Zeek's head snapped up in shock as a slap to the back of his head echoed throughout the small single-seat classroom. 

"Ow! What the f-" He quickly cut himself off, his eyes widening as he looked up to see his mother, Helen, standing over him, her face twisted in fury.

 Her grip tightened on Zeek's collar, lifting him from his seat. "What did you just say?" she gritted out.

Zeek swallowed, his throat dry. "S-sorry, Mother," he mumbled, wiping the drool from his mouth. 

Helen let go of his collar, her eyes filled with disappointment. "I swear, how can someone so young be so tired?" she said, shaking her head. 

Zeek yawned, taking a moment to remember what had happened. "I was training with Uncle Richard all day yesterday," he explained. "He wants me to come with him to a meeting. Apparently, Conquest and Thragg want to discuss something important." 

Helen sat on Zeek's desk, looking out the window. 

After a few moments of silence, she turned to him. "I don't want you training with your Uncle anymore," she said firmly. 

"From now on, you'll be helping your father in the shed."

 Zeek opened his mouth to protest, "Why, though?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. "I'm old enough to do as I please. And why are you still making me do these ethics classes with you? Is safeguarding the weak really that important?"

      Helen pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "First of all, don't question me. Second, it's not necessarily about safeguarding the weak. Of course, that's a big part of it, but really, I don't want you to become a cold-blooded monster like some of the older warriors." 

With a gentle smile, she ruffled Zeek's hair. "True strength is found through compassion. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love and have a revelation." 

"PFT, I doubt that. All the women of Viltrum are ugly brutes," Zeek scoffed.

 Thwap. Helen flicked Zeek's forehead hard enough to send him into the back of his seat. 

Zeek closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, trying to ignore the pain he said, “Except for you Mom, you're beautiful.”

When he opened his eyes, his mother was gone, and the classroom had been replaced by a bedroom. He was now lying in bed staring at the ceiling. 

Zeek sat up and touched his forehead with a sad smile. He had done his best to push the thoughts of his parents and the day he left to the back of his mind, but it seemed like his subconscious had different plans.

Zeek felt a swell of pressure in his throat, and his eyes began to well up with tears. 

Movement in the bed snapped him out of his moment, and he hastily wiped away the tears. 

"Are you okay, Zeek?"

 The voice came from Lydia, half asleep and using the blanket to cover her half-naked body. She reached out and tenderly wiped away a tear he had missed from his face. Never before had Zeek felt so vulnerable. 

He shuffled away, asking, "Why are you in my bed, Lydia?" He felt the smooth silk of the sheets against his bare legs and realized he was only in his underwear.

Lydia quickly covered her face with the blanket, her red ears peeking out from the sides. She explained, "Your internal organs were badly damaged, and you'd been sleeping for two days. I thought I'd help heal you with my magic, and it works better with skin-to-skin contact. I didn't mean to fall asleep next to you, though. I must have exhausted myself."

Zeek whispered, "Two days?"

 Lydia moved closer to Zeek and placed her hand on his, her eyes inquiring, "But why were you crying?"

 Zeek turned away and furrowed his brow, trying to appear brave. "I wasn't crying. That was just sweat." 

Lydia looked at him with an understanding gaze and softly said, "I've cried enough in my sleep to know the difference, Dummy." 

Zeek remembered the time he had seen her grief-stricken face in her sleep, and he sighed, "I had a dream about my mother." 

Lydia gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and asked, "Was it a good dream?" 

Zeek nodded his head and smiled, "Luckily, it was." 

He looked into Lydia's eyes, and her expression begged him to open up to her. 

He had never confided in anyone before but her presence gave him the courage to share. 

Zeke took a deep breath and revealed, "Before I was summoned, There was a mass purge happening on my planet. I ended up having to kill my aunt and uncle trying to save my mother." He dropped his head," But I failed and she died in my arms. I escaped thanks to them and traveled through space for months, afraid to sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I would see the lifeless faces of my parents."

 Lydia's gaze was comforting and it made him feel like crying for some reason, so he turned away and continued," Just the other day, I had a nightmare reliving that very moment. The dream I just had was a welcomed change."

A single drop of water fell on Zeek's arm, and he slowly turned to Lydia. She was doing her best to keep her composure, her lips quivering as she held back her tears and sniffles. 

Clenching her eyes shut, she quietly spoke, "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know how hard it is. My mother passed away in my arms, too." 

Zeek's face displayed a sad smile as if a portion of his heart's burden had been lifted. Having someone who truly understood his pain moved him. He slid closer and embraced her in a tight hug, whispering, "I'm sorry that happened to you, too. Feel free to share your story with me whenever you're ready. I'll listen to everything." 

Lydia looked up into Zeek's eyes, and their lips slowly drew closer. Before they touched, the sound of the door rattling made them both jump. The door handle froze and shattered into pieces. The door swung opened, revealing Tera and Angela. 

Tera smirked like she knew exactly what was happening, and Angela's eye twitched in rage as she forced a smile. 

"A knock would have been nice," Zeek said as he rolled out of bed. 

Angela stormed in and met Zeek halfway, her hateful gaze directed at Lydia before she said, "You were right, Godmother. She really has sunk her fangs into him." 

Zeek quickly tried to explain, "Look, Angela, it's not what it looks like. Lydia was just helping me-"

Angela's voice quivered with rage as she spoke," I don't want to hear it." Tears welled up as she continued," I sat next to your bed for two whole days, praying that you'd wake up. I was so excited when Godmother said you were awake that I ran here because I wanted to be the first person you saw. But here we are again, you and Lydia are fucking, and I look like the fool." 

Tera snickered," Relax, Angela, they didn't do anything dirty. Lydia was only healing his wounds." 

After hearing Tera's comment, Angela stopped for a moment, then stepped forward and placed her hand on Zeek's chest," You belong to me! I brought you here, so it's me who should be getting all the attention." She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as tears began to flow freely down her face," I thought you said you wanted to marry me." 

Zeek rubbed the back of his head, his face etched with guilt and regret." I apologize. I didn't mean to hurt you. I promise you, nothing happened last night. We're both like this because she was healing me like Tera said." 

“ Really?” Angela asked as Zeek wiped her tears.

Lydia finished getting dressed and stepped forward." Princess Angela, it's true. I did this to help heal Zeek. I waited for you to leave last night and snuck into his bed behind your back. I apologize. " She bowed her head in shame." I realize you are going to be Zeek's queen one day, and I had no intention of coming between you two."

Angela let out a deep sigh, not expecting an apology from Lydia. She knew it wasn't her fault. Zeek had been pretty forward towards both of them. What upset her was the fact that Lydia had gone behind her back.

 Angela actually liked Lydia, she was a hard worker and soft spoken like her younger sisters. 

At that moment, Angela remembered that Lydia had recently lost her mother, just like her, and that softened her mood enough to bring her back to reality. She realized how childish she sounded just now and came to a realization. 

"Come with me, Lydia," Angela said, noticing the worried look on Zeek's face and trying to assure him, "Relax, I promise I won't hurt her. I just think it would be best if we had a chat about you." 

Lydia stepped forward and gave Zeek a reassuring nod. The two women left the room, leaving Zeek and Tera alone in a tense silence. 

Zeek was still in shock from what had just happened. He had never seen someone go through so many emotions in that short of a time frame. 

Zeek was so flustered that he hadn't even noticed that Tera had closed the door.

 "You're quite popular, Zeek," Tera said, closing in on him. "You have three beautiful women fawning all over you." 

"Three?" Zeek asked, then felt Tera's breath on his chest and the warmth of her body. 

He took a step back, but she took a step forward. They danced around each other until Zeek stumbled back onto the bench at the foot of the bed. 

"Tera, let's not do this," he said, trying to reason with her. "You saw how Angela was, and I'm not interested in you like that."

Tera straddled him, pressing her body firmly against his and moving her face so close that he could feel her breath dancing along his upper lip. He couldn't help but inhale her sweet scent. He was brought back to their spar the other day; she was the only woman besides his mother who managed to best him in a fight, and he respected her for that.

Tera purred, "You don't have to lie to me, Zeek. I've seen how you look at me. I can show you things that will change you forever, and I'm sure my goddaughter wouldn't mind me having a little fun."

 Zeek attempted to stand and push her off, but her grip was unyielding. He knew his only option was to use brute force. 

Tera noticed it in his eyes and said, "Oh please do, I love it when you try to fight back." 

Just then, Angela and Lydia burst through the door. 

"GOD MOTHER!" Angela shouted, "What are you doing?! " 

She stomped over and grabbed Tera by the arm, dragging her out of the room. Tera chuckled as she allowed Angela to take her away, blowing Zeek a small kiss before she passed the threshold. 

Angela's voice echoed in the hall as they exited, "I was wondering where you were. I got so caught up in the moment that I forgot how you are."

 Lydia stood in the doorway and gave Zeek a knowing smile before she followed behind them. 

Zeek smiled and leaned back onto the bed, running his hands through his hair with a satisfied sigh. "What a great morning," he said to himself.