Page 17 of Hunted By Khor (Alien Mate Hunt #1)

T he route we took to the crater is gone. Volcanic slide during the night, tons of black glass now blocking the main path. We stand at the edge of the destruction, our packs heavy with harvest vials that we can't afford to lose.

“New path.” Khor studies the options. “Through the lowlands. Longer but no choice.”

The lowlands mean exposure. No ridge cover, no defensive positions. Just flat stretches of cracked earth and the occasional dead tree. But he's right. No choice.

By midday, we find the first dead zone in the territory.

Not like the ones near the crater. This is older, maybe a month. The ground is white with mineral death, crystallized in patterns that spiral outward from a center point. Nothing grows here. Nothing will grow here for years.

“Third one this season.” Khor's voice is flat. “Territory is failing.”

We circle it, adding distance to our journey. The sun beats down without mercy. My water is rationed, just enough to keep moving. The tonic makes me need less, but not none.

As we walk, I notice the marks. Scent markers on rocks, scratches on dead trees. Fresh. Maybe a day old.

“Vek?”

“Yes. He's been through here. Marking.” Khor examines one mark closely. “Not just marking. Claiming. Trying to establish presence in my territory.”

“Can he do that?”

“He can try. Won't hold unless he can defend it.”

More marks as we continue. Not just Vek now. Other scents mixing with his. At least two, maybe three other males. They're moving as a group, marking together.

“Alliance.” Khor says it like it tastes bad. “Young hunters joining together. Happens sometimes when they think an older hunter is weakened.”

“Are you? Weakened?”

“I'm carrying full payment and traveling with an unbonded female. To them, that looks like opportunity.”

The sun begins its descent when we find another dead zone. This one is fresh, maybe three days old. The edges are still expanding slowly, killing the scraggly grass as we watch.

“What causes it?”

“Don't know. Started same time as water failures. Planet changes. Dies. Regenerates. But this feels different.” He touches the edge carefully. “Wrong.”

We're forced to go even further around. By the time we find shelter for the night, full dark has fallen. The temperature plummets immediately. Desert extremes that make my teeth chatter despite the transformation.

The shelter is just a depression in the rocks, barely enough to block wind. No thermal vents here. No comfortable furs. Just stone and cold.

“Come here.” Khor pulls me against him, back to his chest, his arms wrapping around me. His body runs hotter than mine, scales radiating warmth. “Temperature will drop more. Need shared heat or you'll freeze.”

He's already hard against my back. The cold makes him seek warmth through friction same as me. When he enters me from behind, it's not about dominance or claiming. It's about survival. Each thrust generates heat, keeps blood flowing to extremities.

“Someone's watching.” I feel it more than see it. That awareness of eyes on us.

“Vek. Maybe thirty feet. Behind the rocks.” Khor doesn't stop moving. “Let him watch. Let him see you're mine.”

The fucking is mechanical but necessary. When I come, the heat spreads through my body, temporary relief from the killing cold. When he knots, locking us together, our combined body heat creates enough warmth to survive.

“He's getting bolder.” I can smell Vek's arousal from here. “Coming closer.”

“Tomorrow he'll be bolder still. Next day even more.” Khor's knot pulses, keeping his heat inside me. “By the time we reach den, he'll be ready to challenge.”

“Will you fight him?”

“If he follows forms, yes. Traditional challenge requires accepting or losing territory.” His tail wraps around my waist, additional warmth. “But young hunters don't always follow forms.”

We stay locked until the cold forces us to move again, to generate more heat through friction. Three times during the night we couple just to keep from freezing. Each time, Vek watches from his rocks. Each time, he comes a little closer.

Day 14 - Dawn

The second day of return brings new problems. We're exhausted from the night, muscles stiff from cold and constant coupling. The trail shows more marks now. Not just Vek's alliance. Other males have been through here, drawn by the scent of an unbonded female in the territory.

“How many total?”

“Seven different scents. Maybe eight.” Khor's spines are partially extended, constant alertness now. “Most will just watch. Test boundaries. But only Vek's group will act.”

We push harder, trying to make distance. But the dead zones force us into predictable paths. Easy to track. Easy to follow. By midday, they're not even trying to hide. I can see them occasionally. Shadows on ridges, watching our progress.

Another dead zone, massive this time. Miles across. We have to backtrack, losing hours.

“They're herding us.” I realize it as we take the only available path. “Using the dead zones to control where we go.”

“Smart for young hunters.” But Khor sounds more irritated than worried. “Means they've been planning while we were gone.”

The afternoon brings more evidence of planning. A water source we were counting on is fouled, deliberately contaminated with something that makes it smell like rot. A path is blocked with a suspicious rockslide.

“Children's games.” Khor clears the path with casual strength. “Trying to weaken us before confrontation.”

But it's working. We're both dehydrated. Exhausted. And still a day from home.

That night, we find better shelter. A cave that actually blocks wind. But it also has only one entrance. If they wanted to trap us, this would be the place.

They don't attack. But they come close enough that we can hear them talking. Young voices full of bravado, discussing who will get the female when they defeat Khor. How they'll share me until one proves dominant.

“Let them talk.” Khor says when I reach for my blade. “Words are just noise.”

But when he takes me that night, it's rougher. Possessive. Making sure my screams carry to their ears. Making sure they know I choose him every time he touches me. The knot lasts longer than usual, keeping us locked while he marks me with his scent repeatedly.

Day 15 - Morning

The last day brings us within sight of home. The den is visible from the ridge, still intact. But something's wrong. Fresh scent markers everywhere. Vek and his alliance have been here, marking the territory while we were gone.

“They've been inside.” I can smell it. Multiple males in our space. “They went through everything.”

“Testing. Seeing if I'd protect it.” Khor examines the marks with disgust. “Juvenile provocation.”

But when we reach the den, nothing is destroyed. Just... touched. Moved. They want us to know they were here. Want us to feel violated.

“Soon I deliver payment.” Khor checks the vials, all still secure. “They'll wait until I leave. Then they'll come for you.”

“I'll be ready.”

“You have your weapons?”

I touch my pack where five different deaths hide. “I have them.”

“Good. Because when they come, they won't expect violence from you. They think human females are weak. Prove them wrong.”

That night, we don't sleep. Just wait. Listening to them circle in the darkness. Tomorrow, Khor leaves for the checkpoint. Tomorrow, they make their move.

Fifteen days until the portal opens.

Fifteen days to survive what's coming.