lost in our own thoughts. My elon is alive. Takkar is alive. I shake my head in disbelief. I never would have thought that to be true. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere, Bakkar is too.
It fills me with hope, hope that the worst day of my life might not have ended in our elons’ death. Hope that maybe…maybe we can be together again. But what does that mean for Harlow? I push those thoughts away, because when it comes to it, we can figure it out.
There’s a sense of urgency now as we journey back to civilisation, knowing Takkar is out there somewhere. Part of me is gutted, knowing he’s been held captive for as long as Dev and I have been out in the wild. I don’t know exactly how much time has passed since our escape pod brought us back to Oxious, but it has to be years by now, possibly even decades.
To know Takkar has been imprisoned in a dark room and bound to a wall for all that time… I shake those thoughts from my head. I can’t dwell on that now, because allowing those thoughts to fill my mind will cloud my judgement, and right now, I need to think clearly. So much is riding on this journey, the fates of many are now our responsibility.
We’ve been travelling for days now, and Harlow is worse for wear. Dev and I are used to this environment, but her body is frail, not made for the rugged outdoors. She’s tired, exhausted even, but our mate has never once complained. She trudges on through her obvious pain, as determined as we are to get to the city.
There are times when Dev and I insist she allow us to carry her, and we’re grateful that she no longer puts up a fight. The little thing usually falls asleep in our arms within minutes, her soft snores making both Dev and me smile.
Harlow is the most precious thing in the world. She’s sweet and kind. She’s smart and gorgeous. She’s perceptive and adaptive. She’s everything we could have ever hoped for in a mate. The bite marks on her shoulders have faded, leaving pink rings of flesh surrounding both sides.
I can’t help but feel proud seeing my mark upon her, and how grateful I am to the stars that she was destined to be Dev’s mate as well. Vekk, we are so lucky to have this female. She’s changed our lives in such a short period of time. The future is bright for us.
Trepidation gnaws at me though. I’m anxious at how we will be received once we return. For all anyone knows, all four of us were killed during that battle with the Yarek. I wonder who is in power now…
Are the kings still alive?
The generals?
Is the war with the Yarek still ongoing?
How will we be received?
I can only imagine how we will look, trudging out from the wild, looking as feral as we do with a scarred human female with us. I have to prepare for the worst. More than likely, we will not be received well, and will be taken into custody for questioning shortly after our arrival.
We need to remain calm and tell our truth. I just hope we will be believed, that someone from our past can vouch for us, and that they allow us to keep Harlow.
Worry festers inside me. We never fought for our right to her as she said is now tradition. We didn’t battle others for her, win her in front of an audience. We have claimed her, our mating bites evident for all to see, but will that be enough? Will Harlow’s choice be taken into consideration, or has the government gotten so stuck in its ways they are unwilling to compromise?
I take a deep breath and let it out, trying not to let the unknown consume me. The stars have guided us this far, and I have to trust in my destiny, let it unfurl itself when it’s ready to.
You hear that? Dev asks, holding up a hand for us to stop. I pause, listening hard, and hear a sound that strikes fear into my heart—the sounds of battle. Memories assault me of our encounter with the Yarek, the clanging of weapons, the shouts of opposing forces snarling at each other.
We need to move, I urge, scooping Harlow up and taking off at a run. Part of me longs for battle, to use it as an outlet to channel