Chapter 10 #2
Erik walks over to the bed, finding a spot beside his brothers. I finish my food and by the time I’m done, I can already hear him snoring. I lean back and puff on my vape, trying to make sense of everything I’ve learned.
They’re Vikings with Fenrir’s Mark, which means they can turn into wolves. I had a few friends back home who would be quite happy to find themselves kidnapped by wolf shifters. I’m still a little scared. The thought of being their mate is somewhat terrifying.
I feel a connection. A bond, maybe. I don’t know what it is, but it makes my body react, even when I’m unsure. They believe I’m their mate. They think I’m the answer to their prayers. A blessing from the gods.
Except I’m just a girl from Earth. I don’t feel special. I was promised an amazing life, then it was ripped away from me when three savages opened my door. Three savages who killed the aliens who were trying to help me.
The rebellious side of me bubbles to the surface. Or maybe the haze is finally lifting, after being overwhelmed by the three of them. What I said was true. I don’t know how to open the door, but that doesn’t mean I can’t figure it out.
“Erik was using a keycard. It should work on this side,” I mutter as I take a hit from my vape. “Where did he put it?”
I’m torn. Part of me wants to believe in everything they’ve said.
That I’m their mate. That something brought us together, across space and time, just because we have a connection.
They’ve certainly suffered. More than anyone should.
But I’m not the one who did it. If the Intergalactic Alliance didn’t save them, there must have been a reason.
They saved me, and I’m no saint. Especially after what I let the three of them do to me.
“I could still go to Utopia 64,” I muse. “I’m sure it would be better than… wherever they’re planning to take me.”
Even with the strange connection, self-preservation wins out.
There’s no guarantee the Vikings will escape.
I saw what happened to the ship they came here in.
The Intergalactic Alliance blew it up. What if it happens again?
What if the plan doesn’t work, and we all die?
I was content dying to a meteor, but I’ve been given a second chance.
I would be foolish to let these three Vikings take it away from me, just because they believe I’m their mate.
My stomach feels unsettled when I stand up and it’s not because of the food. My body doesn’t like the resistance. It doesn’t like me denying that they’re my mates, even if I’m just thinking about it.
I look around until I find the keycard on the table, near where Erik removed his armor.
It’s sticky with something black that I assume is some form of blood.
I shudder a little, but clutch the keycard and walk to the door.
I glance back at the three brothers on the bed before swiping it.
A chime sounds, but the door doesn’t open.
“What the hell?” I mutter. “Why didn’t it open?”
I swipe it a few more times and let out a groan. Then I hear something behind me and spin around to see Erik standing by the bed.
“That was a test, mate,” he sighs. “A test you failed.”
I swallow hard, realizing I just walked into a trap. “A test? Why?”
“You’re our mate. We need to be able to trust you, especially when we escape from this refugee center,” Erik says. “Why did you try to run? We had a wonderful conversation. I thought more was developing between us.”
I look down at the floor, feeling even more foolish. My stomach is still unsettled, and I try to come up with a lie. One that makes sense. Instead, the truth just rolls across my lips.
“I can’t deny what I feel. It hurts when I do,” I say, shaking my head. “But I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask to be your mate, or to feel the way I do. It scares me.”
“And what do you think would happen if you left here? Do you think you could just return to your room, and everything would be forgotten?” he asks.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I admit.
“The Intergalactic Alliance would know we are still here. They would question you, and if you weren’t forthcoming, they would torture you until they got the information they wanted,” he says.
“Can’t they just scan my memories?” I mumble, crossing my arms across my chest defensively. “They already did that when they rescued me from Earth.”
“Older memories, yes. More recent ones can be difficult to extract, especially if you don’t want to give them access,” he explains. “Would you betray us, mate? If they threatened to hurt you, would you tell them exactly where we are?”
My eyes widen. The way my stomach tightens and aches tells me I wouldn’t be able to. That I would suffer to protect them, because something has formed between us, even while I’ve tried to resist it. I don’t like it, but I can’t deny it.
“No,” I admit reluctantly. “I wouldn’t betray you. I just… I don’t know. I got scared. I saw an opportunity and I tried to take it.”
“You’ll learn to trust us,” Erik sighs. “Hopefully before we leave, because it’ll be lot more difficult if we have to drag you along.”
I don’t know why I tried to escape. My body craves them, even now. I can feel some arousal between my legs. The fire they put out is already heating up again.
“So, what happens now?” I ask, nervously meeting his gaze. “Are you going to punish me again?”
“Yes, mate,” he says. “I’m afraid so.”
I swallow hard and pull my arms tighter across my chest. Erik tested me and I failed.
I told him I wouldn’t try to escape, and I barely waited for him to fall asleep before I tried.
And if I’d succeeded, I would have likely ended up in an even worse situation, if what he said about the Intergalactic Alliance is true.
My moment of rebellion is over.
This time, I actually feel like I deserve to be punished.