Mated to the Beast of the Wasteland novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Reborn

“The hell is wrong with this kid? Half his body’s covered in black scales.”
“He’s tainted. The whole city shield’s gone. Nothing left but monsters.”
A tall beastman kicked the child clinging to his mother, sending the small body flying into the roadside ditch.
“Finish him off?” a squadmate asked.
“My kick did the job. He’s got one breath left, maybe. Let’s move; mission first.”
A squad of beastmen in sleek tactical armor walked past the piles of corpses, indifferent. They updated their command while moving toward their target coordinates.
“Wasteland City is clear, sir. Proceeding as ordered.”
The small figure dragged himself to his mother’s side. He pressed his face against Gillian Sterling’s cold cheek, his gaze sweeping over the lifeless ruins. The stench of rot was overwhelming.
“Mom, everyone’s dead. Let’s burn it all down. These b*stards deserve to die.”
With the last of his strength, he shifted her body aside. Underneath her was a dormant taint core. He clawed at his own chest and tore out his primal core, then thrust it into the dormant one.
The dormant core, hit with that energy, woke like a wild animal. It exploded from the ground, swallowing everything in sight.
“No!”
A sharp pain in her chest jolted Gillian awake.
Darkness surrounded her. A pair of familiar, aged hands held her tight, gently patting her back.
“Gillian, sweetheart, it’s okay. Grandma’s here.”
“Grandma?” Gillian mumbled, her mind foggy.
Mabel Sterling had been sitting by her bed, watching over her. She pulled her granddaughter into a crushing hug, her heart aching.
“You’ve been through hell! No amount of hush money from that damned Cleric Academy is enough! I’m suing them!”
“Cleric Academy?”
Gillian’s eyes were unfocused. The words made no sense.
And… Grandma died years ago, didn’t she?
“Gillian, please, say something. You’re scaring me,” Mabel pleaded, her voice trembling.
Her precious granddaughter had collapsed in her arms that afternoon. Her clothes were torn and messy, her skin covered in bruises. It was painfully clear what someone had tried to do to her.
“Let me take you to the hospital. We won’t worry about gossip. We’ll get those animals arrested.”
“I…”
The warmth of Mabel’s hold and the date on her wrist terminal left no doubt. This was real.
This wasn’t the hellscape of Wasteland City. This was… Goldspine City. Eight years in the past.
Void Star had two parts: the fancy Capital Planet and the rougher Outer Planet. Goldspine City was just a small spot on the Outer Planet, but it was a thousand times safer than Wasteland City.
Did I… go back? Am I really twenty again?
Gillian’s hand flew to her lower abdomen. She pushed inward with her psionic power, a skill long unused and terribly rusty.
There. Two faint, new life-sparks, bound to her by blood.
Asher? Elias? Is it really you two?
A wave of emotion hit her so hard it made her head pound.
The memories of that day came flooding back.
It had started with her graduation from the Cleric Academy.
After the ceremony, they never handed over their Cleric Licenses. Instead, she and the other female clerics were led to a private hall.
The moment she walked in, everything went black.
She came to with a jolt. A disgusting man with a face full of freckles was tearing at her pristine white cleric’s robes. The fabric was already in shreds on the floor.
Fire raged under her skin. Someone had forced heat powder down her throat. He wanted her completely, chemically subdued.
Gillian had played along, biding her time.
At the last second, she struck—a vicious psionic blow that snapped his d*ck clean off for good.
Luckily, there were no beastman guards outside.
Burning through her remaining strength, she’d fought her way out of the hotel.
But she’d waited too long. The heat powder had turned her primal core solid pink. If she didn’t bond soon, it would burst.
A female without a primal core was as good as dead.
As if by fate, a temporary recruitment outpost for the 9th Legion was just down the street.
A bright, garish hologram flashed above the gate.
“Love Her. Protect Her. Provide For Her. The 9th Legion: Prime Beastmate Material. Each one 6’3″, built, and packing heat.”
She knew the legion sometimes arranged bonds between their soldiers and willing civilians. If both consented, they could form the bond right there.
Better a soldier sworn to protect than the monsters who tried to break me.
Gillian didn’t hesitate. She ran straight into the 9th Legion building.
The guys chasing her saw where she went and scattered. They weren’t stupid enough to follow.
Gillian breathed a sigh of relief. I made it.
The woman behind the front desk, Freya Reed, looked up, one eyebrow arched in surprise.
A female walking in for a bond? And a cleric, by the looks of her robes—a powerful one, too. But her clothes are ripped…
Freya glanced outside and saw a few shady-looking beastmen lurking.
This girl’s in deep trouble. Then again… trouble is the 9th Legion’s business.
Any female brave enough to choose a military bond was a friend in their book.
“Don’t you worry, honey,” Freya said, her smile warm. “We’ve got the finest selection in the system here. All handsome, all loyal, all prime specimens. Every single one a solid 6’3″ and built to last.”
She was laying it on thick. It had been ages since a female just walked in.
Gillian forced out, “Someone my age. Healthy. Not hideous. Someone who can be here in three minutes. I need to bond. Now.”
Those were her only terms. No time to be picky.
Freya frowned. Such basic demands. She’s desperate.
By some insane stroke of luck, the system pinged with a near-perfect match. His profile said: 24, healthy, three minutes away.
His location tag placed him right there in the building.
Talk about luck. The legion’s getting a two-for-one today.
“Him. I want him. Now,” Gillian said, shoving her ID across the counter.
“You sure about this? It’s pretty quick,” Freya asked.
“I’m sure.”
A sharp, knowing grin spread across Freya’s face. Her hands flew over the console, submitting the expedited military bonding application.
“As you wish. Once he accepts, you’ll have yourself a prime 6’3″ beastmate.”
Afraid Gillian might change her mind, Freya quickly guided her to a bonding room.
The room was dim, lit with soft pink light. A bouquet of synth-roses sat on the large bed in the center.
This is it? This is where I tie my life to a stranger?
Outwardly, Gillian held herself together, but her mind was a chaotic storm. Her skin was on fire, her face flushed. She leaned heavily against the doorframe, every breath a struggle.
Less than a minute later, the door slid open.
The man who walked in had a stunning physique. Even the standard black uniform looked high-end on him. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, legs that seemed to go on forever.
Oh, my. Can I even handle that?
Her body moved on desperate instinct. Before she could think, she threw herself at him. Survival was the only thought.
Merrick Cole had come to say he wasn’t there for a bond. He hadn’t expected the female to launch herself at him and wrap herself around him.
She even unleashed her psionic power, pinning him in place.
A small, soft hand slipped inside his uniform, fingers brushing his chest.
She’s no ordinary female.
Then he saw her flushed face and froze.
“Gillian?”
She was the very female he’d been searching for. And there she was, in his own outpost, trying to bond with him.
She is meant for me.
But her state was all wrong. She was sweating and breathing ragged, barely able to stand.
His hands came up to steady her automatically. “What’s wrong? You’re burning up.”
Before he could finish the question, Gillian pushed, and he let himself fall back onto the bed.
The golden psionic bonds tightened, holding him down.
The impact dislodged the bouquet of synth-roses. Hitting the floor triggered their bloom cycle, and they all burst open at once, filling the room with a heavy, sweet smell.
The cloying scent hit her senses, unsettling her control.
Gillian’s world swam. Hearing him say her name was all the confirmation she needed.
Right guy. Got him.
Her kisses were clumsy, and her scent hung thick around his nose.
“Help me,” she breathed against his neck, “and I’ll bear your children. I’ll give you heirs.”
Merrick lay beneath her, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. He finally recognized the signs.
“You’re on heat powder? Who gave it to you?”
“Please. I need you. Now.”
When he remained still, a broken sob escaped her. He doesn’t want me?
The pain was growing unbearable. Her core felt like it was cracking.
“We’re forming a core bond,” he said, his voice too calm, too controlled. He let her struggle, let her breathing turn ragged. “Why should I help you?”
Gillian clenched her jaw. Her face was flushed with the effort of holding on.
“A core bond… gives you a shot at your mate’s ability,” she gasped out. “I’m a level 2 cleric. The power to purify the taint… doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“That’s a campfire story. I’ve never seen proof it works.” Merrick’s fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Seems like I’m getting a raw deal here.”
Gillian’s last shred of hope dissolved. That’s it. I’m done.
She really is a crier. Something twisted in Merrick’s chest.
He flexed his power, and the golden bonds holding him shattered like glass. In one smooth move, he flipped their positions, rolling so she was beneath him.
He held her face, his thumb brushing away a tear. “Gillian, why choose me?”
Why else? Because he was the three-minute guy.
She almost said it, but her foggy brain struggled to give a softer answer.
“The soldiers of the 9th Legion… are heroes,” she whispered.
Her face looked innocent, eyes wide and pleading. Her voice was hoarse.
That seemed to please him. A faint smile touched his lips.
“Remember my name. Merrick Cole.”
“Merrick Cole…” Gillian repeated obediently.
He let out a soft chuckle.
The next moment, a sharp pain pierced Gillian’s chest, where her primal core rested. He had drawn blood.
Then a drop of Merrick’s burning-hot heart’s blood fell onto the wound. The heat made Gillian shiver all over.
Their hearts’ blood mingled. Gillian’s pink core began to glow with soft golden light, seeping into both of their primal cores.
Inside Gillian’s core, the faint silhouette of a dark beast took shape. Inside Merrick’s, a small flame of white and gold appeared.
As the visions solidified, both of them let out an involuntary moan.
Gillian’s soft fingers dug sharply into Merrick’s back.
“Easy,” Merrick murmured, his voice strained. “Don’t cry. The bond takes priority. We have… all night.”