I was leaving home. Forever. I’d read the handbook. I knew what I was getting into and knew I couldn’t come back. But thinking and doing were two separate things.
When the giant needle thing came at me, I flinched. When it stabbed me just behind my ear, near the temple, I tried to ignore the pain as the warden explained they were implanting neural processors to help me learn the Trion language.
Cool.
The chair lowered me into a warm, blue bath and a feeling of calm settled over me. I figured they were drugging me and I didn’t care. At least I wasn’t about to lose my cookies all over this glamorous hospital gown.
“Your processing will begin in three… two… one.” Warden Egara gave a little wave as the wall slid closed behind me.
And then…nothing.
Chapter Two
Councilor Roark, Outpost Two, Southern Continent, Planet Trion
“Councilor!”
I turned at the voice and looked between the two tents waiting for the owner of that deep voice to appear. The two suns made for a hot, bright day and I did not have proper cover to linger outside. The young man who ran toward me in the sand was newly assigned to my personal guard detail. He was my cousin’s son, eager and loyal, even if he was barely over twenty summers. “What is it, Byran?”
True, he was young, but his body shook with a mixture of eagerness and excitement “She’s here!”
When I frowned, he continued, “Your female. The alien from Earth.”
My back went straight and the breath left my body as if I’d been punched in the stomach. “My mate is here?” I asked. “The transport was to occur when the first sun set.” I scanned the sky in less than a second. “I did not expect her for half a day.”
While he stood at attention before me, as was appropriate considering my rank, he shrugged. “I do not know the details, Councilor, but she is here. I saw her.” A look something akin to longing crossed over his face.
“Is she beautiful?” I shouldn’t ask him. For what could he say? No, sir, she’s hideous? Of course not. Even if it were truth.
“She’s incredible, Councilor. I’ve never seen a woman who looks like her.”
I walked with haste to the small transport station, which was as temporary and rustic as the entire outpost. Here for only a few days to meet with tribal leaders in the area, I’d been shocked when the Interstellar Brides Program notified me of my mate’s pending arrival. Even my parents had rushed from their comfortable and lavish home in the capital city of Xalia to meet her, the future of our family, the woman who would bear my children.
Pushing back the flap of the tent, I ducked to fit through the entry and took in the small group of men. Standing in a semicircle, they looked down at the ground at something, which I assumed was my mate.
It had been more than a month since I’d submitted to the Interstellar Brides Program’s matching protocols. I did not remember much of the test itself. I’d fallen asleep and woken with my heart racing, a raging cock and a feeling of complete satisfaction. I had no idea what type of female I would be assigned, nor did I care. I simply wanted her to arrive. Ruling was a lonely job, and as much as I admired and respected my parents, they were cold comfort when I lay in bed at night. Alone.
Yes, there were Trion females aplenty more than eager to ride my cock, but they all wanted something in return. Wealth. Status. Power.
But the female who had just arrived would want nothing more than my dominant hand on her body and my cock buried deep…
Clearing my throat, the men turned and bowed. Transport centers on Trion were, by necessity, mobile, their location kept secret. The rebellious faction of Drovers on the southern continent were aggressive and determined. The Drovers wanted Trion to abandon our oath to the Interstellar Coalition, to send no more soldiers, no more brides. The Drovers believed our technology and stubborn tribal blood would be enough to protect us from the Hive scourge.
They were wrong. I’d seen what was out there, in space. I’d been on the front lines of the war. I’d served four years, as was required from all Trion volunteers. And I knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the Drover factions were wrong.
The Hive would conquer us in a matter of weeks without the protection of the Interstellar Fleet.
Still, some refused to believe the truth. Because of this, the Transport Outposts were moved often, their location kept secret from all but a few. As a result, I came to be in the middle of the desert at Outpost Two, the nearest transport station available out here in the wilds of the southern continent. I was content in the capital, surrounded by loyal guards and advisors, away from the complications and maneuverings a visit to the outposts always brought about. At home, I could be with my people, lead and rule them effectively. Here, I was constantly on guard, every word from my mouth had the potential to start a skirmish between tribes, a battle over resources, water or women. One hint of weakness was all it would take to destabilize the region.
I was never weak.
Here, councilors from all over Trion would meet, those meetings often dragging out for days of rituals, ass-kissing and bargaining.
I had come to Outpost Two for such a meeting, but as soon as I knew my mate would arrive, I’d done what I could to keep a low profile, waiting for my mate. Waiting, and imagining what she might look like. How hot her pussy would feel wrapped around my cock. I could almost hear the soft cries of her pleasure as I took her from behind on the claiming bench, over and over again.
Three days of waiting.
Now, the wait was over. She was here and I could make her mine and take her home. Finally.