Page 15 of Across the Stars (Cosmic Threads of Fate #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

WATAI

“Vin’me Xa’noke.” Watai bowed his head toward his mother, touching his forehead with his fingertips and then the spot between his hearts, before doing the same to his father. “Vin’me Xe’pule.”

“Xa’me ’ytan.” His mother smiled warmly and nodded her head toward him, and then repeated herself toward his threadmate. “Xa’me ’yvi. I’m relieved to see you well and finally dressed.”

“She doesn’t speak Z’myu’s language, Xa’noke,” Watai warned, forcing his hands to relax as a surge of protectiveness washed over him. “You already know this.”

“This is between her and me, ’ytan,” his mother remarked, tilting her head and squeezing his shoulder, motioning him to move away from his threadmate. “I need to show your Xe’pule that we do not consider her a threat to the tribe or Z’Mynua.”

“You’ve stripped her of everything.” Watai took a step back, knowing he had no say in the matter, but trusting his mother would do what she said.

She had the ability to pull rank on him, forcing him to obey her wishes.

He knew it would be better for both his threadmate and him if he didn’t fight her.

“Don’t make me keep her confined within these walls when she has nowhere else to go. It’s going to be difficult enough to work through our differences, let alone figure out how to communicate with her.”

“Know your place, wingleader,” Watai’s father growled as he took a stride toward his mother.

His fangs protruded from his lips, and his tail whipped aggressively behind him.

“I don’t care if she’s your threadmate. She’s brought items we’ve never seen before, and that’s a problem.

Our people are subject to strict laws imposed by Z’myu herself, and we cannot reject them simply because something new has crossed our path. ”

“Males,” his mother hissed, rounding on them so fast that the beads in her hair cracked as they fanned behind her. “If you two don’t calm down, I’ll throw you out of here, and you’ll have to climb your way back here without the help of your threadmounts.”

“There’s no need, Z’Aymo,” Watai muttered, bowing his head to the Voice of Z’myu. “I will keep my peace while you...investigate my threadmate.”

“I’ve spoken my thoughts to our ’ytan, yasunu,” his father, the War Chief of Z’myu, replied, shooting a quick glare at Watai to make sure he knew his place and wouldn’t overstep, before his features softened and he gazed tenderly at his mother.

“If you still believe she’s harmless once you’re done, I won’t stop her from venturing freely in our territory. ”

“Will she be able to attend the life celebration?” Watai cast a glance between his parents, hoping he wouldn’t have to leave her behind. “Could she defend herself in front of the tribal council and have her belongings returned to her?”

“It’s too early to tell,” his father grumbled, stepping beside Watai and clamping a hand on his shoulder.

“That’s for your mother to decide, but personally, I would prefer your cord to be sealed before we present her to the council.

Then the other leaders would know that she truly belongs by your side and in this tribe as a part of our tapestry. ”

“We will,” Watai swore, knowing deep down that he would be able to seal their bond in time, even if it wasn’t before the first gathering of the growing season. “And if we haven’t before then, I will stay behind with her, by her side.”

“I will be delighted to witness the day you seal your cosmic cord.”

“Hush, you two,” his mother said, looking over her shoulder as she began to circle the female in question. “I’ve taken note of both of your thoughts and will consider them at the appropriate time.”

Watai nodded, no longer caring what his parents said. He already knew instinctively that his threadmate was harmless.

His parents couldn’t feel what he felt.

It was his cord and his future at stake, and he refused to abandon his threadmate simply because she was different. Iskzo had not warned him of any danger when he spoke to her, nor had he sensed any nefarious thoughts from her.

He knew his parents were only doing their job by upholding Z’myu’s laws and tribal rules. They were both right—even though he was their son, they couldn’t overlook who she was and what she brought with her.

Watai hoped his threadmate wouldn’t hold his parents’ actions against him.

“You say she has a threadmount, the one we saw in the sky a few days ago, but I don’t see any evidence of it on her part of your cord,” his mother pondered, focused, golden speckles dancing in the white center of her pupils. “Can you tell me your name, ’yvi?”

Despite their height disparity, his threadmate held her head high, staring forward with no sign of nervousness. His mother loomed over her, not in a menacing way, but with a curious gaze, as she always did when she tried to listen to Z’myu’s wishes.

“ Lyk ey’ kyp sey’n, ey’ doo’t ondar s’tan da yu ,” his threadmate responded, her voice calm and collected, as if she were facing down an opponent in a duel. “ Wi ar yu soh kloz tu mee? ”

“I sense a fierce spirit within you, young one.” His mother chuckled as she reached for his threadmate’s hair, clutching one of the braids he’d done and peering at her with respect. “How do I address you?”

Watai cursed himself for forgetting to introduce himself in the midst of his excitement and attempts to care for his threadmate. He’d been so focused on making sure she had everything she needed that he’d assumed they already knew each other’s names, just like everyone else in the tribe.

“ Ey’ wud uh pri’shi ’eyt it ef yu kud fr’e mai h’yr. ” His threadmate’s eyes narrowed as she grasped his mother’s wrist, stopping her hand. “ Ey doo’t kar hu yu ar, ey dy’nt giv yu per mysh’en tu tu’ch mee. ”

“I’m sorry.” His mother smiled gently as she released his threadmate’s hair. “I’m used to touching my tribesmen whenever duty calls. I’ve overstepped my boundaries.”

His mother nodded and placed her hand between her hearts.

“My name is Z’Omika, and I am this tribe’s Z’Aymo, as well as the mother of Darha and Watai.

” She paused before turning and grabbing Watai’s arm, pulling him to stand beside her and touching his chest as she had her own.

She took her hand away and touched her own brow before motioning to his threadmate. “Z’Omika.”

Watai watched as his threadmate bit her bottom lip, the small tufts of hair on top of her eyes highlighting her wrinkled brow. Her gaze flickered between him and his mother, as if trying to decipher what she had said.

“Zoo Me Ka?” She spoke his mother’s name slowly, straining to get her mouth around the foreign syllables. “Zoo’Meka.”

Watai couldn’t help but grin, hearing her struggle to say his mother’s name. In any other situation with a less forgiving person, he would’ve felt the need to defend her and apologize for her errors.

“Z’Omika,” his mother corrected, a gentle smile on her face indicating that she wasn’t offended. She tilted her head in his direction. “Watai.”

His threadmate’s mouth fell open as her long lashes shot up, revealing her rich brown eyes as they locked onto his.

“Wa Ti?”

Something within him snapped, and his entire world became hyper focused on her. His soul cried out to hers, drowning out any doubts about whether she was a part of his cosmic cord.

“Watai.” He swallowed deeply, reaching out to touch her as his feet drew him closer—but he jerked to a halt before his fingers touched hers. “Watai.”

“Wa-Ti?”

The sound of his name on her lips solidified his desire to learn everything he could about his threadmate—and seal their fates together.

“Yes, my fated one.” He prevented himself from going any further, refusing to touch her without her permission, especially in front of his parents. “Watai.” He touched his brow and placed his hand between his hearts on his chest. “Watai.”

He could tell by the way her eyes followed his that she was processing what he had done.

She cast a quick glance at his mother, who was looking amused, and his father, who was standing resolutely behind his mother, his eyes following his threadmate’s every move.

His threadmate returned his gaze, mirroring what he had done. She gently pressed her closed hand against her forehead, then moved her hand to the center of her chest.

“Mae.”