Page 19 of My New and Improved Alien Lovers

“It does not even clarify where the escape pods go to,” Adeema states, jaw clenched as he grips onto our mate.

No wonder she was so upset; she must have thought we were fully aware of all this and supported it. She must have felt so betrayed, us leading her here with smiles on our faces, only to completely change everything about her so she could better fit in with our people.

“Margaret, we must take you home. That is the only thing that I can think of doing. If you stay here, you will be miserable. We do not want to take away your joy.”

She begins to sob, pulling away from Owiin and Adeema, but we can’t have that.

I crawl on top of her, careful not to place my weight on top of her, nuzzling her neck. “I say this because I only wish for your happiness, my mate. I would rather us be miserable for the rest of our lives without you, than to see you turn into the silent humans the other triads are living with.”

“What if they are undergoing changes as well?” Adeema asks. “The Violetian males I know would never agree to all of this, which makes me think they have gotten programming that somehow changed their perception, or their insight, or something. I do not think it is only Margaret at risk. The kruul’s mate seems to be taking control, seeking a utopia in which she is master. The kruul would never go against her, never temper her desires. I think we are all at risk if we stay.”

“What are the chances this is a misunderstanding? Are we considering throwing away everything, without seeking an audience with the kruul?” My mate flinches, making me realize how that could have sounded to her, so I am quick to reassure her. “Margaret, I mean that we are throwing away the lives we have built on this ship, nothing else.”

“I’m not worth this trouble. This was supposed to be a good thing, but it seems to come with nothing but trouble for all of us. Maybe I should just go home. Maybe it’s not too late to get my condo back.”

“We must delay our bonding. If we continue to strengthen it, then we will be closer to Margaret having to undergo changes. I refuse.” It is the only thing I can think of just now that willprotect her in any way. I hate it, but if it helps her, it will be worth it.

Adeema, who has been scrolling through his wristband to look for further information, sucks in a harsh breath and lets out a string of curses. “Earth will no longer take humans that have joined with Violetians; their leaders are nervous we could use them in some way to bring their land to ruin.”

“When did that happen?” Margaret’s raspy voice asks, frantic. “So, I’m stuck here? I have to…I can’t! I just wanted to ride alien dick!” She starts sobbing, falling back to the bed and covering her face with her arm.

Owiin’s large palm lands on her lower belly, rubbing circles, his thinking face firmly in place. Ultimately, it will be up to him what we do because he is our leader. “Let me message a few friends and ask to meet with them. We need to hear from other males that have been stationed here, with mates, before we make any decisions. We need to hear their side of it, learn their experience.”

He looks up at our mate, crowding her, making sure she hears him. “We are going to find a way to take care of you. If that means we leave our entire culture behind and start somewhere new so you’ll be free to be yourself, then that will be our path forward. For now, I need you to understand you’re safe with us, and you willalwaysbe safe with us.”

His message sinks in as he kisses her salty tears away, then moves to press tender kisses over her throat where she pains.

Adeema and I rest a hand on Owiin’s back in support, standing strong as a triad.

When the moment is ready for it, I voice my support to my alpha for everyone to witness. “It is wise to seek counsel from others, their experiences may be invaluable to us.”

It is somewhat trying to be experiencing the heaviness of this situation while still pressed against Margaret’s curves, my cock doesn’t get the memo that it’s not the time to be active, but it knows how close to his mate it is and is reaching for her.

Margaret’s hips shift below me, allowing me more room, and it is physically painful to remove myself from the heat her body offers. “I want nothing more than to feel your bare skin against me, my mate, but we need to protect you. We need to try and distance ourselves from each other in any way possible so that your changes happen slower.”

“I understand. I want to be pissed, but it makes sense.”

“Drink some water,” Adeema commands, reaching for a glass we left on the side table earlier.

“Wait,” Owiin barks, reaching for the glass himself. “I want to be overly cautious. If they are producing changes in Violetian males as well as the human females, there has to be a way they are doing it. I sound like a crazy being saying so, but what if there’s something they’ve introduced to the water to alter our thoughts? Do we have any pre-bottled water from the ship? That would have been sealed long before these changes went into effect.”

I nod, remembering exactly what we had on board. “We do. I can go collect some.”

“I will accompany you,” Adeema says as he brushes a kiss to Margaret’s forehead. “We are going to take care of you, mate, no matter what. Do not fret. We will find a way out of this.”

“Together?” She asks, eyes wide and sad. “I think I’m starting to…feel the bond starting. I don’t think I could handle separating. I don’t want to separate. Maybe I’m buying into your thoughts about the universe placing us together for a reason.”

This is good, but under terrible circumstances. It is as if we’ve been cheated out of a proper early mating, unable to get our mate secure and settled. Once more, we must leave her side to do something we don’t really want to do. But I acknowledge that getting pure water could be beneficial, so I will not complain.

As Adeema and I navigate our way down the halls, it is difficult not to become lost in the depth of sadness lingering in our mate’s eyes as we left our residence. Adeema takes my hand as we walk, trying to comfort me.

“We will get this sorted one way or another,” he tells me. I just wish I could believe the forced sense of hope in his voice.

“But at what cost?” I lower my voice, wanting this conversation to stay private. “Is it absurd, that I consider running away with her to some far away planet to be better than subjecting her to here?”

“I think it shows you are committed to her well-being,” Adeema replies, nodding hello to everybody we pass. “There are changes happening here, ones that do not benefit us. There are other settlements we could apply for, places that might be more welcoming to human mates. We can't be the only ones feeling unsettled by all these new rules.”

I know he's right, but I still feel very alone in this. We are both lost in our own thoughts as we continue on to ship storage, making me wonder where everybody is. But then again, if humans are not allowed to be roaming about right now, it's likely their mates are staying in with them.

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