Page 18 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol. 1
“I heard you the first time. What don’t you like about her?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll give you reasons later.”
“Fair enough. You know I’m not leaving you behind, right? Even if I go out tonight, you’re coming back with me tomorrow. That’s a promise.”
“Gnuffgnuff” he growls aloud.
The blonde finally seems to notice I’m not alone. She glances down at Wingo with a mix of caution and mild disgust.
“What a strange animal,” she says. “He’s got a strong, feline body—sleek and muscular—but that head… with that weird trunk for a nose? It’s a shame. He could almost be cute otherwise. Is he from your planet?”
“You see what I mean now?”Wingo says, his tone sharp.
Great. Are my one-night stands going to need my travel companion’s approval now?
Thankfully, Fanyoru steps in, grabbing my arm.
“I see Henri—the base administrator. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Wingo and I follow without hesitation, though I offer the woman we’re leaving behind a polite, apologetic smile.
We weave through the crowd, trying to make our way to the center of a small group.
“Pherebos,” Fanyoru begins, “let me introduce you to Henri, the man of the hour and outgoing administrator of BN-35. He’s just been appointed governor of Jaga-18, one of the terraformed worlds. Michel, who I’ll introduce later, will be taking over the base.”
The man in front of me—Henri—has a distinguished look and undeniable charisma. He carries himself with the quiet confidence of someone used to power. His graying hair is neatly trimmed at the sides, and his posture radiates authority.
I greet him with a respectful nod.
“Sir, nice to meet you.”
“Pherebos is a solitary member of the Confederation,” Fanyoru explains.
Henri raises an eyebrow, intrigued.
“I travel across galaxies in a two-seater ship, scouting for new worlds with life—or the potential for it—to report back to the Confederation,” I explain. “My ship’s too small for more than one.”
“Thank you for your service to the Confederation,” he says warmly. “It can’t be easy, traveling alone. Space is vast… and often empty.”
“I don’t like him.”
“Again? Aren’t you being a little picky?”I scold him silently.
“Solitude suits me,” I reply to Henri. “Though I’m not really alone anymore. I’ve had Wingo with me for a few weeks now, as you can see.”
“Amusing,” Henri says, barely glancing at Wingo.
One thing’s clear—no one pays much attention to my four-legged companion. That’s excellent news for infiltration work. No one suspects a thing about our telepathic exchanges either.
“Ah, let me introduce my sweet companion,” Henri says suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. “Ileana, darling, come meet Pherebos.”
He turns to a group of five nearby and gestures toward a young woman with long, dark hair delicately braided down her back.
When she turns and locks her pale gray eyes onto mine, my entire universe shifts. My heart slams upward into my skull, pounding so loudly it drowns out everything else. It feels like forever, but it’s only a few seconds—five thunderous beats, a pause, then five more before it finally settles back into my chest.
Every Asgarnian male knows what this means. There’s no mistaking it. When you hear your own heartbeat as if it’s echoing right beside your ears, it can only mean one thing: you’ve found your Soulmate.
And the woman standing in front of me is breathtaking. She’s young—much younger than Henri, whose face is already marked by time. Her skin is awarm, flawless caramel, smoother than anything I’ve ever seen. Her hair flows long and dark, the perfect contrast to my own pale strands. Her features are delicate, her lips gently curved, inviting. She’s slightly shorter than most Asgarnian women, but her figure is… perfect.
