Part 2
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Hi everyone, thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. This is my very first attempt at writing a story like this, so I would greatly appreciate any feedback. I have written it in British English, but I am not a native speaker. I have done my best to use correct grammar, but please let me know if you notice any mistakes.
When aliens invaded Earth, thirty-year-old Hannah was captured and sold into slavery. She is purchased by an Orc clan as a pet for one of their fiercest warriors, Drokahr, and must do everything she can to survive. But she never expected to encounter an Orc who is merciless on the battlefield yet unexpectedly gentle with his new pet—forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about fear, power, and trust.
Complete Chapters 25
Rating 4.8 ( 88 reviews ) Age Rating mature
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A new home
Hannah
A loud, vibrating rumble woke me with a start. Panic surged through me as I scanned my surroundings. I was still in the same old, worn-out spaceship, tied to my seat with a rope that tore into my skin. Wincing at the pain, I looked around. I took a few deep breaths to steady my wildly beating heart. Dim light and stale air – the same as when I had first sat down. Or been forced to sit down. The old reptile-looking creature hadn’t been exactly gentle when he shoved me into his spaceship. But why would he be? I was worth nothing. A slave. Useful, but exchangeable.
However, someone had bought me. Whoever it was, we were close to them. Uneasiness tightened in my chest and crept up my throat. What would they be like? What planet were we landing on? Could I escape?
To my right, the door to the cockpit opened and two pairs of yellow eyes landed on me. ‘Wakey, wakey, human. Ready for your new home?’ the old reptile laughed menacingly. ‘Heard these ones don’t go easy on their pets.’
‘Pet.’ Disgust churned in my stomach. ‘I am not a pet,’ I grumbled through my teeth.
He only laughed and yanked me out of my seat, pulling the rope around my wrists even tighter. I cried out in pain, which made him laugh even more, ‘Frail as a sun mouse!’
Whatever a sun mouse was, I didn’t care, nor did I have the time to ask. He loosened the rope around my wrists, just enough to grip me properly, and dragged me towards the opening loading dock. Stepping out of the vehicle, the first thing I noticed was trees and grass. ‘We’re in a clearing,’ I thought to myself while looking around. To my immense relief, I was able to breathe, and the grass felt soft beneath my bare feet.
‘Seems like we’re early. Gotta tie you up then. No time to waste. Gotta deliver another one of you!’ he said while dragging me towards what seemed like a wooden pole. Spinning me around, he bound my wrists behind it and said, ‘Well then. Good luck!’
He spun on his heels and strode back towards the spaceship. ‘I hope you crash!’ I yelled after him as his ship lifted off the ground.
Panic rose in my throat, making it hard to breathe. ‘I need to get out of here.’ I forced my breathing to slow. I knew forests. I had survived worse. Just breathe and … yes!
A surge of relief crashed through me as the rope gave way. I silently thanked the reptile, who apparently hadn’t paid attention to tying a solid knot. I was free, and I needed to make the most of it.
Scanning my surroundings, I spotted a small path through the trees. Assuming this would be the route the creature who had bought me would take, I decided to go the other way. I ran off into the forest, praying I still had enough time to put some distance between myself and this place before my disappearance was discovered.
The day had finally arrived when I would be honoured and rewarded for being one of the fiercest Orc warriors the Kheelan Clan had ever known. Only a handful of warriors were granted the honour of having their own tent, let alone owning a pet. Now I was one of them.
I was filled with pride, knowing that I was the first son of my family to be given this honour. Born to strong parents, I chose the path of the warrior when I was still a youngling. Warriors of the Kheelan Clan were not allowed to take a mate or have offspring of their own. We were meant for battle, not for family. Given that my brother was a blacksmith with a mate and three sons, I knew that my family line would live on through them.
Thinking back to the days spent in agonising training that had prepared me for brutal battles against rival clans, I realised how much time and experience had led me here. At nearly forty, I had endured more than most warriors ever would, and it all made sense that I, of course, was the one who deserved such a luxury.
Looking around my new home, I saw that it had truly been made for a warrior of my standing. A giant bed piled high with soft furs, a sitting area made of colourful blankets and pillows, an oven nearby for harsh winter nights, and behind a curtain there was even a smaller tent housing my very own bath. I remembered how I used to sleep crammed into a tent with ten other warriors and washed myself in an ice-cold stream next to our camp. A satisfied grin tugged at my lips as I realised those days were now gone.
The only thing missing was my pet.
My gaze drifted to the small bedding on the floor beside the sitting area. A warrior was allowed to decide what species his pet would be. Mor, a female warrior who had also been granted the honour of a tent and a pet, had chosen what she called a human male. Her pet proved to be a useful servant. While he was smaller than us Orcs, he was athletic and strongly built, capable of carrying heavy loads and serving Mor well enough. So I, too, demanded a human.
I had specifically asked for a female. I thought I would enjoy having a woman as my servant, and the idea of sharing my new home with a male did not appeal to me. I was curious about what human females looked like, and today I would finally find out.
As I was thinking about my new pet, I heard Halvar, the camp’s scout, shout, ‘Drokahr! The ship has arrived!’
‘Already? It was supposed to arrive in the evening,’ I said as I exited the tent, joining Halvar outside.
‘Seems like you can enjoy your pet a bit earlier,’ he grinned, and with a wave he disappeared between the camp’s tents.
Excitement swelled in my chest as I imagined parading my new pet through the camp, showing her off to the other Orcs. Having her by my side would solidify my new status, making sure everyone knew I was an accomplished warrior.
I made my way to our chief’s tent. Solkar was an old Orc warrior, covered in battle wounds, yet still one of the strongest and wisest Orcs I knew. When I had been a youngling, it was he who had trained me and taught me how to be a good warrior.
Solkar sat in the chief’s chair at the end of the large tent.‘Well, Drokahr, seems like your gift arrived earlier than planned,’ he grinned.
Solkar had long white hair, braided at the nape of his neck. One of his eyes was missing, lost to an old battle wound.
‘Well then, go on. Don’t make her wait!’
With his blessing, I left the camp, taking the small path that led towards the landing site. Since we Orcs preferred not to have outsiders within our camp, the landing station for spaceships had been placed some distance away.
As I walked through the forest, I imagined what it would be like to have a servant who would cater to my every wish. Nothing had ever been handed to me. I had always had to work for it or take it myself. Never had a bathtub been filled for me, nor my bed made. I grinned from ear to ear.
‘Yes, I will enjoy that,’ I thought, satisfied.
Arriving at the clearing that served as our landing station, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Stupefied, I looked around. Where were they? Had Halvar been mistaken?
Slowly, I made my way towards the pole. In the grass, I spotted a piece of rope lying on the ground. It was the only indication that someone must have been here. But where were they?
Scanning the clearing, I noticed small footprints leading out of it and into the forest. Footprints far too small for an Orc.
‘How dare that little thing,’ I snarled through clenched teeth.
If I returned to camp without that human, everyone would question where she was. And if they found out that my pet had already run off, I would be humiliated.
‘No. No one will humiliate me,’ I growled as I straightened and followed the footprints out of the clearing and into the forest.
I would find that disobedient pet, and once I had her, I would make sure she knew her place.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The forest flew past me as I ran. Back on Earth, I was a personal trainer living in Vienna, freshly in my thirties. I loved my city and my job, enjoying working with clients and working out myself. On that fateful day when the aliens attacked, I was working with an elderly client I had trained for about two years. It had all happened so fast after that. Sometimes I wondered what had happened to her, whether she had been captured like me or whether she had been killed during the attack.
But none of that mattered right now. I needed to run faster.
I had definitely lost some muscle mass during the long time on that spaceship, and my body ached from the lack of movement. If my situation hadn’t been as grave as it was now, I would have been delighted to move my body again. But now was not the time for joy. Now was the time for survival.
I didn’t know how fast my ‘new owner’ would be. Had he already found out I was missing? How fast was he? Would I even be okay alone in the woods on an alien planet? I had been a scout during my school years, but what good would that do now?
It didn’t matter. All I wanted was to put some distance between myself and the landing site.
So I ran, ignoring my bare feet being scraped open by the harsh forest floor. The thin cotton shift they had put me in before I was flown out here did little to protect me from the cold wind blowing through the trees, but I hardly noticed it. Moisture built on my forehead, and for now it didn’t matter.
Weaving my way through the trees, running up and down small hills, I suddenly came to a stop when a cliff opened up before me. Below it, the forest continued, but looking to my left and right, the cliff stretched on for kilometres.
Rocks were jutting out of the cliffside. It was risky, but what did I have to lose? So, ignoring my common sense, I jumped down onto the first rock. From there onto the next, and the next. Steadying myself on protruding roots, I made my way down the cliff until I jumped onto the last rock sticking out from the stone.
I had made it a good way down, but now there was quite a gap between the rock I was standing on and the forest floor below. Sucking in a breath, I readied myself and jumped.
Pain shot up from the soles of my feet and into my legs. Cursing under my breath, I rubbed my legs and checked myself for injuries. Luckily, nothing was hurt or broken. That would have been the end of my little adventure.
Shakily, I laughed, relieved that this insane manoeuvre had worked out.
Looking up the cliff, my blood suddenly went cold as I saw a tall creature standing at the top, staring down at me. The sight of him sent cold shivers up and down my spine.
Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run. I spun on my heels and ran into the forest, away from the cliff and away from whatever that huge thing was.
Anger coursed through my veins as I ran through the forest. That brat. That disobedient pet. She would pay.
Every once in a while, I had to stop to track her footsteps. While I wasn’t as skilled a scout as Halvar, I still knew how to orient myself and look for footprints or other signs of another presence.
She was fast, I had to give her that. Her footsteps were at a continuous pace, never slowing down. She had stamina. If I hadn’t been so angry, I might have been impressed by her, even looking forward to a pet who was seemingly quite well trained. A useful skill for a servant.
But right now, it annoyed me more than anything.
I wanted to get back to camp and show her off. My prize for all my hard work. So I continued to chase after her.
She can’t get much farther, I thought. The cliff would surely put an end to this pointless charade. Maybe I would make her sleep outside tonight as punishment, I thought, grinning wickedly to myself.
Her footsteps led directly to the cliff. I slowed my pace to a light jog and looked left and right. In front of me, the forest opened up. I expected to see her tracks continue in one direction or the other, but what I didn’t expect was for them to lead straight towards the cliff and then stop.
Fear seized me. Had she jumped? Was she that desperate?
No, I thought. You can’t. My prize. My pet.
I leaned over the edge, frantically searching for her body below. To my surprise, I saw her. Not lying dead at the bottom of the cliff, but very much alive, standing on a protruding rock and looking down.
‘No,’ I croaked, my heart pounding wildly, my breath stuck in my throat.
She disappeared from my view as she fell, only to reappear a few seconds later, seemingly checking herself for injuries. From the way she moved, nothing seemed amiss, and I started breathing again. Relief flooded through me.
Then time seemed to slow as she looked up the cliff and noticed me watching her. For a moment, we simply stood there, silently staring at each other. I wanted to look away but couldn’t. She was far below me, and yet I could feel her gaze fixed directly on me.
Then she spun around and ran into the forest, disappearing from view once more.
A new sense of vigour surged through my body and mind. I was determined to catch her. Her running and my pursuit stirred something primal inside me. I was the predator hunting my prey, and once I caught her, victory would be all the sweeter.
Grinning from ear to ear, showing my fangs, I began to descend the rocks myself.
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