Page 28 of Royal Mate

Paige, Battleship Zeus, Six Weeks Later…

The command deck of Battleship Zeus was massive. Too massive. The ceilings soared high above, making me feel like a beetle trapped at the bottom of a glass jar. Polished metal and what looked like glass reflected the faint hum of power coursing through the ship. Walls of transparent panels looked out into the endless void of space. Stars glittered, cold and distant, reminding me just how small we were out here.

And how easy it would be to vanish.

No ground beneath my feet. No air beyond the walls. Just an endless black void pressing in on all sides. The thought made my stomach twist.

How did several thousand people live out here? All the time? I’d go crazy.

Space was definitely not for me. I had to wonder if this was like serving on a submarine. I doubted there were any of those out here, but the vastness and claustrophobia had to be similar.

What I was seeing were probably only display screens, right? There wasn’t real space on the other side of those windows, was there? Real stars? Planets? Bad guys in their spaceships flying around trying to assimilate everyone and everything like the Borg in a nightmare Star Trek movie?

Before I accidentally transported myself across the galaxy, I hadn’t paid too much attention to the details about the Coalition Fleet or their war with the Hive. As queen of a planet now, I’d had a lot of catching up to do. While Alienor had admitted her sins in front of me and all of the guests at the betrothal-wedding-that-didn’t-happen, the emerging details scared the shit out of me. Even after all these weeks, I couldn’t believe the evil that my cousin had spread. She’d actually sold Hive technology. To bad guys. That wasn’t all she did, even. Weapons. Slaves. Drugs. Nothing she’d done had been okay.

With Addan at my side, I’d let the Insurian justice system do its thing with both of them. While Alienor had lost her power the second I arrived on Insuri, she’d been officially stripped of her realm. She had been found guilty—of everything—and was now rotting in an underground prison as far away from Queen’s Castle as I could send her. She was literally on the other side of the planet. She had no allies to help her. Any support she had amassed over the years was also imprisoned.

Everyone hated her. What she did. What she embodied. No one would help her escape, not that there was a possibility where she was housed.

And me? I was in flipping outer space. On a battleship. With a few thousand Prillon warriors, fighters, Atlan Warlords and the first batch of Insurian fighters who had volunteered to join the Coalition Fleet. Our soldiers stood at attention in neat rows behind me, their young faces glowing with excitement and adventure.

I wished them well, but did not envy the battles ahead. The Coalition informed us it would take several more weeks for the first processing centers on Insuri to be fully built and operational. That was fine. The fighters behind me had refused to wait.

The room buzzed with controlled energy. Commander Zeus and several Coalition officers moved toward us with precision, their every step measured. Everywhere I looked, there were soldiers in gleaming armor, armed and ready for war at a moment’s notice.

Warlord Stohn walked a few steps behind Zeus, a welcoming grin on his face. Yes, the night guard from the processing center was here with me.

He approached. Smiled. Held out his hand. In it was–

I couldn’t help but laugh at the small piece of Laffy Taffy he held.

“You brought this from Earth for me?”

“Yes, Paige, Queen of Insuri.”

I took it and opened the wrapper and read the joke.

“What did the house wear to the party?”

Everyone in the control room eyed me with confusion. The question made no sense when jokes weren’t something they shared.

“Address,” I replied.

Now they stared at me bewildered. I looked to Addan, who smiled, well aware there were many Earth things I did that he didn't fully understand.

Stohn, however, laughed. “A dress! That is very amusing.”

I held out the opened candy for Stohn to take. I knew how he liked his sweets.

He bowed and declined. “No, my lady. I brought it for you. It is my honor.”

I nodded my thanks and popped the treat into my mouth. It would be rude not to.

“You see, you did find a mate.” Warlord Stohn scowled at Addan with…approval? Men were so weird. “A worthy male who will protect and satisfy you.”

I blushed, remembering how Addan had satisfied me as soon as we were shown to our quarters on the battleship.

My gaze darted again to Addan. He stood at my side, calm and steady. Solid. Everything Stohn mentioned.

The tension in my chest eased. He looked like he belonged here. Like nothing in the galaxy could rattle him.

I held my breath and straightened my spine as Commander Zeus turned to us. Stohn retreated, but remained nearby, clearly ready to protect me as well.

Zeus looked a hundred times more fierce and intimidating on his battleship, with his fighters lined up behind him, than he had on Insuri. When he spoke, his voice filled the entire space. And that was without the help of Hermione’s voice amplification.

“Queen Paige of Insuri. King Consort Addan Peigi, her Resonant.” Zeus’s sharp gaze flicked over us, his tone clipped. “Welcome aboard Battleship Zeus. Today, we formalize Insuri’s place as a full member of the Interstellar Coalition of Planets.”

Addan held out his arm and I wrapped my hands around the crook of his elbow. The solid heat of him, the contact, grounded me. I consistently clung to it, to him, like a lifeline. Yes, I was queen now. There had been a huge ceremony. A heavy crown plopped on my head. But most days, I still felt like an imposter, a maid turned into a princess, a maid with the sickly-sweet taste of sour apple on my tongue.

Holy shit. I was fucking Cinderella. Hah.

“This day has been a long time coming,” Zeus continued. “Queen Madallaine, Paige’s mother, dreamed of this day. She gave her life for Insuri’s future, and I believe she’d be proud to see her daughter standing here now, fulfilling her vision.”

I met Zeus’s gaze. “It’s an honor to bring Insuri into the Coalition. This partnership will mark the beginning of a new era for my people.”

Zeus nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Of course, none of this would have been possible without a certain someone’s unexpected fall into a transport pool.”

Addan chuckled softly. The sound sent a ripple of warmth through me, even while I blushed at my klutziness.

“The universe had a plan for her,” Addan said, glancing down at me.

“Apparently, it involved me scrubbing toilets,” I replied dryly.

Laughter rippled through the room, breaking the tension. Even Zeus allowed a small smirk.

Then, Zeus’s voice grew serious. “Thanks to that plan, we’ve brought down one of the largest smuggling operations in Coalition history. The arrests of Queen Alienor’s allies dismantled the illegal weapons and tech trade across multiple sectors. Corruption we’ve been chasing for years—gone. Justice served.”

My chest tightened. We’d done it. I still couldn’t believe I’d been involved at all. Me.

“And Insuri is stronger for it,” Addan added. His voice was steady, but I could hear the pride behind it. He was proud of me. He loved me. He told me every day. Multiple times. How I got so freaking lucky, I had no idea. But I was never giving him up. Never.

Zeus nodded. “Indeed. The Coalition owes you both a debt of gratitude.”

I glanced out the window—screen—whatever. My eyes drifted to the stars. They stretched on forever, cold and indifferent. The enormity of it all pressed down on me again. We were a speck in a galaxy filled with danger, with threats I could barely comprehend.

As if he could read my mind, Addan squeezed my hands to his side. I soaked him in. His strength. Heat. Love.

“Well,” I said, clearing my throat. “I suppose I should thank the staff at the processing center for getting the floors so dirty. Without them, none of this would’ve happened.”

The room erupted into laughter, and this time, even I joined in.

When the sound faded, Zeus stepped forward and extended his hand. “On behalf of the Coalition, I welcome Insuri as a full member. May this partnership bring peace, prosperity, and strength to your people—and to the galaxy.”

I shook his hand firmly. “Thank you, Commander. Insuri will do everything in our power to honor this alliance and assist in the fight against the Hive.” That meant sending fighters and brides, like every other planet. Just like Earth.

Zeus turned to Addan, his gaze steady. “General, you’ve proven yourself an invaluable ally to both Insuri and the Coalition. We look forward to working with you.”

Addan clasped Zeus’s hand, his voice low and sure. “It’s a new beginning for all of us.”

I couldn’t stop staring at the stars. They didn’t scare me as much now. Yes, space was vast and dangerous, but I wasn’t facing it alone.

Addan stepped closer, his arm coming to rest around my waist. I leaned into his heat. God, I loved this man. Alien. Addan. My Addan.

It had all started with an accident. One clumsy, ridiculous fall that had sent my life spinning into chaos. But as I stood here now, my Resonant by my side, I couldn’t help but think it had been the best accident of my life.