Page 36

MAYA

Light snow drifts around us as we emerge from the forest’s edge. Eve’s Rest lies ahead, its wooden walls rising against the white landscape like some fairy tale village. Only there’s nothing magical about the armed guards that patrol the wooden walls, their weapons glinting in the weak sunlight.

“Something’s wrong,” I say, studying the colony that was once my home. Smoke rises from countless chimneys despite it being midday – everyone’s inside when they should be going about their daily business. The usual sounds of the marketplace are absent; no children laughing, no vendors calling their wares. Even the machinery that usually hums beyond the walls is silent.

“Rather different from the last time we were here,” Zoran remarks, scratching his chin. “When we stormed through the gates...”

Melvall elbows him sharply. “Which you’re sorry about, right?”

“Oh yes, terribly sorry,” Zoran grins, not looking sorry at all. “Though the fight was quite invigorating.”

“I’m not sorry,” Volan says quietly beside me. “It’s how I met Maya.”

Volan’s luminae pulse softly in the growing darkness, casting shifting patterns across the snow. At any other time, I’d stop and stare at the beautiful sight. It’s hard to take my eyes off my mate, if I’m honest—especially when he says sappy things like that, making my heart race.

I try to hide my smile as I study the walls again, noting the increased guard presence. “They must be worried about another attack. The council has never ordered a full lockdown before. They’re expecting trouble.”

“Tanis is already scouting the perimeter,” Volan says. His most trusted guard had gone ahead of us, as silent and lethal as a shadow. It was rather shocking to see such a large male just disappear into the surroundings, only his footprints left to indicate his passing. He’s deadly.

“He’ll signal if he spots any patrol changes,” Volan informs us.

“You know, if we have to get inside, I could throw Melvall over the wall,” Zoran suggests helpfully. “He’s quite aerodynamic with all those fins.”

“I will end you,” Melvall replies calmly, not even bothering to look at his friend.

A smile tugs at my lips despite the tension. These males – my friends – make even the most serious situations bearable. My gaze drifts to the communications tower standing alone beyond the walls, its antenna rising high above everything else.

“We don’t need to get inside the colony,” I tell them, pointing to our target. “The tower’s outside the walls. Though I still can’t believe they built such vital infrastructure out here without proper defenses. At least their stupidity works in our favor now.”

I pause, glancing at my companions. Once, I would have hesitated to give orders to these powerful warriors. Now I know better. They’re waiting for my lead, trusting my knowledge of this territory.

“Follow me,” I say, “and stay low. We’re about to show everyone exactly what’s been happening on this planet.”

I lead our small group through the snow-covered landscape, keeping low where we can use the terrain for cover. The path to the communications tower feels different now. Last time I ran this way in blind panic, heart thundering in my chest as I fled from the guards. Now each step is measured, purposeful.

A light snow continues to fall around us, helping to mask our approach. My boots crunch softly in the fresh powder, but I no longer fear the sound will give us away. Let them hear us coming. Let them know that everything is about to change.

“You’re smiling,” Volan comments softly from beside me. His luminae flicker with curiosity.

“I am?” I touch my lips, surprised to find them curved upward. “I guess I am. It’s just... last time I was terrified. I could barely think straight. Now...” I pause, trying to put the feeling into words. “Now I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“You were brave then too,” he tells me. “You just didn’t know it yet.”

Behind us, Melvall mutters something about keeping watch while Zoran suggests increasingly outlandish battle strategies. Their bickering has become oddly comforting – a reminder that I’m not alone anymore. I don’t have to carry this burden by myself.

We pause behind a small ridge, the communications tower looming ahead of us. A single guard stands at attention by the entrance – I recognize the spiky green-tipped hair even from this distance.

“I know him,” I whisper to my companions. “He was one of the guards who tried to arrest me before.”

“Want us to take care of him?” Zoran asks eagerly, already half-rising before Melvall yanks him back down.

“We need a plan,” Melvall hisses. “Something subtle. Perhaps I could create a distraction while?—”

“Or we could charge in!” Zoran interrupts. “Nothing says subtlety like a good frontal assault.”

I watch them argue tactics, remembering how I once froze at the first sign of conflict. Now their enthusiasm brings a fierce joy to my heart. I’m not that scared girl anymore, always second-guessing herself. I know exactly what needs to be done.

“We’re not going to hurt him,” I say firmly, cutting through their debate. Both males turn to look at me, clearly surprised by my commanding tone. “But we do need him out of the way. Volan?”

I glance at my mate, and find him already moving. Like shadows merging, he seems to simply fade into the snowy landscape. Sometimes I forget just how lethal he can be when he wants to be. How did I ever think I could handle this quest alone when having allies like this makes everything so much easier?

Zoran opens his mouth, probably to suggest throwing someone again, but Melvall clamps a hand over it. We watch in silence as Volan approaches the guard from behind, swift and silent as death itself.

Volan moves with fluid grace I remember from the colony attack, when he rescued me from these very same guards – the way he’d flow through combat like it was a dance, every movement precise and controlled. Back then, I’d been terrified of his lethal efficiency. Now watching him stalk toward green-tips, my heart races for an entirely different reason.

“Wait for it,” I whisper to Zoran and Melvall. Zoran practically vibrates with anticipation while Melvall rolls his eyes.

“If we time this right—” Melvall starts.

“I say we—” Zoran interrupts.

They both fall silent as Volan strikes. One moment green-tips is scanning the horizon, the next he’s caught in Volan’s iron grip, a knife pressed against his throat. The guard’s eyes go wide with recognition when he sees me stand and approach. Confident. I walk up to him like I have no care in the world. I don’t. I know that Volan will come for me now. I’m not alone.

“You? Seriously?”, green-tips groans. “Not again.”

“Afraid so,” I reply, unable to hold back my smile. “Though this time, you might want to hear us out before trying to arrest anyone.”

“Even if arresting people is your favorite hobby,” Zoran adds helpfully as he bounds over. “Though I still say we could have gone with my plan.”

“Your plan involved throwing me at him,” Melvall points out, following at a more dignified pace. “That’s not a plan. That’s just you wanting to throw me at things.”

“It would have worked!”

“Name one time throwing me has ever worked.”

My victorious smile falters as I listen to my companions banter.

“Wait, Zoran’s actually thrown you? You aren’t just joking around?”

“We agreed never to speak of that again,” Melvall snaps, giving Zoran a very intense glare.

I shake my head, turning my focus back to my task. This is a story for another time, clearly. I’m absolutely certain Zoran will be happy to spill the beans. Green-tips stares at my alien companions with a mixture of terror and fascination.

“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “They’re actually quite friendly. Well, mostly friendly.”

“Very friendly,” Zoran agrees. “Want to see how far I can throw?—”

“No!” Melvall and I say in unison.

Green-tips swallows hard. “What... what do you want?”

“Just to right some wrongs,” I say. “And maybe change everything you think you know about this planet.” I glance at Volan, who still holds the guard securely but hasn’t harmed him. “We won’t hurt you. But we are going to need to restrain you for a while. Melvall, can you do the honors?”

“Why not me?” Zoran asks, lips downturned.

“Because you’ll forget to hold him, and next thing you’ll know you’ll be chasing him,” Melvall replies.

“Chasing is more fun…”

Melvall sighs heavily, and takes hold of the guard from Volan. His grip is firm, but not unkind.

Thankfully the guard, despite how terrified he looks, isn’t particularly fighting back against us. If anything, he looks closer to fainting. Even Melvall realizes this, holding onto his arm like he expects the man to just collapse at our feet.

“They lied to us,” I tell green-tips, hoping that if I keep talking to him he’s not going to have a full meltdown and start screaming for help. “Everyone at the colony, including you, deserves to know what’s really going on. After today, everything’s going to change. For the best.”

Inside the communications tower, I pull my beloved tablet from my pocket. The screen is a spiderweb of cracks from where it struck the Tangler’s teeth. For a moment, my fingers hesitate over the damaged surface. This device has been my constant companion, my safety net through everything.

“Damn it,” I mutter as the screen flickers, refusing to respond to my touch in several places. “This is going to be trickier than I thought.”

“Can you still make it work?” Volan asks, his presence warm and solid beside me.

I glance up at him, at the steady pulse of his luminae, and suddenly the broken screen doesn’t seem so important anymore. I’ve spent so long relying on machines because I couldn’t trust people. Now I have something – someone – far more reliable.

“It only needs to do one last job,” I tell him, already connecting my tablet to the tower’s systems. “It’s served its purpose.”

My fingers fly over the working portions of the screen, muscle memory taking over as I access the colony’s communication network. Every resident’s personal device will receive this broadcast – every piece of evidence I’ve collected, every secret file I’ve uncovered. The truth about Walter, about the council’s lies, about the aliens who call this planet home.

And the medicine. They need to know that’s the reason why Earth came to this planet. Not to colonize and live in peace, but to dominate and control.

Green-tips watches the screens with growing horror as the evidence fills them – documents proving Walter’s deception, footage of the underground city, proof of the nanite medicine’s existence.

“This whole time...” he whispers. “They knew? About all of this? I thought… I thought we were just starting a new life.”

“They knew,” I confirm, watching his face. His shock mirrors what the rest of the colony will feel. “They lied to all of us. But now everyone will know the truth.”

I look back at the screen, momentarily staring at the images that flash before me, eyes unseeing.

“It’s done,” I whisper. “My quest is done.”

I’ve completed what I set out to do. I’m the heroine in my own story, and now it’s completed.

The computer before me beeping snaps me out of my daze. The broadcast has been completed, sent to every single person. Knowing that our time is running short, I quickly type in Stacy’s personal communication code. My heart pounds as I wait for her response.

“Maya?” Stacy’s voice crackles through the speakers. “Where are you? I just… you sent so much? What’s going on?”

“I need you to listen carefully,” I tell her. “The colony isn’t safe anymore. You need to get out.”

“And go where?” Stacy asks. I know she’s got a million questions, but she’s practical. Always has been. She can probably hear the urgency in my voice, suspecting we don’t have much time… very soon the colony’s guards and Hunters will be flooding this area, looking for me.

“To the river,” Melvall suddenly offers. “I know the area well. I can watch for her arrival, make sure she’s safe. Bring her to you.”

“Perfect. Stacy, Melvall will meet you there. You can trust him. Just get to the river, okay?”

“I… okay.”

I can’t help but smile as I disconnect from the systems. There’s no going back now.

And honestly? I wouldn’t want to. I did exactly what I set out to do, and it feels amazing.

I nod, taking one last look at my damaged tablet before leaving it behind. I don’t need it anymore. Its purpose, like my quest, is complete. We’ve given him – given everyone – the truth. Now they have to choose what to do with it.

We slip out of the tower and into the snowy landscape. Behind us, the colony walls loom silent and dark. Already I can hear shouting in the distance – the evidence is spreading, causing exactly the chaos I’d hoped for. Walter and his conspirators won’t be able to contain this.

Ahead of us, Melvall and Zoran bicker about the best route to the river. They wave at us as they leave to go their separate ways.

“I’ll stay and observe the humans’ response,” Tanis offers, appearing suddenly by my side. I yelp at the unexpected presence, which only causes Tanis to shrink in on himself, looking contrite.

“Someone should monitor how your council reacts to this revelation,” he tells me in a gentle tone, as if he’s expecting me to flee from him.

I open and close my mouth, gaping. How did he just show up like that? I never saw him coming at all. One moment there’s empty ground beside me, and the next he’s standing there taller than life.

Volan clasps Tanis’ shoulder, sending me a teasing smirk before turning to his friend. “Be careful. Send word through Melvall or return home whenever you have word.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, grateful that I have another person that I can rely on and trust.

“Now that the secret is out, Earth’s military will come,” I warn Volan as we make our way back toward the forest. “The medicine is beyond valuable. They will not give it up easily.”

“Let them come,” Volan replies, his voice steel and silk. His luminae pulse with determination. “We’ll be ready.”

I slip my hand into his, our fingers intertwining. My heart thrills at how he considers this our fight—me and him working side by side as equals.

“I spent so long thinking I had to do everything alone. Like I was rushing off on some epic quest to save the world. But that’s not what being a hero means, is it?”

“No,” Volan says. “It means having the courage to trust others. To let them stand beside you.” His luminae flare brightly, and he looks down at me, his gaze warm. “To let them love you.”

Snow continues to fall around us as we walk away from my old home and toward whatever future awaits. I don’t know exactly what’s coming – war, change, chaos probably. But for the first time in my life, I’m not afraid.

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

THE END

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