Marriage Contract with my Cursed Alien Mate

Chapter 117: Chapter 117

The air vanished out of Tempest’s lungs.

No.

Absolutely not!

"You can’t do that! You can’t just send him away!" Tempest screamed at Prince Jaqen, and in that moment the guards took a step forward as if they were about to snatch her away.

Dron yanked her back further.

"Tempest, not now." He growled his warning.

"This is preposterous!" Tempest tried to move forward again. She was scared.

Not just for what Dron was about to go through but for herself. If he was deployed, what did that mean for her? Would they force her to marry someone else? She just wouldn’t do it.

"I assure you I can do this and I have. You heard him in there. Dron has the most experience with what is going on in the poor class. He knows what to look for. Who to look for. If there is anyone to lead this mission, it’s him. You wouldn’t want to go against what you said in front of everyone, would you? After all, Tempest, you were the one who was demanding that we do something to fix this problem. I’m fixing it."

"With all due respect, I can’t just be redeployed. I have responsibilities here that I have to take care of. I’m still in the middle of my leave. I have a mate. I can’t leave her unattended."

"Unattended. Dron, the dramatics don’t become you. Unless you’re insinuating that your home is unequipped to house an omega. If that’s the case, then there are other things to talk about. You will go on this mission, and Tempest will stay here where she is safe. If it would put your mind at ease, I’ll make sure there is a guard on your property at all times. Nothing will happen to her." Prince Jaqen shrugged his shoulders.

Tempest pulled her lips in and bit down hard to stop a whimper from leaking out. This was going to happen whether she or Dron wanted it to or not.

Dron’s entire body was tense; she could feel the slight tremble radiating off him. He wanted to do more. Wanted to fight against what the prince was saying, but there was nothing that they could do. He was going to have to leave, and that was the end of it all.

"As you wish," Dron finally said and bowed slightly. "May I ask one favor?" He looked up slightly in Prince Jaqen’s direction.

Prince Jaqen waved his hand to tell Dron to proceed. It was the most disrespectful thing that he could do, but the prince didn’t have to respect anyone.

"I need a few days to prepare Tempest and my home. Just enough time to get my affairs in order."

"You have one day."

One day. Tempest closed her eyes and tilted away from the men. She was about to lose Dron for god knows how long, and all they had left was one day. It wasn’t enough time.

There was nothing left to say. Nothing left to do but go home and be with each other.

Dron bowed again before he grabbed hold of Tempest’s hand and walked out of the smaller royal chamber.

Tempest all but had to run to keep up with Dron’s gait. He was angry she could feel it.

"Dron, slow down." Tempest complained as he all but pulled her out of the room.

He wasn’t listening to her. He wasn’t here with her. He was fighting demons in his own mind. This wasn’t what they’d thought would happen today. Not in the least.

Finally, they made it out of the large castle and onto the main street. There were a few people still there that had come to be witnesses, but the majority of everyone who had come to be on Dron’s side had already gone.

Once they had made it outside, Tempest ripped her hand away from Dron. She couldn’t keep up, and he needed to calm down. Couldn’t do that holding on to her.

"We need to talk about this drone. What are we going to do? How can we get around this?" Tempest questioned.

Maznik and Gerax realized something was off and took a step forward. Mexyn tilted her head in Tempest’s direction, an unspoken question on her face.

"What’s happened? What did the high royals want with you?" Maznik questioned.

"To ruin it. He wanted to ruin me. They’ve won. Those..." Dron tossed his head back and roared in absolute frustration. The sound echoed in the open space. He turned and found the nearest inanimate object and began to pound on it with his fist

Tempest cringed when every piece of marble and stone began to chip away. Small traces of blood being left behind from where Dron’s flesh made contact.

"Stop! You have to stop it! Please!" she cried for him, but Gerax kept her back.

MAxnik was the one who Stepped in. "Talk to me, Dron. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on."

Dron took a breath and then another, finally calming down from what he was doing. He turned to look at the older alpha with nothing but defeat in his eyes.

"They’ve redeployed me. I have to serve again in one day’s time.

There was a groan from the people around them, and Tempest let her head fall.

There was a groan from the people around them, and Tempest let her head fall.

She didn’t know what to do.

It wasn’t for the first time since she’d arrived on Thraque that she felt completely helpless. There had always been something she could do before. She could argue. She could reason with someone. She could throw herself into helping another person. Even when Dron had been fighting for his life after the poison, there had been something she could accomplish. She could find Gerax. She could stay by Dron’s side. She could hold his hand and tell him he wasn’t alone. This... this was different. The high royals had made a decision, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to change it. She hated that feeling. Hated knowing that some pompous prince sitting on a gilded chair had the power to rip her husband away from her with only a few words.

Dron wasn’t looking at anyone.

He stood with his back rigid, his hands opening and closing into fists so tightly she could see the muscles in his forearms trembling. He looked like he was barely holding himself together. She’d seen him angry before. Seen him fight. Seen him lose control in the arena. This wasn’t the same. This anger was quieter. It wasn’t directed at one person standing in front of him. It was directed at himself.

That hurt her more than anything.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

He believed he’d caused this.

He believed that if he’d kept his mouth shut, if he’d never stood up in front of the royals, none of this would’ve happened. Tempest wanted to shake him until he understood that wasn’t true. Prince Jaqen had been looking for a way to use Dron from the very beginning. If it hadn’t been this, it would’ve been something else.

"Dron..." she whispered softly.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he threw his head back and roared again. The sound echoed through the streets surrounding the palace, causing more than one passerby to stop and stare. Before Tempest could react, he slammed his fist into another marble pillar. Stone cracked beneath the force of the blow, and she watched fresh blood streak across the white surface.

Her heart lurched.

She rushed toward him only for Gerax to gently catch her by the arm.

"Let him get it out," the scientist murmured.

"I don’t want him hurting himself."

"He isn’t trying to hurt himself."

Tempest looked between Gerax and Dron.

"No," Gerax continued quietly. "He’s trying not to hurt anyone else."

Those words settled heavily inside her.

She knew they were true.

Dron could have charged right back into the palace. He could’ve fought every guard between him and Prince Jaqen. Instead, he was taking all of that rage out on lifeless stone.

Maznik slowly stepped closer until he was only a few feet away from Dron.

"Talk to me."

Dron’s breathing remained ragged for several more seconds before he finally lowered his bloody fist.

"They’ve won." His voice cracked with frustration. "I walked in there wanting justice, and now they’re sending me right back into military service. They took everything I said and twisted it into exactly what they wanted."

"They’re using you," Gerax answered.

"I know they’re using me!" Dron snapped before immediately looking away. "Forgive me."

Gerax simply nodded.

"No apology needed."

Tempest hated hearing how defeated Dron sounded. The man who’d stood in front of more than a hundred people only minutes earlier with such confidence suddenly looked exhausted. Smaller somehow. Not physically, but emotionally. It was as if all the pride she’d seen on his face after his speech had been stripped away the moment Prince Jaqen smiled.

"They only chose you because you were right," Maznik finally said. "Had you spoken poorly today, none of this would’ve happened."

Dron barked out a humorless laugh.

"That isn’t exactly comforting."

"No," Maznik admitted. "But it is the truth."

Silence settled over them again.

Tempest watched Dron stare at the ground.

He looked lost.

She couldn’t remember ever seeing him like that.

Not even after the arena.

Not after the poison.

Not after waking up from the Life Nectar.

Those moments had all been physical battles.

This...

This had wounded something much deeper.

Finally Dron looked up.

"What about Tempest?"

The words were barely above a whisper.

"What happens if they come back? What if whoever attacked us realizes I’m gone? She’ll be alone."

Tempest’s chest tightened.

Leave it to Dron.

He’d just been ordered back into military service against his will, and somehow he was still worrying about her before himself.

"You won’t have to worry about that."

Gerax stepped forward without a moment’s hesitation.

"I’ll stay with her."

Tempest blinked.

"What?"

"I said I’ll stay with you." Gerax shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "My research can be moved to your home well enough."

Maznik nodded immediately.

"And I can come by every day."

"So can I," Mexyn added before anyone else had the chance. "If you think I’m leaving my her alone after this, you’re out of your minds."

Tempest felt tears threaten to spill over.

She hadn’t expected that.

She hadn’t expected any of them to volunteer so quickly.

Dron looked between all three of them.

"I can’t ask that of you."

"You didn’t."

Maznik smiled kindly.

"We offered."

"It’ll be my honor," Gerax said. "Besides, I still need to monitor the both of you after everything that’s happened."

Mexyn snorted.

"Listen to him trying to pretend he’s only doing it for science."

Gerax rolled his eyes.

"I can care about people and science."

Tempest laughed.

It came out watery and broken, but it was still a laugh.

For just a second, everything didn’t feel quite so hopeless.

She reached for Dron’s hand.

The second their fingers touched, she realized how cold his skin had become.

He looked at her.

"I’m sorry."

"No."

"I should’ve—"

"No."

She squeezed his hand harder.

"You don’t get to apologize for doing the right thing."

His shoulders slumped.

"I don’t want to leave you."

The words nearly shattered what little composure she had left.

She wanted to tell him not to go.

Wanted to beg him to take her somewhere far away where neither of them would ever have to see another royal again.

Instead...

She smiled.

A fake smile.

One she hoped looked convincing enough.

"You’ll be back before you know it."

She wasn’t fooling him.

She could see it in his eyes.

He knew she was terrified.

The truth was she didn’t care if Gerax, Maznik, Mexyn, or an entire battalion of soldiers stayed with her.

None of them were Dron.

None of them could take his place.

She was afraid.

Afraid that once he left, something would happen before she ever got the chance to tell him she loved him again.

A transport floated down beside them, its hatch opening with a soft hiss.

No one moved right away.

It almost felt wrong.

Like stepping inside meant accepting what had just happened.

Eventually Dron intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Let’s go home."

Home.

The word made her chest ache.

Together they climbed into the transport.

The doors slid shut behind them, cutting off the sounds of the city.

The moment they were alone, Tempest wrapped both arms around Dron and buried her face against his chest. He held her just as tightly, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other wrapped around her waist as if he were afraid someone might still try to pull her away.

Neither of them spoke. Neither of them wanted to.

The transport lifted from the ground and carried them away from the palace. She didn’t care where they were going.

All she cared about was memorizing the feel of Dron’s heartbeat beneath her cheek, the warmth of his body around hers, and the way his fingers remained intertwined with hers.

Neither of them wanted even a single second where they weren’t touching.