“Of course.” I take her hand and smile in return.
The med techs explain what happened, checking her vitals. I can hear fragments: “...blade missed vital organs... tissue regeneration complete... you’ll be a bit tender for the rest of the day, but one good night’s sleep and you’ll be fully healed...”
“That’s it?” Ines asks, groggy but surprised. “On New Earth I’d be in a hospital for a week. There are med labs, but not that many and not everyone can use them for all conditions. And um, do I need to be placed on a payment plan to cover the expenses?”
The med tech makes a dismissive sound. “New Earth medicine is primitive. This facility serves Illibrium miners. We have equipment most planets only dream of. Your care here is free of charge. Stay hydrated, eat well, rest tonight. That’s all you need.”
“Free?” she says with wonder.
“Yes, free,” I chuckle.
The med tech continues the post-treatment briefing. Routine stuff, explaining in detail her need for hydration, nutrition and sleep.
Then another Xylan says casually, “Oh, and while we were repairing the tissue damage, we also corrected some scarring on your reproductive system. Looked like old damage that would have prevented pregnancy. It’s fully repaired now.”
Ines goes very still. “What?”
The med tech doesn’t notice her reaction, just keeps talking. “Your fallopian tubes had significant scarring. Common issue, easy fix with our equipment. Full fertility restored. No charge it was also part of the trauma treatment.”
I watch Ines’s face as the words sink in. Shock. Disbelief. “On New Earth, that procedure is...” She trails off. Swallows hard. “I was told it couldn’t be fixed. That I’d never...”
“Standard repair for us.” The tech shrugs. “We have the best equipment in the four sectors.”
The tech moves away to file reports.
Ines stares at nothing, still in shock. Processing something enormous, possibly a door that was closed her whole adult life suddenly swinging open.
And this is the exact moment that I realize her scent has changed. It’s different now. Fuller. Richer. And underneath it, something new that makes my blood surge and my hearts pound against my ribs.
I inhale sharply.
Compatible.
She’s compatible. Ines is my bride. The realization crashes through me like a cave-in. I scented her before and the answer was no because her fertility was damaged. Her scent markers were wrong. But now, with her body repaired...
She was always my Bride. Her body just couldn’t tell me.
My mind races back through every moment since she arrived. The way my body reacted to her even when my nose said no. The possessiveness I couldn’t explain. The need to protect her that went far beyond duty. The hollow ache when I thought about her leaving.
It all makes sense now. She was always mine.
A low growl rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. The med tech glances over, startled. I clamp down on the sound, force my body to stay still. The gloves on my hands suddenly feel like chains. I want to tear them off, take her bare hand in mine and start the claiming right here, right now.
But I don’t move.
Ines just learned she can have children, something she thought was impossible. She’s still processing a life-changing revelation. And she’s still technically leaving Timbur. There’s still danger. Kryzon is still out there. The case isn’t solved.
If I tell her now, if I claim her now, is that fair? Or am I trapping her? She came here to write a story and help my family. She didn’t come here to be claimed by a Xylan miner she’s known for only a few diurnals.
But she’s my Bride. MyBride. The female I’ve been waiting for my entire adult life.
And she doesn’t know.
I force myself to breathe slowly. In. Out. Her scent fills my lungs with every breath, making it hard to think about anything else. But I can control this. I haven’t touched her bare skin. The claiming hasn’t started.
I have to wait.
The door opensand Scar enters, breaking the moment. He nods at Ines who is still resting on the med pod. My brother takes a nearby chair. “How do you feel?”
