When she was submerged under the water, Tempest had intense flashbacks of her time in the ocean.

At one point she thought it might be the end of the nightmare that she had been living the past few days. She thought that it was all coming full circle.

Except this time when she was under the water, something was different.

She wasn’t alone.

Dron was there with her.

He was there to hold her hand and to give her peace. It was what she had been searching for all along.

It seemed to take a long time, but before her lungs could really start to protest the lack of oxygen, a light shone above her, and Dron was lugging her to the surface. She coughed and sputtered the water out of her mouth and nose but didn’t let go of him.

Finally they were allowed to get out of the weird baptism-like chamber. It was only then that she released Dron. When she looked at his expression, she could see there was a bit of disappointment there.

She couldn’t be concerned with that. She had to make sure there was a clear boundary line between them. She wasn’t here to be his wife, even though it’s what she’d just agreed to be. She was there to survive.

"Congratulations." The man Gerax explained was called Elix said as she dripped on the beautiful marble floors.

"Er...thanks, I guess." Tempest fought to remember that she shouldn’t shrug, though she felt the expression was warranted. "Now what?" She questioned, looking from Dron over to Gerax, who was still standing to the side with a sour look on his face.

"Now, you are changed, and then you will go with your new husband to your marital home. If there is anything that you don’t like or if you feel like you don’t have adequate supplies for your needs, you can reach out to me. I’ve put an emergency call log onto your bracelet." Gerax walked over and gestured to the bracelet that was still on her wrist.

She lifted her palm and tilted her hand the same way Mexyn had shown her to do earlier, and just as before, the holographic tablet popped up in front of her. All the instructions were still in a language she couldn’t read.

"How am I supposed to know which one is the call log?" She raised an eyebrow in Gerax’s direction.

"Ah... apologies. That should’ve been updated along with your language device." Gerax walked closer to Tempest and grabbed hold of her wrist gently.

"Get your hands off her." Dron’s deep, growly voice was so sudden it caused everyone else in the room to jump back.

"Mind your manners, Dron." Gerax answered when he finally gathered his composure. He did what he was asked, though. He let go of Tempest’s wrist and simply gestured for her to show him her floating tablet.

She complied, but her eyes were glued on Dron, who was now looking at Gerax as if he were a beast to destroy instead of someone who was just trying to help them. Tempest didn’t know if that turned her on or if she was scared of it.

If she had to put money on it, she’d bet she was a bit of both. So very confusing.

Seconds later, Gerax had gone into the settings and changed the tablet’s language to English, and she was able to read all the prompts. It was clear that it was a translation, as some words didn’t actually make sense in the context. Still, at least she was capable of understanding most of what was there.

She sighed when she navigated to the call log. Not only was Gerax’s name there, but so was Mexyn’s. Tempest was relieved that she’d still be able to call on the woman now that the whole transcendence period was over. For a while she was worried that she’d never see the woman again.

It would be a shame that the one person she was starting to get friendly with would just disappear from her life. Tempest made a note to do her best to keep up a relationship with the woman. After all, she was going to need as much help on this strange planet as she could get. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"So I’m just supposed to go with him?" Tempest questioned again as a few workers walked in, some of whom gestured to Dron, getting him to follow them.

"Yes." Gerax clenched his jaw. "This was your choice." He said it as if in some way pushing the onus of what had just happened onto her.

Yes, she had chosen Dron, but none of what was happening was her choice. She didn’t choose to be abducted. She didn’t choose to be marked as an Omega by these people. And she definitely didn’t choose to be forced to marry someone just to ensure she stayed alive. None of this was what she wanted.

"Omega, if you’d come this way. We have traveling clothes for you." One of the servers spoke, and the annoying hum buzzed in Tempest’s ear. She didn’t have an opportunity to think about it. She was already being pulled in a different direction.

She walked out of the large chapel like room into another smaller one. Much like the one she was in when she was first starting to get ready for this whole performance.

Once again she was presented with a few different swatches of fabric, but this time she understood how they worked. The last thing she wanted to do was create something for herself that was uncomfortable. It was burning hot on this planet. Tempest would need to get used to the temperature, but at that moment all she could think about was putting on something that showed as much skin as possible.

The surrounding women made quick work of pulling Tempest out of her wet clothing. She didn’t even have the opportunity to be shameful about being naked in front of them. That was another piece of the culture that she would have to get used to. People here didn’t mind the body as much as earthlings did. Being naked was normal. Every time Tempest had to undress, it made her face burn with embarrassment. No one else seemed to notice.

The woman pressed the fabric to her skin, and Tempest quickly pulled up the options for the dressmaker. She pressed a few items, and the fabric started to form the same way the other dress did.

This time she made sure there were no extras, no glitz and glam. She just wanted something that would cover her up enough that she wasn’t seen as lewd.

She made what she thought was a sundress. It hit just above her knees and was all of two layers. The back was cut out, leaving a good portion of her skin open.

The women around her stared at her as if she’d lost her mind when she told them she was done.

"Are you certain, Omega?" One of them finally asked.

"Er....yes." Tempest replied uneasily.

"But...that....it’s quite revealing." The worker gestured to her legs.

Tempest looked down at her legs; thanks to the life nectar she was submerged in earlier, she was bare. In fact, she didn’t have any hair anywhere on her body from the neck down.

Tempest put that side effect firmly in the plus column. She had always hated trying to shave her legs. It was just an annoyance. She was grateful she wouldn’t have to do it while she was here.

After looking down at herself, she looked over to the other women in the room. All of them had dresses on, and all the dresses were so long they swept the floor.

Tempest actually couldn’t remember seeing any other women either in the procession line or in the crowd with short dresses on. She definitely didn’t see anyone with any pants on.

"Fine." Tempest grumbled as she pulled her tablet back up again and made her way to the dressmaking tab. She elongated the dress so the hem was now down to her ankles, but she left the back as it was. If they thought she was going to conform to every last thing that they did here on the planet, they would be mistaken. "Now, I’m finished."

The women still seemed to be a bit hesitant, but instead of saying anything more to Tempest, the one who was in charge lifted her shoulders once before gesturing for Tempest to walk ahead of them toward the door.

Tempest’s insides felt as if they were all tied in knots. She didn’t know what to expect. Not only had she never been married on this planet, but she had never lived alone with another man except for Sam.

What if this Dron man was as cruel as her ex? What if once she was behind closed doors with him, he completely disregarded all the rules Tempest had been told would be in place? She knew that some people were like that. They did the right thing when they were in public, but in private they were completely different people.

For all Tempest knew, she could be walking into a very bad situation. Worse than what she was in right now.

She wanted to be able to protect herself, and right now the only safety she had was the numbers programmed into her bracelet tablet.

Tempest rubbed her hand over the bracelet, caressing it as if it were some sort of security item.

The women formed a line on either side of the door and waited for Tempest to walk through it. The door whooshed open as she stepped directly in front of it, and for the second time she had to shield her eyes from the outside. Only this time the brightness didn’t come from the sun but from the two moons in the sky.

She gasped as she took a step out onto the sandy area. The moonlight bounced off every surface, and the sand looked like very fine diamonds and gems. She wanted to further examine them, but when she looked out down the way, she could see Dron there waiting for her. He held his hands behind his back, his face passive. He tried to make it seem like he was being patient, but every once in a while Tempest saw his jaw tick.

He was angry.

Tempest sighed and took a step out of the safety of the changing room and into the vast wilderness.

This was the very last thing that Tempest wanted to be dealing with. She’d already spent so much of her life with a man who was always angry and judgmental. It was just her luck that she’d chosen the very alien who was pretty much the same.

Tempest lifted her chin and walked over to the man as he stood in front of the most out of place transportation device. She’d expected to be whisked off in another space ship but instead waiting for them was what looked to be a carriage.

There were even two animals in the front that Tempest assumed would be the ones to pull the vehicle along.

"What are those?" Tempest couldn’t keep the wonder out of her voice as she looked at the animals. They didn’t look like horses at all. In fact, they looked like a mix of elephant and ostrich. Their bodies were feathered; blues and greens covered them. They had very long necks, but instead of a beak, there was a long trunk like an elephant. The ears were large as well, like droopy dog ears. They looked ridiculous, but for some odd reason just the sight of them made Tempest laugh.

She lifted her hand, but before she could touch them, she looked to Dron. She had no idea whether these animals were dangerous or not.

He subtly lifted his shoulders once before letting them drop. Based on what Mexyn had told her earlier, a shoulder shrug was synonymous with the earth custom of nodding.

Tempest didn’t know why she wanted Dron’s approval, but she tried her best not to look too much into it. She justified her action as just not being familiar with the animal.

Tempest reached her hand out and petted the animal, which let out a light trill, something like a rabbit or loud cat. Nothing about the animal seemed normal to Tempest, but she was enthralled still.

After a few moments of just standing there in the heat, Tempest began to really notice the temperature. No matter how light the clothing she had on in the moment was, the heat was still oppressive.

"Alright, I guess we should get a move on." Tempest jerked her chin in the direction of the carriage, and Dron understood her meaning. It wasn’t lost on Tempest that he hadn’t heard Dron say anything more than what he’d said in the marriage room. He was silent...and grumpy.

Dron stepped back so Tempest could get into the carriage. At least he was a gentleman in public.

He waited for her to get seated before he joined her in the carriage. He didn’t sit right beside her, instead he sat on the opposite side of her. The carriage had two long benches, one on each wall, so they were looking at eachother.

There were no actual windows either. There were drapes that could be pulled down but they looked quite thick, and Tempest was already not looking forward to being in a slow-moving carriage with no air circulation.

Tempest did her very best not to stare at Dron but he obviously hadn’t gotten that memo. He stared at her without blinking. His mouth set into a deep scowl and his hands fisted at his sides.

The carriage suddenly lurched forward and Tempest squealed as the animals nearly raced like horses down the path.

"What the hell?" She started and looked behind her out of the window. The landscape was racing by them at breakneck speeds. It was actually scary. "Is this safe? What if the carriage tips over?" Tempest questioned, but Dron just continued to stare.

She groaned as she realized that he still didn’t understand her. She was once again talking to the wall.

"God, this isn’t supposed to be so difficult. Why haven’t you upgraded your translator yet. I thought everyone was supposed to do it." She huffed and crossed her arms over her midsection. The movement caused her dress to inch up a bit. The sudden draft of air over her free skin felt so good she hitched her dress up a little more until the hem was yet again back up over her knees.

She closed her eyes for a moment just letting the coolness wash over her. When she opened her eyes again she gulped in surprise. Across from Tempest, Dron glared at her like he was a millisecond away from jumping over the small space dividing the two of them and tearing her to shreds. She didn’t know if it was simply because she looked like prey to him or because she looked like something he wanted.

"Do you always stare at women this way or is it just me?" She whispered, tilting her head to he side. She knew she wouldn’t get a response but couldn’t help but voice the question anyway.

There was a deep grumble in the carriage and for a second Tempest thought it was the wheels or the animals pulling them, but it soon dawned on her that it was her husband who was making the noise.

She wanted to know what exactly was causing the man to react like that. She lifted her skirt a little higher. The grumble got deeper, but now he leaned forward. His powerful, muscular arms were flexing as he leaned them on his knees.

"You find me attractive? Is that what this is?" Tempest whispered. Her breath caught in her chest as she let her eyes roam over the man sitting in front of her. He was gorgeous in the most unexpected way.

The moonlight bathed his skin. She could see the various scars and markings on him. Something she was sure the people of this world would consider a flaw, but not Tempest. It showed that this man had lived. Hard. And he survived.

It did something to her.

Without really any input from her good sense, Tempest’s body began to react. She felt moistness forming between her thighs. She pressed her legs together to stop it but the motion only made things worse.

"I really wish you would stop looking at me like that." Tempest whispered and lifted one leg slowly to cross it over the other.

Dron’s fingers flexed and it seemed like he was fighting the urge to grab hold of her.

A thought took root in Tempest’s mind. She wanted to know what he would do to her if he actually got his hands on her. She’d never lain with a man. She’d always promised herself that she would wait for marriage. If she were being honest, the biggest reason that she never had sex with anyone was the fact that no one had really turned her on enough to want to have sex.

Sure, Sam was attractive, and he had a way of making her want to take the next step but when it all came down to it she’d always felt like having sex with him would have been more like a test. Something that she would have to prepare for. She would have to impress Sam.

That wasn’t what she was feeling right now sitting across from Dron. For whatever reason, just off the way he was looking at her, it made Tempest feel as if she wouldn’t have to worry about anything besides hanging on for the ride. There was an intense power struggle going on in the carriage, one that she didn’t want to win.

She laughed at the thought softly and was amazed to see Dron’s eyes flash with wonder. Had he truly never seen anyone laugh before? The people on this world were a very somber bunch. Tempest wondered what else he’d never experienced.

"You are going to open up a whole new world for me, aren’t you? I’m going to have to be very, very careful with you." She whispered and leaned in even more. Now the two of them were inches away from each other. If he leaned in a little more, he’d be on top of her.

Tempest wanted that. She wanted him more than she should.

She wanted to be owned by this man. By this alien. It was scary, but she couldn’t help herself.

"Maybe it won’t be so bad. They told me it wouldn’t be so bad." Tempest’s eyes continued to drag along the man’s body as she took in every aspect of him. It all seemed very human-like; that is, until she got to the point between his legs.

Once again she was shocked by anatomy.

There were two bulges.

Two very, very large bulges.

"Oh, hell no." Tempest’s eyes widened, and Dron took that as a signal that she wanted more. He opened his legs wider, and that only heightened Tempest’s fear.

There was no way that she would be able to take those into her body. She was better off not even thinking about it. She tried to look away. Tried to force herself to stop staring.

"Stop." She groaned and squeezed her legs together once again. "Just stop right now."

She didn’t have the chance to reprimand herself any further.

One moment she was lost in the intense desire that was Dron, and the next rocks were being hurled through the opened windows on his sides.

Tempest didn’t even realize there were people watching them or that the carriage had slowed down.

Tempest and Dron were the center of attention, and it seemed as if the town they were riding through weren’t fans of their union.

They were enraged, and all that anger was being taken out on Dron.