Chapter 144
Tempest felt as if the air was burning her lungs, but she was starting to feel as if she was becoming more adept.
The training that she had with Rynax at nights was really helping her.
She still wasn’t anywhere near as graceful as the alphas around her, but she no longer stumbled over every loose stone or root hidden beneath the brittle earth. Her balance was improving. Her breathing was evening out. Even the staff resting comfortably in her hand felt more like an extension of herself instead of an awkward piece of wood she was desperately trying not to drop.
The field stretched on for what felt like forever.
The trees surrounding them were unlike any forest she’d ever seen on Earth. They were tall and twisted, their pale trunks cracked with age, every branch stripped bare as if something had stolen the life from them centuries ago. There wasn’t a single green leaf to be found. Every now and then the dry wind swept through the skeletal branches, creating a soft rattling sound that reminded Tempest of bones knocking together.
It should have been eerie.
Instead, she found it strangely beautiful.
"It doesn’t get any easier to look at, does it?" she asked quietly.
Rynax glanced around before looking back at her.
"No."
"You’ve been here for a few days. You should be used to the topography."
"Slowly getting used to it."
"And it still creeps you out?"
"It reminds me that the world doesn’t belong to us." He shrugged one shoulder. "Places like this were here long before the Thraqen built cities and they’ll still be here long after we’re gone."
Tempest smiled.
"I didn’t think you were the philosophical type."
"I wear jewelry, Tempest. I never said I lacked depth."
She laughed.
A genuine laugh.
It startled her more than anything.
She hadn’t laughed like that since Dron had left.
Rynax looked almost pleased with himself, though he hid it behind that usual smug expression of his.
"There she is."
"What?"
"The woman who smiles without forcing it."
Tempest rolled her eyes.
"Don’t ruin it."
"I wasn’t planning to."
They continued walking side by side through the endless grove, their staffs tapping lightly against the dry ground with every step. Conversation came easier now than it had only a few days ago. She no longer found herself wondering if every word that came out of Rynax’s mouth had some hidden meaning behind it. More often than not he was simply... talking.
He teased.
She teased back.
It was easy.
Comfortable.
She still missed Dron with every beat of her heart, but having someone who could distract her for even a few minutes felt like a gift she hadn’t realized she needed.
Footsteps quickened behind them.
Tempest glanced over her shoulder just as Mexyn caught up.
"You two certainly found a pace."
"We’re just walking," Tempest replied.
"I noticed."
Mexyn’s eyes flicked toward Rynax before settling back on Tempest.
The atmosphere shifted.
It wasn’t dramatic.
It wasn’t hostile.
Just... awkward.
Rynax noticed it too.
He looked between the two women before giving Tempest an exaggerated sigh.
"I suddenly have the distinct feeling that I’m no longer wanted."
Tempest opened her mouth to protest.
Before she could, he smiled.
"I’ll scout ahead."
Without waiting for an answer, Rynax spun the staff lazily through his fingers before resting it across his shoulders. He strolled farther down the trail, humming softly to himself as if nothing in the world bothered him.
Tempest watched him disappear several dozen feet ahead.
"He always does that," she murmured.
"What?"
"Gives people space."
Mexyn folded her arms.
"I’ve noticed."
The two women continued at a slower pace.
For several minutes neither of them spoke.
Tempest appreciated the silence.
Eventually Mexyn looked toward the canteen hanging from Tempest’s belt.
"Have you been using the filtration device Gerax made?"
Tempest unclipped the container and held it up.
"The water filter?"
Mexyn nodded.
"It’s worked perfectly."
She unscrewed the top and took a drink before continuing.
"I honestly forgot it was there until yesterday. I filled it from one of those little streams we crossed and expected it to taste awful."
"And?"
"It tasted like... water."
Mexyn chuckled.
"I suppose that’s exactly what Gerax was hoping for."
"I don’t know how he figured it out."
"He’ll spend weeks obsessing over a single problem until he solves it."
Tempest smiled fondly.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is."
Mexyn laughed quietly.
"You should see him when an experiment fails. He forgets to eat."
"I’ve noticed."
The conversation drifted naturally from Gerax to the landscape around them.
Mexyn pointed toward a cluster of thorny vines wrapped around one of the dead trees.
"Stay away from those."
"They’re poisonous?"
"No."
"Worse?"
"They explode."
Tempest blinked.
"They what?"
"If enough pressure is applied, the pods burst and release spores."
"...You’re kidding."
"I wish I was."
Tempest immediately took another step away from the vines.
"What do the spores do?"
"They make your skin itch for days."
"I hate this planet."
Mexyn laughed harder this time.
"No, you don’t."
"No..." Tempest admitted. "I really don’t."
A little farther down the path Mexyn pointed out a thick gray moss growing between the roots.
"That’s useful."
"For what?"
"Wrap it around a wound."
"It heals people?"
"It slows bleeding."
Tempest crouched beside it, studying the strange texture.
"Everything here either wants to kill you or save you."
"That’s Skoq."
Tempest nodded thoughtfully before standing again.
The silence returned.
This one felt different.
Mexyn kept glancing toward Rynax.
Finally she sighed.
"Tempest..."
"Hmm?"
"I think Rynax is getting too close."
Tempest frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
She looked ahead.
Rynax had wandered another twenty yards away, occasionally twirling the staff as he walked.
"He’s just being nice."
Mexyn didn’t answer immediately.
"He spends nearly every waking moment near you."
"We’re traveling together."
"He volunteers to take your watch."
"He’s stronger than me."
"He insists on training you."
"Because I asked."
Mexyn stopped walking altogether.
"Tempest... I don’t think you’re seeing what I see."
Tempest turned to face her fully.
"What exactly do you think you’re seeing?"
Mexyn lowered her voice.
"I’m seeing an unmated alpha who looks at you as though you’re the only person standing in the world."
Tempest’s stomach twisted.
"No."
"I know that look."
"Mexyn..."
"You don’t have to believe me."
"I don’t."
Mexyn nodded once.
"I figured you wouldn’t."
Tempest looked ahead again.
Rynax had stopped near another dead tree. Instead of calling for them to hurry, he simply waited patiently with his back turned, giving them privacy.
"He knows about Dron."
"I know."
"He supports us."
"I know."
"He’s my friend."
Mexyn’s expression softened.
"I’m not saying he isn’t."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I’m saying friendships have a way of changing when one person starts wanting more than the other."
Tempest’s heart sank.
She hadn’t considered that.
Not once.
To her, Rynax had become something she desperately needed.
Someone who made the loneliness easier to bear.
Someone who didn’t treat her like fragile glass.
Someone who simply... walked beside her.
The thought that he might feel something beyond friendship made her chest tighten.
"I can’t lose another friend," she whispered.
Mexyn reached her side but stopped herself before touching her.
"I hope I’m wrong."
Tempest looked toward Rynax again.
He finally glanced back at them, smiled that easy crooked smile of his, and lifted one hand.
"Are you two finished discussing how insufferable I am?"
Despite everything, Tempest smiled.
"We’re coming."
She started walking again, but Mexyn’s warning refused to leave her mind.
For the first time since she’d met Rynax, she found herself wondering if every lingering glance and every quiet act of kindness had meant something she simply hadn’t been able to see.
Tempest frowned and tightened her grip on the walking staff. She didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want every conversation she’d had with Rynax suddenly becoming something different. Looking back on the past few days, he had never once made her uncomfortable. Not once had he tried to hold her hand without permission or invade her space. Even when she’d broken down crying, he’d offered comfort without asking for anything in return. If he truly had feelings for her, he hid them better than anyone she’d ever met.
She let out a slow breath.
Maybe Mexyn was simply being protective. That would make sense. The woman had made it abundantly clear from the very beginning that Tempest’s reputation mattered on Thraqe in ways she still struggled to understand. On Earth, a man and woman could spend time together without everyone assuming they wanted to climb into bed together. Here, it seemed every interaction between an alpha and an omega carried some deeper implication.
It was exhausting.
She didn’t want to have to second-guess every friendship she made simply because of how everyone else viewed the world around her.
Ahead of them, Rynax stopped walking again and crouched near a cluster of dark shrubs. He brushed the leaves aside with the end of his staff before standing and motioning for them to avoid that section of the trail.
"Sink moss," he called back casually. "You’ll lose a boot if you step there."
Tempest adjusted her path without question.
"Thank you," she called.
He answered with nothing more than a small wave before continuing on, giving no indication that he’d overheard any part of the conversation.
Tempest looked over at Mexyn.
"See?" she whispered. "If he were trying to get closer to me, wouldn’t he be walking beside me instead of fifty feet ahead?"
Mexyn watched Rynax for another moment before sighing.
"Maybe," she admitted. "Or maybe he’s simply smart enough to know that patience often accomplishes more than persistence."
Those words settled heavily in Tempest’s chest. She didn’t respond. Instead, she looked toward the path ahead where Rynax continued leading them through the endless forest of dead trees, and for the first time since their journey had begun, she found herself studying him as carefully as he always seemed to study the road before them.