Page 23 of Zayrik (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #6)
Zayrik
THE BOND WAS QUIET . But not gone.
The moment she yielded completely, I sensed it lock into place, body and soul.
When everything inside me recognized her as mine.
My mating marks had activated like fire beneath my skin, and I felt her inside my head.
Now everything in me was attuned to her.
My focus. My instincts. My need.
Even the way I moved felt different. Like I was walking through the world tethered to something precious.
To someone.
She wasn’t Alaran. Neither was I. Not fully.
But the bond had still formed fully.
And that truth sat like gravity in my chest.
Permanent. Irrevocable.
Ours.
I watched her hands dance across the controls, her focus intense and practiced. Every movement precise, controlled. Beautiful in ways that went beyond physical.
Cindrel Station hung outside the viewport like a promise or a threat.
She didn’t look at me. But she didn’t have to.
Because her pulse had jumped when my hand brushed hers. And I could see the slight tremor in her fingers. Could feel the way she held herself too still when I moved closer.
Like she didn’t trust the ground beneath her feet.
Didn’t trust she was safe yet.
But I knew better.
She was mine now.
And I’d burn the stars before I let anything touch her again.
My soul had found its match.
There was no going back.
Not when every instinct I had screamed to shield her.
Not when the idea of losing her felt like being torn in half
The marks along my arms pulsed with color now. Not flickering with doubt. But alive with purpose.
With the truth of what I’d do to keep her.
Not because she needed a savior.
But because I needed her.
Being with Nyla had changed everything.
Not just with that kiss. Or the way her body fit against mine like she’d been made for me.
But with her strength. Her determination. The way she fought not just for herself, but for what was right.
The crystal she carried could bring down Vask’s empire. Could save countless lives.
But that wasn’t why I stayed.
I stayed because something in me recognized something in her.
She was my K’sha. Even if I’d not said it aloud yet.
Watching Nyla pilot us through that nebula with steady hands, sharp eyes, fire in her soul... I felt it.
That connection. That trust.
It pulsed through the bond between us. Raw and new, but undeniable.
She believed I had her back. And she was right.
The marks along my arms weren’t just a symbol, they were a vow.
A legacy older than blood.
Proof that Alaran males were forged for more than war.
We were meant for this. To protect our mates. To love them unconditionally.
I saw her as an equal.
But the protector in me would die before letting her fall.
And whatever came next, whatever battles, whatever choices, we’d face them together.
Because she was my purpose now.
Not just worth fighting for—
She was worth everything.
The bond thrummed under my skin, not uncertain, not waiting.
But claiming space in every breath, every thought.
A constant reminder that I wasn’t just a blade anymore.
The Protectorate had trained me to be a weapon.
Precise. Detached. Unshakable.
But Nyla made me want to be more than that.
Not to tame her. She’d never be caged.
But to stand with her.
To be the shield at her back.
To be the one thing she’d never had—
Someone who stayed.
CINDREL STATION LOOMED ahead, and I could feel her tension rising. This wasn’t just another port, another hiding place.
This meant something to her.
Which meant it meant something to me.
I wanted to offer my support by holding her hand, letting her know she wasn’t on her own in facing whatever was ahead.
I watched her prepare for docking, admiring the efficiency of her movements, the strength in her focus. She wasn’t just surviving anymore. She was fighting back. Against Vask. Against her past. Against everything that had tried to break her.
And I would be there, not because of duty.
Not because of the mission.
But because something in my soul had recognized her as essential.
As home.
As mine.
And whatever waited for us on that station...
We would face it together.