Healed By The Stars: An Alien Reverse Harem Standalone Romance (SOS Space Station) Read online

  I rolled my eyes at him from his ridiculousness.

  He had grown more aggressive ever since the destruction of our triad spear, as if breaking it in half had snapped his sanity along with it. It was as if he felt responsible for our unfortunate situation, carrying all of the burdens for himself.

  He wasn’t the only one suffering—we all were.

  Ajamu paused in the middle of the walkway, earning himself grumbles from passersby he cut off as they walked around him. A few clipped his arms, but oddly, my brother shrugged them off without any acknowledgment. Instead, he ignored their complaints as he studied the speedway that cut through the center of the sector, watching the hovercarts full of goods.

  He lifted his nose in the air and inhaled.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I lifted my own nose and took in a deep breath, detecting nothing out of the ordinary, as the stale aroma from the recycled air that always clung to space stations assaulted my nose.

  “What’s that delicious smell?”

  “What are you talking about?” I shot my brother a worried glance, scanning his body for any sign of injury and cursed myself for not being the medic of the triad. “I smell nothing but your need for a refresher.”

  “I don’t stink,” Ajamu grumbled. “You may not have an acute sense of smell because something on this level is making me hungry.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t becoming delusional from the fact that we haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday?”

  “Or maybe your nose is broken.” He let out a deep chuckle as he jabbed my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go check it out, and then you can apologize for ever doubting my superior sense of smell.”

  Shooting a smirk over his shoulder, he didn’t wait for my reply, and he took off down the walkway like a warrior on a mission. Muttering a curse under my breath, I chased after him, dodging his tail as it whipped to and fro. Other citizens moved out of our way as soon as they heard the commotion, not wanting to be in the way of a determined male with his nose in the air.

  Reaching for his tail, after a few misses, I was able to grab it and jerked him to a halt.

  “Can you slow down and act civilized for once?”

  Ajamu slammed his feet, swiftly halting, and he turned around, yanking his tail out of my grasp. His golden orbs met mine, their black slits slowly expanded in excitement.

  “It’s here.” He purred and licked his lips as he raised his nose to the air. Then, inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes as a low moan rumbled off of him. “Whatever it is, we must get some.”

  “We?” Crossing my arms, I raised my eyebrow. “With what funds?”

  “You tell me.” He glanced at me and jerked his chin toward the brightly lit up entrance behind him. “You are in charge of our inventory and finances. There’s no way you can miss the cosmic smell radiating from this bakery.”

  Breathing in, a scent so divine that stars would weep in its existence filled my nostrils. I took a step toward the establishment as my mouth salivated over the idea of what could be awaiting us within.

  “We can’t.” I stilled and spun around. My need to discover what produced such a wonderful smell had unconsciously moved my feet closer. Clenching my hands into fists, I shook my head as I tried to clear my thoughts. “Even if we could afford it, Karvyan isn’t here. It wouldn’t be fair to him if we couldn’t enjoy eating a fresh meal.”

  “Why do you always have to be the reasonable one?” Ajamu said, and his tail reflected his annoyed tone. “I know we have rations back on our ship, but there’s no way that the food in this bakery is worse than anything we have. Nothing can produce a scent like what’s in there and make my stomach hurt just thinking about it.”

  “I completely agree.” At that moment, my stomach made an audible grumble, as if it had a mind of its own and was displeased with my stance. Grabbing my chest, I massaged it, hoping to settle its complaints and the sudden cramps that erupted. “But perhaps we should wait to see if our brother secured himself a job before we splurge on unnecessary things.”

  “I never thought we would be in this predicament.” He sighed, peering longingly at the bakery’s sign as he brushed his hair back. “We had a respectable, well-paying job and were forced to use all of our funds to equip our ship with the necessities needed to survive. Now, we can’t afford a meal—or even a treat for that matter. How pathetic have we become?”

  “How we have fallen—”

  “Are you okay?” A soft feminine voice asked behind me, her tone laced with concern. “We didn’t mean to overhear your personal conversation, but you are standing in the entrance, blocking our exit.”

  I winced in embarrassment, ashamed at myself for not being aware of our surroundings, and turned around to face the worried female. Sucking in a deep breath, I took in the pair of females’ appearances as they carried a stack of meal boxes from the bakery.

  A human stood in front of her companion with her chin high, and yet her golden speckled green eyes failed to hide her nervousness. From how support-beam straight her back was and the whiteness of her knuckles as they held her packages, her defensive stance told me that she feared us.

  Shooting a glance at my slight brother, his knotted eyebrows told me he was as confused as I was.

  Why would she be afraid of us? Did the news of what happened really travel across the galaxy? Is that why we can’t get a job because the citizens on the space station don’t want to be involved with those labeled as criminals?

  Something within me didn’t feel right.

  As my gaze passed over the taller female, I was shocked to see that she was an emerald Rowdu—the same race as my triad, an Ely, and from the same home planet, Elyzm. It was rare to see females outside of their luxurious homelife provided by their triad, and if they did travel, they were never alone.

  Glancing over her shoulder, I surveyed the customers within and frowned at the lack of bright-colored tattooed skin.

  “Where’s your clan?” The words fell out of my mouth as soon as I thought them, as I instantly degraded myself over my lack of tact. “I mean… Are you alone?”

  “She’s with me,” the human growled. “And she’s not looking for a clan.”

  “With you?” Ajamu gripped my shoulder and squeezed it as he stepped forward, studying the young Rowdu. “She appears too young to be without her kin… or even outside our sol system.”

  I didn’t miss the confusion laced in his voice—nor how the dark-haired human’s eyes darkened.

  “She’s my mother,” the female Rowdu hissed as she protectively placed her tail in front of her companion. “And she’s the only kin that I need.”

  “Mother? Kin?” I shot a concerned glance at my brother, who matched me with a similar look. “You two shouldn’t be alone on a space station this size.”

  “We are capable of handling ourselves,” the human muttered. Her gaze frantically bounced around us as if she were desperate for an escape route. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to be on our way. It’s been a long day for us, and our meals are getting cold.”

  “Do you need someone to escort you back to your residence?” Ajamu released his grasp on me and backed out of their way. “We could provide you with protection.”

  “Are you saying that the station’s security isn’t adequate enough to protect us?” Pursing her lips, the human tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as she studied me. “Or are you trying to imply something?”

  “We want nothing else but to make sure you both are safe—”

  “And well taken care of.”

  “I’ve been taking care of my daughter by myself for all her life,” the shorter female clipped. “And I sure don’t need mere strangers to try to tell me how to parent, especially when I’ve been doing perfectly fine without needing to depend on a clan.”

  “We didn’t mean to offend you,” I apologized softly as I lifted my hands up in my attempt to calm her. “It wasn’t our intention.”

  “Then let us pass,”
the young Rowdu stressed. “We just want to go home.”

  “Okay.” I sighed as my shoulders sagged in defeat.

  Dropping my hands, I backed away to give the odd pair room to walk past us. The cosmic scent from earlier had lost its deliciousness. Instead, every time I breathed in, I was reminded of this awkward conversation and how I failed to rectify it.

  As the pair began to pass us, the human paused between Ajamu and me. Then, biting her lip, she peered down at the stack of three meal boxes in her hands and us, as guilt flooded her face.

  “I feel like I overreacted,” she confessed, glancing at my brother. “And it doesn’t feel right to leave you two behind, even after everything that was assumed, knowing that your triad is starving.”

  “Mom,” the female Rowdu stressed, her voice had a pleading tone to it. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yet we should,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”

  “But all of our hard work…”

  “Has been rewarded,” she countered. “A few meals won’t set us back any.”

  “Fine.” The young Rowdu huffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like I can change your mind once you have it set on something.”

  “Caia,” her mother hissed, narrowing her eyes at her daughter. “Don’t start. Not now.”

  “I’m done.”

  She flashed her mother a smile too sweet that it only meant trouble. It was the same fake smile I gave to my brothers whenever we argued, and I was right, but it wasn’t worth continuing.

  “I’m sorry about my harsh judgment from earlier.” The human mother lifted her packages, offering them to me. “But I hope you will take these meal boxes as a gesture of goodwill. I was in the same predicament as you before, and if it weren’t for the kindness of a passerby, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

  “We can’t,” Ajamu mumbled. He peered at me with his mouth open in shock as his tail swayed with excitement.

  Accepting such a gift from a female that wasn’t our mate would be considered scandalous back on our home planet. So it wasn’t done, even if both parties were unmated, to prevent any troubles in the future.

  Possessiveness and jealousy were common amongst those who didn’t want to wait to experience an opportunity to be romanced, no matter how temporary it may be.

  Triads were supposed to be the caretakers, protectors, and providers of the clan. Females were supposed to be the nourishers, worshipped by her triad.

  But we weren’t in our home sol system—and she was human.

  “Are you sure?” I hedged, not wanting to seem overeager. A chance for a free meal, no matter how much of a blow to my ego it may be, wasn’t something I was willing to pass for the betterment of our clan. “We don’t have any digis to exchange—”

  “We don’t need the digis,” she assured. “Nor do we need you two following us home. Take this as a one-time offer, and we can go our separate ways, no hidden agendas attached.”

  “If that’s what you want, then we gladly accept.”

  Chapter Four

  Elya

  It wasn’t right for me to allow my past to judge these two Rowdu males harshly. It was customary for their species to instinctively want to protect all females, whether they were part of their kin or not. Unknowingly, they were only trying to prevent what had happened to me from happening again.

  Only this time, I had a boss who was more like a mother to me and connections to the Orion Intergalactic Safety and Security Corp (OISSC). If either my daughter or I went missing, she would have them scour the galaxy and bring us back home.

  At least what was currently our home.

  If this exchange had taught me anything, it was that others were going to start questioning my relationship with my daughter—and whether she had found her clan. Knowing my luck with the Stars, they probably already had, but these two strangers were the first to vocalize it. This meant that my plans to reroot our life to the first passage to a planet with a heavy presence OISSC needed to move forward. I could no longer be picky about the climate and required to take the first one available. As long as we were safe, that was all that mattered to me.

  My home was where my daughter was. It was all I needed.

  “Here. Take them. Feed your triad.” I gently shook the stack of boxes and wondered why the sapphire-eyed male wasn’t accepting them. “My daughter and I will be fine.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered as he reached forward to grab them.

  His fingers accidentally covered mine.

  It was that moment when my life became more complicated.

  Instantly, all of his gold swirl markings on his bare chest glowed like a sign in the lower district. It was blindingly bright for a brief moment like it was first turned on, and then it radiated a constant glow for all to see.

  Hope and wonder-filled his kind sapphire eyes as he stared at me with a reverence that needed to be addressed.

  “This must be a mistake,” I said, instantly withdrawing my hands. Then, shaking my head, I watched in horror as his golden swirls dulled to their normal state once again. “The Stars are playing some cruel joke on us.”

  “My markings can’t lie.” His reply held such a seriousness that filled me with dread. His gaze traced my body as if he were memorizing my appearance. “You are ours.”

  It was those three words that had started it all before.

  “I am no one’s,” I hissed. “I already played the role and don’t need to re-experience it once again.”

  I curled my hands into fists, ready to defend both my daughter and myself from them if needed. They may have been taller and more robust than me, but all I needed to do was resist until security came.

  No one would take me—or my daughter—back to that black hole.

  “How can it be?” the golden-eyed male muttered as he stared at me in awe. “I’ve heard rumors of other triads finding their mates outside of our species, but I had always thought those were made-up tales to bring us hope...” He stepped forward and raised his hand as if he were hesitant to touch me. “If his markings glowed, then mine should too.”

  “Too bad you won’t ever know.” Caia shoved her boxes into his chest. A grunt escaped his lips, and he scrambled to secure his hold of the precious meal his triad needed as she grabbed my hand. “If my mother isn’t interested, then back off.”

  A heartbeat later, my daughter yanked me out of my stunned daze and led me through the crowded walkways, away from the pair of emerald males.

  Their shouts turned into the grunts and gasps from the waves of passersby as we created distance from them. Only my familiarity with the station prevented me from being lost as establishments blurred by.

  As I glanced down at my daughter’s emerald hand holding my own, I was only reminded of how she was conceived and who her fathers were. They had broken me in more ways than I could ever imagine, and I refused to allow another triad to do the same.

  Their Stars played a cruel joke on me once. I wouldn’t let them do it again.

  Chapter Five

  Ajamu

  “Are we really going to let her run off like that?” I demanded, glaring at my brother, who was still staring off into the distance in the direction where our fated and her daughter had disappeared. “There’s not enough food in the station worth losing our only chance of being with her.”

  “Do you really think she wants anything to do with us?” Eynar jerked his head in the direction where they had lost sight of the mother and daughter. “Not only was she terrified of us, but she also rejected the very thought of being our mate.”

  “Has the prince tainted our reputation that badly?”

  Eynar’s shoulders sagged. “Who knows.”

  “We didn’t even get her name,” I said, peering down at the slightly damaged meal boxes as we entered our ship’s hanger. “How are we supposed to find her in a space station this large?”

  “No, but we have her so-called daughter’s.” Eynar paus
ed before our vessel and entered our passcode with his tail. “There can’t be that many young female Rowdu aboard the station. So all we have to do is ask about an Ely named Caia, who hangs around an older dark-haired human, whom she calls her mother.”

  We watched in silence as the storage bay’s door opened and the ramp lowered onto the dock.

  He was right. We had a good lead.

  It wouldn’t take much effort to discover her name, and then we could figure out more about her. However, there had to be a better reason why she had run away from us.

  She wasn’t afraid of Caia, so she wasn’t like the humans who never ventured past their home sol system. They were always scared to speak to anyone outside of their own species.

  No, something had happened to her… but what?

  If Caia considered her as her mother, could something have happen to her clan to make them abandon her into this human’s care? Was that why there were no kin around?

  But our government had always cared for our kind—outside of the royal family, who could get away with basically anything. All she had to do was hand over Caia to Rowdu officials, and they would’ve rehomed her to an Ely clan.

  The next generation was always precious to our species, especially the females. Without them, triads would go without their core—their fated one.

  And yet, our triad’s core rejected us before we had an opportunity to explain ourselves. She knew what it meant when Eynar’s golden markings radiated from her touch and then was too spooked to do anything. It took Caia to snap her out of her daze and smack us on the back of our heads with her tail to give themselves a lead.

  If it weren’t for us carrying precious cargo and nursing a sudden headache from the surprise tail attack, we would’ve quickly caught up to them. Now, all we had were these six meal boxes, whose scent was no longer alluring. I would’ve taken getting to know our mate better over easing my stomach.

  Food comes and goes, but completing our triads was forever.