Page 26 of Braax's Bride

Braax reached for her again, and she stepped away, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please… just leave me alone. I can contact the agency in the morning to start the return process.”

It had been stupid to get attached, to think this was anything more than what it was.

“Return?” His entire body slumped as he spoke, his voice almost a whisper. “Is that what you want? To leave me?”

The words were like a knife to her heart, stabbing and twisting as his eyes glimmered with wetness. Why was he making this about her?Hewas the one who took her out of pity.

Sofia was tired, so tired, had been for so long. Without another word, she trudged to the bedroom, dragging pillows and a fluffy blanket towards her studio. Braax moved to follow her, but the glare she delivered was enough to stop him in his tracks.

She needed to think, needed to sleep, needed to get away.

Dual sunbeams shone in through the window, rousing Sofia from her unsatisfying slumber. She groaned, stretching her muscles after a night spent on the floor of the studio, fitful sleep on a nest of blankets and pillows. She wrapped her arms around her knees, wishing she could just disappear, teleport back to Earth so she wouldn’t have to face Braax.

Her husband.

The return process would not be simple, not since they were already married. Still, mates were supposed to be protected, and now that she knew he didn’t want her…

The thought of sharing his bed—sharing anything with him—was unbearable.

A knock at the open door stirred her, and she turned to see Braax at the doorway.

“Sofia, please, can we talk?” His voice was so low, so dripping with melancholy, it almost broke her heart.

Almost.

“Go away. I told you I’d take care of it.”

Her husband breeched the terminus of the studio, standing over her with his arms crossed over his chest, the nerves from last night replaced with utter confidence. She glared up at him, and the way her core twisted with unconscious arousal made her want to scream.

“Come. Sit with me on the couch. I will not let you contact the agency until you let me speak.”

Braax’s words were firm, and as much as Sofia didn’t want to face him, she supposed she owed him that much. She could sit through some stupid excuse or bumbling explanation, then sort out the return process. He reached a hand down to her and she reluctantly took it, letting him heave her up off the ground.

They moved to the living room, Sofia making sure she sat a good distance from him on the massive couch.

The cloud expanded, the one in her chest, protecting her from her emotions. Numbing her to the world. She silently thanked it as Braax spoke.

“Sweet Sofia, my beautiful wife. I am sorry for not being honest with you. I am sorry for making you feel like I did not want you. As soon as I saw your holophoto, your profile, I knew I needed you to be mine.”

The words choked her, a tight ball knotting her throat, and she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to focus on the cloud shielding her.

“Your value lies in so much more than the potential for offspring. Your kindness, your artistry, your sweet smile, your intelligence, those are the things I… love about you. I will admit, I may have set out for a mate to appease my parents, to do what I was told was the proper way to have a family. But that was not the only reason. I have been alone for so long. I always thought that was how I wanted things to be, but with you, I can see that I was not just alone, I was lonely. You cannot leave me, Sofia, please. I need you.”

Braax’s words cut deep, her chest welling with emotion. No one had ever spoken to her that way, not on Earth, a world obsessed with parenthood and fertility. The cloud was dissipating, slipping away no matter how desperately she tried to cling to it, tears burning at her eyes. He moved quickly, before she could react, falling to his knees in front of her, clawed hands clasped together, green eyes glimmering.

“Please, Sofia. Forgive me. I love you… I-I cannot lose you.”

Tears streamed down her face, her entire body clenched with emotion. How long had it been since she cried like this? They had refused to fall for years, even after she found out about Greyson’s infidelity, even when she signed the divorce papers.Treatment failure after treatment failure and no tears came, but now they were like a waterfall, one she was unable to stop.

Without a word, Braax sat next to her, pulling her into his lap. Sofia wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his warm chest as she cried. Claws brushed through her hair and he cooed softly, trying to calm her.

The cloud was gone.

Years of pent up rage, despair, and dread bubbled over as she wailed, releasing every bit of pain she’d kept bottled up. His scaly chest warmed her, his arms a comforting presence keeping her on Olara 8, keeping her in this house, this room.

Soon, wracking sobs turned to sniffling whimpers, and still he held her, whispering in her ear, nuzzling her cheek with his snout.