Page 8 of Rathgar

I know that Lara warned me about the side effects before I signed the contract, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Since Iris and I already had partial inoculations, they told me that the omega hormones in the shot would take effect much faster.

I didn’t think they meant literal minutes.

It came on like a tidal wave, nearly knocking the wind right out of me. Everything was…hot. But it was more than that. I squirmed on the table while Orvox ran a set of routine tests. I wish she’d hurry up.

My body aches, itches, and burns all at the same time. The closest thing I can compare it to was when I ran a really high fever as a child. But even that’s not enough. I need…something.

My brain’s still racing to catch up, but I have a feeling I know just what that something is.

No turning back now.

I squeeze my thighs together and try to quell the ache. The overhead lights are too bright. The sounds too loud. My skin pricks with gooseflesh. I don’t know what I need but I know I need out of here, now.

“Are we done?” I ask Orvox breathlessly. She doesn’t seem deterred by my condition. Guess she’s seen it all before.

“Just about,” she tells me. “Your body is reacting more quickly than than the others’.” She looks up from her tablet. I’m worried at the cool tone of her voice.

“Is that bad?” My voice catches in my throat. Am I going to get kicked off the planet with Iris because I’m defective? What if they can’t find any suitable genetic matches for me among the alien warriors? Soren would try to stop it, I’m sure, but I am unsure if he’d be able to.

“No, it’s not bad. It’s likely due to your unique situation, and once I get the test results back you’ll be escorted to the cottages for the duration of your stay.”

My heart thuds painfully. The cottages. She makes it sound so idyllic. And they are luxurious, according to Lara, but that doesn’t change what they are.

Breeding prisons.

Another wave hits me and I suck in a breath despite myself, grabbing onto the edges of the table for support. It’s been a while since I had enough me time to even think about sex, but I’ve never felt like this before. Not even when I was super horny during my pregnancy.

This is like an all-consuming inferno, threatening to burn me from this inside out.

“Are you sure this is normal?” I squirm in my seat, breaths starting to turn into labored pants. “I feel…”

“Not to worry.” Orvox’s voice is calm, self assured. It’s her kindly tone that I cling on to with the rest of my sanity. She wouldn’t let anything happen to me. “This kind of reaction is not dangerous. It’s come on quicker than usual, but it just means your body is ready to carry a baby.”

My stomach clenches. Yeah. The whole reason I’m here.

The door bangs open and I’m so startled, so over-sensitive that I draw my legs up to my chest and scream. My second reaction?

Seeing Rathgar’s hulking silhouette looming in the doorway, looking almost as crazed as I am.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

My head pounds. My veins pulse with need and my breaths come in short gasps. I need to get out of here. Need to find a place where I can be alone, where I can get some relief…

But my relief is standing right there in the doorway. The last man I would have expected, and the last man I wanted to see right now. I should be running away as fast as my legs will take me, but I’m rooted to the spot.

It can’t be him. Anyone but him.

But as my eyes take in his wide frame and drop lower to the impressive bulge in his trousers, it’s all I can do to keep from throwing myself at him.

Orvox moves quick, quicker than I’ve seen any alien move. She stands between us, unafraid of the snarling alpha. She’s braver than I am, then.

“What is the meaning of this?” She spits at him. “This is a private room.”

Rathgar growls with such a timbre it vibrates through my bones. “And she’s mine.” He’s looking past Orvox’s spindly frame. Eyes, lit with unquenchable passion and sheer rage, take in every curve of my body.

“The tests aren’t even done yet—“ Orvox says, standing her ground. “You’ll have to go back to the waiting room like everyone else, or you’ll be out of the program for good.” She glares up at him, and I marvel at how she can be so fierce in the face of these dangerous alpha warriors. “You’ve done enough to void your contract here and now, but I’ll give you one more chance. Leave at once.”

Rathgar grunts, his eyes never leaving mine. “Check your tablet. Check your fancy tests and data. You’ll see that I’m right.” His hands clench into fists at his side. I curl into myself further, but the side of his raw power only sends another wave of pleasure and need coursing through me.

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