Page 6 of Orri

The huge alien alpha stands, and he’s even taller up close. I suck in a breath despite myself, the area between my thighs clenching in anticipation. I’ve never seen anyone sobigin my life; even though I was pretty tall for a woman back on Earth, he utterly dwarfs me here on Aesirheim.

He takes a step forward, his gaze darkening. Then his attention shifts to something behind me. I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know it’s Orvox.

“All you all right, then?” His voice comes out too formal, too measured for his hulking frame. He clears his throat. “I promised Soren I would stay and check on you. He asked for a report.”

“Oh.” My face falls. So he was just following orders. Nothing to do with wanting to see me at all. I should have known that he didn’t really care on his own. “I wanted to thank you.” I can’t help but avert my gaze. My cheeks flush as the memories flood back in. “For saving me, back there.” I lift my head and catch his gaze, still as intense as ever. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. “I never even got your name.”

“Name’s Orri.” He shrugs, as if introducing himself isn’t important to anyone. I’m glad to learn his name.

Orri. What an interesting alien name. I’ve never heard anything like it before. “Orri,” I repeat, and I like the way it sounds.

“It’s no big deal,” he adds. “I was just doing my job.”

It’s a big deal to me, but his tone makes it clear he doesn’t want to talk about it or want to encourage me to make something more of it than it really is. I try to change the subject, instead. “Um, are the others all right? I haven’t seen anyone else since…” I wince, thinking of how brutal the attack had been and how violent rescue had similarly been.

“Yes, we were able to evacuate everyone safely. And don’t worry, Janie has been reunited with her child as well.”

Oh, good. Memories of the cell are still weak and hazy in my mind. However, I remember the tiny human girl, no more than a few years old, crying out when her mother was taken away. What kind of vile savage would kidnap and torture a small child? An involuntary shudder makes me curl in on myself, nausea fighting its way back up my esophagus.

“You do not need to worry about them anymore,” he continues, as if he knows what I’m thinking. His voice is smooth and even like he’s giving a briefing to one of his superiors. It’s lost all the command and alpha-ness that haunted my drugged-out dreams. Maybe I was imagining the whole thing. Maybe it was all part of this stupid heat…

Right on cue, a lancing pain shoots through my abdomen, so fierce and crushing that I cry out and double over, right there in the dirt. What is happening to me? It’s so much stronger, so much sharper than anything I’ve felt thus far. I knew enough from the pamphlets and talking to other omegas that heat was never particularlycomfortable, but this sharp, shooting pain was something else entirely. It felt like a hot poker being jabbed into my gut, right over my womb. I never thought going into heat would hurt so much.

I groan and clamp a hand over the area. My vision blurs again. I hear shouting, both male and female, but I’m too weak to look up. Suddenly, the scent from before grows stronger once more. Warm, golden arms hold me steady, and the moment we touch the ache abates little by little. I blink open tear-flecked eyes and stare up at him, mouth agape.

Orri.

“Are you all right?” He asks again, his formal cadence all but forgotten. “What’s wrong?”

Orvox is on us in an instant. “She’s in heat, you fool. Her alpha passed during the raid, and she’s going to be very unstable like this without medical attention. You shouldn’t have to be around her like this. For both your sakes.”

My heart roars in my ears. I can barely breathe. Barely move. I know Orvox has a point, but the thought of being put in a med pod again…

“No,” I mumble, clinging closer to Orri’s chest out of instinct. I can’t explain it, but being next to him makes me feel…safe.

He makes the pain and burning go away, even just a little. I know he’s notmyalpha. And I know he probably has someone of his own. I could never impose…

But I want to. I really, really want to.

Orri seems to have other ideas. A growl rumbles deep in his chest and the vibrations echo through my skin all the way to my heart. Instead of feeling afraid, a sense of peace and contentment washes over me. That, and bone-tired exhaustion. My eyes droop and my limbs cling to him for dear life.

It’s wrong in so many different ways, but I just want the pain to stop.

“Are you implying I would hurt the female?” Orri’s voice cuts through the tension.

Orvox taps on my shoulder, trying to pry me away. “Let’s go, Isabella. You can’t stay here, it’s not safe—“

“No!” I cry out before I can think. Before I can stop myself. I’m practically sobbing, clinging to Orri’s chest and rubbing my face against his bare skin. So much for dignity. I need relief, and being here with him is the only thing that seems to help.

“Isabella, please.” She peels me away with surprising strength, and the moment Orri and I stop touching, the pain comes back with a vengeance. I grunt and wrap both arms around my midsection, trying to make it go away. The world spins, and suddenly, he’s there again. Strong arms. Warmth. Scent. Safety.

Alpha.

All I can do is cling to him on instinct. He’s the only anchor I have right now, and I don’t even know the man. I know only one thing for certain:

If they take me again, if they put me in one of those pods, I’m not going to make it.

CONSENT

---