Page 2 of Balarr
Surely he must be imagining it.
He straightened and looked Commander Marrx in the eye.“I appreciate that you consider me a friend, Commander.But I would be lying if I claimed I was happy about the action you’ve taken.This human female—Luna—likely expects me to arrive on Earth soon.She’s probably hoping I’ll rescue her from a dangerous situation.Most human females who sign up for the VAMOB program are desperate to leave Earth for one reason or another.What choice do I have but to go fetch her?”
Commander Marrx stepped forward and patted Balarr on the shoulder.“Go to Earth and rescue your human female, Warrior Balarr.Then bring her back to New Vaxx and impregnate her as quickly as possible.It’ll be good for you—I am certain of it.”
Balarr emitted another growl as he considered the predicament the commander had placed him in.He truly felt honor-bound to travel to Earth and whisk the female named Luna to safety.But would he follow through and claim her as his mate?
Why did he keep hearing her name on thefluxxingbreeze?
“I’ve been told that your friend Warrin was just matched with a human female from Earth.Perhaps the two of you can depart New Vaxx at the same time and travel to the human homeworld to collect your mates.And perhaps now that you and Warrin are taking mates, that quiet engineer friend of yours—Lorrd—can also finally be convinced to take a human bride.”The commander inclined his head briefly in a show of respect, then spun on his heel and headed back to the arena.
Overcome with a sudden need for solitude, Balarr stalked into the forest and walked until his legs began to ache.Eventually, he paused in a flower-covered meadow and peered at the message on his wrist comm again.
Luna.He’d been matched with a human female named Luna.
If he refused to travel to Earth and collect her, what would happen to her?He couldn’t help but wonder.He didn’t see an option on the acceptance letter from the VAMOB program to withdraw his application.If he contacted the Intergalactic Dating Agency, would they quickly assign Luna to another Vaxxlian warrior?
But for a reason he couldn’t fathom, the idea of another warrior taking possession of Luna filled him with… jealousy.How strange.It was an emotion he hadn’t experienced in ages.
The VAMOB acceptance letter didn’t provide many details about Luna—only her age, location, and personal interests.No picture was included.All he knew about her was that she was twenty years old, she lived in Colorado, and she enjoyed hiking, baking, reading, and listening to music.He had no idea what she looked like or what circumstances had prompted her to sign up for the VAMOB program.
The wind increased, rustling the leaves further and causing the multi-colored flowers in the meadow to shimmer beneath the midday sun.
Luna.
There it was again.
His future mate’s name on the wind.
He raked a hand through his hair and turned in a circle, scanning the trees for any sign of Warrin or any other warriors who might’ve followed him into the forest.But there was no one.He was alone, and the wind kept whispering Luna’s name.
Perhaps it was a sign from the Star God.
He heaved a sigh and started the long trek back to Starzzia, and as he neared the main settlement and heard the distant laughter of children and other sounds oflife, he came to a decision.
He would travel to Earth, and he would claim Luna as his mate.
Chapter2
Luna shiveredand clutched the blanket around herself.Her mind was foggy, and her abdomen was sore.She glanced around the stark white room and tried to focus on the huge oak tree just beyond the barred window, but the effort made her nauseated, so she closed her eyes and tried sifting through her most recent memories.
Each breath hurt.When she ran a trembling hand over her abdomen, she encountered a large bandage.Her throat clogged with emotion as a wave of helplessness swept over her—but it was quickly followed by a surge of anger.
They’d taken another organ.
How she was still alive, she wasn’t certain.All she knew was that every few months, she awoke with a fresh bandage, weaker than before.The doctors and scientists who occasionally visited always assured her that whenever an organ was removed from her body, a lab-grown substitute would be surgically implanted.They kept promising she wouldn’t die, and they also kept promising that one day she would be released—and well-compensated for her “contributions.”
But Luna didn’t believe them.She was fairly certain that the only way anyone ever left this place was zipped into a body bag.
What if her body eventually rejected one of the lab-grown replacements?Lab-grown organs weren’t as reliable as real ones.They broke down faster and failed more often.And when they did, they had to be swapped out all over again.
Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she’d never heard of Zalora Biotech.She had walked through the building’s doors of her own free will, lured by the promise of a massive payout for donating her blood plasma, only to lose consciousness the moment the IV was placed into her arm.
She’d awoken the next day to discover one of her kidneys was gone.
At first, no one would tell her what had happened, nor would anyone tell her why she wasn’t permitted to leave the facility.It had taken weeks of relentless questioning—pressing orderlies, nurses, doctors, and the occasional scientist—before she’d pieced together the horrifying truth.
Zalora Biotech was a government-funded lab that supplied healthy organs to patients willing to pay top dollar.
