What the fuck is wrong with me?
I don’t want to serve any more. I am tired of sacrificing what matters to me to protect Lunas and this world when all it has done is take things from me.
I sulk away from them, but stop at a distance to watch Zorin and Tessi work through the wreckage. She spins her staff, collapses it, and holsters it on her belt. Zorin kisses her before picking up a chunk of hull plating. Tessi crawls underneath and stands with an intact engine power system computer module.
He needs me to protect her. I don’t want to lose my brother. I’ve just pushed him away for too long to simply walk back into his life like I never caused him any suffering.
I am a curse to our kind. The last thing I want to do is make Tessi fight her people to be with us. I know she’s here, but Viriden can’t approve of a Mindor-Isonian bond. Mindorans definitely won’t.
This isn’t going to end well, no matter what I do. If I just stay away, I can’t make things worse.
But the idea of letting my brother go into battle alone is one I can’t permit.
He needs to stay with his mate.
I need to go alone.
So I set my mind on returning to the base to speak with Vrasler so I can trade places with Zorin for the mission.
It’s the least I can do.
30: Zorin
“He’s still upset about the situation, isn’t he?” Tessi asks as Azrim’s silhouette bounds off into the woods.
I shake my head as I carry the control module back toward my house. “He’s never been this indecisive. He’s fighting what he wants because of what happened to his mate. But I honestly can’t blame him. I’m certain I’d be no different if I lost you.”
Radar trots along beside us, his armor loaded down with other parts Tessi’s scavenged from the wreckage, little things I wouldn’t think of but would be useful to keep on hand like special hardware, pieces of unique metals that we can melt down and solder into cracks.
“Are we heading into your old pack camp to see Rhysan today?” she asks.
I open the door to the hangar for her. “Yes. Please set your things down. We must see if we can make this quick. I need to get Azrim back here today.”
Radar won’t stop looking in the direction Azrim has left.
“I don’t understand,” I tell her. “Why does Radar like Azrim so much when he’s so abrasive?”
“He is your original alpha, yes?” she asks. “You became the alpha when he went to do his Night Stalking?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And he’s hurting…from losing Jezza.” Tessi runs a hand down my arm. “Dogs sense emotion far better than humans. I’m certain Radar just senses what Azrim feels.
The moment she pulls the gear packs off of Radar’s armor, he bolts out the door.
Tessi seems shocked by his sudden change. “Radar?”
She looks completely distraught. Tessi drops her bags and frees the storage pouches from her armor and runs after him. “Radar!”
The light plinking of metal pieces makes me look down. A pouch has spilled open, containing military rank badges, pins, and coins. The pouch is painted withnot for sale.
I swipe a hand through the pile and realize just how many lives she knows have been lost in battle.
I thought we were the only ones.“Tessi?”
The door closes behind me as I run after her, but she’s already gone. I try to pick up her scent, but it fades in the breeze. “Tessi!”
Panic sets in as I hunt for her and Radar in the woods. I head in the direction that Azrim was going, knowing that’s where Radar will head.
