Chapter 3 Zorin
Azrim’s lonely howls fill the darkness every night. I have used them to find him and slink into the shadows to watch the moon rise and fall by his side.
I expect nothing from him, no acknowledgement, and no conversation. That’s not what he needs. He merely needs me to be present.
As I leave each morning to report for duty to our Mindoran Tactical Forces, I hear him quietly crying, a shuddering noise that makes me hate the world even more.
Azrim is the only reason I’m alive. He sacrificed to keep me alive when our pack was destroyed.
He kept us together, taught me to hunt, fed me, and found us a new home.
If anyone deserves the comfort of a mate, it’s him.
And I’m certain, in his mind, he isn’t surprised that she was taken from him.
He always thought she was too good to be true.
I lost Jezza, too, in a different way. If Azrim had died in combat, it would have been my responsibility to care for her and raise Rhysan. That is just the Mindoran way.
“Sergeant Aegeris, what can I do for you?” My lieutenant motions me into his office at our district’s base. “How is your brother? We miss having him on the force.”
I step inside his office and close the door. “I had hoped to convince Azrim to return to duty, but I fear he may never leave his Night Stalking behind him. Then again, it’s only been a few weeks. But I’m here to request time off for a possible solution.”
“You think you can bring him in?”
“If I can find a female, I can get Rhysan back. Then Azrim will come home. If we can become one family, he will return to work.”
Lieutenant Vrasler leans back on his desk, hugging himself. He’s about my age but unable to fight due to his prosthetic legs after a crazed Luna slashed them off. “We would prefer to have his skill set back on the force. No one infiltrates enemy vessels like he does.”
“The Spec Ops team is more effective with him on it,” I confirm. “But I also hate seeing him in such pain.”
“The MTF doesn’t want to lose him either. He has two more months of bereavement leave before we must consider other options. So what do you have in mind? Have you found a female from another pack?”
“No. I’ve requested a human from the council. They approved one since Azrim had a traditional match. So I am asking for time off to attend the Alien Bride Race.”
“Granted. When you get your dates for attendance let me know. We will ensure you have adequate time to rebuild your pack and mate.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“One more thing before you go.”
I stop and turn around. “Sir?”
“Portal activity has increased. It appears someone is still trying to steal our crops and supplies. Most reports have been of Denarso. But that means they’re in low orbit. So we have increased planetary patrols. The sooner you return to battle with your brother, the better off our world will be.”
“Just for clarification, you said to rebuild our pack… But we were disowned.”
Vrasler motions toward the rest of the base. “I mean your pack of soldiers, your M-pack, others like us who do not hide from intergalactic danger by pretending that following tradition makes us immune to the effects of the war. Rebuild your Aegeris pack. Others will join.”
I think about Vrasler’s words as I ride my hoverbike back home. To my surprise, Azrim lies of the back deck, watching the woods. When he sees me, he gets up and trots for the trees. He has been secretly watching my place while I’m gone.
“Azrim.”
He stops.
“I’m going to find a mate. I will bring Rhysan home. You won’t have to be out there forever, brother.”
I can see the look in his eyes as he hangs his head. He still won’t be mine.
“He can be yours if we share her, if we both swear to protect her. She can never be Jezza, but if you claim her anyway...”
He growls at me.
Crossing my arms, I stare him down. “Do you think Jezza would want you out there, howling until you lost your voice every night? Or do you think she’d want you to do everything in your power to keep this family together, to give her son the mother he needs?”
Azrim looks off at the woods.
“I am going to the Alien Bride Race to get a female and make us a family again. You don’t have to join.
The offer is still there. I know the loss is harder than I can imagine for you, brother.
But do not make it harder than it has to be when there’s a chance you can still be a part of Rhysan’s life. He needs you.”
My brother slowly saunters away.
“You think you’re the only one hurting, but he has been crying non-stop for Emarza.”
Azrim freezes and glares back at me.
“She found me at the border yesterday. Weeks have passed, and she still cannot soothe him. Yet he won’t let anyone else hold him.
She is exhausted, and her own son is getting less attention than he deserves.
We can only take him back when we have a female.
Rhysan needs it. Emarza needs it. You and I do too.
“Morrawyn does not deserve to control us. They don’t understand what is out there, how we must come together or we will be destroyed by the Denarso and the empire.
When I bring a new mate back, we take Rhysan, and we start our old pack again.
Vrasler says there are others like us who will join.
Mykram can Night Stalk for their pack. He deserves to be out there.
Not you. Not someone who has already protected this planet.
“We came from this forest, not theirs. We need to start over. I will bring back a female. She will make us whole, brother. I promise you.”
For a moment, he stays as if he’s considering it. Then he turns and vanishes among the shadows.
I scratch my head. Damn it.
After a breath, I continue into my house. I’m going to try. Whether you like it or not.