Ramliel by A.M. Griffin
Chapter Five
Mia spent the next few weeks familiarizing herself with everything Yatur and their culture. She already knew it, thanks to the download fed into her brain while in stasis, but there was something to be said for sitting down and reviewing the material directly.
It also helped keep her mind off of the fact she was hurling through space and everyone she knew and loved back on Earth was dead and gone.
Her days were structured. She’d learned about structure early on. After her dad died she’d relied on it. From the time she got up to when she went to sleep, her day was planned. If every minute of her day was accounted for there was no room for sadness, defeat or loneliness. She had tasks and the tasks needed to be completed.
Mia treated this new chapter of her life the same way. She created structure for herself.
Every morning she woke up and went to breakfast with Lina. They met Diana and a few other ladies. After breakfast, Mia went to the observatory and looked at the star systems and different planets they passed. Afterward, she went to one of the classrooms where different Teague educational curriculums were being taught.
Although they’d all received the same educational download, there were other women like Mia who’d wanted to learn by either tactile or visual simulations. Once the morning lessons were completed, she ate lunch and took a short nap. That was followed by a workout.
She’d always been a cardio girl, preferring to fast walk over running, but that changed after she’d awakened with muscles. She used the weightlifting machines in order to keep what she was given.
Her day would then wind down with a shower, dinner then time for socializing with her new friends. Lastly, she would get in bed and view the next video from Ram. She’d gotten through his primary years—where he showed her his favorite toys and chattered on about what he did that day and what he planned to do the next.
She watched the videos in awe most nights. He had grown up knowing she would be his wife, er, mate. While she had been in stasis, he’d been out there preparing a life for her to come to.
Ram was a cute kid, but different from any child she’d ever known. He had the cutest little button nose. His eyes were dark, but there was so much passion and wonder behind them. They would light up whenever he talked about his father and wanting to be like him one day.
He also had a best friend, Cohn, who he wished was his brother. Mia sat up and followed along with every story and every adventure. The apprehension of traveling to another planet and mating with an alien slowly faded.
She felt like she knew Ram. Really knew him. How many women back on Earth could say their mate had prepared for them since the day they were born? How many would also look back on messages their husband shared with them when their husband was still a child?
She didn’t like that she’d been forced into leaving Earth and mating with an alien, but Ram had made her situation palpable. With Ram, she knew there was someone waiting for her. She wouldn’t be alone. He was going to show her everything there was to do on Teague, per his words.
And she found that in those dark hours of the night, she was looking forward to finally meeting him.
With her nightly ritual complete, Mia curled up in bed and turned on the next holo-vid from Ram. The picture flickered on. Instead of a smile that could light up a room, Ram sat with his lips pursed and a frown on his face. His arms were crossed and his chin rested on his chest. The hair on top of his head was unruly, which she’d gotten used to seeing.
He said his mother complained that it never stayed in place. In all the videos she’d witnessed, more times than she could count of him running clawed fingertips through it, making it stand on end. In this video, he wore a fancy tunic. It was dark purple which looked good against the brown fur on his face, neck and arms.
There was silence as he watched the floor. Something had happened. Mia could see it written across his face. Maybe he got into an argument with Cohn, or his mom made him do something he didn’t want or he’d done something to anger his dad?
Mia waited. She could’ve fast-forwarded the video and gotten to the part where he explained what was wrong, but she felt compelled to wait this out with him. She wanted to be in the moment—his moment.
Then Ram’s eyes lifted and he glared at the camera. “I don’t like you. You’re ugly. Uglier than any creature that I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t want you to come here. It would be a disgrace for me to mate with you. I wish you would turn around and go home. I don’t want you.”
Mia’s breath caught in her throat.
* * *
Ram completed more before others woke, then they did while they were awake. Today wasn’t any different. He’d unfurled himself from Varona’s—his latest companion—arms and left the bed, leaving her sleep and sated. Although he’d spent most of the night with her legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck and fingernails embedded in his skin, he still woke at his normal time and with only a few hours of sleep.
In his private office, he went about setting up for the day’s activities. By the time his assistant arrived Ram had a list of tasks for him to either complete or look into. He also scheduled a meeting with the heads of the departments to review the new figures and opportunities he was looking into.
At this pace, he would be done with everything on his to-do list by lunch time but would most likely spend the rest of the day working because working relaxed him and always had.
After his duties were complete, he would work out to hone his muscles and physique. Then, dinner with Varona or whatever business associate he needed to either review ideas with or discuss new business ventures. His day was just the way he liked it. Structured.
The intercom on his desk beeped. Since Ram was expecting replies to the messages he’d already sent out this morning, his response to the voice command system was curt. “Open,”
“Message from the Human Bride Program. Mia Brown will arrive to Teague in one month from this date. Everyone is expected to meet at reception center to review the welcome expectations for your new mate. Will you be able to attend?”
Heart slamming against his chest, Ram paused. The day was fast approaching. One that he dreaded.
From the moment he was a child, he’d known he was mated to an unknown alien. Nothing about his life was his own. Not what he did for a living—a business he’d inherited from his father. Not who he mated— a female from a strange planet. Nothing was his decision to make.
Ram gnashed his teeth together. His jaw ached from the amount of pressure he put on it. In one month, his life would change and not for the better. He would be expected to get rid of his female companions and start a life with someone he didn’t choose and didn’t know.
Why couldn’t he be like Cohn?
Cohn’s parents hadn’t signed him up to mate with a human female. They didn’t have the credits to do so, but that wasn’t the only reason. They’d wanted him to choose his path in life.
His friend had worked himself from a simple officer of the law to one of the most respected enforcement agencies in the country. Ram often sought his advice when dealing with security measures.
While Cohn wasn’t mated yet, and hadn’t made any attempts to do so, he still had the option of following his desires and heart. Ram had no such thing.
Attached to the message was a file with his new mate’s name on it. He hadn’t opened or read her file since he was a child. He didn’t see the point now.
The message beeped and repeated itself on a loop. When it finished, Ram replied. “No.”