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Her finger hovered over the submit button.
But not for long.
A sharp pain seared her chest, and when she drew her next breath, dizziness assailed her.
Months. If she was lucky. That was all the time she would have left in this life.
Feeling desperate, afraid, and in so much pain she couldn’t keep the tears from blurring her vision, she pressed the submit button.
She set the tablet aside and touched her chest.
God, it hurt.
She hoped the VAMOB program accepted her quickly.
She also hoped she hadn’t just made a terrible mistake, a hasty decision driven by fear.
Please let this work out. Please let me get better.
And please let me find happiness on Planet New Vaxx with my assigned alien mate…
Chapter 2
Errik stood outside the prefabricated structure he’d just purchased, a large, luxurious home on the outskirts of Starzzia. He was expecting company at any moment, and he’d decided to wait for his visitor outside, where he could enjoy the fresh morning air.
It felt strange to be standing on solid ground again.
After the war against the Irrcons had ended, most of his people had settled here on Planet New Vaxx, eager to begin rebuilding their lives after the destruction of their homeworld, and, even more tragically, the loss of nearly all their females and far too many offspring.
But Errik had avoided coming to New Vaxx immediately after the war ended. He just couldn’t seem to settle or quench the bloodlust that was still coursing through his veins. Every time he closed his eyes, memories of the war returned, the restless energy that had kept him fighting for so long still burning hot beneath his skin.
So he’d left.
He’d flown away in his Vaxxlian cruiser.
For nearly three moon cycles, he’d traveled from one remote outpost to another, entering cage fights wherever he could find them. The outposts had been crowded with aliens from across the galaxy, including traders, mercenaries, smugglers, drifters, and all manner of unsavory characters. The fighting arenas were always packed, the roaring crowds hungry for blood and willing to pay generously for it.
Errik had given them everything they wanted.
He’d never lost a battle, even against aliens twice his size, and with every victory, his fortune had grown. He’d made more money in those three moon cycles than he’d ever expected to earn in a lifetime.
But it wasn’t enough to make him happy.
It wasn’t enough to fill the dark void inside him.
Just as it wasn’t enough to ease the loneliness that plagued him.
More and more, he’d found himself thinking about New Vaxx and the settlement his people were building. He’d also found himself thinking about what it might be like to take a mate—specifically, what it might be like to sign up for the VAMOB program and claim a human female.
Sometimes he even thought about starting a family.
And now he was here. On New Vaxx. With a brand-new house, a vast fortune at his disposal, and a place in a settlement where his people were trying to build a future.
The stillness felt strange, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the feel of the solid ground beneath his feet, the cool breeze, and the pleasing aroma of wildflowers, fruit-laden trees, and the earthy scent of freshly turned soil in the gardens.
At last, Errik spotted his visitor approaching. A renowned healer by the name of Stax. Errik watched as the male came closer, taking note of the medical bag in his hand.
He immediately stiffened and bit back a curse.
