Morning came too quickly for Rayner.

He didn’t want to open his eyes. The day was going to be long and hard, and he wanted to stay in this warm, dark place where he could so easily remember Vera the way she’d been last night: her cheeks flushed as she sat on his lap, riding him and glowing from the passion that had flowed between them throughout the night.

His cock stirred as he remembered her half-hooded eyes and the way her breasts had pressed against his chest.

She shifted against his side with a soft murmur. He rolled to look at her still-sleeping body and tried to memorize every feature, every curve. She was exquisite, strong and smart, creative and logical. She was everything he could have ever dreamed of in a mate. And a true mate at that. Why did she have to be human?

More importantly, why did she have to be the one he could never have?

He had to pull himself together and be strong. She didn’t need the added burden of knowing what would happen to him if they were separated. Kaveh’s moon madness was all too close to the front of Rayner’s mind. How long had it taken Kaveh to lose his grip on sanity after his mistress—Caj’s mother—had died earlier this year? A month? Two? How soon would it happen to Rayner, and would the madness be worse knowing Vera wasn’t dead but very much alive on a faraway planet?

“What are you looking at?” Vera murmured, eyes drifting open and a smile blooming across her face.

“You. You’re the only thing I see.”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile stretched wider. A moment later, her smile slipped, and he knew she was thinking about later today. Her trial.

“Are you hungry?” he asked to distract her.

Her smile returned. A distraction was exactly what she wanted.

“Hmm … What are you offering?” She lowered the sheet covering her naked flesh to reveal the plump breasts and luscious hips that made him crazy. He knew there wasn’t time, but his cock stiffened and ached, begging to feel her again.

“There isn’t time for that,” he said with a sigh, covering her back up, but when his hand came to her chest, she took it in her own and pressed it against her breast. Her gorgeous roundness fit into his large hand perfectly.

He moaned and kneaded the soft breast as her nipple hardened against his palm. “We have to get up.”

She scooted closer. “Just one kiss.”

When she lifted her lips in offering, Rayner was helpless to resist. Her mouth was soft and their kiss slow. He pressed against her, still massaging her breast, as her arms wound around his neck. She pulled him down against her, their bodies separated by nothing but the thin Arakid silk sheet.

Vera opened her mouth to him. Their tongues danced together, rolling and rubbing against each other in a simulation of the dance they really desired.

A knock came at the closed bedroom door. “Sir? Miss? I have breakfast.”

“One moment, Decallian,” Rayner called back. He swung out of bed and reached for his pants. Behind him, Vera bundled the sheet around her body.

“Decallian is bringing you breakfast?” she whispered.

Rayner tugged his pants up and buttoned them. He glanced over his shoulder. Vera’s hair was rumpled, her lips swollen. His love for her kicked him straight in the gut. “She was worried about you. I couldn’t get her to stop bringing me food.”

Vera’s mouth popped open in surprise. “Really?”

“Really. Come in, Decallian.”

The round, ruddy-faced keeper swooped into the room on silent feet, her eyes down. She settled the basket of food on the corner of the bed. She’d packed it so full of food that it nearly toppled straight off.

“Sir,” Decallian said with a nod. She angled her head slightly and added, “Miss. Will you need anything else? A cup of kava, perhaps?”

“Decallian,” Vera said. The elderly keeper looked up and met Vera’s gaze, holding it. “Are the other women okay? They haven’t had any trouble since me and the others tried to escape?”

“No, miss.” A sly smile pushed at the folds of her cheeks. “We’re watching out for them.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Shocking Decallian completely, Vera scooted close and pulled the keeper into a tight, one-armed hug, her other hand busy holding up her sheet.

When she was released, Decallian left with her eyes down but a smile on her face, her cheeks redder than ever. She didn’t bother saying goodbye to Rayner.

He sat back on the bed and pulled out a smoked bit of pryll.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Vera asked, the words coming in a rush, her gaze burning him. “That was weird, right? They hated me just a week ago. And Decallian isn’t the only one who’s started acting strange.”

“I’ve seen,” Rayner said. He passed her a larger, fattier piece of meat. She took it but didn’t eat. “You need to eat. Your trial—”

“I don’t give a shit about my stupid trial. I’m worried, Rayner. Something is happening with the servants. Something big. I found a body in the tunnels during our escape. It wasn’t that old.”

The information saddened him and made the anchor of guilt sink deeper inside him. But he took her hand, his thumb stroking across her skin. “You were right when you first came here. You saw it all so clearly. More clearly than I ever have. I thought I’d done so much good when I helped Kaveh end the flesh trade and elevate the status of servants in the clan. But I realize—” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “You made me realize that I hadn’t done enough. My mother would have been very fond of you.”

A sheen of tears swam in Vera’s eyes. “I would have been fond of her too.”

He dropped her hand and lifted his chin toward the meat she still hadn’t touched. “Please eat. We will have a long day.”

She took a slow, tiny bite. “What are you going to do? Tell me, Rayner. You’re being too calm about my trial.”

“I don’t trust Kaveh anymore,” Rayner said, choosing his words carefully. “I thought if I explained how we’d experienced a true mating, he would understand. He is the only Vilka who has heard the mating call in decades. But his madness—” Rayner cut himself off. Luckily, Vera didn’t notice. “He’s just too far gone to hear reason. I think he will try to make an example of you to all the other servants.”

He heard her heartbeat kick up, but he smelled no fear on her. His brave, wonderful mate. “A true mating?”

“My people pair up for many reasons, practical as well as emotional,” Rayner explained. “I’m sure there are many who marry truly for love, but to bond with someone so completely that they could be considered a true mate happens every few generations.” He shook his head, that bond between him and Vera trembling as he spoke. “I never expected it to happen to me.”

“And you’re … you’re sure this is what this is?” Vera bit her lip.

He offered her a smile. “Every time I look at you, I’m only more certain.”

She let out a long breath. “So what’s the plan?”

“You’ll have to sit through the trial.” He hated it. Hated thinking of her in that blood-stained pit with his clan jeering at her, their bloodlust begging for the harshest punishment. “But it’s the only way to divert attention away from me. Tonight, you will escape.”

Her mouth fell open. “Escape? To Earth?” she whispered like someone might overhear.

“To Earth. You—”

“But what about protecting Kladuu?”

Rayner forced himself not to think about his guilt, that anchor dragging his depths. “It will be fine. As long as the nav system’s data is deleted, they won’t be able to find the planet.”

“Okay.” Vera nodded slowly. “And the other women? They have no reason to keep the shape-shifting secret.”

She almost seemed too scared to ask about her friends, but Rayner reached over and squeezed her knee. “They’re coming too. I wouldn’t ask you to leave them behind. As for the secret,” he said, shaking his head, “I don’t know any other way around it. I can’t let you be killed, and if you stay, you will be.”

“And escaping beyond the mountain …”

She’d run away with him. The thought did so much to ease his fear, to solidify his resolve. “It’s a death trap out there. Earth is the only way.”

Her relief was palpable. She smiled, trusting him completely. “And you? You’re coming too.”

She spoke as if it were certain. Her belief in him made it easy to lie. “Yes. I’m coming with you, Vera.”

She threw her arms around him, dropping her sheet and nearly knocking their breakfast off the bed. Chuckling at her radiant joy, Rayner caught her as she smothered his face in kisses. His hands skimmed her waist and ribs to the swell of her breasts.

They lost a couple hours tangled in each other. Rayner showed her careful attention to draw out her pleasure, to make her come again and again. He moved about her body, memorizing every delicate curve, every muscle, every scent and taste. He closed his eyes and soaked up the sound of his name panting from her lips. She was his everything, and come tonight, she would be far, far away from his planet and safe.

Even if she hated him because of his lie.

That afternoon, Vera and Rayner dressed in silence. He gave her one of his longer white tunics and a wide belt. It was the clothing of an equal clan member. The quality of the silk was the very best he had, even better than the darker shirt and pants he chose for himself. Vera wore the outfit of a mate, and everyone would see her in it.

She was a vision with her fiery red hair hanging loose around her shoulders and the white of the garment highlighting the tone of her skin. The belt cinched her waist enough that he could imagine the curve of her hips beneath the cloth. He wanted her. Now, tomorrow, again and again. He wanted to make love to her and make her understand everything he felt for her. He wanted to watch her in the morning light as she raked her fingers through her hair every day for the rest of his life.

He almost hoped the moon madness would take him quickly when she left. He didn’t know how he would bear it, not having her near. But the memory of her would be enough. It had to be. He’d made too many plans and promises to get her off Kladuu tonight. He had to keep them to the people he owed most.

“Are you ready?” Rayner asked, holding out a hand to the woman he would die for.

“No, but there really isn’t a choice, is there?”

Rayner nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He opened his door, and the bright light of morning spilled across their feet. The sun shone in through the canals in the mountaintop.

A barrage of guards swarmed forward, creating a barrier between them and the rest of the city.

“Is this really necessary?” Rayner growled.

Vera placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’m sure they’re only following orders. I’ll be fine.” She stood up straight, but Rayner saw the fear in her eyes. No one else would notice such a tiny thing, like how her lower lip was slightly swollen from the intensity of their kisses this morning, or the way her hips swayed when she walked.

She stepped forward, and one of the guards wrapped a length of reinforced silk webbing around her wrists and jerked on the length, forcing her to stumble forward.

The growl that came up began at his feet and vibrated through every cell in his body. His body began to shift, ready to pounce and destroy anyone who dared treat his mate in such a way. He would take the guard’s throat in his teeth and bite down until his muzzle was coated in blood. But before he could act, he caught Vera’s gaze, and she just shook her head before following the guard.

He might have to let her go now, but he’d save her, no matter what the cost to himself.

* * *

The clan had arrived at the amphitheater itching for blood as Rayner had expected. The Omega Selection had stirred something inside them, and it spilled over now, uncontained and beast-like.

The Omega Selection had been a mistake. Rayner realized that now.

He threaded through the crowd with a heavy hood pulled over his head to conceal his hair and the upper part of his face.

Around him, the clan’s voices mingled. They clamored for blood, his own name volleyed about along with laughter and insults. He’d lost his rank and status, but he’d never imagined he’d lose his clan’s respect as well. The realization landed in his gut like a physical blow.

He pressed farther back, weaving through the lower-ranking Vilkas and making his way to where the servants waited for their benefactors. Some were here out of curiosity on their own time, he was sure, but most would be here in case they were needed for something.

The crowd of servants at the outer rim of the amphitheater’s pit was almost as large as the number of clan members in the stands. Hundreds and hundreds of them, wearing cloth tied around their shoulders or what had clearly been separate pieces now sewn together to cover their bodies. All around him, whispering voices hushed, and servants watched him as he walked by. Occasionally, he received nods and tight, nervous smiles. In his wake, the talking resumed, and one name floated after him: Vera.

They were ready. His efforts these past two days hadn’t been wasted.

A roar went through the crowd as the clan jumped to their feet. They jeered and threw rocks and rotten food toward the pit. At the divide between the servants and the clan, Rayner had a clear view of the pit.

Guards led Vera out. She had been stripped of the tunic he’d given her and was wearing little more than a few scraps of fabric to cover her most intimate places. Her eyes were red with unshed tears. They pushed her to her knees in the center of the dark-stained dirt.

“Don’t watch this, old friend.”

Rayner turned at the familiar voice. Gerrit stood in front of him with Nestan hovering a few steps away. “You’d have me look away and bring myself even more shame?” Rayner asked.

“No. I just wish there was a way to spare you.”

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be up with your father?”

The young man shook his head. “I won’t stand beside him when what he’s doing is so wrong. He has to deliver this himself, without my support.”

Rayner offered the heir a sad smile and squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll be far better than him, Gerrit. Even when he was in his prime and bringing us out of the dark times, you will stand on the shoulders of his accomplishments, and you’ll carry us so much further.”

“I hope so.”

With a nod, Rayner turned back to Vera, who was staring at the crowd, searching faces. Searching for him. He pushed closer to the pit’s edge. The servants around him and Gerrit parted, and her eyes caught on him. Relief flooded her face.

Kaveh stood and raised his hands. A beat later, the crowd settled, but the rumble of excitement coursed through the stands.

“My people! My Vilkas!” Kaveh called out, bringing the crowd to immediate silence. “We are here today to witness the crimes of a servant. This woman you see before you has committed an act of treason and insubordination so great that we have no precedent. She has connived with and seduced one of our own and worked with others of her low station to orchestrate not only her own escape, but also that of three other human servants. Humans, all of them, who should have been grateful to not have been slaughtered upon their unsanctioned landing on this grand planet.”

At this, Vera rolled her eyes, and Rayner’s love for her surged. Gerrit chuckled beside him. “Are all humans so spicy in their temperament?”

“For our sake,” Rayner whispered back, “I hope not.”

Kaveh continued. “In her brazen, unmerited treachery against the very clan who welcomed her and kept her safe, she has undermined the entire principle of our culture. We have operated under a hierarchy of power, a structure that has descended through time from the very Originals who first populated this planet. It was spoken in the stars, and we merely listened. This human has desecrated that beyond measure.”

The crowd screamed again, whipped up into excitement by the reading of Vera’s crimes.

Rayner leaned forward, listening to every sound coming from the stage.

His mate was dry-eyed despite the humiliation she endured. Kneeling like a slave, she kept her back straight and her eyes clear. She smiled at him. He wasn’t strong enough to return the gesture.

“This human slave has shamed herself and insulted us all.” Kaveh’s voice rose above the crowd.

Vera did not cower.

“Her crimes as laid before you are punishable in the most extreme ways possible. Even the old laws have no mercy for those who would undermine their Alpha! It is time we look to the stars again and decree a suitable punishment!”

The crowd cheered, but the servants around him were silent.

“To remind those who might find her insubordination inspirational, we will use the same ancient laws as was used against my half-brother, Savas. At dawn, the human servant will be strung outside the enclave, above the entrance to our ancient holy home, until she succumbs to either the elements or the Draqons!”

Vera flinched, and she looked away from Rayner. At the gruesome punishment, she paled. Before he could get her attention, she was hoisted to her feet by two rough guards and dragged back to the tunnels where she would be imprisoned until nightfall.

Men and women cheered. The bloodlust the Omega Sacrifice had whipped up in them had taken over, and they were succumbing to their baser instincts. His fellow Vilkas were acting more beast than man, and he watched the people he had sworn his life to protect celebrate the impending death of the woman he loved.

At his back, the servants stood silent and watchful. He’d warned them this would be the punishment leveled upon Vera. But their rage still simmered in the air around him, thick in its taste and smell.

He turned to them now and moved deeper into their numbers until he stood in the center of them. They stared back at him, waiting to hear what he would say.

“Do you want to save her?” he asked a servant standing near him.

“I’d give my life for her,” she replied, jaw squared.

“As would I.” Rayner spoke to them, his eyes searching their gathered numbers. “Because I love her. She’s my true mate.”

He’d spoken the words a day and a half ago when Vera was deep in a cell, and he’d determined Kaveh had turned his back on his old friend. To the servants, to his mother’s people, he’d turned for help. Reluctant, they hadn’t believed his intentions until he’d told them about the mating call. Until he’d told them the story of his mother and sworn to right the wrongs he’d allowed to accumulate against them.

On the Kladian moons, he’d vowed to right those wrongs. To protect Vera. To protect them.

It was why he couldn’t leave with Vera tonight. It was why he’d lied. He owed these people so much, least of all the promises he’d made them.

Kladuu was his home. For his mother, he’d see these servants their rights and privileges granted. They would be full clan members before he allowed the moon madness to take him.

To them now, he said, “We are on the same side. After tonight, no more of you will die trying to escape. No more scraps of cloth. No more scraps of food. No more begging and starving and pinching together a survival promised to you but never received. We will fight together tonight. Are you with me?”

The servants dipped their chins toward him, a cheer impossible with the clan still clamoring in the stands behind them. Not all of them agreed with him or believed him. They would stay back tonight in silence, their weary eyes watching. But most would stay true to their word. To them, Rayner bowed back and fisted his hand over his heart.

“As will we,” said a familiar voice.

Rayner turned to find Gerrit and Nestan. He shook his head at the heir and his best friend. “Neither of you should be involved. If we fail, it will mean death.”

Gerrit glanced around at the servants who had gathered near them. “If a revolution is coming, I’m the only one who can stop it from becoming a civil war. Plus, I was taught better than to leave a brother in his time of need.” He clasped Rayner on the shoulder.

“And if you think I’m letting my only cousin go out on this suicide mission alone, you’re as nuts as everyone is saying.” Nestan cracked a lighthearted smile and added, “Besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do tonight.”