Reid never left the house without a plan. If he didn’t need to be out, he wouldn’t be. He didn’t want to risk the chance of running into any Naerians. It was a futile attempt at delaying being claimed. He knew that when it happened, it wouldn’t matter if he was hiding in his house or not, his information and blood were already in the Naerian database. They’d find him no matter what. But the extra precautions made him feel just a tiny bit safer. 

He took inventory of the house, writing down a list of things that he and his mom needed. Some fresh fruits and veggies, maybe even some meat if it was on sale. He added toilet paper and toothpaste to the list when he checked the bathroom and his mother’s favorite shampoo. He was surprised they were even still making it. 

Reid checked his mother’s prescription bottle and noticed she only had a few pills left. He added that to the list as well. With her medicine being so expensive, he wouldn’t be able to get anything else. 

He glanced at his ratty old slippers and sighed. He’d get a replacement another time. 

“I’m going out, mom! I’ll be back in a bit!” He called out to her, but she didn’t reply. She was staring out the window, looking out at the city in the distance. It was still pretty early in the morning, but the sun was shining brightly behind the tall buildings as if it were midday. He could see the appeal of the view. He just wished he knew what was going on inside that head of hers. 

Reid slipped on his boots and checked his vylink twice to make sure he had enough kefé. He patted his back pocket and felt for the small black box he slipped inside. It was always a good idea to carry suppressants around. The Rut could sometimes sneak up on a person. 

Once he was sure he had everything with him, he headed out the door, making sure to lock it securely behind him. Burglaries were still an issue, even in this neighborhood. He didn’t want his mother to be a victim of it. 

Though the sun was out and blazing, the air still had that early morning chill. Goosebumps raised on his arms underneath the thin fabric of his shirt. Black, like he normally wore. It helped him blend in. All he wanted was to blend in, become invisible, and live his life Naerian-free. 

He brushed his fingers against his collar. He remembered when he first got it, it was uncomfortable and left his skin irritated. But as time passed, he grew used to the feeling of the metal digging into his neck. It had become a part of him. Protected him during the worst of times, and it made him feel just a little bit safer as he stepped into the city streets. 

Reid didn’t spot any Naerians initially and that calmed his nerves a bit. Not many people were out and about yet. Stores were just beginning to unlock their doors and start up their projections. He liked being out when the world was just waking up. When he was shopping, he never had to wait in lines or maneuver around crowds all searching for the same things he was. He always got the first pick of the freshest fruits and vegetables and the best deals. 

He headed to the pharmacy where he usually picked up his mother’s medicine. He didn’t want to accidentally buy too many groceries and end up not having enough for her medicine. It was a bit deeper into the city than he was comfortable with, but he stuck to the inner streets, traveling through alleyways when possible. 

The more he traveled inward, the more people he saw. The capital never slept and it was infested with Dragons. That was the one place Reid swore he would never visit. It was rumored that humans didn’t last the night without being forced into breeding or bonding. Though an exaggeration, Reid knew there was some truth to it. It only made sense with how many of the Naerians lived there. It was their central hub. And it was where their King resided. 

The city was built around the palace. The building was tall and imposing, with two large Gemma Crystals supporting the structure. At night, it sparkled like a million stars across the night sky. A reflection of the world above that humans had barely discovered. Maybe if they did, they wouldn’t have been so easily conquered. Maybe they would’ve seen it coming. Maybe they would have stood a chance. 

Maybe. 

The further he walked, the more uptight and uncomfortable Reid became. He sighed in relief when the large glass projection of the pharmacy appeared around the corner, small and unimposing. He slipped inside after scanning his vylink at the entrance. Only patients or approved receivers were allowed inside. 

The best part about this pharmacy, in particular, was that interaction with others was limited. He waited for the small glass screen of his vylink to blink the number of his assigned cubicle. In just a few seconds, his wrist vibrated and a white seven popped up on his vylink. He hurried over to the cubicle marked seven, scanning his vylink one more time at the little screen on the side before a small white bag was dispensed from an invisible slot in the wall. 

He didn’t even have to see the hands that prepared it for him. He didn’t have to talk to anyone. He just grabbed the prescription and swiftly fled from the place. Reid chose that specific location because of its ease and availability. Plus, its obscure location ensured less traffic. 

He started down the path back to the grocery store he favored. It was closer to the outskirts of the city and near the human housing complexes. Though “complex” was putting it kindly. 

The buildings were in such poor condition, their foundations were at risk of crumbling at any moment. It was amazing how the Naerians depended so heavily on the humans but kept them in such terrible conditions that they might die at any given moment. 

The apartment buildings were full of rusted metal ledges and cracked old bricks. They towered overhead with the threat of collapsing. So tall that if one looked long enough, it’d seem like they were swaying with the summer winds. As unpredictable as the futures of those who lived inside them. 

Reid shuddered, moving quicker. Though he lived in a house, he still worried about his mother and her safety when left alone. Their house wasn’t any sturdier than the other human housing complexes and it might be an overreaction, but Reid always feared that his house would collapse on them too. The thought was even more frightening if it happened while he was away.

Reid ducked around another corner so quickly, he didn’t have time to register the figure heading straight for him. His mind was a chaotic mess of nerves and only settled into a frozen stillness when he slammed right into the dark-cloaked being. 

He ricocheted off the hard surface of them and fell gracelessly to the hard concrete grounds covered in grime he didn’t want to imagine what it consisted of. His belongings skittered away from him, stained with wet, brown sludge.

Reid’s head throbbed from the force of his head slamming into the ground. He blinked away the temporary blindness the blow caused. The disorientation made him forget himself. Where he was, what happened and that he wasn’t alone. 

Had it been a human, they may or may not have asked if he was okay. Or even offered him a hand so he might rise and gather his scattered things. But this being did no such thing. 

The first indicator was his boots. Reid assumed the figure was a male from his massive frame and flatter front. It was confirmed by the large silver-plated boots that adorned their feet. It was shiny, even with splatters of grossness dirtying the surface. They were expensive. Something a human could never afford. 

The rest of the form was covered in a heavy dark gray cloak of fine material. Something that would be too expensive for a human as well. It was also summertime and a human would be sweltering underneath it. 

Reid didn’t dare look up past the male’s shoulders. Its hood obscured the face of the Naerian, but Reid knew. And he knew that he was in trouble. 

Fear curled in his gut like a clenched fist so tense that it ached. 

He held his breath as the Naerian slowly crouched down, plucking a tiny black box that had slipped from Reid’s pocket during the fall. He examined it closely, shaking the box with black glove-covered fingers, listening to the twenty pills inside slam against the walls of aluminum. 

Reid’s suppressants. 

The human gulped as the Naerian’s head turned in his direction. He still couldn’t see the male’s face from the dim lighting and the large hood, but he knew he was being studied. 

“This is an illegal drug,” the male said. His voice was thick with a heavy accent. It was as if his mouth wasn’t meant to form the human language so things sounded...off. The sound sent shivers down Reid’s spine.

And not ones of fear. 

Reid’s head swam as a wave of numbness slammed into him. His hands started to shake. 

No. 

No.

This couldn’t be happening. Not now. 

Not now.

Reid scrambled to his feet, trying to move quickly, but his limbs felt heavy, his body sluggish. He leaned against the nearest wall for support, forgetting his medicine and his mother’s. Leaving everything behind, he was desperate to get away. 

He wasn’t going to let them take him. 

He had to get away before the Naerian smelled it. 

His Rut.

“No,” Reid whispered brokenly, practically crawling away from the Naerian. His legs felt heavy like they were full of lead, chained to the ground, forcing him to stay there and every second that passed was a yank backward. A pull toward the Naerian. 

The blood pumped in his veins rapidly, his vision blurring, his agility failing, and his body preparing. It coated his boxers and nearly seeped into his pants. He was so caught up in fighting his Rut, he didn’t even realize his skin began to glow. Darken with thick black splotches only growing larger in size as the seconds passed on. Thousands of spots appeared on his skin like glittering stars, all bright neon colors that crept up his arms. Colors that mimicked the throbbing colors in the Naerian’s morá.

Reid had heard of this happening. Was even warned by his colleagues who were forced into a bonding. If it wasn’t happening to him, he might have even thought it was beautiful. 

But it was happening to him and it was anything but. 

***

The Naerian stood slowly and watched the redrya try to escape. He saw every slip and stumble as the Rut overcame him. The male didn’t know why he did not claim what was rightfully his. He just stared, holding his breath so the release of pheromones would not overwhelm him. 

And the redrya escaped, leaving all that was his behind. 

Only when the redrya was a safe distance away, did the male dare a sniff, locking on to the delicious scent that evoked his own Rut and stored it in his memory. He’d hunt him down later. 

And it didn’t matter where the redrya ran, he would find him. 

***

When Reid got home, he stumbled into his room, locking the door. He jerked his pants down to his ankles and peeled his soaked boxers down. His hands flew to his erection, rubbing and groping until he came. 

But he wasn’t foolish enough to think it was a real release. It would hit him again in minutes. He never hated his body more at that moment. 

Damn it! He thought he’d been careful. He thought he’d be safe. He should've known the safety was a lie. They were going to find him whether he wanted it or not. It was a surprise he hadn’t been taken at that very moment. That’s what Naerians do, snatch up unsuspecting humans from their lives and own them. He could’ve lost everything at that moment. 

And he still probably would. 

He had to keep a low profile. Not go out until he knew it was safe. But damn it all, he left his mother’s medicine. She needed it. 

It was decisions like these that made Reid hate his life. Hate that he had no one who could help him. He had no one who he could rely on. He was tired of bearing the weight of all these burdens. It didn’t change anything though. He was still going to have to take care of everything. He would have to get his mother’s medicine which meant sacrificing himself to the inevitable. It felt a lot like giving up. 

And that was something Reid swore he would never do. 

***