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The words were light, but Elian couldn't shake the feeling that there was a darker meaning lurking beneath them.
Elian froze, his heart pounding in his chest, as Zarrack started down the path towards him. But the grizzled Borraq warrior walked right past without so much as a glance in Elian's direction.
As Zarrack's heavy footfalls faded into the distance, an uneasy silence settled over the road. Elian let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, his shoulders slumping with relief.
"We should keep moving," Rael rumbled, already turning to continue down the trail. "I thought this trail was remote enough, but Zarrack may not be the only Borraq out here."
Elian fell into step beside the towering alien, stealing sidelong glances at Rael's impassive profile. He couldn't quite shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him during the tense encounter.
"Zarrack..." he began hesitantly. "He was..."
"Fearsome?" Rael finished with a rumbling chuckle. "An old friend to my clan, but a formidable warrior. Don't let his gruff manner fool you. He's got a surprisingly soft heart under all that scar tissue."
Elian arched an eyebrow skeptically. "If you say so. He looked ready to gut me where I stood."
"Don't take it personally. Zarrack has… history with your kind. The war left its mark on him, same as it did all of us."
A pang of sadness twisted in Elian's chest. No matter how close they might become, no matter the depths of the bond growing between them, he and Rael would always be divided by the brutal legacy of that terrible conflict.
Elian was an alien here, an enemy. His very existence put Rael at risk simply by association. Even Zarrack, Rael's long-time comrade, had looked at Elian with open hostility.
As much as Elian's heart might yearn for the impossible, the sensible path forward was clear.
He had to leave Rael.
But he knew that Rael would never willingly let him go, not after everything they'd been through together. The alpha was too stubborn, too possessive, to simply release his claim.
And if Rael insisted on staying with Elian, Elian knew that he wouldn't have the strength to walk away from him. Not from Rael.
So Elian would have to be the strong one.
He would have to make the hard choice, for both their sakes.
Elian swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat, forcing his expression into an impassive mask as he looked ahead. He knew what he had to do.
No matter how much it shattered his heart, he had to leave.
Chapter sixteen
Rael was exhausted.
They'd made good time, but that didn't mean that crossing a whole mountain range in a few days wasn't tiring. His muscles ached, and he could feel the weight of every single one of the miles they'd traveled that day.
But exhaustion wasn't the only problem.
Something was off with Elian.
Humans and Borraq were very different, but Rael could tell there was something bothering Elian. Elian had been quiet and distant all day, hardly speaking as they traveled. Every time Rael had secretly glanced at him, it was like Elian was looking at something far away, something that wasn't there.
Rael wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he could tell that Elian wanted his space. And besides, Rael had his own problems to think about.
He was going to have to figure out a plan for what to do with Elian.
Taking a human as a mate was madness. It was against every single one of their laws. It would put his whole clan in danger. If any of the other clans found out that Rael's clan was harboring a human, there was no telling what kind of retribution would break out.
And yet…
Rael glanced over at Elian, who was unrolling his bedroll with slow, tired movements.
