Page 3 of Ulfar

“No!” my father shouts again. “Don’t do it, Sarah! You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!”

Atraxia groans. “Shut him up already.”

The guard claps a hand over his mouth. I know I have to act fast if I want to prevent him from getting hurt any further. Atraxia returns to me, a faint muscle twitching on her forehead.

“Now what about this deal of yours? You will really go through the trouble of having a child through the ISA, just to bring it to us?”

“Yes,” I pant, unable to meet her gaze. “Please, just let my father go.”

“You will follow all the ISA protocols and meet a prearranged transport when you are confirmed pregnant?”

“Think about it,” I beg.Because I don’t want to. “Those aliens that can afford a deal with the ISA are strong and powerful warlords. Alphas. They will produce a much stronger child than simply taking me will.” I hate how much it makes sense, but it’s my one chance to save both our skins.

“All right, I’ll admit you have a point.” She extends a gloved hand, and I take a deep breath, heart shuddering, before clasping it and sealing my fate. “Kelnar, take this one to the ship. Don’t hurt him, but we’ll need to keep him close by for insurance. And as for you, my little deal maker...” Atraxia leans in, placing a finger under my chin. I’m left staring up at her Cheshire-cat grin, a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. “You’re coming with us.”

Slowly, too quiet for anyone else to hear, she whispers in my ear when I draw close: “And if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone, you will see what the Syndicate’s wrathreallylooks like.”

GREATER GOOD

SARAH

With each stroke of my pen across the page, I feel my freedom slipping away. When I saw the ISA screens at the library, the last thing I expected was to be signing up like this.

The fine print about signing up under false pretenses haunts me. They make it clear in no uncertain terms just what will happen if I’m found to be lying. They also lay out terms and conditions concerning the health and safety of the baby, and what would happen if I were to leave with the baby without the father’s consent...

I feel trapped, more like a prisoner than a volunteer. But I know that I have no other choice. My father’s life is on the line, and I would do anything to save him.

The thought of the Syndicate getting their hands on a defenseless child makes me sick with worry, but I’m hoping that it will buy me enough time to come up with a plan. Right now I need to stall until I can figure out a way out of this mess. But right now, I have to go through the motions and hope no one finds out.

I’m standing in line at the intake center for the Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency waiting to get my shots. All the pamphlets list out any number of side effects I might experience, and I’ve heard that the women go through something called a ‘heat’ when they’re most fertile, but honestly I skimmed over most of it.

The less I know about the process, and the less I know about my baby, the better. That’s what I tell myself anyway. If I can look at this as purely a business transaction and not let any feelings get in the way, then I can finish the job and secure a future for both my father and me. If I don’t...

I shiver, thinking of the prison planet Crys, stuck in an eternal winter. I can’t go there. I won’t.

“Miss Sarah Eriksson. Please come forward.” I perk up at the sound of my name. A nurse stands there, beckoning me into the back while other girls sit in a waiting area. Taking a deep breath, I step forward, knowing it’s just the first of many steps on the way to my freedom.

* * *

My head feelslike it’s trying to detach from my neck and float into space. Every spot on my body tingles and aches and burns. On top of it all is a gnawing emptiness that threatens to consume me whole.

It’s uncomfortable, but the emotions are nothing I can’t handle. If this is the worst of the ‘heat’ they speak of, maybe this ISA thing won’t be so bad.

I’m sitting in the waiting area for the allotted amount of time while they check if I’ve had a reaction to the omega serum, but all I want to do right now is go home and bury myself in bed.

Preferably naked, and with a huge cock splitting me open...

Wait, what?

The chair next to me creaks; I snap to attention. While most of the women in the waiting room with me are some sort of gleeful, proud, or excited, my new seat neighbor’s the only other one that looks less than thrilled.

“So what are you in for?” she asks gruffly without looking at me. Makes it sound like a prison sentence, and I guess in some ways it is.

“I—” I can’t tell her the truth. Instead, I make up a hastily constructed set of half-truths. “Got a debt to pay off. ISA offers more than my job ever will. That’s about it.”

“I hear that. Lotta girls join for the money and end up falling in love, but that’s not gonna be me. No, I’m just here to serve my time and get out. Ain’t no man gonna hold me down.”

Her bluntness is a welcome respite from the formal paperwork and speeches of the center. Realizing she could be a valuable ally, I stick out my hand in greeting. “I’m Sarah.”

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