Page 52 of Charmed By the Alien Warrior

I take a steadying breath and force the words out. “I know why you really came on this mission.”

The silence that follows is deafening, broken only by the distant hum of the ship’s systems. Mara’s entire body stiffens against me, and I feel the tension radiating from her as my words sink in, confirming what I already suspected.

“You do?” She asks, her voice tight as she peers up at me.

I nod, my gaze never leaving hers. “You want to return to Earth. You came on this mission to find a way back.”

Her breath catches in her throat, and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve pushed too far. Her eyes flicker with uncertainty, and the guarded expression she wears like armor slips. But I don’t look away. I want her to see that I understand her longing.

But she also needs to know the truth, one I wish I didn’t have to tell her. There is no going back. Not to her home planet. Not anywhere.

Finally, she speaks, her voice small and fragile in a way that’s so unlike her it makes my second heart ache. “There’s no way back, is there?”

I shake my head. “No. If there were, I’d do everything in my power to help you return to your home planet. But it’s not possible.”

Her brows knit together, and her gaze becomes distant. A heavy silence settles between us, thick with unspoken emotions. I can almost see the thoughts running through her mind as she processes my words. The hope she’s desperately trying to hold onto.

Her hand rises from my chest, motioning around the room. “I was hoping the Ancestors’ Ship would work,” she murmurs. “That it could take us back...” Her voice trails off, the hope in her words so faint it nearly breaks me.

I draw in a breath, steadying myself before I answer. “This ship wasn’t meant for travel beyond this galaxy. It barely made it to Laedirissae,” I say, keeping my voice soft and choosing my words carefully. “Even if it could, there’s no fuel on this planet to power it.”

She blinks, her gaze falling to the floor as if she needs something solid to anchor her. The sight makes a sharp pang of guilt twist in my chest, but I can’t give her false promises. If anyone deserves the truth, it’s Mara.

I hesitate for a moment before adding, “The Pugj arrived on a ship, too, but it was destroyed when they landed. There’s nothing left to salvage. There’s no way off Laedirissae.”

Mara’s shoulders slump, the weight of it all pressing down on her. I hate seeing her like this—so defeated, so lost in a place where I can’t offer the comfort she craves. Not the comfort she longs for, at least.

"I’m sorry," I murmur. "I wish things were different."

Mara doesn’t respond right away. When she finally speaks again, her voice is quieter than before. “So, what does that mean? For us? For... me?”

I look at her, studying the lines of her face, the vulnerability she tries so hard to mask. How can I tell her that, even if returning to Earth were possible, I don’t want her to leave? How can I admit that the thought of her stepping out of my life—out of my arms—is a pain I cannot bear?

I want to say,You have a home, here with me.But the words catch in my throat. I’m not sure if she’s ready to hear it, yet.

Instead, I take her hand in mine, my thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles. It’s a small gesture, but it’s all I can offer right now. “It means we figure it out,” I say finally, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me. “Together.”

***

It’s not long after that that the security system resets.

Unlike when we were locked in the day before, there aren’t any loud alarms or flashing lights. Instead, the only indication we’re free to leave is the sharp click of the door as it unlocks.

The sound should fill me with relief, but it barely registers to me. Being trapped in the control room no longer disturbs me like it did. Instead, it’s Mara’s tense silence and the troubled expression on her face that consume my attention. Though we may be physically close, her spirit feels distant, and I’m left to wonder if the fragile connection we forged with each other is already slipping away.

There are so many things I want to say to her, but each time I open my mouth to speak, the words seem to stick in my throat. Mara is a determined female with a quick mind, and I do not wish to burden her with the knowledge of the mate bond that I can feel lodged in my chest even now.

We gather our belongings quietly, and then it’s time to leave. To leave behind this room where we grew close in a way I never could have imagined. I worry that once we step through the door, that closeness will dissolve like fog in the sunlight, slipping away from us forever.

It already feels like it’s beginning to.

We move through the ship’s winding corridors in silence. Mara walks beside me, her head down, her gaze fixed on the floor beneath her feet. The weight of her unspoken thoughts presses against my rib cage like a physical thing, and I wish I could ease her burden. But I don’t know how.

As we approach a long hallway that splits into two branching paths at one end, an eerie stillness settles around us. The air feels heavier here, charged with an unsettling quiet that makes my skin prickle. Shadows pool in the dim space, broken only by weak light filtering from the damaged lamps. The corridor is cluttered with discarded machinery and empty crates left behind by the Ancestors.

Mara’s hand brushes my arm, halting me mid-step. The unexpected contact sends a jolt through me, and I turn to meet her eyes.

“Sorrin,” she says softly. Her voice is steady despite the tension lining her face. “Thank you for being honest with me earlier. For not…” She pauses, searching for the words. “For not leaving me hanging.”

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