by Jade Waltz
Somehow, word of his challenge had traveled fast within the royal guard; the throne chamber rapidly filled with spectators from wall to wall, ready to watch a fight.
The crowd was respectful enough to create a clearing around Odelm and Xylo’s unconscious bodies, leaving space along one wall for Kaede to return with help.
Royak stood next to the throne as the royal witness to Zirene’s challenge, ready to referee the fight and declare a winner.
“Prince Zirene Darcaw, Ruler of the Lunkai Star System, has declared a challenge against the Aldawi Sovereign,” Royak announced. “The terms are legally binding. If Prince Zirene wins, the Sovereign will grant Prince Zirene and me the freedom to choose our Seedbearers and determine whether we want to provide the empire with offspring. Since Prince Zirene has a Seedbearer and cubs already, he grants them and their clan immunity in all Aldawi dealings and protection within the empire. If Prince Zirene loses, then he shall bend to the Sovereign's demands.”
Royak’s powerful voice boomed throughout the room once more. “Are the contestants ready?”
“Affirmative.”
“I’ll make you suffer!” His sire shouted. “This is a waste of time. I can't wait to torture your Seedbearer. I hope she enjoys eating her nestmates. I heard Circuli meat is a delicacy on the black market.”
“Maybe to sick bastards like you,” Zirene snarled, circling his sire as his tail swiped wildly back and forth.
“So tell me,” he continued in a cruel, mocking tone. “How do her nether lips feel on your cock? Can you even enter her all the way? I bet with that mouth of hers, she enjoys swallowing.”
Zirene hissed as he tested his father’s defenses with a lunge to the side.
He knew what his sire was doing; he was trying to goad him into defending Selena’s honor and losing focus on the fight. The seasoned male wanted him to trigger his dominant aura first, which would instantly lose him the match, but Zirene wasn’t going to take the bait.
‘“Why do you care what she’s like in bed—unless you want a demi-human of your own?” Zirene cocked his head to the side. “But you’ve called them abominations. Why stoop so low as to sleep with one of them? Are you having issues in bed? Can’t get it up, you ancient fossil? Or are you so old and senile that no female would even go near you?”
The crowd around him shifted with suppressed laughter, making him smile while his sire glared.
“You’re the one who decided to take an abomination as a Seedbearer,” he seethed, stepping closer. “She must be an expensive lay if you’re willing to give up a moon for her. I hope she doesn’t run off with one of the males she brought with her. Or does she keep them because you can’t satisfy her unnatural needs?”
Once again, Zirene had to force himself to remain calm. This was a test of endurance to see who would crack first from the other's taunts. Little did his sire know that his insults mattered little to him. His sire could have recited a play-by-play of what he planned to do to Selena—Zirene would have simply listened and let his words fuel the anger within him.
His sire had never valued females, especially since Zirene's mother had cheated on him. He mostly indulged in male servants, and the occasional female slave he fancied. No Aldawi female was willing to take in his sire due to his treatment of his mother and females in general.
The familiar snap, only made by Kaede's new suit, sounded behind him. He swiveled his ears back to hear what was going on behind him. He trusted Kaede to successfully save his Nova's Favored. The Circuli were a resilient species, and as long as their nestqueen lived and stayed nearby, their bodies could survive almost any damage.
But that didn't make what his sire had done any less gruesome. It took a special kind of dishonorable male to wrongfully attack another, defenseless or not. His ambush had been a vulgar move.
If the Favored had died, he didn't want to imagine how Selena would have felt. Would she have spiraled out of control, afraid to leave her remaining nestmates’—or his—side? There was only so much grief his Nova could take before she would crack and become a husk of the female he’d once known, that he’d spent all these years molding and learning about.
His sire smirked, taking advantage of Zirene's split focus, and lunged, regaining Zirene’s full attention.
Zirene snarled, swerving to the side as he dodged Royak's older copy. Unfortunately for his sire, he had spent many years sitting on the throne instead of training in daily drills and fighting in the Yaarkins War. His idle lifestyle had left the Sovereign old and lazy, out of shape. His only advantage was his dominance over other Aldawi and years of practicing his cunning shadowstep maneuvers. Only a powerful Aldawi with complete control of his shadow could do what he’d done to Selena and her two Favored. The move made Zirene question what else he had behind his ear.
"Getting too slow," Zirene chuckled, stepping side to side as he tested his reflexes. "Why don't you yield now so you can return to lounging on your throne?"
The crowd rumbled, some making stifled cheers while others sounded growls of disapproval. What they disapproved of, Zirene didn't know nor care.
"Why don't you take it from me?" the lighter-colored male challenged. "What are you afraid of?"
"Becoming the despicable male that you are," Zirene growled, knowing his confession would forever change the tides of their empire. "I refuse to bind myself to a throne while you allow our enemies to roam freely within our territory. If it weren't for Royak and me, the empire would have been overcome by the creeping approach of our neighbors and long-standing enemies, the Quaww and their allies. If we hadn’t stepped in, our empire would have neither a second or third-star system nor the power that we’ve acquired."
"You mean, you acquired, son," he hissed. "You refuse to share your spoils with your Aldawi brethren outside of your own fleet, yet you allow your demi-human super soldiers to roam freely alongside them. How is that fair to your own people?"
"You're one to talk, father," Zirene spat. "While the rest of the empire fends for itself, our three-star systems managed entirely by your sons. You sit here without lifting a claw. You are only Sovereign by name, not by right." Zirene crouched, preparing for a counterattack. "Besides, I thought your motto has always been 'finders, keepers'?"
"Funny you should ask—"
"Prince Zi—" Kaede shouted, instantly cut off.
The Aldawi Sovereign stood tall, waving off the room. "Hush, cub," he ordered as Zirene felt his sire's dominant aura flare to life. "Can't you see two royals are talking?"
One by one, the room fell to its knees once again, and the grounded guards exposed their necks to their leader. Somehow this felt too easy.
"You lost, father."
His sire gave him a malicious grin. "No, son, I think I won."
"The rules state—" Royak began.
"You see, sons, I may have lost the battle, but I won the war," he chuckled. "While you’ve been occupied here, the response of your soldier has told me I've delayed you enough for my hired agents to take your precious Nova."
"You lie!" Zirene barked, taking a tentative step forward. "She is safe aboard my ship."
"In my hangar," he purred. "Even with all your new tech, your hull isn't invincible."
The ringing in the back of his head confirmed his sire's mocking story. When he had asked Kaede to focus on stabilizing her Favored, they had erred by leaving Selena alone in his cruiser. Now Kaede was here, unable to assist with his drones, trapped under the command of his sire.
The only way to release him from his immobile state would be to defeat his sire, forcing him to submit.
The ringing was growing louder with each passing moment. He had no other choice. If he didn't act now, who knew what terrible plans his sire would enact on Selena.
Zirene hoped Kaede would be able to rescue her in time.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded, advancing on his sire. "She never did a thing to you. It’s me you want, not her!"
"But you see, my son," the Sove
reign chuckled. "I only wanted one thing: heirs. And both you and Royak have failed to give me that, even after all these years. Then I had to learn from my sources that you went behind my back and took this mere experiment in, as not only a Seedbearer but a mate? What a disgrace you are to the Darcaw name. I did what any leader would to protect my lineage: I took out the trash. To the highest bidder, of course."
The heat within the room wasn’t enough to thaw the ice in his veins. The ringing in his head echoed his heart's rapid beat, as darkness fell upon him.
This sorry excuse for a male dared to take his most prized possession away from him.
Now he had to pay for stealing his Nova.
Zirene threw his head back and roared as the thin control of his power snapped. Instantly, his dominant aura expanded at full strength, forcing everyone within his reach to submit.
Only two males within the room dared to try to fight his power with theirs. Snarling, his gaze landed on his brother, Royak, and he had to remind himself that the male was safe and not a threat to his Nova. His brother instantly exposed his neck as soon as their eyes met. Zirene nodded, accepting his submission, as his shadow agreed with his observation.
No, the fault fell upon his sire's shoulders, who struggled to remain standing before Zirene. His inner shadow lashed out, controlling Zirene's steps as they advanced on the older male.
"Submit!" he snarled, his deep voice filling the room with a sinister echo from his inner shadow self. "Submit now!"
"Never . . ." the Aldawi Sovereign gasped, refusing to pull his amethyst eyes from Zirene. ”You’ll have to make me."
"My pleasure," Zirene purred.
He lunged, gripping his sire's mane as he threw him to the ground. His fighting instincts took over as the older male used their momentum to flip him onto his back. Holding each other an arm's length away, they grappled, rolling across the floor as both light and dark Aldawi males fought for the upper hand.
Snarling. Biting. Clawing.
The two dominant males fought recklessly to make the other submit, no longer caring about their own wellbeing.
It was no longer a battle for control of the room, nor a battle to get his Nova back—but both were connected to what was indeed at stake.
Zirene's control was gone. The light in his darkness was missing, stolen away by his own flesh and blood, right from his own ship. He had no guidance—only his feral instincts drove his actions.
He had stood back and allowed this weak, deranged male to have power over him, his family, and the empire.
Too many years had gone by while he looked the other way because he didn't want the responsibility of ruling an empire, chained to a throne in the royal palace.
Not anymore.
The universe would be purged of this unfit ruler, and his empire cleansed of his unjust laws.
Zirene growled, pinning his sire to the ground as he glared at the one who had stolen everything from him.
"Do it," the Sovereign spat. "You don't have the—"
He never finished his sentence as Zirene sank his teeth into the corrupt male. He had gotten away with way too much because no one had been strong enough to oppose him.
Until now.
Ripping out his sire's throat, he spat the chunk of flesh onto the tiled floor and roared.
He locked his gaze on the paling amethyst eyes as he dug his claws into the old leader's chest. Ripping it open, he grabbed his prey's heart and yanked. He lifted the still-beating heart into the air, showing the room his prize before shoving it into his mouth and eating his claim.
"I have followed traditions and won this challenge. Therefore, I have conquered the throne. By eating the heart of the old Sovereign, I have claimed him unfit to rule. I represent the flesh and blood of the royal line, both from within my veins and my stomach. As one, I shall now rule as Sovereign Zirene Darcaw of the Aldawi Empire.”
Satisfied, he reeled in his aura, feeling his brother do the same.
Without missing a beat, Royak approached Zirene, who remained crouched over the old leader’s dead body, and bowed deeply, exposing his neck.
“I, Prince Royak, acknowledge you, Sovereign Zirene, as ruler.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kaede
Today was the worst day of his life.
Not only had it been a constant struggle to keep up with the changes and demands, now he lay on the floor between Selena’s unconscious Favored, their joined blood seeping into his clothes and their appendages strewn haphazardly around him. Their bleeding had slowed as their bodies recovered from the initial shock and began rapidly healing.
All he could do was stare at the gruesome battle before him. The Sovereign’s actions had rendered him unable to process a command.
What bothered him most was how his drones hadn’t defended Selena or triggered their video feed as she was kidnapped. He’d only gotten a glimpse of Selena being taken away when someone had smacked into an inactive recording drone, enabling its power.
Kaede couldn’t fathom what he had seen.
Selena had been unconscious and dragged by familiar crew members of a craft he knew so well.
Q’s cruiser.
There had been no mistaking it. The marks on its hulls and the new pricks that he’d hired, who Kaede despised even more than he hated Q.
It all made sense now.
Q hadn’t joined his sisters on their mission to find Xenak because he’d been too busy on a trade run for a wealthy merchant.
The question was: who was the merchant? The Aldawi Sovereign, or someone else?
He would kill them all once Zirene reestablished his hold on the throne room.
Kaede knew he’d been right to leave the cubs behind. Selena had rightly left behind her Circuli princes too, but as much as he hated to admit it, he wished Oeta was here. Somehow, he had a feeling that she would be able to help, even just by neutralizing the thick Aldawi dominance aura coating the room.
Selena’s Favored were fighting for their lives, and Zirene‘s control had just snapped. Kaede had only gotten the privilege to see that a few times, and thankfully he’d never been on the other end of it, at least not intentionally.
He’d watched in stunned awe as Zirene slew his sire in front of the whole royal guard. Seeing him eat his father’s heart had sent chills down his spine, reminding him not to ever piss off his boss.
He’d grown confused when he’d heard him claim the throne. His voice was darker, more growly, with a slight echo to it. As if two Zirenes were talking at once, one deeper and a fraction of a second behind.
Oh, Stars, what happened?
Zirene never wanted the throne; he had always talked about supporting his brother Royak’s rule instead. But somehow, the roles had reversed. Why hadn’t he passed the throne over to Royak right away?
Kaede had felt the two remaining dominant auras fade away and instantly shot to his feet to witness Royak swear fealty to his brother.
This was all wrong.
Zirene couldn’t rule the empire and be with Selena at the same time! The palace was located across the galaxy from Destima, and he highly doubted either of them would enjoy a long-distance relationship, or that the advisors would like Zirene visiting Destima regularly.
Once Royak submitted to Zirene, Kaede hurriedly did the same, afraid of triggering some ancient punishment. Who knew with this species and their ancient savage traditions—he hadn’t realized a new Aldawi leader ate his predecessor’s heart to take over.
“I want all available pilots to disembark at once!” Zirene ordered, his voice rumbled throughout the room. “Send an order to those patrolling to search any spacecraft they come across. Someone was foolish enough to conspire with my dead sire to steal my Nova and your new Beacon from me. I want them captured. If they refuse to cooperate, slaughter them, and search their ship. I want my Nova returned to me at once!” He turned his attention to his fallen comrades, bending down to check their pulses, and snarled from his discovery. “You fools!
Why hasn’t anyone given them any aide? Their species are allied with us, and these two are my Beacon’s mates. I will not allow your failure to be the reason for their deaths. Send for our healers! Now!”
The once silent room became alive as the royal guard and those who gathered to witness the change of leadership scrambled, leaving to do his order as quickly as they could. The new Sovereign gave them an order, and no one wanted to be his next target, whether he meant it or not. It wouldn’t be the first time that a Sovereign snapped and killed someone. Hopefully, Zirene wouldn’t do the same.
“Zirene, a word?” Kaede asked, feeling uneasy with so many high alert royal guards moving around them.
“It’s Sovereign Zirene to you, soldier,” a random nearby male called out near him.
Kaede bit back hissing at the stuck-up guard, who was already trying to get into their new leader’s good graces.
Zirene raised his hand at the bystander, halting any further comments. “He can call me whatever he wants because he is one of mine,” Zirene snarled. “He’s my top soldier, and you’re lucky he doesn’t kill you on the spot.” Turning to Kaede, he asked, “What is it? Why haven’t you left to rescue Selena?”
Kaede bit his tongue. He knew emotions were high, and now wasn’t the time to be snappy with someone who had just killed his own sire for power.
“I need you to summon my sisters. Tell them Q’s crew stole Selena, I have the recording to prove it, and ask them to intercept his ship. My sister’s personal cruisers are equipped with a tracking device programmed to Q’s cruiser’s signature,” he explained. “I am going to teleport to my device embedded in the gem’s encasing, but depending on the distance . . .” He flicked his gaze to the fallen Circuli males. “I may not make it.”
Zirene’s amethyst eyes seemed darker—as if a shadow lurked behind them—as he stared Kaede down. Clapping his hands onto Kaede’s shoulders, he nodded. “I will take care of Selena’s clan. Xylo and Odelm will have the best healers. Even if I have to make a deal with Mwe himself, I will,” he sighed. “I will do as you request and give your sisters new prey to hunt. Whatever you do, get my Nova back in one piece. That is your only mission. I don’t care who you have to kill or pay to do so. We both have failed her, and now I place her rescue in your hands.” He swallowed, averting his gaze as he released his grip upon Kaede’s shoulders. “Even though the ringing in my head is telling me to go to her, I can’t.” He shook his head. “Not after claiming the throne, this is why I need you to find her once again.”
