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Spit it Out

*Jalen*

H eart pumping, I stared into the beautiful face of my mate. I couldn’t keep silent any longer. Not after what we’d just read. It might explain why I’d made such a terrible mistake so long ago.

I ought to be elated. Once I’d read that warning and connected it with everything that had happened, the truth bloomed to life in my mind. This was the why I’d spent years pondering over. I knew it deep down in my bones.

Yet, I couldn’t help worrying that once I confessed my past, Ren would be… less than pleased.

“Spit it out already, Jalen. What do you need to tell me about my sister?”

I grabbed Ren’s hand. “Remember that duel I lost?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes…”

“I lost to Rhelt.” My stomach turned, everything within it souring. “When Cassidy first arrived on Dionus, I thought she was meant to be my mate.”

Ren backed away, snatching her hand out of my reach. “What the fuck?”

“The healers explained after that I’d been experiencing a false heat. They could never figure out why it had started. Don’t you see?” I gestured to the text still visible on the screen. “This must be it!”

Ren blinked repeatedly, a palm pressed to her chest.

“The moment I met you, I started feeling it again, but so much stronger. I worried it was happening again. But it wasn’t. This time, it was real. Everything I felt before barely compares to what I feel with you.”

She met my gaze directly. “Did you and Cass ever…? Did you two…?”

“Nothing more than a handshake. Rhelt saw to that.” I sighed. “It all happened so fast. I met them in town, shook her hand, and in the next heartbeat, I was challenging my cousin to a duel. In some ways, it feels like a dream.”

Well, more like a nightmare. I’d spent years wondering what went wrong that day. I still wasn’t certain exactly what made identical twins different for Dionions, but now that I’d learned Ren was my mate, the way I was instantly drawn to Cassidy made sense in a way it never had before. Perhaps once we translated the rest of the research, the full truth would become clear.

“Oh god. I-I believe it. All of it.”

“You do?”

She waved at the screen. “Something happened to me, too, the first time I met Rhelt.” She shuddered, wrapping her arms around her middle. “I just thought he was a creep. But now…”

Fire blazed in my gut. “What did he do?”

Ren closed her eyes. “It started when Cassidy brought Rhelt to meet me and Demi, after they’d mated. It was little things, really. If it had only been once, I could’ve excused it as an honest mistake. Cassidy and I look so much alike… But it kept happening. He’d pull me into a too-close hug or slap my ass when I had my back turned.”

The thought of Rhelt’s hands on my mate was enough to make me want to murder him. Is this how Rhelt felt when I’d tried to take Cassidy from him?

“When he realized it was me, he always looked so shocked . He’d apologize. Promise it wouldn’t happen again. Only it kept happening.” She shook her head. “Cassidy had already bragged about how Dionions mated for life. They’d never stray. It wasn’t in their nature. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her precious mate had wandering hands.”

“Ren… I’m so sorry.” That couldn’t have been easy for her. At every turn, the males in her life had taken what she’d been unwilling to give. “I’ll make him regret ever touching you.”

She spun to me, eyes narrowing. “No, you won’t. Don’t you see? You’ve both made mistakes because of this… quirk of nature. We should use this knowledge to fix things, not ruin them more.” A tentative touch landed on my forearm. “Your aunt told me you two used to be close. Don’t you want to be close with Rhelt again?”

“You’re right.” I hung my head. “We were like brothers, once. I miss him.”

“Then let’s get your brother back. And my sister too.”

As I lifted my gaze and spotted the resolve shining in Ren’s eyes, a wash of emotion rushed over me.

Back when I’d thought Rhelt had stolen my mate, I’d cursed fate. And after, when I’d realized my mistake, I’d tried to put it all behind me. To live my life as happily as I could—to be useful, even as an imprisoned castaway.

But now, I could see that fate had always had my best interests in mind. When fate stopped me from getting on that spaceship so long ago, it kept me from making the worst mistake of my life. If I had been the first to meet Cassidy instead of Rhelt, that would’ve been a tragedy I couldn’t bear. Not now that I’d had a taste of the utter joy of Ren being mine. She could’ve stormed out after she heard my confession. Instead, here she was, with a fix for the mistakes I’d made.

“I’m so glad I found you.” I tucked an errant curl behind her ear, unable to stop myself from touching her. “You’re incredible. Have I ever told you that?”

Her cheeks reddened adorably, and then she smirked. “Yep. Pretty sure you said so the last time I had your dick in my mouth.”

Harlx’s bones. I had… hadn’t I? The memory flared to life, making my cocks swell, but before I could pull her in for a kiss, she darted away, wagging a finger.

“Hold that thought. We need to record the rest of this info in case the computer loses power.”

With a sigh, I followed her to the monitor. “How can I help?”