The best thing I could come up with was to constantly ask for permission to do the simplest things, like holding hands.” I raised our joined hands and gave her a gentle squeeze. “And always allow you to be the one who initiates everything, so you can control what you want and when. If this is what I have to do to make you feel safe with me, then I will—and my brothers will too if you tell them.

  “We only want the best for you—and your daughter. If you don’t end up rejecting us, if it means that it may take years before we ever complete our bond, then so be it. We won’t pressure you to do it any sooner. The four of us have our whole life ahead of us; this is just another asteroid in our belt.”

  “Is what you said true?” she sobbed, her voice cracking at the end. “You’ll wait until I’m ready?”

  “As true as the golden markings on my skin.”

  “Then I accept you—all of you.” She pressed her head against my chest and sobbed.

  Carefully, I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her, letting her cry it out.

  The noises she made broke my hearts, making me wish that I could make those monsters pay for what they had done to such a kind soul.

  “I’m sorry for how I acted when I first met you,” I whispered. “I guess you could say I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I finally discovered you, my core, after all these years that I didn’t think about how you haven’t been waiting like us—and what you’ve experienced.”

  “I’ll do better,” I promised. “It was wrong for me to assume that you would feel the same way about me. I knew I had made a mistake the moment you said you weren’t mine.

  “As I lay in bed that night, I fully comprehended what I did was wrong. Female Rowdu only mate with their triad. So whenever the Stars will their markings to shine, both sides accept the bond without question, knowing they were matched for a reason.

  “Often cores find their triads by accidentally bumping into them at events and crowded places. But you are human, so you don’t have the same instinctual triggers that we do. So it would make sense for you to be resistant to a sudden declaration, even without your past.

  “When you said that you weren’t anyone’s, I was glad because, for me, that meant you weren’t already married to another human or bonded with a different species so that we could skip the whole awkward situation.

  “But now that we know a little more about each other, I believe for us to move forward as a clan, you need to let us in and tell us what happened to you. How can we help you if we know nothing? We could accidentally trigger something from your past and not know it. So could you please tell us as soon as you are ready?”

  “Yes,” she mumbled, nodding her head on my tear-soaked chest. “I can do it tonight if you want.”

  “Only if you are ready and willing.”

  “I am,” she sighed, pulling her face away from my chest so she could stare deeply into my eyes. “You are right. The three of you deserve to know what has happened to me and why I am the way I am.”

  “We will get through this,” I soothed, gently rubbing her back. “I promise.”

  Her gaze flicked to my lips as she licked hers. “Can I kiss you?”

  “You never have to ask.”

  Elya closed her eyes, and she pressed her lips to mine.

  Instantly, I felt it.

  The cosmic sensation burning through her lips to mine as my markings came to life. One peck became two, and suddenly she pushed our joined hands against my chest before pressing her body onto mine. Her other hand found my hair, entangling her fingers with my strands as she held me close.

  I didn’t dare move my arm wrapped around her back in fear that I would pull her out of the moment. So instead, I let her take control, as I was hers to use the way she saw fit.

  She yanked my hair, making me gasp as her tongue took advantage and dived into my mouth. Moaning, my tongue joined hers in its erotic dance, as every part of my body where she touched was brought to life.

  Slowly, she pulled away and pressed her forehead against my own, peering deeply into my eyes.

  “Wow…”

  Such a simple word held so much meaning when it came from her lips.

  “Indeed, wow.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Elya

  A ding pinged Eynar’s wristband, instantly ruining the mood.

  Stepping away from him, I ran my hands down my uniform as I tried to straighten any evidence of what had just happened. The last thing I wanted was for them to believe that I was playing favorites amongst them—because I wasn’t.

  “It’s Ajamu. He reports that the meal is ready and to hurry before it gets cold.”

  “Good, because I am hungry, and Karvyan promised me food.”

  “You know we have an acute sense of smell, right?” Eynar asked. There wasn’t any sense of teasing in his voice. “My brothers will be able to smell our arousal—your daughter too, for that matter—so there’s no use trying to hide it.”

  “You can smell… me?” I shrieked, stilling. “Why hasn’t anyone told me any of this?”

  “The only reason I continued to hold you was because I didn’t sense the acidic scent of fear from you. If you’d produced even a slight whiff of it, I would’ve raised my hands in the air and backed away.”

  “Oh, Stars,” I muttered, shaking my head. “So that’s why they always knew how I felt. Those sick monsters probably got off from me smelling like terror.”

  “And they never told you about how our horns glowed?” Eynar hedged.

  “They never did….”

  “Then how did…?”

  Raising my hands, I shook my head. “If you want me to answer you, then you will have to wait until we are with the rest of your triad because my past isn’t something I want to retell if I don’t have to.”

  “I understand,” he replied. “You don’t have to tell us tonight if you don’t want to.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “The sooner
I can get through it, the better.”

  “My shoulder—or chest—is open to you to cry on whenever you need it.”

  “Thank you,” I breathed. “I appreciate it.”

  “Dinner?” He raised his hand, offering it for me to hold on to.

  Smiling, I grabbed it. “Please.”

  Holding hands, we walked in silence down the hall and back to the storage bay where the others were waiting for our arrival. As soon as the doors slid open, only two pairs of eyes greeted me.

  “Where’s Caia?”

  “When I showed her the extra cabins we had, she decided to test out one of the ones equipped with a larger bed. Then, after asking her about her back and what her future goals were, she fell asleep mid-sentence,” Karvyan explained. “I knew you were going to stay for dinner, so I figured it was okay to let her rest since she’s still recovering and in the middle of her growth spurt. If I was wrong to assume, let me know, and I will wake her.”

  “No need to.” I shoot him a smile. “I believe you made the correct decision. We just had a hard shift today, so that may have played a factor too.”

  An awkward silence fell upon the room.

  When I noticed the other two caught shooting glances at Eynar holding my hand, I instantly pulled it away as guilt filled me.

  “I’m sorry—”

  “There’s no need to be sorry,” Eynar explained. “We are brothers, and there’s no room for jealousy between members of the same triad.”

  “And yet, I’ve experienced it before,” I said. “I don’t want to be the reason why the three of you fight amongst each other. Not again.”

  “Why don’t you tell them the news to help ease any doubts you think they may have,” Eynar suggested. “And we can continue with our evening.”

  “What news?” Ajamu asked, pulling his stirring spoon from the pot and placing it onto the counter. “Have you made a decision?”

  “I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with you yet, but I’ve discussed my future with your brothers.” I licked my lips as a wave of anxiety passed over me. “I decided to be with your triad, but I ask if you could allow me more time before we seal our connection.”

  “Really?” Ajamu scanned my face. “You’ve agreed?”

  “And she didn’t even have to taste your stew!” Karvyan teased. “I told you that you were going extreme and that we needed to take it easy.”

  “I know, but I didn’t believe that she would come to a conclusion so soon!”

  “Brothers,” Eynar called out. “Let her finish.”

  “Thank you.” I shot a glance at Eynar, who gave me a quick nod in reply. “A few moments ago, Eynar made a point to me. But for you to fully understand what happened to me in my past and why I am the way I am today, I need to tell you everything.”

  “I agree,” Ajamu announced. “Let’s eat before the stew gets cold, and then you can tell us who hurt you and what we can do to make us work.”

  The stew was marvelous, but a part of me wondered if they had used some of their last funds to try to make a good impression on me.

  The three insisted that I didn’t have to help put the leftovers away or clean up the dishes because I was their honored guest but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel odd being pampered.

  I could tell the triad loved each other deeply by how they helped each other with their tasks at hand. It made me wonder what happened to make my first triad so… broken.

  One by one, the three of them sat around the table, each nursing a cup as they watched me intently.

  “I don’t know how to start,” I said. “Other than that, I am sorry for all of the misunderstandings this has caused.”

  “It’s okay, Elya,” Karvyan said. “Just start from the beginning.”

  “And it’s okay if you need to stop or take a break,” Eynar added, concern lacing his voice. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Thank you,” I said, nodding to him, and took a deep breath.

  “I was fresh out of the academy and looking for a new job at a space station not far from here. Unfortunately for me, my funds ran low before I acquired a position with one of the massive transit companies. I got desperate, and to keep myself afloat, I started working as a waitress for one of the establishments on the lower ring.”

  “That’s why you love working for the Host Club, isn’t it?” Ajamu asked, watching me as he swirled his cup in his hand. “You love receiving and organizing orders.”

  “You are correct.” I nodded. “In a way, Nami had the perfect job for me.”

  “Anyways,” I sighed, hating where this story was about to turn. “One evening, we were told we were going to have some special guests and to work hard. I never had problems with customers. No one paid attention to me, which was fine because I didn’t want any of their attention anyway.

  “That evening, a bunch of Rowdu arrived. All arrogant and doing whatever they wanted. But unfortunately, the owner didn’t protect his workers from the harassment they were given, so we had to suck it up and deal with it.

  “Do you want to know what Prince Rokye did to his triad brothers once he found out that I was pregnant?”

  “We all know he was the one who killed them,” Ajamu replied. “I take it that it’s safe to assume that was what triggered him.”

  “Prince Rokye refused to seal the bond with me, believing if he resisted our connection that the Stars would realize that they had made a mistake and grant him a new core. But, I’ve learned from how often his brothers had fought with him over it that it doesn’t work that way.

  “But he continued to believe that he was right. He was royal, and how dare the Stars grant him a mere commoner from a different species as the core of his triad. So over time, he took his anger out on me and used my body as a way to get back at the Stars for shaming him.”

  “First, It started with cutting me with his plethora of daggers, loving the sound of my cries as he tortured me. Then, he made sure he had enough of those booster packs that the military uses to heal a warrior overnight so that he could go at it again the next day. Then, once he got bored with that, he allowed his unmated guards and staff to have their way with me, knowing that I wouldn’t become pregnant because they were sterile.

  “After a while, he stopped visiting me as often, and I figured he was doing other twisted things to pass the time. It was then, when he was gone, his brothers decided it was their turn to do what they wanted with me, often taking me against their will, believing that I couldn’t tell them no since I was theirs.

  “Once they learned that they could get away with it, their twisted minds figured it was time to bind themselves to me. Time had passed, and my touch still lit up their markings, so why not accept what the Stars gave them since it was apparent they wouldn’t get another.

  “And that was their downfall because as soon as I had fallen pregnant shortly after, Prince Rokye knew one—if not both—of his brothers went behind his back and did what he thought was unthinkable.

  “He led his brothers into my room and demanded to know which one went behind his back. They both blamed the other, so he killed them both, spearing them in the heart with his triad’s very own sacred spear. He threw his spear on the floor in front of my feet and told me that I was only alive at that moment because I was carrying. Your last remaining prince swore to me that he would wait at the foot of my bed as I delivered and kill me once he had the baby. Then, if the baby were deformed, he would kill it to bury it with me.

  “If my baby appeared pure, his goal was to claim I died giving birth, leaving him to raise the next heir to the throne, while he could live his life ruling without worrying about triads or cores to get in his way.

  “The worst thing of all was that not one guard, medic, or service worker tried to help me. The only one who helped me escape was none other than a member of your queen’s triad. He knew how deranged their sons were, and once he heard I was pregnant from the lead royal medic, he knew he needed to help me escape.

  �
�He gave me a cape, a throwaway wristband filled with digis, and a travel bag filled with ratios before putting me on a trade ship on its way here.”

  I stared at them, blurry eyed from all of my crying, as I waited for one of them to speak up.

  Finally, Ajamu stood and walked around the table to stop before me with his arms stretched out and ready for a hug.

  Nodding, I tried to stand, only to fail. Before I fell back to my seat, he scooped me up and cradled me as he sat down in my chair. I didn’t resist—not because I wanted to—but because at this moment, I needed this.

  Leaning my head against his chest, I sobbed uncontrollably as he gently combed through my hair.

  “It will be already, Elya,” Ajamu soothed. “We are here now, and we won’t allow any other male touch you. If you wish it, I am already banished and willing to collect the names of all of the palace workers who harmed you and bring them to justice.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want anyone else to become tainted by that vile palace. Not Caia—or any of you.”

  “Tell us what we can do to make it better,” Karvyan begged. “Do you need medication? Therapy?”

  “I just need my daughter and the three of you.”

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” Eynar said softly. “You can rest here easily.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Elya

  Opening my eyes, I felt as if a pile of crates had trampled me.

  It wasn’t just my body that ached, but it felt as if my soul did too.

  Rubbing my eyes, I tried to put together what had happened the night before, and then, like a solar ray, it struck me.

  I accepted their offer and agreed to be their core.

  But I also told them what their princes had done to me, and when I was done, I broke into a sobbing mess. The last thing I remember about what happened that night was that I cried in Ajamu’s arms.

  Jolting awake, I took in my surroundings.