Chapter 6: The Pack

Emma knew something was different the moment Xeph came for her.

It had been two days since the lactation study—or what passed for two days on the ship where time was measured only by sleep cycles and feeding schedules. Two days of recovering in the cell with David, neither of them speaking much, both avoiding the subject of what they’d become. Two days of feeling the eggs shift and grow inside her, her stomach now visibly rounded like a proper pregnancy.

But when the cell door opened and Xeph stood there with four shorter aliens flanking him, Emma felt dread coil in her gut.

“The female will come,” Xeph stated. “Today’s protocol requires extended preparation.”

“What kind of protocol?” David was on his feet immediately, positioning himself between Emma and the door. “What are you going to do to her?”

“Environmental simulation combined with multi-partner breeding assessment. The female will interact with Kaelor’s pack.”

“Pack?” Emma’s voice came out thin. “What does that mean?”

“Seven males of a reptilian species. Highly aggressive breeders. The simulation is designed to trigger primitive fear and arousal responses before mating occurs.” Xeph’s large eyes fixed on Emma. “You will be given a head start. Then they will hunt you.”

The words hit like physical blows. Hunt. They were going to hunt her like prey, and when they caught her—

“Absolutely fucking not.” David’s voice rose. “You can’t—she’s already pregnant with whatever The Brood put in her. She’s been through enough. I won’t let you—”

One of the shorter aliens moved with blurring speed, and David collapsed, unconscious before he hit the floor.

“The male’s consent is not required,” Xeph said calmly. “The female will come now, or the offspring’s environmental controls will be adjusted to uncomfortable but survivable parameters.”

Emma looked down at David’s crumpled form, then at her own body—naked as always now, her swollen stomach making her look months pregnant, her breasts heavy and full again despite nursing Lily this morning. She thought about refusing. Thought about fighting.

Then she thought about Lily in her climate-controlled chamber, and the choice was made.

“Fine.” Emma stepped over David’s unconscious body. “Let’s get this over with.”

The preparation chamber was small and cold.

Two of the shorter aliens worked on Emma with efficient, impersonal movements—washing her thoroughly, paying particular attention to her pussy and ass, applying some kind of oil to her skin that made it glisten and smell faintly sweet. Pheromones again, probably. Making her more appealing to the reptilian pack.

“The simulation environment is three kilometers square,” one of them explained in a voice similar to Xeph’s but higher-pitched. “You will be released at the southern edge. The pack will be released from the northern edge five minutes later. There are no exits. No hiding places that will be effective for more than minutes. Eventually, you will be caught.”

“And then?” Emma asked, though she already knew.

“Then you will be bred. All seven pack members will mate with you. The encounter will continue until all have successfully deposited genetic material.”

“How long does that usually take?”

The alien’s head tilted. “With human females? We have no prior data. You are the first.”

Somehow that made it worse. Emma was going to be the test case for how long a human woman could survive being gangbanged by seven reptilian aliens.

They finished preparing her, then led her through corridors to a massive door that looked different from the others—thicker, reinforced. It dilated open, revealing what lay beyond.

Emma’s breath caught.

The simulation environment was massive—far larger than three square kilometers could account for, suggesting either dimensional manipulation or perspectives that defied human understanding. The terrain was varied: rocky outcroppings, dense vegetation that looked almost tropical, clearings covered in moss-like groundcover, and in the distance, what might have been caves or canyons.

The sky above was simulated but convincing—blue-tinted and filled with strange clouds. The air was warm and humid, heavy with the scent of alien vegetation and something else. Something musky and dangerous.