Retreat Ploy
Alien King's Pov
I stood on the bridge and watched the gold shield glow. It was mocking me. My pride was stinging more than the physical heat of the battle. I turned to my men, my jaw tight.
"Stop the fire," I commanded. "Tell the ships to retreat to the edge of the sector."
My officers looked at each other in shock. They expected me to fight until the ship exploded. But I could see the screens. My allies, the other kings who followed me out of fear, were calling. Their faces appeared on the monitors, and they did not look happy.
"Karn, what are you doing?" the King of the Iron Moons asked. "You are wasting fuel and lives. For what? A human?"
"She is a slave," another king added, laughing. "A pretty one, maybe. but just a human. There are millions of them in the galaxy. Why are you risking a galactic war for a piece of property?"
The words felt like acid. They were questioning my judgment. They were calling me weak for caring about Aurora. I couldn't tell them the truth, that she was different, that she made me feel something I couldn't explain. To them, she was a bug.
"Silence!" I roared at the screens. "I am the King. I do what I want. The retreat is a tactic, nothing more. Leave me."
I shut off the communicators before they could say another word. But the shame was already there. I felt small. I felt like I had lost. I left the bridge and headed for my personal transport. I needed to get away from the eyes of my men.
I flew back to my home planet in silence. My palace was a dark, massive mountain of stone and metal. Inside these walls, I was the only law. Here, no one questioned me.
I walked straight to the Hidden Wing. This was where I kept my wives. It was a place of luxury, filled with soft silks, sweet smells, and heavy curtains. But it was also a prison. I never told my wives about the wars I fought. I didn't tell them about other planets or the humans I brought back. In this wing, the world didn't exist. They only knew me.
I pushed open the heavy gold doors to the main quarters. This was where my first wife lived.
Her name was Mara, a high-born alien from a powerful bloodline. She was a large woman, her body thick and heavy with the wealth I gave her. In my culture, a fat wife was a sign of a successful husband. She was covered in gold chains that jingled as she moved.
She looked up from her cushions, her eyes bright. "My King," she whispered. "You have returned to me."
I didn't answer with words. I was full of a dark, messy energy. I had failed to get Aurora, and I needed to feel powerful again. I needed to feel like a king who could take whatever he wanted.
I looked at Mara. I had been trying to get her pregnant for cycles. I needed to have a female child, a daughter to carry on my name. But more than that, I just wanted to forget the gold shield of Planet 444.
I walked over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her up from the cushions. She was soft and heavy in my hands.
"Tonight, we will try again," I said, my voice rough.
I didn't lead her gently. I pushed her back onto the large, circular bed. I didn't care about romance or kindness. I was angry, and the sex was a way to let that anger out. It was rough and fast. I used my body like a weapon, trying to force life into her, trying to reclaim the power I felt I had lost in space.
Mara cried out, her gold jewelry clashing against the bed frame. She didn't know why I was being so aggressive. She didn't know about the Crab King or the girl who had changed everything. She only knew that her husband was home and he was full of fire.
When it was over, I stayed on top of her for a moment, my chest heaving. The room was quiet. The luxury around me felt empty. Even with my first wife beneath me, even in my own palace, I couldn't stop thinking about Aurora.
I had wives. I had power. I had a kingdom. But as I lay there in the dark, all I could see was the image of Aurora sleeping on a glowing bed in another man’s house.
I stood up and began to dress, not looking at Mara as she tried to catch her breath.
"Rest," I said coldly.
I walked out of the room and back into the dark hallways of my palace. I had retreated today, but the war wasn't over. It was only getting started. If the other kings thought I was crazy for a human, they hadn't seen anything yet. I would show them all.
These were the thoughts, going
through my mind before returning to bed with Mara.