Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
SELENE
The kitchen door slams behind me with enough force that several pots rattle on their hooks. I don’t care. Can’t care. My vision blurs as tears spill down my cheeks, hot and angry and humiliating.
I was so stupid. So incredibly stupid.
“Selene?” Elana’s voice cuts through the fog. “What happened?”
I press my palms against my eyes, trying to stem the tide, but it’s useless. A sob tears from my throat.
The sound of rapid footsteps. Then Elana’s hands are on my shoulders, steadying me as my knees threaten to give out.
“Okay. Okay, you’re okay.” Her voice is calm, grounding. “Come on, sit down. We’ll figure this out together.”
I can trust her. At least there’s someone in this world I can trust, unlike…
She guides me to the staff table—the same one where I sat just yesterday, gushing about Khatak like a lovesick teenager. The memory makes fresh tears spill over.
“Laura!” Elana calls out. “We need you!”
“What’s—oh my god.” Laura appears from the walk-in cooler, a bag of vegetables in her arms. She drops them on the counter and rushes over. “Selene, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Khatak.” I choke out, words caught in my tight throat.
“Where’s Sutek?” Elana demands, her pale eyes flashing dangerously. “What did that bastard do? I swear, if he hurt you—”
“Sutek’s with Khatak... And Rist. Khatak wants to meet with Rist.”
Elana scowls. I don’t even need to see her clearly through my tears to envision the confusion and anger on her face. “Wait. Why does Khatak want to meet with Rist?”
The kitchen door swings open again, and Nelan enters, wiping his hands on a towel. He takes one look at me and his expression shifts from mild concern to full alert. “What happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Laura says, pulling out a chair and sitting beside me. She reaches for my hand, squeezing gently. “Take your time, honey.”
I draw in a shuddering breath. Then another. The story comes out in broken pieces.
“I ran into Sutek in the hallway. He was looking for Khatak. Said they needed to discuss the alliance with Prince Rist.” My voice cracks on the last word. “An alliance. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s been hanging out with me.”
“Oh, Selene.” Elana’s grip on my shoulder tightens.
“Everything. Every moment. Every conversation.” The words tumble out faster now, bitter and sharp. “It was all about getting close to Rist. I was just... I was just a means to an end. A convenient guide who could give him access to the prince.”
“Did Khatak say that?” Laura asks carefully.
“He didn’t deny it!” The tears come harder now. “I confronted him. Asked him to be honest. And he just stood there with this... this guilty look on his face. Like he’d been caught.”
I swipe angrily at my cheeks. “I was stupid to trust him. I let my guard down, and of course there was a hidden agenda. There’s always a hidden agenda.” The next words taste like acid. “You can’t trust an alien.”
I swipe angrily at my cheeks. “I was stupid to trust him. I let my guard down, and of course there was a hidden agenda. There’s always a hidden agenda.” The next words taste like acid. “You can’t trust an alien.”
Silence falls over the kitchen. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
I look up through my tears to find all three of them staring at me. Elana’s pale eyes are wide. Laura’s hand has frozen mid-reach for mine. And Nelan...
Nelan’s expression hasn’t changed, but something in his dark eyes makes my stomach twist.
“Wait.” Laura’s voice is quiet. “What did you just say?”
The words replay in my head. Heat floods my face, but the defensive part of me—the hurt, angry part—doubles down. “I said you can’t trust aliens. They all have—“
“Stop.” Elana holds up a hand. There’s no anger in her tone, just... something that makes me want to shrink into my chair. “Selene, honey. Do you hear yourself right now?”
“I’m just saying that Khatak—“
“No.” Laura shakes her head. “You’re not talking about Khatak. You said ‘you can’t trust AN alien.’ As in, all of them.”
My mouth opens. Closes. “That’s not what I—“
“It is, though.” Elana leans forward, elbows on the table. “Let me ask you something. Do you trust Rist?”
“Of course, but—”
“And Sutek?”
“Yes—”
“Nelan?”
I glance at the chef, who watches me with that same unreadable expression. “Obviously.”
“What about Kaelen? Or Zhora? Or any of the other staff members here who’ve gone out of their way to make you feel safe?” Elana’s voice is gentle but relentless. “Are they all untrustworthy because they’re aliens?”
“No! That’s different—“
“How?” Laura cuts in. “How is it different, Selene?”
The tears are still coming, but now they’re mixed with something else. Confusion. Shame. “Because they... they haven’t...”
“Haven’t what? Haven’t had complicated reasons for being here? Haven’t had their own missions or secrets or baggage?” Laura squeezes my hand, her touch warm. “Sweetie, I’m saying this with love, but you’re painting every alien with the same brush because you’re hurt by one situation.”
“But Khatak lied—”
“Did he?” Elana asks. “Or did you never ask? Because there’s a difference between someone actively deceiving you and someone not volunteering information you never requested.”
The words hit like a bucket of cold water. I think back to every conversation with Khatak. Did I ever ask why he was here? Did I ever inquire about his life, his family, his reasons for visiting the resort?
No. I just... assumed.
“You’ve spent days with aliens who’ve shown you nothing but kindness,” Elana continues. “You’ve made friends here. You’ve built a life. And the second something goes sideways with one person, you’re ready to write off an entire galaxy of beings?”
“I didn’t mean—“ My voice cracks.
“I know you didn’t.” Laura’s tone softens. “But Selene, think about what happened to you. To all of us. We were abducted by a small group of terrible aliens who treated us like cargo. Like we weren’t even people.”
“Exactly,” I whisper. “So you understand—”
“Do you know what they probably thought about humans?” Laura asks. “That we were all the same. All just... things. Not individuals with our own stories and complications and reasons for being who we are.”
The parallel hits me like a physical blow.
Oh.
Oh no.
“I’m...” The words stick in my throat. “I’m doing exactly what they did.”
“Hey.” Nelan speaks for the first time since I said those terrible words. His voice is low, but not unkind. “You’re hurt. You’re scared. That’s understandable. But Laura’s right—you’re judging an entire species based on what? Your abductors? One misunderstanding with Khatak?”
I bury my face in my hands. “I’m so sorry. Nelan, I didn’t mean—“
“I know you didn’t.” His cybernetic hand covers mine, the metal cool against my skin. “But intent and impact are two different things. And right now, you need to ask yourself: are you making decisions based on reality, or based on fear?”
“I just...” I look up at him, then at Elana and Laura. These people—these aliens and humans who’ve become my family. “I was so sure. So certain that he was just using me.”
“Based on what evidence?” Elana asks, not unkindly. “A meeting with Rist? That means he came here on business. That doesn’t mean everything else was fake.”
“Think about what you actually know about Khatak,” Laura urges. “Not what you’re afraid of. What you’ve seen with your own eyes.”
I close my eyes, forcing myself to really think. To push past the panic and hurt.
Khatak’s face when he carved that pumpkin. The genuine embarrassment, the vulnerability. The way he wore his emotions so openly, never playing games, never hiding what he felt.
His terror in the haunted house. Real, unfiltered fear. And his admission afterward—I’m not a warrior. The shame in his voice when he said it, like he was offering me the most damaging truth about himself.
“He told me he wasn’t a warrior.” The memory makes my throat tight.
“He looked so ashamed when he said it. Like he was giving me the worst truth about himself and waiting for me to reject him.” I press my hands to my face.
“And I didn’t. I didn’t care that he wasn’t some big, tough soldier. I loved that he was honest about it.”
“So the pattern you’re seeing,” Elana says carefully, “is someone who shows you exactly who he is, even when it makes him vulnerable. Even when he thinks it might make you reject him.”
“Yes.” The word comes out as barely more than a breath.
“Does that sound like someone playing a game?” Laura asks gently. “Or someone trying desperately to prove himself to you?”
I blink at her. “What?”
“Think about it, Selene.” Laura leans forward.
“These aliens—so many of them take the whole warrior thing, the provider and protector role, to an extreme. It’s not just about being strong.
It’s about being worthy.” Her voice softens.
“What if Khatak thought he had to earn you? That he wasn’t good enough as he was? ”
The words settle into my chest, heavy and aching.
“He kept trying,” I say slowly, the pieces clicking together. “At every activity. Even when he was terrible at them. Even when he was scared or embarrassed or clearly out of his element.” My voice cracks. “He always looked like he thought he’d failed. Like each thing proved he wasn’t... wasn’t...”
“Wasn’t enough for you,” Laura finishes quietly.
Oh god. That look on his face after the pumpkin. After the apple bobbing. After the haunted house. I thought it was just embarrassment, but it was more than that, wasn’t it? It was defeat. Like each moment confirmed something he already believed about himself.
That he wasn’t worthy of me.
The way he looked at me in bed. Like I was precious. Like I was everything he didn’t deserve.
Would someone who was just using me look at me like that?
“He never pushed,” I whisper, the pattern becoming painfully clear.
“Not once. Every step, every moment, I was the one who chose. I kissed him first. I invited him to the haunted house. I...” My cheeks heat.
“I initiated everything last night. He kept asking if I was sure, like he couldn’t believe I actually wanted him. ”
“Because he didn’t believe it,” Nelan says quietly. “Males like that—ones who think love must be earned through accomplishment—they can’t accept being chosen for who they are. Only for what they achieve.”
“Wait.” Elana straightens in her chair. “What was the meeting with Rist even about? Did Sutek say?”
I shake my head, trying to remember. “An alliance. Something about... securing an alliance.”
“An alliance with Prince Rist?” Laura’s eyes widen. “That’s huge. That’s the kind of thing that could make or break someone’s political standing. Their family’s reputation.”
The implications hit me like cold water.
“So Khatak came here with something important to accomplish,” Elana says slowly. “Something that could prove his worth—at least in his own eyes. Maybe even to his family.”
“And Sutek was looking for him this morning,” Nelan adds, his voice taking on that gentle, knowing quality. “Which means Khatak wasn’t where he was supposed to be for that meeting. Wasn’t fulfilling the very purpose that brought him here.” He gives me a meaningful look. “He was with you instead.”
Oh.
Oh god.
“He chose me,” I breathe. “Over the alliance. Over proving himself. Over—” My voice breaks. “Over whatever he came here to accomplish.”
“Exactly,” Laura says softly. “He chose you when it mattered most. When he had something concrete he could achieve, something that might make him feel worthy—he stayed with you anyway.”
I stand abruptly, chair scraping back. “I have to find him.”
“Wait—” Laura starts.
“Do you need us to come with you?” Elana offers.
“No.” I swipe at my tears, but I’m already moving toward the door. “I need to do this myself. I need to—” My voice breaks. “What if I’m too late? What if he’s already packing? What if he thinks I hate him?”
“Only one way to find out,” Nelan says, not unkindly.
“Thank you,” I say, looking back at the three of them. “For not letting me hide in my fear. For calling me out on my bullshit. For—” My throat tightens. “For helping me see clearly.”
Elana grins, though her eyes are suspiciously bright. “That’s what friends are for. Now go get your alien. And tell him if he makes you cry again, I’m setting Sutek on him.”
Despite everything, I laugh. It’s a watery half-sob, but it’s real.
Then I’m running.
The hallways blur past. My heart hammers against my ribs—not from exertion but from fear and hope and desperate need. Please still be here, I think with every step. Please give me the chance to fix this.
Because I finally understand. I don’t need complete control or perfect transparency. I don’t need to know everything about someone before I let them in.
I just need to trust my judgment—and everything I saw, every moment with Khatak, showed me exactly who he is.
Someone kind. Someone vulnerable. Someone who chose me even when he thought he wasn’t enough.
Someone who chose me.
And I’m choosing him.
The realization hits me mid-stride, so powerful it nearly makes me stumble.
I love him.
The only question is whether I’ll get there in time to tell him.