The Space Empress He Craved

Chapter 138

POV: Lyra

Juan tried staying calm when he linked, 'Lyra, that should never have happened. Your match was supposed to protect you. Tate and Clement were supposed to—'

'Stop it, Juan! Just stop! Do you think they wouldn't have shielded me if they saw it coming?! Do you think they didn't place their lives before mine?! We've all trained to protect each other! Tate and Clement are no different! Orion is no different! Stop blaming them! Nobody wanted this! It isn't anyone's fault! I'm telling you, Juan. You better stop before I overload, or that'll be on you.'

The last time I crashed into the station leaders' group-link, it took so much neural energy that I was unconscious for almost a day. Juan was so worried he regretted not giving in, staying by my side until I woke.

My firm voice rang through the link, 'Drop it, Juan. Promise me you'll drop it.'

Silence before Juan sighed in defeat, linking softer, 'I promise. Please leave, Lyra. Don't strain yourself more than you already have.'

'I'm not leaving until you do.' I stubbornly insisted. I wasn't letting him have another go at Tate and Clement.

'Okay. Okay, I'll go.' Juan left. Within the next second, so did I.

When my eyes cleared, exhaustion hit. My body slumped into Orion's chest as he tightened his grip to prevent me falling. My eyelids lowered slightly when my tired gaze met Tate's guilty ones. "I'm sorry, Lyra. I am so, so sorry."

Clement opened his mouth but no words came out, his eyes watering too.

Orion was shocked seeing the Commanders' glistening eyes. Everyone was. They'd seen these two on training grounds—either distant and reserved, or helpful and amicable. No Lyrokan warrior had seen the vulnerable side Tate and Clement now showed.

I offered them an assuring smile. "I meant what I said, guys. This isn't anyone's fault. Stop blaming yourselves, please."

Tate looked at me in disbelief, shaking his head before heading to the lavatory. Zeke followed to check on him.

Orion continued stroking my arm worriedly before I noticed the Lyrokan warriors giving me strange looks. "Are you guys okay?"

The warriors were internally relieved I used a gentler tone, but many were still afraid to speak after my growl. Phelton was the only one who dared speak. "W-We're fine, my Empress. Thank you."

"Then why are you looking at me like I'm going to terminate you or something?"

Some warriors flinched at the word 'terminate.'

Orion chuckled, stroking my hair. My confused eyes met his amused ones as he explained, "Let's just say your growling was a little scary, my dear."

"Growling? Oh, you mean on the battlefield?"

Orion kissed my cheek. "When you were linking, love. You growled."

I did?

One hand went over my mouth. "I did that out loud?"

Orion smiled dreamily. "Loudly and ferociously, my fierce little warrior. Even I got scared."

Some warriors at the back suppressed smiles at the Emperor's admission. I smiled in embarrassment, snuggling into his chest. "I didn't mean to. I thought I was just doing it in their group-link."

Orion's fingers stopped. "Group-link? I thought you were linking Juan."

I explained, "I was, but he shut me out, so I crashed into the station leaders' group-link instead."

Orion lifted my chin, our eyes meeting. "Kaelari can do that? You can enter a link you have no connection to?"

"No. It's not a Kaelari thing. I'm not sure anyone else has done it. I only did it once before."

"When?"

"When I got this scar." I showed my arm. "Zeke, Brandon, and Wainwright were with me during the rogue attack. When Juan saw the damage to my arm, he exploded in the station leaders' link, blaming them for not protecting me. I wanted to stop him so badly that I somehow... found my way into their link. But it takes enormous energy. I fainted last time."

Orion stared in disbelief. "You can hack into a link?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't like doing it though. Feels wrong. Plus, it's exhausting."

Orion sighed in awe, kissing my forehead. "Absolutely amazing. Another first." After inhaling my scent, he asked, "So Juan was blaming Tate and Clement? And me too, I presume?"

"Yeah. Hot-headed thing. But I made him stop before I left the link. He promised not to bring it up again."

Orion's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would Juan agree to that? I doubt he's done with me. Not that I don't deserve it."

"He promised to drop it because if I faint from holding position in their group-link any longer, it would be his fault."

"Ah. Sibling-blackmail." He understood, fingers returning to my hair.

"Works every time." I said sleepily.

Just before dozing off in his warm chest, the toxin's reality hit me again. My inability to produce an heir meant Orion might have to choose another. No Emperor had failed to produce an heir. There was an unspoken duty to continue the bloodline.

He loves me now. But if I'm truly infertile, he might leave me out of duty. Just like Brandon rejected me for his duty to bond with someone of his bloodline.

Perhaps Orion held me close now because he didn't believe the toxin was a contraceptive. But I was certain of its effects. These deranged rogues rarely lied when close to termination, especially with arrogant smirks.

My heart clenched at the thought of Orion's rejection. I held back tears but instinctively snuggled deeper into his embrace, savoring the moment before I was no longer welcome in his arms.

Orion didn't understand why I kept adjusting in his chest, trying to help me get comfortable as I slept. But his Lyrokan side sensed something wrong beyond the toxin. Seeing my exhaustion, he chose silence and let me sleep.