[Baylor]

  His breath came in big huffs, his lungs desperate for more air.

  He never expected to be confronted with his past in a place like this. His enemies really should have known better.

  When he had caught the slight vibration he recognized as a hostile docking, he had been out still searching for the bridge. From the map Christy had gotten, it was most likely located in the area he had been avoiding. That area reeked of apex pheromones and scent markers. Not someplace he wanted to go.

  He had just hoped the map was wrong.

  After he heard the vibrations, it hadn’t taken him long to find the air lock they were trying to breach. Once he confirmed it, he had turned around and intended to fetch the War-beast and something to protect himself from laser fire.

  He didn’t make it very far before he heard the beep and swoosh of an opening docking door.

  ‘They must be elites. Hacking tech like that isn’t something pirates use.’

  Not that he had seen at least.

  He was sure once everyone was captured and the ship ransacked for the data, it would be made to look like pirates though.

  ‘Hmph, they need more than nice tools for this ship though.’

  Not that he could take advantage of that now. He hadn’t gotten far enough. Another Canirean came at him fast. Faster than he was.

  ‘Not as skilled though. He’s just a straightforward thug, no tactics.’

  He would win eventually. He glanced at the commandos coming into the ship from the dock.

  ‘Will eventually be fast enough though.’

  He couldn’t focus on that. He did his best to keep his opponent between him and the snipers but otherwise ignored them. He heard more than saw a few shots pass them. Hitting metal and hissing a little. The flurry of claws and speed was too much to hit anything important.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Which turned into a problem for them when he got a debilitating blow on his opponent. As soon as they saw him take the hit, the commandos raised their weapons to aim. He wasn’t sure why though.

  He had a shield.

  Grappling the mass of his opponent and half running half throwing it towards the commandos nearly got him in range. He even managed to knock one over with their companion’s weight. This team was well trained though. Pulling everyone back to the docking tunnel and setting up behind built in barricades.

  ‘Clearly very well paid.’

  They had top of line equipment and dedicated teams. These people meant business. He managed to dive behind the corner of the wall before they could open fire, but they pretty much had him pinned down.

  His little stunt had found him a laser rifle though. The one he knocked over must have dropped it, his opponent’s was farther down the hall.

  “You should just give up. You upset the wrong people. We can’t be hired by just anyone.”

  He nearly laughed out loud at that. They really had no idea.

  “I can say the same you know. This isn’t the place for you.”

  “Big talk for someone about to get a laser to the face. Come quietly, we get a bonus for taking everyone alive.

  “You should feel lucky about that. We are generally a no witnesses kind of crew.”

  He didn’t even bother to respond. He was fast enough, he could get a few shots off before they could pull the trigger. Once he did that a few times they would mark his location though. He would need to make every shot count.

  He breathed in more, faster. Doing his best to raise his speed without moving. Once he was ready, he wiped around the corner as fast as he could.

  ‘So that’s what an alpha feels like.’

  He had seen the nightmare looming in the shadows out of the corner of his eye as he wiped around, the world slowed in his vision.

  The nightmare hadn’t been though.

  It moved with a fluid speed he didn’t even want to compare to. The momentum of his move let him watch as all three of the commandos took kill shots. There hadn’t even been time to aim.

  There was no question. The nightmare was so far above him, he couldn’t even comprehend it.

  ‘No wonder the War-beast is so calm. I bet it feels the same way I do right now.’

  He heard the movement and regretted it the instant he turned to look. The nightmare was looking at him. Its eyes seemed to pierce his very soul and read him like a book.

  It was clear he had been found wanting.

  A casual toss of the weapon, a shake of the head. Eyes that found him inadequate. He had done his best to avoid the nightmare and this was why. He felt like a child admonished by an elder.

  By an Alpha.

  He quickly looked down and moved to clean up the battlefield.

  Anything to escape that judgment.