She offered me a small smile. “Thank God. You’re back.”
I looked up into gray eyes filled with sympathy, but no pity and no compromise. Warden Egara was a commander in her own way. “I’m on your side, but I have to advise you, do not let him out again unless you have the mating cuffs on and Olivia is yours. Do you hear me? You’ve already caused a huge public relations nightmare with that stunt you pulled earlier.”
“It wasn’t a stunt,” I countered. “She’s my mate. The beast recognized her. I had no control.”
She studied me. “You’re too close to the edge, Warlord. The governor should have sent someone else.”
I nodded. “Agreed. I was prepared to transport to Atlan for execution. I did not want to be here.”
“Coming to Earth and being on a reality TV show is not an acceptable alternative.”
“I hope you do not think the choice was mine.”
She sighed. “Rachel. Still an optimist after everything she’s been through.”
“Yes.” The warden spoke true. Governor Maxim’s mate refused to surrender hope for any male on The Colony. We all loved her for it. We fought harder, hung on longer, for her. Hoping she was right. Hoping a mate like her would save us as she had saved Maxim and Ryston.
The warden’s small hand came to rest on my shoulder, but I did not look her in the eye. I did not want to see pity now, where before there had been none. Death was a fact of life for a warrior. Accepted as inevitable, especially for those like me who’d been captured by the Hive. I’d survived their torture. I had managed to escape, and yet, in the end, it would be my own inner beast who would kill me. Now or later made little difference to a beast with no female. There were only two things we focused on once the mating fever took us over: battle and fucking.
I’d fucked Olivia Mercier, but she was not here with me. No cuffs were on our wrists. There was no other living creature that my beast would answer to, not now. Not me. No Atlan commander or warlord would dare issue an order to a beast in mating fever. My beast would rage against and defy even Prime Nial himself. The beast answered to no one and nothing but the small female who consumed every thought, every sense.
I was hers. Olivia literally held my life in her hands. If she needed me to die, I would die. It was that simple and that complex. What she needed, I would provide. No matter the cost.
“Death means nothing, Warden,” I explained.
“It does to me.” She squeezed my shoulder, the tiny amount of pressure surprisingly calming. “And to the people you leave behind. Olivia Mercier is your mate. I am pleased you have found her. So be it. We can still save the show, and the others’ chances of getting a mate. We can save you, too.”
I looked up into her face now. “How?”
She smiled. “Well, you are going to go to Olivia’s house. I will give you the address.”
My beast settled, content. He was going to get what he wanted. Egara was going to tell us exactly where to find our female.
She held up her hand, the first finger pointing straight up in the air. “You, Warlord Wulf, are going to act like a gentleman, not a beast. You are going to court her properly, not go all wild and feral on her like you already did. Do you hear me? You will have two days of privacy to convince her to be yours. That’s all the time I can give you.”
I frowned. Two days? “I don’t understand.”
She grinned, and the look was another I recognized on human females, this time from Kristen. Smug. Mischievous. Dangerous. I did not envy Kristen’s mates, Tyrnan and Hunt, when their warrior mate made a face similar to what Egara had now. “I hid her employee file. She was part-time, hired solely for the series, and no one pays any attention to makeup staff on set. I contacted her boss, a woman named Lucy Vandermark. She is refusing to give out Olivia’s personal information to the media. Even though her face is plastered from here to Siberia on every form of social media, no one knows who she is. I spoke to this woman, and we agreed to buy you some time.”
I did not know this Lucy, but I was thankful to her. “Time for what? I will claim her, offer her my mating cuffs, take her home to The Colony.”
“It’s not that simple,” she replied stepping back to pace the small room. “Despite your… scene, the producer has demanded you continue the program as planned. You are under a contractual obligation to make a trip to New York to be interviewed, with your new bride, on late-night television. You were supposed to place your mating cuffs on one of the others tonight, on live television. Seeing you on one knee, basically proposing, was the crown jewel of promotion for the series. They are talking about doing another show, with another male from The Colony. But they need to give the public what they want, and that’s you, on your knees, asking Olivia to be yours in front of the entire world. That’s you and your new mate making goo-goo eyes at each other on international television.”
I must have looked as confused as I felt because the warden raised her hand and swiped it through the air as if swatting at an insect. “There are already memes out there. Some of them are actually very entertaining.”
“What is a meme? And what the fuck are goo-goo eyes and how do I make them? My eyes will not change, Warden. They have been contaminated with Hive—”
“Never mind. It’s another live broadcast, but this time on a talk show. This will ensure that the Brides Program is seen in a positive light, that the whole world sees you and Olivia have your happily ever after and convince every other woman on Earth that they can have the same if they volunteer. You and your new bride have to go, sit in chairs and answer questions. They want the entire world to witness the two of you together and make sure everyone watching sees exactly how devoted and loving you are to your new bride.”
That made my chest puff out. Devoted? Loving? I would love her until she screamed like she had earlier. She would be satisfied. Adored. Worshipped. Protected. The beast rose and spoke before I could stop him. “Mine.”
“Stop that.” The warden scolded me like I was a small boy, and my beast retreated with a grumble but didn’t argue. He was listening. I did not care about this television interview as long as I was with Olivia and my mating cuffs were around her wrists.
“I have two days. Then what? How do we do this talking show? I still do not understand how to make a goo-goo eye. Will Olivia understand what is required?” I wanted all the intel on this situation, not just a little bit. I didn’t want surprises, and if she didn’t want my beast to take over, Warden Egara would make sure there were none.
Warden Egara chuckled. “Yes. Olivia will know exactly what I am talking about.”
Good. I settled more at that information. I would not embarrass myself asking the warden again, not when my mate could provide the information about these strange eyes.
Egara continued. “You have two days with her. Private days. Then you and Olivia get on a plane to New York.”
“A human airplane?” I asked. I’d seen images of them, and I was appalled.
She nodded her head. “Yes.”
“No.” Flying metal death traps. Primitive. Running on fossilized fuels and combustion. Barbaric. It would be safer to walk.
“Yes. It’s perfectly safe, and we are trying to make you appear normal.”
“I am normal,” I countered.
That made her laugh. “Not on Earth, you’re not, sweetheart. Not even close.”
I let that one go. She was an ally, and I was wasting time arguing with her about inconsequential things. “Two days. Then television. Then home?”
“Not exactly.” She cleared her throat and glanced away for a moment. “You messed this up, Wulf. I’m not going to lie. The reason Lindsey and I came up with this idea was to showcase how honorable, strong and devoted you Coalition guys are as mates. We wanted to entice human women not just to volunteer to be a bride, but to request The Colony specifically.”
“The brides can request a planet?”
“Yes. Most don’t, but yes, they can. Since fighters from almost e
very world are on The Colony, we pushed that element during all the promotions for the show. While you might have been the star of the program, you may have missed these details. We made sure everyone knows about the veterans there, that they are strong, that they survived capture by the enemies and that many of them are now outcasts on their home worlds, including some human males who have fought in the Hive wars and not been allowed to return to Earth.”
“That makes us sound like pathetic fools.”
She shook her head. “No. Trust me. It makes you relatable. Likable. Wounded in a way that a lot of human women, for whatever reason, seem to have an instinctive need to heal.” Now her hands were on her hips. “Being a veteran makes you more desirable, not less. But you were supposed to choose between the two finalists, Genevieve and Willow. Instead you embarrassed them, knocked down a cameraman, crushed poor Chet’s microphone and scared him so badly he needed to change his boxers—”
She chuckled, but I had no idea what a boxer was, so I waited. I had not seen any boxes on him during the show.
“And then you carried an unknown female off camera, fucked her up against a door on live television, then turned into an out-of-control monster threatening to kill everyone in the building when she tried to walk away. You were tranqed on live TV and fell like a redwood.” She shook her head at me. “Not the image of an honorable, dependable warrior we were going for.”
Hearing her say it like that… She was correct. My actions may have cost many contaminated warriors on The Colony their chance at a bride. I could not live with that. “I apologize that my actions caused that result. Tell me what I must do to make this right. But know this, Olivia Mercier is mine. I will not leave without her.”
“I know that and you know that, but Olivia doesn’t know that. The President of the United States doesn’t know that. Congress doesn’t know that. The public at large doesn’t know that.”
“I do not care about any of those other humans.”
“Well, you have to, because Olivia did not volunteer to be an Interstellar Bride. She did not sign a waiver for the program as a participant in the Bachelor Beast television show. As far as all of Earth is concerned, she is a citizen of Earth and remains under our protection and our laws, not Coalition laws. She has to choose you, Wulf. First, you’ll have two days to convince her to appear with you on live television and convince the world that you two are madly in love.”
“She is mine.”
“It doesn’t work like that here.”
I took a breath to interrupt, but she held up one finger and I waited.
“Two days until the talk show in New York. After that, she must be willing to leave the planet with you. Willing. After New York—and depending on how things go at her house—you will have seven days left until you have to get the hell off this planet and go back to The Colony. Do you hear me? Seven days, and that includes your time in New York.”
“That is not enough time.”
“Tough luck. This is Earth law, not Coalition. Your permission to be on this planet expires in exactly nine days.” She checked a small device on her wrist and scrunched up her nose as she did some kind of mental calculation. “Yes. Nine days, three hours and twenty-seven minutes until I have to transport you off this rock.”
“She is mine. She will come with me.”
“Let’s hope you are right, Wulf. But I want to make it clear, she is not a volunteer. You have to convince her to leave behind everything she’s ever known to go with you. I can’t transport her unless she is wearing your mating cuffs.”
“I should have thirty days to woo a bride. That is in the bride contracts.”
Shaking her head, she clarified, “Listen to me. She. Is. Not. A. Bride. She did not sign a contract. Get that into your head. She’s a regular old citizen who has not even contemplated leaving her life on Earth behind. Your permission to be here expires in just over nine days. You had thirty days on Earth to select a bride. You’ve already spent three weeks, twenty-one of your thirty days, here on the show. The fact that you did not choose one of the contestants is a technicality the government here does not care about. You have nine days left, and then, bride or no bride, you will be transported off this planet.”
“Fuck.”
“Now you are beginning to understand.”
“How do I make a human female choose me?”
She offered me a small smile. “Every woman is different, Wulf.”
“That is not helpful.”
She sighed. “Be honest. Be yourself. You are a worthy, honorable male. She will see that. I’ve given you a two-day head start. That’s all I can do. After that, the paparazzi will find you and you’ll be living in a fishbowl. It’ll be a media circus.”
“What is paparazzi?”
“They follow famous people around for money. Invade their privacy. Take lots of pictures. Write stories about them, like Lindsey does on The Colony, but not as nice. The more shocking and scandalous, the more money they make. Some famous people want the attention. Some don’t. It’s complicated.”
“No. I need no attention. They will not follow my female.” I did not like the sound of that. I knew Hunter Kiel’s mate, the human female Lindsey. She told stories about the warriors on The Colony. Made us feel valued. Seen. Not forgotten. This sounded completely different. “If they go near my mate, I will crush them.”
“Only if you want to go to human prison.”
“My beast would not submit to human authorities.”
“Exactly. So let’s keep the crushing of asshole humans to a minimum, shall we?”
My beast growled, but this time the warden wasn’t laughing.
“I’ll take you to the men’s locker room where you can shower.”
“I do not wish to lose my mate’s scent,” I countered quickly.
She eyed me. “Trust me, Warlord. Scent or not, you need to shower. Your female will want you to be clean and you’re… not. After, I’ll take you to Olivia.”
“I will have my cuffs on her,” I vowed.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “About that. The show has your cuffs.”
I stood and bellowed, “What?”
“You destroyed a set, ruined two weeks of planned programming. Don’t get me wrong, they’re thrilled for this twist, but they won’t risk you getting those cuffs on your mate off-screen.”
“They are mine. They have no right.”
“The cuffs are on their way to New York waiting for the tell-all program. There, you will put them on your mate on live TV.”
The idea was horrible, holding my cuffs hostage for something they called ratings. I had no choice. I had to go to New York in order to end the show in a favorable light for my fellow fighters. I also had to get my fucking cuffs and get them on Olivia Mercier. My focus was absolute.
“I am not pleased,” I said.
“Yes, I figured it wouldn’t make you happy.” She waved me over with her hand. “Come on. Shower, then your mate.”
I looked down at myself. The tattered clothes. I had streaks of dirt on my hands and the clothing as if I’d been dragged across a dirty floor. I probably had. If I were to see my mate again, I needed to make a good impression. Anything was better than the first, except being filthy.
6
Wulf
Warden Egara personally drove me in a small metal and plastic vehicle to Olivia Mercier’s residence. It hadn’t been as simple as it sounded, for I was at least a foot taller than almost all humans, even more than that for a large section of the population. Therefore I was very noticeable. Since I’d made such a mess of the live broadcast, I was as famous as ever. This was why I was grateful for the dark of night, which offered us some hint of anonymity.
I didn’t like the concept of being well-known. Of these… paparazzi following my female because of it. In fact it made me practically itch with the idea that I and my mate were everyone’s focus. Their favorite topic of speculation. From what Warden Egara had said, I was the center of all of Ear
th’s rabid attention.
That made it very difficult to be able to leave the testing center without being followed. I was recognizable. If Warden Egara was to give me two days to keep the producers and others away, I needed to remain hidden. Since anonymity was not an option, I had to disappear.
At first the warden was going to drive me in her own vehicle, hidden, but I was too big to lie down in the back seat as she drove past the front gates, past the hordes of people I’d been told were there hoping to get a glimpse of me through the walls. They hadn’t left since the show began. Day or night, they waited, some in tents. I found it all very unsettling.
Warden Egara had found something called a van, which was much larger than her tiny human mover, and the larger vehicle had no windows in the back. I was able to hide there while she drove fifteen minutes to Olivia’s home. I’d seen some of the planet during the program’s scheduled activities for me and the females, the dates I’d endured, and had not been very intrigued. All that interested me now was seeing Olivia, not the place called Florida. It smelled of swamp and rot and water. Too much water.
It reminded me that the Hive preferred places with water for their integration centers. That thought brought my beast roaring in rage, and a growl escaped my throat before I could wrest control from him.
“Calm down back there,” Warden Egara said from her seat. “I’m pulling into the driveway.”
Olivia. I needed her. Badly. Now. Right fucking now.
Not to fuck, but to keep me sane.
“My apologies, Warden Egara,” I murmured. I appreciated the woman’s efforts to assist me. I knew she was going above and beyond her duties, and certainly outside what the program’s organizers would wish.
Bachelor Beast (Interstellar Brides® Program: The Beasts Book 1) Page 6