Page 25 of Ruled By The Alpha

War Prize of the Beast

A Dark Fated-Mates Romance

by

Alison Aimes

Chapter 1

Anara crouched behind the massive trunk of the fallen dalani palm, her heart slamming against her ribs as she gripped the handle of her knife.

Crash.

She pressed her spine deeper into the ridged trunk. The animal hide wrapped around her hips offered little protection against the rough bark, but that sting was nothing compared to the agony she’d suffer if caught.

Lush jungle vegetation and shiny purple rocks covered most of her planet and, with her pink and silver shimmering hair and skin, she usually blended in. But at this suns’ rise, she’d had to coat herself in mud to hide her scent and the dark muck provided less effective camouflage among the bright leaves.

Still, if she could make it to the mountainside, there were several crevices large enough to crawl inside.

Crash.

Another sturdy palm flew through the air and smashed into the dirt, sending smaller plants and rocks flying.

She shivered. What kind of beast was fearless enough to soar among the stars and powerful enough to hurl a tree as if it was a blade of grass?

Crash.

More winged sparrowells startled, cawing as they flapped away.If only I could follow.

A deafening roar sounded right behind.

A trickle of icy sweat slid between her breasts.

The beast was ripping the trees from their roots. Searching for survivors.

Her only consolation: it wouldn’t find any.

The few members of her clan still breathing had already fled, their bravery and spirit broken. The gerlex used to be the worst predators on the planet. With their hive mind, oversized mandibles, and taste for humanoid flesh, they’d killed handfuls of her kind every migration season. But at least they swarmed only during the dry season and, even better, had soft spots at their throats and segmented joints which made them vulnerable.

Unlike this new foe.

The beastly beserkeths appeared to have no vulnerabilities at all.

Her clan had tried standing their ground when the new invaders first landed, but their flimsy spears and knives had been nothing against the beasts’ thicker hides, unbreakable horns and fangs, and greater strength. Weaker, smaller, and slower, her omega clan of males and females was no match against the apex Alpha predator.

She’d lost more than she could bear to remember.

Another crash—followed by a terrifying, guttural bellow.

Relentless, huge and feral, the beserkeths lived for one purpose only: to hunt and kill.

As a result, everything else living on her planet, even the gerlex, were fast disappearing.

Her kind had learned there were only two choices against such a brutal predator: run or die.

So they ran.

When the village alarms had sounded earlier that rotation, she’d already been halfway down the mountain before she’d realized the elder Pether wasn’t fleeing with them. Hard of hearing and partially lame from the last attack, there was every chance he hadn’t heard the alarm. She’d gone back to help, but it was too late.

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