Like A Guiding Star

Chapter 8

Rain stares out of the observation deck without really seeing the view. He has his hand pressed over his abdomen. His two little beans, as he has come to think of them, aren't large enough to feel yet. He just takes comfort in knowing they are there.

P'Phayu comes up behind him and wraps his arms around Rain's waist. He puts his own hands over Rain's.

"Worried about me?" P'Phayu asks. Tomorrow the battle to take back Thurlian III begins. Rain, Sky and most of the other omegas and betas will stay on the ship. Only Sier Fah and a handful of healers will be accompanying the alphas.

Rain nods, he is afraid if he opens his mouth to answer he will cry.

"Don't worry, tomorrow I will prove to you how enviable you are to have such a strong alpha as me." P'Phayu says.

Rain huffs at this and smacks P'Phayu on the shoulder, "You mean such a conceited alpha." Rain says, but he does feel better from the alpha's teasing.

Once they see the warriors off, there is nothing to do but wait. The day seems excruciatingly long. Rain tries to concentrate on the sketch he is working on of P'Phayu but his attention keeps wandering to the battles that must be happening below. He glances over at Sky who is staring at a sketch of a greenhouse that he hasn't added anything to at all.

Rain thinks, as much as he tries to deny it, Sky is just as worried about P'Pai as he is about P'Phayu.

"We could check with Ple to see if there has been any word." Rain suggests. He tries not to laugh at how quickly Sky jumps up at that remark.

They are leaving the room when an alarm blares. Rain and Sky look at each other wondering what that could mean.

P'Pakin's armies quickly take back the cities of Thurlian III. The invaders depend solely on their high-tech weapons which can't pierce the warrior's dragonhide armor and shields.

Once the cities are secured P'Pakin and P'Chai start sweeping nearby towns.Phayu and Pai are sent to find out any information they can about Rain's family. After much searching, they find they are being kept locked in a local government house that the invaders have turned into a prison. The guards there are easily defeated, and Rain's uncle and cousins return to the palace with a contingent of warriors and Phayu and Pai.

"Not that I am not grateful for the help," King Niran says, "but who are you?"

"King Niran, I am Prapai, and this is Phayu, we are from the planet Kannika, we were sent by prince Rain," Pai says, it's what Rain had told them to say when they found the royal family.

"Rain? Is he here?" King Niran asks.

"He's still on the ship of Captain Ple. Phayu wouldn't allow him to come while there was any danger." Pai says.

"Allow?" Rain's cousin Princess Prea, an omega herself, almost chokes on the word.

"Rain is safe, and under my care," Phayu says. "As soon as I make sure everything is safe, he can join us." He wants to tell the man that he won't put his mate and the pups Rain is carrying in danger, but Rain had begged him not to tell his uncle. Rain wants to tell him face to face.

"So what now?" King Niran asks.

"We are waiting on word from our warriors, once we know it's safe we will return to the ship to collect Rain and Sky." Phayu says.

"Sky is here too?" Rain's other cousin Prince Satcha asks.

"Why?" Pai asks, eyeing the alpha suspiciously.

The prince looks surprised at his tone, "Sky is my friend, we all grew up together although Sky and Rain are a few years younger than Prea and myself."

Pai narrows his eyes but nods, accepting the alpha's story. Sky had said he didn't have an alpha and Pai trusts him, even if he doesn't trust the alphas of this planet.