Page 1 of A Mate for Traxx

Chapter 1

Rhea

I pick Alaska because it’s the farthest point from home I can find. I wonder if anyone notices I’m missing? Doubtful.

I need to get away from that small town life.

I want escape, adventure, something to live for other than working at the diner until I die.

The nature magazines didn’t exaggerate. I’ve seen so much wildlife roaming around. It's picturesque and incredibly peaceful. An elk crossed the road in front of me with two calves, causing me to slow down, earlier today. And let’s not talk about the caribou that came out of nowhere and tried to assault my car.

The thing I worry about most is seeing a grizzly bear. What do I do if that happens? I’d read all the travel guides and Alaska books I could get my hands on prior to the trip, but there’s just so much to know.

The compound I just drove past coming down the hill looks like it came out of a book full of wizardry. Tall fences surround it, but if you look closely, the inside is a utopia. Neon colors everyaspect of the facility from the glistening glass buildings to the landscape and the outlying buildings. A beautiful array of colors shimmer and dance in the sunlight.

Imagine walking through a forest where everything has a luminous glow. Fairytale sounding, right? Or something like you’d see inAvataron the big screen?

A complete contrast to the dreary clouds and cold rainy weather I had the pleasure of driving through. Which begs the question… how is it so pretty inside the compound when they’re having the same weather we are?

I wonder who lives there.

I want to check it out, but the fear of the unknown scares me, so I press the gas and keep on moving.

A few miles down the road my car starts jerking like it’s running out of oxygen.No, this cannot be happening.

I had a half tank of gas last time I checked.

A sigh escapes my lips.Yep, it’s definitely happening. The horror of running out of gas and being stuck in the middle of nowhere sits heavy on my mind. I look down at the odometer and realize my fuel light is on.Wonder how long it’s been on? I knew I should have stopped at the last gas station.

My car comes to a stop, one final puff of life before it dies. “Shit!” I pound my hands on the steering wheel before getting out.

Nothing is familiar as I look around. Just gotta start moving somewhere, I suppose. Clearly this road is one less traveled, and it definitely looks like it hasn’t seen any other people in quite some time.

I backtrack, despite my trepidation, and head toward the compound I saw earlier on my drive. It’s the only thing I’ve driven past in miles and they’re the only ones who would be able to help. Maybe I could use their phone to call a tow truck or something? Taking one last glance at my car, I hit the lock button and continue on.

The scent of fresh pine tingles my senses as I walk past the incredibly tall trees. It’s eerily quiet, not even rodents seem to be scurrying along the forest floor. A breeze passes through the ends of my hair causing a shiver to run down my spine.

With each lingering step, my heart starts to churn more and my gut flip flops. I hope whoever lives behind those silver gates is friendlier than any grizzly bear I could run into out here on my own.

I’m not prepared for this, and I berate myself for not thinking to bring more protective gear. It’s entirely possible that someone will find the remnants of my body chewed up and spit out along the side of the road.

Luckily the air isn’t frigid as I make my journey into the unknown; that’s the good thing about deciding to come in the summer months, I suppose. At least I won’t die from frostbite.

The sound of footsteps through the dense forest and crackling tree branches have me spinning to the left, looking anywhere and everywhere, hoping someone saw me and is coming to provide me help. My eyes dart over every branch and leaf looking for the killer of my peaceful silence.

Something is out there.I can feel it. An uneasy feeling spreads throughout my body and goosebumps rise on the back of my neck as if I’m being watched. The gaze of whatever is out thereheats the back of my neck. My nerves bundle into the pit of my stomach. My fight or flight instincts should be kicking in… why aren’t they?

My feet are planted as I stare toward the woods. One minute, two minutes, maybe a good three minutes pass before I give up searching for something that may have just been a figment of my overly active imagination. I turn to keep onward toward my destination, but a loud rustling sounds again from deep inside the woods. Spinning in a circle, I take a quick look at my surroundings. I expect some sort of wildlife—elk, caribou, grizzly… the list goes on and on. What I see almost stops my heart mid-beat.

Not even fifty yards away stands a man, but not just any man. He’s shirtless with a rugged set of green pants covering his bottom half. His skin is an iridescent blue and silver color that twinkles in the light as the sun hits it, exposing a dash of purple. He almost sparkles against the sunlight as if he possesses some type of magic.

It is a magnificent creature. Tall, gallant, and utterly beautiful. It looks masculine, leading me to believe that it’s a male of whatever species lives in these woods.

Aliens….

The word drops into my brain and my thoughts spin. There’s no way…

I know aliens exist outside of the sci-fi romance stories I’ve read for the last few years, but never had I thought I would meet one in person.

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