Possessive Alien Mate(Savage Martians #2) - Sue Mercury Page 0,44

odd, faraway glint in his gaze. His fingers dug into her arms, but she drew in a deep breath and then stepped back quickly, yanking herself from his grasp.

She stared at him, aghast, as the pieces started falling in place. The conversation she’d had earlier in the day with Alissina about the female who’d broken Rem’s heart resurfaced in her mind. Apparently, not only had the female broken his heart, but she had also broken his trust. And now, many years later, the betrayal was still affecting Rem.

“What was her name?” Tyra asked as she backed up. Each time she took a step, Rem pursued her, until he had her pinned against the wall. He placed his hands on either side of her and leaned in to stare at her, though he didn’t make a move to grab for her again. “Tell me,” she pressed. “What was her name? The female who betrayed you and then died, the female whose ghost still haunts you. I want to know her name!”

“Bethamma!” Rem roared. His expression, already hard, morphed into a look of pure rage. “My mother told you. Didn’t she?” His nostrils flared and his body tensed further.

“Not directly, but she confided that you’d had your heart broken a long time ago.” Tyra breathed out slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. She didn’t wish to cause a rift between Rem and his mother, even if Rem was once again acting like a jealous ass. “Look, your mother was only tactfully answering my questions. I’ll admit, I was prying into your past a bit, but only after your mother mentioned she was surprised you had taken a mate. I wanted to understand you better and you’ve been keeping this part of yourself a secret. Please don’t be mad at her.”

“You had no right to pry.”

“No right?” She scoffed. “No right? I’m only your mate!”

“You’ve kept secrets from me,” he said in an accusatory tone. “I know there is more to your story to explain why you left Earth. You have not told me everything. I can sense it.”

Her stomach roiled. How did he know? And did he suspect the darkest secret she was keeping? The one that made her feel absolutely worthless. She blinked back a fresh wave of tears and returned Rem’s severe glare.

In her desperation to keep this one secret, she found herself yelling out, “Why did you even decide to take a mate?” It didn’t make sense to her. If he was so distrustful of females, why would he sign up to receive a bride from Earth?

“Because the king ordered me to take a human female!”

Chapter 24

Tyra’s breath left her in a painful whoosh. She stared at Rem, shocked to her very core. She didn’t know how to reply to his shouted confession, so she simply stood against the wall, keeping as still as possible, as her heart plummeted to the floor.

He didn’t want her. He had never wanted her. The only reason he’d taken her as his mate was because, for whatever reason, King Vaath had ordered it.

Her gaze dropped from Rem’s and he started backing away from her. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to brace herself against the grief that was rushing toward her. It didn’t help. The agonizing emotion struck her with all the intensity of a blow to the stomach.

Rem turned and headed for the door. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she felt the waves of anger rolling off him. The door opened upon his approach and closed immediately after he exited. She didn’t follow to see if he’d locked her in again. She couldn’t force herself to move.

After a few minutes of stunned silence, her legs gave out and she sank to the floor, where the remnants of her shattered heart taunted her. She had been so stupid to think she could find happiness with a complete stranger, especially one who came from another world entirely.

Time passed slowly, each hour of separation from Rem dragging on like an eternity. Though he’d admitted to never wanting her, she still couldn’t help missing him and grieving the loss of their union. Marttiaxoxalians were said to always mate for life, but she couldn’t fathom any circumstance in which their relationship might continue.

Would he send her away?

Would she be shipped back to Earth?

Feeling faint, she finally forced herself to her feet when dawn began to break through the trees. She pulled her old suitcase from the back of the closet and dragged it