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“Olivia still asleep?” I ask.

“Very much so,” Ralleth says as he comes to stand next to me. I follow his lead and start walking deeper into the tribe. “She will be asleep until the clouds have lightened quite a bit. I normally would be as well, but I am finding it harder to sleep through the night the closer it gets to your sisters joining us.”

“Are you nervous about everything running smoothly or nervous they won’t like it here?”

I’m nervous about all of them coming. I want them to be happy in their new home, not scared or alone like I was.

Vex told me he’s offered the humans the option to come to this planet instead of staying on a dying Earth, but not a lot of women are taking him up on the offer. There are hundreds of women who want to come, but that’s way less than the thousands of women currently living in the stadium.

“I think I am worried about both,” Ralleth answers. “My brothers and the males Rallan brought from his tribe are working their hardest to make sure the tribe is prepared for new humans. There is still the chance that things do not go as we planned. Then, if everything goes well, but your sisters are not happy here, that is something I do not know if I will be able to fix.”

“I think if they’re choosing to come here, they’re at least open to finding happiness here,” I tell him, wanting to ease some of his worries.

There are a lot of conveniences of modern life on Earth that I miss, but I also know I’ve never felt more loved or more part of a family than I do in this tribe on this strange alien planet. So, even if it’s not the same happiness I was used to on Earth, I don’t think I would change anything.

“Were you open to finding happiness when you came?” Ralleth asks, his tone shifting, almost like he knows this question is personal and that my answer doesn’t reflect what I think the other women might feel when they come.

“No.” There’s no reason to lie to him, not when he was there to witness how I acted in my first week in the tribe.

I picked fights with Alice, told Rallan I hated him loudly and on more than one occasion, and was kind of rude to everyone. I did just go through the worst breakup of my life and was abandoned on an alien planet in the middle of the forest where I could’ve died, but none of them knew that. I’m not exactly chatty about it to anyone besides Nia and Deja.

“I did not know what all you went through when you arrived until Rallan told us all the first night you were back in my tribe,” Ralleth says after a long silence. “You are a strong female, much stronger than you should have to be.”

I feel blood rush into my cheeks at his words, but I don’t look up at him. I don’t think I’m bad at taking compliments, but right now, when he’s complimenting me on surviving, it makes me feel funny. So, I ignore it and hope the conversation switches quickly.

Thankfully, we stumble across Vex, patching up the roof of one of the houses. Ralleth grabs my elbow gently and pulls me to a stop before I call out for Vex.

“I want to tell you something before we interrupt your mate’s work.” Ralleth looks around like he’s unsure if he should be telling me whatever it is he wants to say. When he’s sure no one is around, he speaks. “I do not know what happened on your planet with Vex. I do not know if he deserves the coldness you give him or the distance you put between yourself and him. I do know he is an honorable male, and if I may, I think you should offer him a chance to woo you.”

I roll my lips between my teeth to keep my smile from splitting my lips. Ralleth looks so earnest right now, and he’s pleading on behalf of a male I’ve already decided I’m going to give a second chance. What I want to know is why Ralleth feels this strongly about it.

“Why do you think he should woo me?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound as amused as I feel. I’m curious what sort of impact Vex could’ve had on the demons if Ralleth’s on his side.

“When he came to our tribe the first time almost a hundred days ago, the first thing he asked for was you. He did not know you were not in the tribe, and he came to speak with you.”

Ralleth wrings his fingers together before kneeling so we are at eye level. He lifts his hand to sit on my shoulder and hesitates for a second like he’s not sure if he’s allowed to touch me. I reach up and grab his hand to lower it onto my own shoulder. I’ve seen plenty of demons do this with one another and their mates. It’s just how they make sure the other participant in the conversation understands what they’re saying is important to them.

“Every day he has been here it has been with the intention of bringing the best life to the human females that will be joining us. He has explained to me many times that if anything even slightly bad happens to them, he will bring them justice. He is a powerful male, I am sure you are aware, and he has offered his protection to all of your sisters. He has told us all this manytimes. He even speaks with the newer males to ensure they are here for the right reasons.”

Ralleth takes a deep breath, his eyes flicking up to the roof Vex is working on before flickering back down to me.

“He hurt you, and I would never force a female to give a chance to a male who hurt them. I know his soul, though, and I know it will always belong to you. Even if you do not choose to be with him, he has told me he will make sure your sisters make it here safely, make sure you are happy with your mate, my brother, and then he will leave. I would very much like for him not to leave. He has been a good friend, and I think the tribe is safer with him here. So, maybe you find it in your human nose soul to allow him a chance to woo you, yes?”

This time, I do let my head fall back and laugh. There’s something so ridiculous about the brother of one of my mates pleading for me to give my first mate a second chance when I’ve already decided to do just that.

I know as soon as Vex realizes Ralleth and I are near. I can feel his eyes on me, and then he’s next to me. His hand wraps around Ralleth’s as he plucks the other man’s hand from my shoulder and frowns at him.

“Don’t touch my mate,” Vex says, calling me his mate with the nonchalance of someone who already knows I’ve decided to give him another chance, even though I’m pretty sure I just decided to do that this morning.

“Don’t be mean to my mate’s blood.” I turn a narrowed gaze at Vex, who’s staring at me with none of the intensity he was staring at Ralleth with.

“I can be mean to my blood whenever I want,” Vex counters, his lips ticking up in the corners when he sees my nostrils flare.

“So you are wooing her then?” Ralleth breaks the moment between us by reminding us that he’s still there. Vex turns to face him and gives him a nod. “Good, good. I was worried that Rallanwould keep your mate all to himself. I am glad he is willing to share.”

I snort at the thought of Rallan being the one causing issues with sharing. Vex must feel the same because he’s looking down at me out of the corner of his eyes. There’s laughter dancing in his eyes, and it reminds me of the good times we used to have, sneaking around the stadium.

“Well, your blood needs to know if his mate’s sick,” I say, turning the topic back to why we were looking for Vex.