Page 33 of Royal Alien Mate

The crowd roared as Vaath smashed his fist into Wammlet’s throat, sending the male flying backward onto Grennul’s fresh corpse. Clutching at his throat, the orange male’s face turned bright red, and he appeared as if he were choking. Vaath smiled as he stood over the traitor. Though Wammlet might not have rebelled against the king, the male had rebelled against the empire. The majority of Marttiaxoxalians had desired mates, and their scientists had urged the warriors to explore the galaxy in search of compatible females before they officially selected a planet to settle upon, lest the Marttiaxoxalians lose their strength as their numbers dwindled.

Apparently when Vaath’s father had answered the call of his people, he had hoped they would eventually change their minds and opt not to mate with humans.Drakksbelieved humans were too weak to mate with Marttiaxoxalians, but the children born to such unions were growing up strong, some of them just as huge as a full-blooded Marttiaxoxalian. But, even if such children were physically weaker or smaller than a full-blooded Marttiaxoxalian, Vaath still believed his people needed the humans and should continue mating with their females. Otherwise, the males of his kind faced long, lonely lives.

Vaath stood over Wammlet as the male choked to death, the bones in his neck collapsed, cutting off his airway. It was a fitting death, a terrifying and painful one, as a Marttiaxoxalian could hold their breath for a very long time. When Wammlet’s face turned from red to black, he finally ceased moving.

Pressing one hand to the wound on his chest, Vaath raised his other fist in the air as he spun in a circle, facing the spectators who were cheering for his victory.

The Gods had spoken. All ten advisors had been guilty, and now they were dead. Judgment had been served. Only one foe remained. Vaath’s father.

He faced the king, who stood trembling on the side of the field, his wide-eyed gaze upon the ten lifeless bodies of his former advisors, the males who had erred in following him.

“The crowd is waiting, Father!” Vaath called in a taunting voice. “Come face me. Come face the judgment of the Gods!”

Vaath waited, wondering what his father would decide upon. Anger burned within Vaath, as well as a deep sense of betrayal. His own father had ordered the attack on his chambers, explicitly commanding thedrakksin the compound to kill his own son, as well as Esmay. Vaath had decided not to show that particular video message on the screen in the banquet hall, as it had felt too personal.

The king started walking toward Vaath, his gait slow and cautious. He lowered his head, as if he were considering charging at Vaath, but he soon stood taller and came to a stop.

“I choose banishment,” his father said, though he spoke so quietly that Vaath almost didn’t hear his words of surrender.

“Say it louder! Shout it so the whole arena can hear!” When his father hesitated, Vaath added, “If no one else hears your capitulation, I might decide to pretend I didn’t hear it either. I might decide to give you the same death as Wammlet.”

“I choose banishment!” his father finally shouted, loud enough that the entire crowd likely heard the announcement. Then he knelt at Vaath’s feet and bowed his head.

“All hail King Vaath of Mars!” a nearby spectator bellowed, and the rest of the crowd soon joined in.

“All hail King Vaath of Mars!” thousands of Marttiaxoxalians shouted.

Vaath stared up at the hovering box that contained Esmay and the rest of his honored guests. She was standing up, cheering and clapping along with everyone else. He had glanced up at her on occasion, in between fights, expecting to see her looking worried, perhaps even crying or shielding her eyes.

But she hadn’t once covered her face or broken down in tears. She had watched the entirety of every battle, as bravely as any female Marttiaxoxalian who would have come to witness her mate participating invoogg. His heart swelled with pride for his mate.All hail the Queen of Mars.

* * *

“Esmay,I need to tell you something.” Faith stepped in front of Esmay before she could enter the palace, blocking her entrance. Her mate stood to the side, a strange expression upon his face.

“What is it? I would really like to get to Vaath. He’s wounded.”

“Marxx says it’s a survivable wound. Grennul missed his heart. I, um, I need to warn you about something. Marxx says it would be kind of me to tell you so you know what to expect.”

“Okay,” Esmay said slowly, “what is it?”

“Aftervoogg, the winner is always high on bloodlust, and once the killing has ended, the male seeks out a female to satiate the rest of his…energies.”

“Are you trying to tell me Vaath is going to want sex?” Esmay felt a smile tugging at her lips.

“Yes, but not regular sex. Crazy freaky rough sex. After killing ten males in the arena, he’s going to be off the charts aggressive. Anyway, Marxx says not to be afraid and that Vaath won’t hurt you, even if it seems like he might.”

“I appreciate the warning,” Esmay said with a chuckle, though inside she was trembling anew. Exactly how rough would Vaath be?

“Oh, and he won’t be able to control himself in front of others, so don’t be alarmed if someone else is still in the room when he pounces on you.”

“That’s certainly good to know,” Esmay said, wondering if her friend was exaggerating a bit.

“Okay, well, good luck,” Faith said, giving her a quick hug. “Tell King Vaath we said congratulations. Oh, and congrats to you as well. You’re the queen now, in case you haven’t realized it yet. Queen Esmay of Mars. Can you believe it? The first human queen! You’ve made history on this planet and among the Martian people.”

A sense of déjà vu flitted over Esmay as Faith’s words reminded her of something Wyvonus had said.

One day, you and Prince Vaath will find happiness together, and it will change the world.

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