Page 1 of Orri

RESCUE

ORRI

I’ve been a warrior all my life. I’ve seen things no man — or alien — should have to see. And after so many years of battle, I thought I’d seen it all.

Turns out life still has a way of surprising you.

It was supposed to be a fairly straightforward mission. Rescue the kidnapped humans from the compound and take down their leader, Kovarx. All was going according to plan. Until I saw her.

Curled up in a grimy cell, clothes tattered and hair matted with sweat and blood, I saw her. There were others there, and a child, too, but the moment I saw the woman curled up on herself in the corner, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

I knew that smell. Every alpha did. But here? Now?

She was human. She was omega. And she was going into heat.

Talk about poor timing.

* * *

“Get the others,”I grunt to my comrade. “I’ll take the injured one.”

“Understood.” No complaints here. Good, because if any of them tried to take her, I don’t know what I’d do. I tell myself I just want to make sure she’s okay, but it’s more than that.

It’s the primal call of an alpha to an omega. I know the others must be feeling it too, but maybe it’s less strong since Soren and Rathgar already have heart-mates. That leaves Ivar and me, and if Ivar tries to lay a finger on her, even our friendship won’t save him.

She shivers and wails as I gather her into my arms. Poor thing — she can’t even walk. Her leg is swollen and bruised around the knee. A break, most likely. I grimace. We’ve got to get her back to the med pods at the surrogacy center, and fast. Our field medics can only do so much, and I don’t want anyone else touching her until I know she’s all right.

Females are already incredibly precious and sought after on our world, but add to that the fact that she’s human,andshe’s omega? The heat makes her incredibly vulnerable. And her scent will drive any alpha in a mile’s radius mad with lust if I don’t protect her.

Yeah. Protect. That’s it.

She quiets down as I hold her steady in my arms, walking as fast as I can back toward my mount. My cock throbs in my trousers; my mind races with muddled desire, but I have to focus on the mission.

All of this is nothing but a normal biological response. I already had my chance at love…and lost it. Harsh memories flash back into my mind, unbidden. I won’t let what happened to Zannah happen to anyone else, least of all this precious, delicate creature from Earth.

She’s so soft, so light in my arms as I hoist her onto the back of my aki. She sways, still not totally conscious, and I swing up beside her to hold her steady. Grabbing the reins, I kick Alyx into gear, heading back toward the transport at full speed.

The soft leaves brush against our faces as we tear down the path. Alyx’s hooves patter on the hard-packed dirt of the road as she bounds forward. Leaves and a few stray pebbles shoot into the air behind us, and all the while my hair blows wildly about my face, sticking to my sweaty skin after a moment before I brush it away. To say nothing of my passenger…

This woman isn’t used to riding our animals, I can tell that much. Maybe it’s because she’s injured, maybe it’s because she’s in heat, or maybe it’s just because she’s a human and unused to our world, but her body bounces and wobbles on Alyx’s back with the grace of a rag doll. I have to hold her even closer to keep her from falling off, and that pours even more of her delectable scent into my face, threatening to short circuit my senses and ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for.

Back to the center, I repeat to myself. Deep breaths in through my nose. Out through my mouth. Back to the center. Back to the center.

Pay no mind to the blushing beauty pressed up against your body, her curves and soft figure practically made to fit against your own. Or the fact that I’m hard as a rock, throbbing with need to conquer and claim her as my own. To fill her with my seed and see her large with my child.

I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. Focus. Focus. Gotta focus. What kind of alpha would I be if I abandoned an unarmed and vulnerable omega, especially one in heat? She needs medical attention.

Not…whatever my hormones wanted to give her.

That part of my life is over, I think with a frown. I had a mate once, long ago. She was it for me, and no one — not even this omega — can replace her in my heart.

I’ll take her to the surrogate center, make sure she’s patched up, and that will be that. End of story.

…If only life were so simple.

* * *

“Are you all right?Anything hurt? Besides your ankle, that is.” I’m trying to check her for injuries as we ride, but her heat and scent makes it hard to stay focused on the task at hand.

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