Chapter Five
Rhydek
I tried to blame my impatience on wanting to get back to the Zeydrassk and off the soggy planet as fast as possible. The moisture made the air feel thick, coating my nose and throat with the stench of the Human city.
How did they live like this? Did they truly not smell the decay?
I knew their senses weren’t as sharp as ours, but there was no way they couldn’t sense the reek that lingered near all their population centers. It was no wonder their planet was dying when they treated it the way they did, polluting the very air they needed to breathe.
My tail twitched, knocking against the wall and making my lip curl in a silent snarl.
As bad as the gala was, waiting in the plain, too-bright room was worse.
I had no desire to speak with Malrik, a Morraki councilor I’d clashed with over policies enough to make it impossible to pretend civility, and Darev was so far beneath my station that we had nothing in common.
He’d served his time as a warrior, then become an Artok.
While I had a basic knowledge of machinery, he lived and breathed it.
He was as far above me in that area as I was him in matters of war.
The first Humans to arrive were the female Darev had selected and the UEC representative she was connected to.
Their skin was as dark as a Morraki, their hair somehow even darker, although the texture seemed different.
Whereas ours always hung straight when not in braids, theirs seemed to grow in tiny spirals, and it almost made me curious to touch it to see how it felt.
Taryn’s relative entered the room next and my pulse surged, only for my brows to crash down once I realized she was alone. I took a step forward before I could stop myself and didn’t miss Malrik’s smirk when my tail lashed again.
“Misplace your omega already, Torashkar?”
He said the words under his breath even though he could have shouted them and it wouldn’t have made a difference since the Humans didn’t understand Morraki.
“I haven’t misplaced anything, Torthyrrak.”
At least, I hoped I hadn’t.
Taryn might have been Human and clearly uninterested in becoming a Morraki mate, but I’d read her as the type that was bound by duty the way I was.
Even though she hadn’t wanted to be chosen, I figured she would view it as a responsibility.
The women could refuse a selection now thanks to Serenya, and it would be a blow to my position if the female I’d chosen didn’t even show up to deny me in person.
I didn’t know why that mattered so much I felt like I was waiting for a blow.
The sound of footsteps from beyond the door reached my ears and I swung my head to see who appeared. The blue eyes that found mine had my kethra shifting towards yellow on a wave of relief, though the expression on my lips couldn’t have been called a smile.
“She’s simply late.”
I made the statement in Common, enjoying the way Taryn’s eyes narrowed. Her pale hair was up in a twist atop her head again, leaving her neck exposed above the edge of a shirt that matched her eyes.
My shaft twitched, an instinctive response. An alpha was naturally drawn to an available female, and exposing her neck was an invitation to claim. Even if her scent didn’t match an omega’s yet, there was enough sweetness in it to provoke the reaction.
“I am not late. I could only go as fast as the shuttle and speeder got me here.”
Shifting my weight back, I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the wall behind me. She remained on the opposite side of the room near the door, but she broadcast her animosity far enough I could feel it.
Malrik chuckled beside me.
“Should have picked a submissive one. Even if the injection works this time, you may not be able to claim her.”
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth groaned, the orange of my kethra almost disappearing beneath the surge of yellow. Rath might have been as stubborn as a vezhakk, but at least he had been willing to fight for what he believed. Malrik preferred snide remarks he could later deny when challenged.
The arrival of the last female and the councilor she was related to interrupted before I could say anything in return, Malrik moving forward to greet her as if she wasn’t simply a pawn in the game between worlds. My claws dug into my arms, the prick of pain grounding.
Taryn had turned away to speak to her relative, but as Malrik strode to that side of the room, she made her way towards me. Her gaze never left mine as she closed the space between us, moving down a row of seats until she stood just out of reach.
“I’d hoped you weren’t serious last night. Why did you choose me?”
Arching a brow, I let my eyes rake down her body. Black fabric clung to her legs like a second skin, and the thin material of her top did little to hide the swell of her breasts. Omegas tended to be thick and curvy, and despite being Human, she matched their build.
“Because you were the least irritating, and your stature makes you more likely to survive trehvyr if the serum works.”
Her brow furrowed at the unfamiliar word, but she chose a different question.
“My stature?”
There was a spark in her eyes daring me to explain. Lips stretching in a smile, I leaned forward and lowered my voice.
“The curve of your hips means you can handle being rutted by an alpha, and your breasts are more than ample enough to feed a babe once you’ve been bred.”
Her lips parted, eyes rounding. The look on her face was pure shock before it melted into fury, but I didn’t miss the way her scent grew musky.
“Is that all I am? A body to breed?”
Part of me rejected the simplified explanation, but I buried that reaction. Straightening, I leaned back again, not releasing my grip on my arms. If I did, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t do something stupid.
“No.”
Her chest heaved as she waited for me to explain further, but I remained silent until she prompted me.
“No?”
Letting my smile soften, I shook my head and purposely angered her more.
“No. You’re also leverage, in case your council decides to repeat history and betray the alliance.”
I let the smile drop as her hands curled into fists. It was wrong to speak of an omega that way, but I couldn’t think of her as that. She was Human. I’d already lost my omega.
I was half tempted to keep pushing, to see how much it would take for her fury to take over, but I needed her to accept the injection so I could say I had done my part.
Still, it was better for her to hate me.
She needed to understand she was nothing more than an obligation.
A duty I had to fulfill, for the good of my people.
“Are you always an asshole?”
I didn’t understand the last word since she dropped into her language and it was one I hadn’t encountered yet, but I didn’t need to know the exact meaning to understand the tone. My smirk returned and I lifted one shoulder before letting it drop.
“Usually.”
I half expected her to growl at me the way a Morraki would, but she remained silent, the only sound between us the rasp of her heavy breaths.
It was a struggle to remain in a relaxed position against the wall, my instincts urging me to do things I had no interest in.
Alphas were dominant, and I wasn’t one to ignore a challenge.
She did a remarkable job of getting herself under control before turning away and taking a seat at the opposite end of the row. The woman with her was looking at the communication device in her hand until Mara entered the room, drawing everyone’s focus when she greeted them.
“Hello. I’m Doctor Mara Keene.”
I tuned her out as she asked everyone to be seated and then explained the injection.
The women should have received the same information prior to submitting their DNA for testing, but I knew as well as any that people didn’t pay enough attention to details.
Once they received the injection there was no reversing it, and the reality of permanence had a way of slamming into someone at the last minute.
I kept my eyes focused on Taryn. She refused to look my way even though I knew she was aware of my attention, and I had to respect her willpower. If she had been Morraki, she might have made a good warrior.
My eyes drifted over her form again. She was sturdy enough to have a good amount of power behind her, but the softness of her muscles meant she rarely used them to their full extent. That was typical of Humans, ignoring their body for easier pursuits than discipline.
“If this sounds like to too great a commitment, you’re free to change your mind. There will be no retaliation if this is too much.”
Mara paused and looked at the three women, my lungs freezing in the silence that spread.
The paler female with dark hair that Malrik had chosen shot a wide-eyed glance at him, and then another to the Human male at her side before shaking her head.
The dark-skinned woman shook her head right away, smiling toward Darev.
I hadn’t seen him speak to any other candidates during the gala, and for a moment I worried she might be an agent of the UEC the way Kael had suspected Serenya of, but Taryn’s stiffness didn’t leave room for me to worry about the other female.
She had to accept. If she refused prior to the injection, the failure would be my fault. As much as I didn’t want a mate, I knew it was necessary for the alliance, and I couldn’t be a cause of weakness.
Finally, a tiny shake, and my chest loosened.
“Alright then, if you ladies will come into this room one at a time, we’ll get the injection over with.”
I fully expected Taryn to make me wait, but she shot out of her seat, stepping around the councilor beside her. The older woman had a crease between her brows and her mouth curved downward, but Taryn’s face was set with pure determination.
I walked around Darev and moved towards the door to the other room. Taryn beat me there, disappearing inside and taking a seat in the chair by the time I could see around the wall.
She still refused to look at me, watching Mara prepare the injector with the blue fluid that was supposed to alter her DNA.
She would have to come back the next day for a confirmation test, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be as lucky as I had been the first time.
The serum hadn’t worked on Isolde, but Taryn was as different from her as it was possible for two Humans to be.
Mara had been talking to Taryn the whole time, and I’d heard Taryn murmur a few questions, but they were speaking in English. I wanted to snarl at them to use Common, but that would have seemed too much like I cared about what they were discussing.
I dug my nail into the cut on my arm again, clenching my jaw to remain silent. Only a few moments more, and my part would be done.
Taryn pulled the sleeve of her top up, exposing her arm. Mara leaned in to clean the area with a swab that stung my nose even from the doorway, the sharp scent of it reminding me of the foul drink from the gala.
As if having similar thoughts, Taryn’s eyes finally found mine.
For a heartbeat I thought I saw a flash of fear, of loss, and then Mara was between us, injector in hand.
A click reached my ears, and then Mara was bustling away, tossing pieces into the garbage while Taryn released the fabric to drop and cover her arm once again.
“We’ll see you back tomorrow to check that the serum worked. You can take over-the-counter medication for any symptoms you have, but if it seems serious, feel free to call.”
Taryn nodded and gave Mara a small smile before standing, but she’d gone back to avoiding eye contact with me again.
As she crossed to where I stood, I refused to move, waiting as her steps slowed, and then stopped.
The sound of a sigh filled the space between us before those blue orbs finally lifted once more.
“Please move, so I can spend the last of my time with the people I care about.”
Her words and the tone of her voice made my brows furrow, and when she looked down again, I reached out. Catching myself before I made contact, I redirected my hand towards her wrist, barely letting my fingertips rest against it to get her attention.
“This will not be the last time you see your family. There are frequent trips between Earth and Morrakan. You will not be a prisoner on my planet.”
My voice was low, meant for her only, and her eyes flashed up to me before returning to floor.
“Okay.”
Her tone suggested she didn’t believe me, but trust would come with proof. I didn’t plan to make her miserable even if we’d never be true mates. Once I was sure she understood this was only for the alliance, things would be easier.
“I’ll be here tomorrow.”
I stepped back, giving her the space to walk past, and she didn’t bother to acknowledge what I’d said. She headed straight for the other women, pausing long enough for the councilor to stand before turning for the door to leave.