Page 5

CHAPTER FIVE

~Arcay~

THE HUMAN STARED up at me, his startling blue eyes wide against the pale, blood-streaked skin of his face. They were intoxicating, almost as much as the scent that made my pulse roar. I had smelled it as soon as we stepped onto the human ship; faint, like a trail leading me to him. I had only sensed it once or twice before, but I knew instantly what it was. The potent pheromones of an omega. And not only that, but an unclaimed omega in his prime.

I marveled at my luck. It seemed irrational to me that they would send one out unprotected, unclaimed, and ripe, but maybe on their planet omegas were plentiful. On Aldamer, omegas were fiercely fought over and guarded; an unclaimed omega did not stay unclaimed for long.

The human omega said something I couldn’t understand with my limited knowledge of Panlin, and shrank away from me. It did not matter, the scent of his pheromones drove me on. I had to have him, he had to be mine.

I twisted my hand into the front of his clothing and pulled him from his hiding place. He struggled and tried to cling on to anything he could reach, but his fingers were slippery, leaving smears of blood behind.

I lifted him from the ground and threw him over my shoulder, ignoring the kicks to my chest, the strikes to my back, and wrapped my arm around his waist to hold him firm. He continued to struggle and shout unintelligible words, which I ignored. This close, his scent was even more potent. It made my head swim, and I narrowed my eyes at the humans that approached us, growling out a warning. No one would take him from me.

The human leader shouted and attempted to get around Jursin, our First, who blocked his way and then picked him up by the throat. The human hung in his grasp, squirming and kicking. Jursin shot me a warning look.

“Arcay, control yourself,” he growled. But the urge to obey him was overridden by the scent of my human, the rushing of my blood, the driving need that ached in my bones.

I turned away from him to the door.

The female human who had stood in my way earlier was back on her feet, a small weapon in her hands. She wavered between pointing it at me and Jursin, who still held the human leader aloft. Before she could pick a target, Silvun—our Fourth—knocked her off her feet with a swipe of his powerful arm. The weapon flew from her hand, ricocheting off the wall, and I continued past.

The humans were so small and weak, it was like fighting with children. And it did not look like any of them were armed with effective weapons of self-defense. Humans were clearly an illogical race to come here so unprepared. It was their luck that Jursin had shown mercy, even though they were trespassing. From their reactions, the humans didn’t realize how much of an honor it was to have the First himself board their ship. And once this omega learned that I was the Second, he would be pleased to be chosen by me.

Behind me the sound of fighting continued, the cries and grunts of humans, and the call of Jursin for me to stop. I kept going. I had caused the humans to react and disobeyed Jursin directly, and I would answer for it later, but at that moment I did not care.

I was almost away with my omega prize when Ulgar, our Third, stepped between me and the way out. His body was tense, and I could tell he wanted to challenge me for the omega writhing over my shoulder; he was an unmated alpha and the omega’s scent would be rushing in his veins too.

“Stand aside,” I growled.

For a moment it seemed that he would not, and I prepared to fight him, but then his eyes fell to the floor, recognizing my superiority as the Second. He dragged himself to the side, his movements slow and scornful.

I ducked through the doorway, twisting to get through, and resisted the urge to tear the opening wider in my impatience. These human structures were ridiculously small. As I squeezed through, the omega struggled and kicked, making maneuvering difficult. I growled, but it did not seem to deter him. He pulled at my hands in an attempt to loosen my grip on him and I shook him slightly, growing frustrated. He went limp, and I left the ship uninhibited with my prize.

***

OUR SHIP FELT clean and bright after the tiny human ship. A beta hurried up to me and bowed his head, making no comment about my new prize.

“ Rania. ”

I brushed past him. I needed to get to my quarters as quickly as possible. The human’s scent was potent, and the ship was crawling with unmated alphas. Even Silvun and Ulgar were a possible threat now. I had made it off the human ship with the omega because of my fast actions, but there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t challenge me for him later.

The human omega was still, his warmth pressed against my shoulder. Perhaps he had accepted what was happening.

Clay.

It was an odd name, not unlike my soon to be mate. Odd but enticing. It felt strange in my mouth, and for a moment I wondered how he would feel in my mouth. My blood pulsed harder.

Not yet, I thought. Soon.

I moved through the ship quickly, glowering at anybody who dared come near. My rushing blood was making me aggressive, but it would settle once I had claimed him. Finally, I entered my quarters and locked the door behind me with my palm.

We were alone and secure, and my pulse sped up; finally, my own omega. I had waited my whole life for this. omegas were so rare now that many alphas never got the chance to mate and had to live their life alone. We believed that alphas and omegas were two halves of a soul, and the majority of us remained incomplete our whole lives.

I carried my new prize through my bright, airy quarters, wide windows taking up the majority of one wall to display a vista of stars. How humans could live on those dingy crafts of theirs I would never know.

I needed to claim him as fast as possible, but first I needed to tend to his wounds to ensure he was not too damaged, impatient though I was.

A small healing pod adjoined the main living area, and I laid him down on the cot where he flopped, head loose and neck extended, exposing the gentle slope of his throat. Heat rose in me. He was submitting to me, already ready and willing. All thought of his wounds dissipated and I bent over him, my blood rising in anticipation. But then I noticed his lips were slack, and his eyes were closed. He wasn’t submitting to me at all, but to unconsciousness. I thought of how he went limp after I shook him; I may have been too rough. I made a frustrated noise in my throat.

He seemed strong and healthy, but I had no knowledge of humans, they must be more delicate than they looked. Was he permanently damaged?

I moved back to study him for the first time. Blood soaked into the surface of the bed. Was it a lot? How much blood did humans have inside them? My studies as a child only covered the very basic information when it came to their species; they were smaller and weaker than us, but still dangerous, reckless, and strange. They had spread out across the cosmos, but I had no idea how they managed it if they were all so delicate that a gentle shake would render them unconscious. Nowhere in the records did it mention that humans had omegas and alphas, and yet here was proof. His scent told me that he was undeveloped, his pheromones not yet in full force, but the strength of it was higher than any Aldar omega I had ever experienced.

I wondered if we had a human specialist aboard, but dismissed it instantly. There was no way I was going to let another alpha in here to challenge me and lay claim to my omega. I would make do myself. I gathered the medical supplies from the case set into the wall and knelt by the cot.

I took the opportunity to inspect him properly. After all, I should know my new mate intimately. His neck was delicate and sculpted, traces of blue veins just visible under his pale skin. He had a pleasant face, even for a human; a defined jaw with a darkened area of skin across it. I touched it lightly. It had a prickly feeling that I found oddly pleasant and realized it was very short hair. It appeared humans grew it in places other than their heads, unlike us. Where else did it grow? I would have to find out later. The hair he did have on his head was thick and dark; messy from the struggle, it flopped over his forehead on one side.

He had a pleasing mouth, lips parted slightly to show blunt white teeth and no fangs. He had an honest brow and straight nose with a slight curve, all good features that boded well for our union. I peered closer and pulled the soft skin of his lower eyelid down with my finger, revealing that odd iris of startling blue staring blankly back at me, not the dark or yellow shades I was used to.

Yes, the Gods had indeed blessed me. I would have claimed him whatever his appearance of course, but this omega had an exotic allure.

He wore a dark all-in-one flight suit that covered him from neck to ankles, the sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. They were lean and toned, with more fine dark hairs. I touched them. These ones were soft, unlike the ones on his jaw.

The flight suit was loose, but I could vaguely make out the shape of his body underneath; long, lean, and muscled. Something stirred inside me, making my stomach feel light, hungry. My fingers twitched. I reached out and placed my hand flat on his stomach. It was firm but supple. I pressed gently and then traced my fingers up, feeling the lines of his chest through the rough material, that same odd feeling tightening in my belly.

I leaned in closer, set my nose to the side of his neck, and inhaled his sweet scent.

Without warning, his eyes snapped open. They stared into mine for one long tense moment, and then he screamed.