Page 51 of Pet: Genesis

“...Yeah.”

I think back to the names he mentioned, wracking my brain, but I come up with nothing.

“What’s Ezra and Xion?” I ask.

“Not what, who. They’re his siblings. And they’re just as ruthless.” I look at Jude in shock, but he’s quick to react.

“Keep your eyes on the ceremony. We don’t want them to see that we’re talking,” he says. I quickly shift my gaze back to the ceremony. More Leviathan who weren’t among the six that entered have begun making their way up the path with baskets of different items in their hands. They’re all dressed in different colors.

“Nobility is a big deal in the Leviathan society. Remus and his siblings are considered gods among their people. Since you told me about his origin, I can see why,” Jude says.

Each of the six Leviathan beneath Remus begin to stand, approaching the Leviathan who hold gifts.

“Those six are the generals. Each of them is chosen by Remus himself. That’s why they are considered such high-rankingmembers of society. Their god handpicked them himself to join in their homicide mission across the galaxy,” he chuckles bitterly.

“So his siblings are going to be here as well?” I ask. I’ve only ever seen Remus’s brother once. It was the same day they were going over plans together. It’s strange that his siblings didn’t arrive with him.

“No. Xion is on their home planet,Xyrannis. She was a part of the military, same as her brother, but she found a lifemate and decided against accompanying them on this trip. She’s leadingXyrannis, under Remus’s order, of course, while he is here,” Jude says.

My eyes shift to Remus. He still hasn’t shown any emotion on his face since the beginning of this ceremony. It’s hard to believe that someone just as ruthless as Remus decided to stay on their planet for the sake of loving someone.

“As for Ezra, he hasn’t been heard from in months,” Jude says breaking through my thoughts.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my interest piqued.

“Ezra leads the Leviathan armada. He left a few months ago on a mission and hasn’t been heard from since. At least, that’s all I could make out on Zaya’s reports. This is the first time in a very long time the three of them won’t be together.” Jude laughs bitterly beside me. “They can call us weak all they want. But we managed to split up their gods. So we must be some kind of threat.”

I can’t help but smile at his words. He’s right. Remus loves to brag about our lack of power, but we’ve managed to keep him and his siblings so busy that they can’t be together for thisimportant day. This new bout of information would also explain Remus’s recent mood. When Ezra visited, Remus seemed very protective of his brother. And now, he’s missing, more than likely in danger or even dead from the resistance, and his sister is light-years away. I glare at his regal form in complete confusion.

Could he be lonely without his family?

I nearly laugh at the thought. The idea that Remus could be saddened by anything is absurd. He’s cruel the majority of the time. It’s a foreign thought that he could be remotely upset by his siblings’ absence on this day. But as I watch his rigid form, the thought nags at my brain.

Could it be possible?

The generals reach the edge of the platform, standing in front of the Leviathan holding baskets. Remus raises his hand, and an almost instant silence washes over the coliseum.

He opens his mouth and begins to speak. Just like he does with every other speech, his words send a wave of excitement over the crowd. Even I feel my skin pleasurably tingling at the sound of his voice. Everything about him screams charisma at this moment. Even his body language is inviting. Whatever he said, the generals raise their fists, exerting battle cries of agreement. Remus finishes his speech, and the screen above zooms in on the Leviathan, who are now handing their objects to the generals.

“Do you know what they’re doing now?” I ask.

I vaguely register Jude’s response as my eyes travel to the screen that now has foreign words displayed across it. My heart races as the teachings that Remus gave me fall into place.

“They are giving Remus offerings,” I whisper, my eyes still glued to the screen.

“You can read their language?” Jude asks next to me.

His expression reflects my excitement as he watches me and I find myself grinning in response.

“Only a little,” I say timidly.

Jude shakes his head in disbelief. “How did you ever manage that?”

I feel my cheeks burning as I remember the night I got Remus’s word.

“I... earned it.”

My voice trails off as my eyes reach where Remus is seated. My skin runs cold as a wave of fear washes over me. Remus isn’t watching his people any longer. He’s watching me. And he does not look happy. Jude and I both forgot the most important rule, and I just know that both of us are going to pay for it.

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