Page 7 of Rathgar

Until the war.

We fought off foe after foe, each tougher and meaner than the rest. The death toll grew, and still they came. We couldn’t beat them with numbers or firepower. We just didn’t have what it took. What we needed was an edge. A competitive advantage.

And so the Alpha experiment was born. Scientists worked in secret to develop a drug that would alter our bodily chemistry and make us stronger, faster, smarter. They molded us into the perfect soldiers and at long last, we turned the tide of battle. We were finally at peace.

But at what cost?

Plummeting birth rates put us in danger all over again, and that’s where the Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency came in. That’s all it was. A business transaction.

Now if only my cock would remember that…

The center’s larger than I thought it would be. Long hallways of rooms shoot off from a central lobby where everyone checks in. There are about a half dozen women there in the waiting room, all with varying looks of nervousness or anticipation.

I notice their scents, but only barely. Humans smell so differently, but it’s not unwelcome. Then again, it’s nothing like Soren described, either.

The way he told it, the first scent he caught of Lara practically knocked the wind out of him. Wiped every thought out of his mind. Sent him into some kind of frenzy, tearing through the crowd just to find her.

Yeah, not for me. They smell nice and all. But nothing stands out. A pretty floral scent here. A citrusy scent there. One that reminds me of mint tea catches my attention for a fraction of a second, but the scent fades away just as easily.

I shrug and try another hallway. Maybe they won’t find a match for me, after all. Maybe I’m just too incompatible. Too brutish even for their high-tech matching system. Wouldn’t surprise me.

I turn another corner, grumbling. Might as well go back to the main lobby. Maybe they’ll let me leave and come back once the tests are done. I hate sitting around in one place for too long. I need to be up and moving, not sitting in these tiny chairs in these tiny, sterile rooms.

The sooner this is over with, the better.

And that’s when it hits me.

It takes a moment to register, at first. It’s not so different from all the other scents flying around. But with each step I take, it grows stronger.

It’s…familiar, somehow. I can’t put a finger on it. Fresh grass and sunshine and rain. But better. So much better.

Was this…?

My heart skips a beat. Blood rushes to my head first. The room spins. My senses go into overdrive. What was that? And where was it coming from?

Then the blood rushes to my other head, and all bets are off.

It’s her. It has to be. It’s her.

My legs start moving before my thoughts can catch up. I’m sprinting down the hall like a man possessed. My mouth waters. My cock aches. Every cell in my body tingles with sensation. With triumph.

It’s close to the high I get from battle, but even that’s not enough. It’s more. So much more.

Blood roars in my ears. My heart thuds out a heavy rhythm. I’m practically panting as I round the corner and see the door at the end of the hall. There.

Putting on a burst of speed, I smash into the door and burst in without even thinking of the consequences. All I know is that my body needs to know who that delicious fragrance belongs to.

So imagine my surprise when I see a very startled Janie sitting there on the examination table.

She screams, and that’s when my brain makes the connection.

My match — my omega — is her.

The gods are really having a laugh at me this time.

THIGH ACHE

JANIE

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