“Where is the interest for the Megaraisi Corporation?” Exeri asked. He did not care for anyone having an interest in his pack, his female, or the subject of his pups. They would be his.
“Despite your general unpleasantness, the corporation recognizes that your pack is valuable and, as I just pointed out, is aware that we need more of you. There have been attempts to lure other Arobi packs into contracts, but we have not been successful. Therefore, we would be interested in compensating your pack to reproduce at a high rate, under the stipulation that any males you produce will be trained by us when they are of age, and work for a minimum of fifteen revolutions upon reaching maturity.”
Exeri drew up to his full height, towering aggressively over the Calystii. “You are asking me to breed my young into slavery!”
“No, no, not slavery.” The male chuckled uncomfortably. “They would just owe the Megaraisi Corporation a few years of service, and then they would be free.”
“To do what?” he snarled. “Packs are formed when males are young. Even if this entire proposition did not disgust me, such a thing would sentence them to lonely lives without a pack, mate, or young. We must have a pack in order to have the other two. Your plan is not only disgusting, but it is short-sighted, and would fail within the first generation.”
“Not disgusting—profitable. And where we profit, others also profit. It all comes around. I think the helpless miners and farmers on this planet would agree with me,” Danya said. “As for the breeding issue, that is something we have thought of. That is why we will offer you double for any females you breed. They would be relocated to a comfortable, secure compound on another party of the planet where they would live in luxury. You would be able to visit and comm them as much as you like, and they would attract Arobi packs to our lovely planet.”
Swinging around, Exeri stalked toward the male, his teeth bared.
“Get out,” Exeri hissed, anger boiling his blood, his teeth snapping on every word as he resisted the urge to tear the male apart. “We will get your creature, but our pups are not now, nor will they ever be, for sale to the corporation.”
The male stiffened as he glared in affront. “And that’s your final word on the matter? As you know, the Megaraisi Corporation can be very generous, and you did say you need help. If you think you are comfortable now, imagine the luxuries you could provide your mate if you would consider our terms. Your agreement could even get those reinforcements that you claim to need.”
“It is my final word. Now get off my territory.”
“Very well. You know how to get ahold of me if you change your mind,” Danya said.
Exeri tracked the male’s movements until he disappeared. Minutes later, a flyer lifted off and roared away. He had not heard the vessel approach, which meant that Danya had been out there waiting for some time, probably before they had even awakened. Why had their perimeter alarms not alerted them? He would have to ask Simah to double-check them.
Although the entire pack knew how to work the systems, Simah was the most knowledgeable about them and had been the one to install and set everything up. If there was an error, he would be able to find the cause. He did not like the fact that the male had been able to come into their territory without their knowledge. He didn’t want the Calystii anywhere near their queen.
He should have known that the corporation would devise such a plan when they caught wind of a queen in their house. Now that he rebuffed them, he did not believe that they would give up easily. The pack would need to be notified. Although Hayley would be in no immediate danger since she was not carrying pups, they all needed to be on guard for any eventuality. He did not trust them.
Exeri growled in the direction in which the flyer departed. As if he would surrender matured pups into a dangerous life of servitude, even for the boon of reinforcements to help him protect his family. He refused for his sons to fight terrible creatures, and for his daughters to be paired with packs to be bred, crying as his mother had wept every time she was dragged from their kennel to be thrown in among a pack while she was in season rather than being courted by males who would bond to her, her offspring to be ripped away as soon as they were of age.
As an alpha, he knew what it was like to be dragged away, separated from his family, the warmth of his dam, and everything he knew to be thrown into an isolation unit. In the cell, there had been no fresh air, no sunlight. It was one small kennel among several in a facility where the scent of rival alphas and other young males without packs clogged the air. There, he had been beaten to harden him until he showed no pain, thrown into training pits to teach him to be quick and ruthless in his strategy, and submitted to horrible extractions where he was pinned in place so that his cock could be painfully milked for seed to test for fertility.
He would not submit his sons to whatever training the corporation would consider necessary, nor his daughters to what amounted to breeding kennels, no matter how much the Calystii had tried to make it sound otherwise.
Nor would he be able to survive seeing the way their queen would weep and beg as his dam had done when he was dragged away.
An anxious shiver ran over his hide as an overwhelming need to be near Hayley consumed him. Besides, he still needed to give her the gift.
Glancing down at the flower in his hand, Exeri sighed in relief to see that during his argument with the overseer he had not damaged the delicate bloom. The stem looked a bit mangled from his grip on it, but it was otherwise fine. He would take it to her.
Hurrying through their dwelling, Exeri stepped into her room and allowed her scent to wash over him, replacing the lingering scent of the Calystii and his cigars. Hayley lay in the center of the bed, her face against the pillow and the flush of sleep on her cheeks. Gently, he set the flower down on the table beside her. His eyes roamed over her, taking in every perfect detail.
He would do anything to keep her safe. No beast nor corporation would threaten her safety. If she chose to stay with them, she would be happy and never have her pups pulled away from her so cruelly. He would see to it.
Leaning down, he gave in to the urge to brush the back of his knuckles over her cheek. Everything in his life had always been so dark and violent… She was life, the promise of every good thing that the future had to offer. Without her, his heart would crumble and blow away into dust.
He knew that there would come a moment of truth when she would be presented with the opportunity to leave them. He could not pretend that it would not happen or attempt to keep her within the dwelling to postpone it indefinitely. They could not hide her away from the world and hope that she would like her prison. He could not do that to their beautiful queen. He only hoped that, when that moment came, she would choose to stay with them.
Sighing in her sleep, she turned against his hand, her cheek nuzzling into it as her soft lips just barely grazed his thumb. Her breath fanned his scales as she settled back into sleep. His heart turned over, and he resisted the urge to gather her up in his arms.
“Please stay,” he whispered.
Chapter 25
Hayley looked around eagerly as they exited the flyer. After weeks of being cooped up, it was wonderful to get out and stretch her legs as she mentally organized her shopping list. Not that Exeri hadn’t taken her on a few lovely walks around the garden in the evenings so she could enjoy the sweet smell of the flowers and watch the glowing alien butterflies dance around the trees in the distance. That had been nice, but when the males had mentioned this trip the night before, during the evening meal, she could barely contain her excitement. There were so many basic necessities that the guys, as thoughtful as they were in their attempt to prepare their home for a mate, just didn’t have on hand.
Thank the gods for the Ontang root, though! The color was still disconcerting, but when she pointed that out to Bilax, he said he would work on some combinations of powdered wild and farmed nuts to see if he could get the hue closer to what she was used to. He never stopped trying to make her t
hings she enjoyed, especially when she wasn’t feeling well. It was almost as wonderful as the flowers Exeri left for her to wake to, sitting at her bedside every morning since they brought her home.
It was terribly sweet—and it made her feel like a huge burden. Even when they went out to search for new leads on where the monster that was raising hell over the mountains might be hiding, the moment they got home they coddled her and put her to bed as if she were an invalid… or a child who needed caring for.
She almost frowned at the thought, but shook it off. She wasn’t about to let it ruin their nice day out. Exeri had already given her one concerned look since they docked the flyer. Besides, this was going to be fun! The guys would eventually learn to lighten up… she hoped.
Sandwiched between Exeri and Bilax, with Tanji and Simah at their rear, Hayley delighted in the colorful wash of the crowd around them. The dry yellow earth was more obvious in the town market than it was elsewhere. There was no soft lavender grass to break it up, nor were there trees. Despite the dismal color of the ground, the colorful market stalls had popped up in greater numbers than she’d seen before, displaying beautiful assortments of wares, everything from unfamiliar bunches of herbs to blasters.
She took it all in greedily, her eyes landing first on one thing and then another, uncertain of where to start. The pack didn’t seem to be in a hurry so she leisurely explored, her hands tucked into her pockets so she wouldn’t just start grabbing stuff. Brightly colored animals were sold alongside trinkets and tech that she could only marvel at. Many times the males watched as she stopped to look at something that caught her eye, or some sweet or pretty thing that tempted her, but when she continued on without it, their faces fell in disappointment.
The longer that went on, the more her doubts started to set in if it was even right to buy luxuries with their credits. In reality, she was making do. She was able to wash and dry her clothes, and they did provide her several robes, one of which she was currently wearing. Did she really need to spend money?
Maybe just one or two changes of clothes more to her taste, she decided, but that was it. Outside of that, she felt weird about just randomly spending their money on silly luxuries she didn’t need. She could feel the press of the credit stick in her pocket, adding to her discomfort. She didn’t even really understand why they were having her hold it.
They weren’t even technically her mates yet. Their relationship was an undefined mess.
Yes, they had bought her and called her their queen, and yes, she felt comfortable with them—perhaps too comfortable. Did she really need another reminder about how fickle family can be? Even more so when there were no real bonds forged between them. As far as she could tell she was mostly a glorified house guest, or a child in their care. The uncertainty of where she stood shook her and made bile rise in her throat.
So, she kept her hands to herself and bit her lip as she looked at items she admired but didn’t need nor could afford. The males were good enough to give her room to freely enjoy herself as she browsed, but as they continued deeper into the market, her heart sank as their cheerful expressions fell.
Hayley felt her face heat and her throat tighten as if the jaws of an invisible trap closed tighter around her. She wasn’t prepared for this. Shopping sounded so fun before, but faced with the reality of it…
This wasn’t going to work. She couldn’t shop with this hanging over them. They would sit down to enjoy lunch with something cold to drink and get this shit ironed out first. She turned to speak to them when the crowd seemed to surge with a new flood of shoppers and merchants.
A living sea of bodies shoved at her in a confusing ruckus of species, loud startling sounds from some of them, the rapid movements of wings and sweeping horns from others. She thought she heard someone shout, but the angry snarl of a pair of large horned males as they crashed their horns together drowned everything out. As she ducked out of the way, she searched for the pack. Somehow, she had been separated from them. Panic squeezed her throat stronger than the anxiety she felt moments before. She was lost in a throng of unfamiliar aliens, many of which were much larger than her.
This wasn’t what she wanted when she dreamed of her escape into the wilds of space!
Whirling around, she came face to face with several more large, belligerent aliens who stomped her way. Over eight feet tall, their bodies had fur that was thicker and longer on their heads and in a strip running down their backs, with faces that were broad and bull-like with huge curving horns. They bellowed at everyone in their way. She instinctively scurried away from them to prevent being trampled, only to stumble into a group in gray robes that swarmed around her. They had sand-colored fur that looked short and velvety with large, dark eyes that dominated faces terminating in tiny muzzles. They squeaked and trilled to each other, her translator catching only parts of it as they seemed to be talking of the market and the goods they acquired. Caught up among them, they carried her along until she was pushed aside by the shuffling mass of excited aliens as they trilled to each other.
Stumbling forward after her rapid expulsion from the group, she broke free from the suffocating crowd and the vicious commotion coming from the terrible bellowing of the bull-like aliens somewhere behind her. Those stumbled steps had dropped her in the open area outside of the market. Her eyes widened as she stared at the docking grounds, where several merchant ships were busy loading and offloading goods. She was still alone, the Arobi nowhere in sight. She felt a pang at that before focusing on the ship again, her attention helplessly drawn to it.
Fingers twitching nervously, she blinked at the sight, her heart drumming in her ears. The ships sat there like a beacon—the perfect moment that she would have seized just a few weeks ago. It was all she had wanted when she signed herself into the Mate Index program. She not only had transportation, but there was also a large sum that had been deposited on the credit stick, possibly enough to help her get started until she could pay them back. She would be free like she wanted, without expectations or obligations. It would be so easy. She would be free, and the pack would find a female that suited them better…
That was what she wanted, right? She had to be sure—it would be her only chance.
As she warred with herself she drifted closer to the ships, but had to sidestep workers pushing crates, pressing against the side of the ship as she moved to get out of their way. She glanced up at the sleek hull in surprise. She hadn’t realized that she had come so close to it.
Just a few more steps and she would be inside. She would never see her pack again.
Her pack. Exeri, Bilax, Tanji and Simah.
She had never allowed herself to claim them, and never gave them any real indication that she wanted them. Why hadn’t she, unless she had known that they weren’t hers? Wasn’t that why she always gave herself an out, reminding herself that she could always escape if she needed to? Had she just been fooling herself that there could be something more growing? As much as she dreamed and hoped that maybe she could make it work, she never allowed herself to really believe it.
Still, it had felt real. Every wonderful moment with them. She had allowed herself to start thinking of the future while still unable to let go of her self-doubts.
Yet now that she was faced with the goal of everything that she thought she wanted, she tried to imagine what her life would be like without them. Yes, they coddled her, but it came from a good place. They were never shy of showing her how much they cared. Even stoic Exeri. He didn’t talk as much as the others, yet he was a solid, protective presence in her life, and whatever words he lacked he said with the smallest, sweetest gestures. She was the one who kept them from bonding with her like they wanted. From being their mate. All because of her insecurities and her fear.
That was what it boiled down to: her crippling fear of taking a chance. They were nothing like the so-called family she left back home. Instead, she saw in herself the distorted reflection of her mama, too afraid to embrace something bet
ter. She felt a painful pinch in her heart and shook her head, backing away from the ship.
She couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to be like that woman. She wanted to be free—free of the fear that her life would fall apart around her. Her pack wasn’t a family to trap and betray her. They wanted her for her, and never ceased reminding her of how special she was to them. She didn’t want to leave them.
Whirling around, she drew to a surprised stop, her eyes widening as she caught sight of them. The pack watched her solemnly from the edge of the market, their ears pricked toward her. Exeri at the front, his large frame standing out from among the crowd, stared after her sadly and bowed his head, his ears dropping as he turned away. Bilax shot the male a confused look, took several steps in her direction before turning to shout back at the alpha. Simah and Tanji, however just stared after her, their ears lowered in defeat. Bilax argued, snarled, attempted to bully the pack into going after her, but they weren’t. As one, the pack backed away to rejoin Exeri.
They… were letting her go.
The realization shot like a barb through her, and Hayley shook her head in denial. No! This wasn’t what she decided. It was an accident. Sure, it had tempted her because it had been all that she had thought about for weeks, but she didn’t want to be free from them! She wanted to be their mate—their queen!
Hayley ran forward, pushing past workers, shouting out to her pack. Tanji stopped, and turned, his ears pricking toward her. He shouted to his pack and turned toward her, his dark body blurring in her vision as he broke into a full-out run. He was only eclipsed by Simah, whose long, lean body was built for speed. Bilax looked her way, his face brightening as he shouted to Exeri. When the alpha stopped and looked back, the shocked relief on his face filled her heart with joy as he too turned and raced toward her.
Arobi's Queen: A Mate Index Romance (The Mate Index Book 11) Page 16