(Alnitak)

Amaia is spiralling, I can sense it in my bones and we are spiralling with her. Saiph, being her mate, is never going to sit well with our parents. Mintaka and I are afraid that they will ask her to reject him or make a choice.

Even with Alnilam in the picture, I don’t know what our brother is going to decide.

The situation is extremely fucked up and none of us know what to do about it.

Since this morning, she has been extremely agitated. It’s the rippling tension between our bonds that woke me up this morning. She remained like that throughout the announcement and refused to open up.

She didn’t eat breakfast and she kept staring at Alnilam. Even when she left the dining hall, all I felt through the bond was her distress and anxiety.

We tried to go to her but she didn’t let us, saying that Saiph and Ezran were with her.

Something wasn’t right and then her scattered emotions and apprehensions just disappeared.

Did she fall asleep?

Mintaka and I went to her room but she wasn’t there.

Maybe she was still with Ezran.

Did she even eat anything?

Worries surrounded me, worries that didn’t ease.

The night fell and we still couldn’t find her.

"Where is she?" I apprehensively questioned Mintaka but he had no answer.

We knew that Alnilam’s return had put her on the edge.

"Hey, guys." Kacir walked over to us holding two plates of food.

"For Rahria?" Mintaka asked, seeing the food he was carrying.

"And Amaia."

My body jerked at my mate’s name. "She is with you guys?"

Kacir nodded. "Yeah! She came to us earlier, exhausted, very overwhelmed and asked if she could sleep in our room."

Mintaka and I pass uneasy glances. Both of us have the same thought process going on.

Kacir senses the unease. "Guys, she is not avoiding you. Just look from her perspective, she seems to have a lot going on and maybe she is not getting enough sleep." He gives us an understanding glance.

"I have only one mate, and we have been mates for three years, and yet I can’t get enough sleep. She has three, and all are newly formed bonds."

Oh, sweet, sweet Kacir, only if he knew she had five, and the situation is far worse than he can comprehend.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." Mintaka lets out a slow sigh.

"Can I come to see her?" I ask, trying to take a plate from Kacir’s hand. But he shakes his head.

"No, Rahria promised her she won’t let any of you disturb her sleep. Let her rest and come to you."

Kacir is right, Amaia needs rest. With a heavy heart, we watch him leave.

"Are we overwhelming her? Or is this about Alnilam’s return and Saiph being her mate?" Mintaka asks as we begin to walk towards the Tozan Forest. We need to run to keep ourselves distracted.

"A combination of everything," Mintaka regretfully says.

"Report to my office," Alnilam’s strained voice comes in through the mindlink, it feels like he is hardly holding on.

"Coming." We cancel our run and head over to his office.

Earlier, he was gone for the negotiation with the Dread Army’s Battalion. We don’t know if it worked or if they still suspect us.

This could get ugly if they find the truth about Amaia and find out their Reavers were obliterated.

"What now?" Mintaka asks, frustrated.

He wants to go and be with Amaia, the feeling is very mutual. We have just developed our bond with her and yet here we are.

"I guess we will find out."

Reaching Alnilam’s office we enter and find Jamina with him. Unlike always, she is standing at a distance from him and there is a visible tension between them. Saiph is there too with his huge presence.

"Get ready. Let me talk to them, and then we head out," he tells Jamina, and she gives him a stiff nod before moving.

She offers us a sad smile. Mintaka places his hand on her shoulder and presses.

"You good?"

Jamina pats his hand. "Yes. Some days we need to be strong."

With that she leaves the office, closing the door behind her.

Once she is gone Alnilam faces us with worries washing over him like waves of a stormy sea.

"The Dread Army’s Battalion is here and they know that Reavers were killed in the palace grounds. They are here for blood."

I grit my teeth in annoyance. "How?"

"They used special instruments and it picked up the residual energy from their dead companions," Alnilam explains.

"What did you tell them?" This was a crucial question.

I know my brother, he will never let any of us be placed in danger. Protector, he is and I can bet he didn’t tell them about any of us.

"I said it was me. They tried to attack me using creatures and I defended myself," he simply says. He hasn’t even taken Saiph’s name.

"You should have named me too," Saiph grunts from near the bookshelf.

"Someone needs to be here for them in case something happens to me." Alnilam’s determined eyes find Saiph and they both stare at each other in brotherly understanding.

"Bloody hell, nothing is happening to you," Mintaka fumes, his hands fist at his sides.

"They have demanded a face-off as retribution. If we win, they will leave. If we lose, they will take me along or kill me." Alnilam straightens from his desk and folds his arms over his chest.

"No one is dying on my watch," Saiph says with determination, his nostrils flare.

"What kind of shit deal is this?" I question, jerking my hand forward in frustration.

"They want my head or we fight their Battalion, one on one. That’s the best deal we got."

"What does father and Mama have to say about this?" Mintaka takes a step forward towards Alnilam, standing right in front of our brother.

"They don’t want a war and I will never let the blood of innocents be shed. If the Dread Army attacks, we all know this will be another apocalypse. This is the best way."

Alnilam will always be Alnilam, the sacrificer, our protector, Amaia’s protector.