Chapter Eight
Taryn
When we reached his quarters, I stepped inside and surveyed the space with the same assessing gaze I used when checking a dog for injuries. I wasn’t surprised to find it sparse considering what I had seen of Rhydek.
Dark walls, darker floors. Couch and table in neutral earthy colors. Dim lighting like the rest of the ship that was thankfully a relief to my throbbing head.
But there were no knickknacks. No books, pillows, pictures, or anything else to show it was lived in. The room was functional, with no hint of softness.
Like the alien at my side.
“There were several things Serenya was unaware of when she came aboard, and while it was in your information packet, I’m going to repeat them so I know you’re aware of the expectations.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes as a sigh slipped out. The room was swaying around me, we’d barely made it to his rooms, yet he wanted to start laying out rules.
He strode past me and pressed a hidden button on the wall to my left, and an opening appeared in the center of it, spreading until it was large enough for Rhydek to pass through.
It had been easy to pretend the shuttle had only been taking me to another location on Earth, but the portal opening in the wall was something from a science fiction movie and assured I really was on a spaceship with an alien, preparing to move to his planet.
He dropped my bags on the floor and turned back to me.
“The Morrak have community baths, so there is no individual bathing unit in my quarters the way Humans have in their homes. While on the ship you may use the bathing pool on the third level, but in Korvashan, everyone bathes in the River Caverns.”
I remembered reading that, and while it wasn’t ideal to be forced to bathe publicly, it was something I could deal with.
College and the military both had shared showers, so it wouldn’t be the first time I’d dealt with the discomfort, even if my body was a bit more…
mature than the last time I’d disrobed around strangers.
And it had been a female-only shower, but I doubted any Morraki would be looking at me that way.
“There is an elimination closet there.”
He pointed to a blank wall on the opposite side of the room.
I didn’t want to admit I couldn’t tell where it was, but he either realized that or was making sure I knew what to do to open it, because he strode over and pressed his fingers against a little rectangle, and seams were suddenly visible around a door that slide into the wall the way the one to the room had.
“The level we are on is the second highest. The dravok, the ship’s command center, is above and is restricted to only those with the rank to access it. As my omega, you will have that rank to reach me when necessary.”
He looked like he wanted to add a warning about abusing access, but he at least had enough respect for me not to voice it. I had no plans to leave the room other than to bathe if I found the energy.
“The level below are the guest quarters. The other two Humans will be there with their alphas. All levels below third are off limits.”
I was curious as to why the other pairs were in guest quarters while I wasn’t, but not enough to ask. And while being told an area was off-limits chafed, it was something else I was familiar with.
Rhydek didn’t give me a chance to ask questions, walking over as he continued to speak.
“My people are warriors. Respect is earned through strength. As an omega you are the least dominant dynamic, but omegas are revered, and you will be shown courtesy due to that. I will handle those unwilling to show that courtesy.”
My brow arched and I had to swallow a scoff. I didn’t care about courtesy. I was a Human going to an alien planet, and I knew how both people and animals reacted to things that were ‘different’.
A bead of sweat slipped down my spine. I couldn’t tell if the temperature of the ship was different than what I was used to due to my fever, but at least I wasn’t shivering anymore like I had on the rooftop waiting for the shuttle.
“As an omega and my mate, you will be under scrutiny at all times. What you do and what happens to you reflects on me.”
This was the part I’d been expecting, when he warned me to behave so I didn’t make him look bad, and I straightened, holding his gaze. I’d never been an embarrassment to my father, and I wouldn’t be to him, if I could help it.
“If another Morraki so much as looks at you wrong, I expect you to tell me so I can deal with it. Anyone who lays a hand on you will lose it, whether it happened with or without your permission.”
My pulse was loud in my ears as I waited for more. I already knew they didn’t trust Humans to remain loyal, so the veiled warning wasn’t a surprise, but I was shocked he didn’t give me more rules.
“I know you didn’t want this. You made that clear. I’m not eager to take a mate either, but we’re in this situation now. We have to appear the way we are expected to for the alliance.”
The way he looked at me was heavy with something that made dread start crawling beneath my skin. He was right that I hadn’t wanted to be chosen, and it had been obvious enough that he wasn’t happy either, but hearing him confirm it still put a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Did you read the information packet?”
It was the first time during his speech that he waited for a response, and I debated between the easy answer and the truth.
“Mostly.”
He huffed, shaking his head as his markings rippled.
Bioluminescence wasn’t something many creatures had on Earth, and it had never been confirmed whether the animals who did have them controlled them at will, and I couldn’t help the part of me that wanted to lean in and look at them closer.
There were a flood of questions stirring in my mind, but I wasn’t sure he’d answer them even if he wasn’t about to lecture me.
“There are certain expectations for mated omegas. Whether we want this or not, they have to be followed. Read the packet.”
He turned away from me abruptly. I hadn’t realized I was leaning until his motion made me jerk back and I stumbled.
Something thick and firm coiled around my thigh, high enough to brush against the crease between my legs and make me yelp as I jerked again. A hand caught my shoulder before I could fall, but my eyes were aimed downward.
It took a moment to realize it was Rhydek’s tail wrapped around my leg, and several more before my breathing slowed enough for me to notice Rhydek was still holding me upright.
“I’m fine.”
I rolled my shoulder to get him to let go and tried to shake my leg to rid myself of his tail, but it stayed in place even when his hand pulled away.
The frown on his face when I looked up at him said he didn’t believe my words any more now than he had before, then his own gaze moved to his tail, as if he didn’t know why it was still wrapped around my leg either.
Had it been instincts to grab me, or had he directed it to?
It loosened slowly, rubbing against my thigh in a way that made me shiver even though it didn’t brush against my center again. A deep pulse in my core echoed the one in my head, but the world was too fuzzy for me to analyze the feeling. I shoved it aside and tried to ignore it like all the others.
Stepping back once I was free of his limbs, I took a calming breath and went back to the conversation we’d been having.
“I no longer have my phone to pull up the packet.”
Rhydek was still frowning at me, his brows angry slashes over golden eyes that would have been beautiful if they weren’t always glaring. After several heartbeats he turned away and lifted something from the table in front of the couch, tapping on it before holding it toward me.
“There.”
The datapad felt heavier than it should have when he released it, my arm dipping with the weight. The fever and throwing up repeatedly had left me weak, and even if I didn’t want it to show, I couldn’t help it.
I blinked at the screen several times, the letters blurring together as frustration grew and only made it harder to focus.
It was in Common, which I could passably read even if it wasn’t as easy as English, but just the thought of reading the page of text was exhausting, and I finally let my arm drop, the tablet banging against my leg.
“This is… a lot. Can’t you just tell me?”
His jaw flexed, markings flashing again as his tail whipped behind him. It was already a struggle to remain upright, and I was quickly losing the energy I’d scraped together with medication, caffeine, and willpower.
“An omega is to be available to her alpha at all times.”
I blinked at him, trying to squeeze out the meaning of the words, but they slithered away, leaving me shaking my head.
“I don’t understand.”
My pulse was fluttering in my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to lie down, but I refused to show how ill I felt. One of the things that had been repeated was that the Morrak valued strength, and I wasn’t going to start our relationship looking weak.
Even if calling it a relationship was a stretch.
Rhydek’s jaw clenched and I heard the squeak of his teeth grinding together. His hands were clamped on his biceps so tight his claws were leaving dimples in the muscle, and he was at risk of breaking the skin.
“You are to be available.”
He stressed the word like I would suddenly realize the meaning, but when my face remained blank, he dropped his arms to his sides.
“Naked. You are expected to be naked and compliant when inside your alpha’s home and others are not present.”
My lips parted as his growled explanation sank in, the blood rushing in my ears suddenly going silent. It took a minute for my brain to process the implications of naked and compliant, and outrage flooded my system, clearing my mind better than any of the medications I’d taken.
“What kind of caveman bullshit is that? Available? What, so you can bend me over the nearest surface the moment the idea strikes you?”
My voice rose with each sentence that slipped past my lips. Rhydek’s brows lowered, his markings turning yellow as he invaded my space, coming so close my chest almost brushed his abs when I sucked in each desperate breath, but I refused to step back.
The scent of leather and pine suddenly struck me, underlined by something sharp that made my heart race even faster.
“That’s exactly the purpose. An omega is there to please her alpha and meet his needs. All of his needs. At any time.”
My core gave a traitorous clench, and I was thankful the fever meant my cheeks were already flushed and couldn’t grow redder.
A part of my brain was confused about the way my body was reacting, about why my panties seemed to grow damp at his crudeness, but it was a small part, trapped behind the piece currently sneering at the monstrous alien looming over me.
“That’s barbaric.”
His glare didn’t change but his lips stretched into a smirk that stole my breath. His slit nostrils flared as if he were scenting me, but I didn’t have time to think about that before he was leaning down to be at eye level, his breath warm on my face.
“We are Morrak. Alphas take what they want. Get used to it.”
Fingers curled into my palms, I drew in a breath, only for Rhydek to disappear. The door hissed behind me before I realized he’d moved, and I spun to find him already gone.
Chest heaving, stomach churning with a blend of nausea and something I wouldn’t name, a new sound emerged. Vibrating my throat as I glared at the door, the growl filled the room, mocking me with a change and rules I’d agreed to even though I hadn’t understood what they meant.