Alien Protector’s Mate (Latharian Mate Program #4)

Chapter 1

1

A nother day, another successful match. This would be his… he paused to check… twenty-eighth successfully matched couple since he’d started working at the mate program here on Devan Station.

S’aad hummed softly to himself as he moved around his lab, his long fingers dancing over the holographic input consoles as he prepared for his next appointment. One of the new human females who had arrived on the station last week had been matched with a warrior after the program’s algorithms had been updated.

All he had left were the final checks to make sure the matching system had indeed matched the two correctly, and then he would introduce the human to her mate for the first time. It was his favorite part of the job, and one he’d recently been “promoted” to because of his easygoing manner and the fact that the human females seemed to trust him.

His jaw tightened for a moment as he cleared away the last of the clutter from his work this morning. That’s what the official report said, but it had far more to do with the fact that one of the warriors had gotten way too handsy and belligerent with his potential match the other week. The older human female who had been sitting in on the first meeting hadn’t been able to stop him, and her cries for help had drawn S’aad out of his lab. He’d dealt with the troublemaker within seconds and now they had expanded security in place to ensure it didn’t happen again. If he didn’t sit in on the first meeting, another warrior from station security sat with one of the human staff to ensure none of the new mates were bullied into anything or felt uncomfortable.

The LMP’s primary objective was to match as many human females with Latharian males as possible, but he’d be damned if that was at the expense of the females themselves.

Pausing for a moment, he swept a last look around the room. Everything was in its place. The bio-scanners hummed softly, ready to confirm the genetic compatibility of the couple in question before he took his charge through to the meeting room. He’d made sure to have human drinks and snacks ready. Most of the women were nervous and couldn’t eat, but he’d learned that having familiar things around was helpful. He nodded to himself, satisfaction rolling through him. He was as ready.

The door chimed, and he straightened up, plastering a wide smile over his face as he headed toward the door.

“Come in,” he called out, just as the door slid open with a soft hiss to reveal a young human female.

She hesitated for a moment at the threshold, her dark eyes wide as they darted around the room. He didn’t need any expanded senses to tell she was nervous. Her hands shook and she practically vibrated with anxiety.

“Welcome back to my little office, Eliza,” he said, stopping where he was so he didn’t crowd her and dialing back his smile to a gentler expression. He remembered her from her intake examinations. She’d been all but terrified, so just nervous was a definite improvement. “Please, come in. There’s no need to be nervous. I don’t bite. I promise.”

The little human took a deep breath and walked in. The door closed behind her with a quiet whoosh, but even that made her jump a little. He watched as she wrapped her arms around herself defensively before her gaze finally settled on him.

“I… I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” she admitted, biting her lower lip.

His heart went out to her. He’d seen this fear written on the faces of many of the human females before, and it always got to him. The official line might be that the females who signed up to the Latharian Mate Program did so of their own free will, but he’d long since figured out that there was more to it than that. Much more. Most of them signed up willingly, yes, but because they had no other choice—no job, no place to stay, or in the case of Prince Rohn’s mate, a violent partner. There was always a reason, and it was usually not a nice one.

So he softened his manner, making sure not to loom as he sat down and indicated the chair opposite him. In all his interactions with the human females, he made sure to make himself as unthreatening as possible. It helped that they assumed he was younger than he was.

“That’s perfectly natural… This is a big step, and it’s totally okay to feel unsure about it.” He smiled as she sat down. “Why don’t we talk through the process again one last time, and if you’re not ready, I can take you back to your quarters?”

She nodded, her fingers tracing over the padded seat of her chair. He gave her a moment to settle before pulling his chair a little closer and positioning himself at a respectful distance.

“Okay, for a start, let me reassure you that everything we do here is designed with your comfort and safety in mind,” he said, his tone warm and professional. At least, since last week it had. “The mate program is about creating strong partnerships between our couples. It’s not just about biological compatibility.”

The little human’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but her frown was still in place as she looked at him. “I get that. I do. But…” She nibbled her lip again. “How can you be sure? I mean, your people are so different from us.”

He leaned forward, his expression earnest. “We are, yes. But different isn’t always bad. The Lathar and humanity have a lot in common as well since we’re genetically related. And our screening process makes sure you and your match are compatible on the genetic level. But just to be sure, I’ll do a failsafe check today.”

He paused for a moment, watching her out of the corner of his eye as he pulled up her files.

“But beyond the science,” he went on, “the male you’ve been matched with has been carefully selected based on personality traits, interests, and values that complement your own.”

A flicker of curiosity passed over her face. “You can determine all that from genetic tests?”

He chuckled softly. “Not from genetics alone, no. We’ve recently updated our matching program to include psychological profiling and cultural analysis. This holistic approach has really been proving successful.”

He pulled a small tray on his desk toward him. “Now, if you’re comfortable, I’m going to do the last check to make sure we have the right people, and you’re not like… your own twin.” He shot her a quick smile. “This won’t hurt at all. It’s just a quick scan.”

She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. What do I need to do?”

“Just sit and hold your arm out for me, palm up, and try to relax,” he instructed as he activated the device. A soft violet light washed over the skin of her inner arm.

He nodded in satisfaction as the readings scrolled over his screen, matching up with the data he already had. “Everything looks great here, Eliza. You’re definitely the right lady, and actually, your health indicators are much better than when you arrived.”

She smiled slightly, rubbing the inside of her arm even though he hadn’t touched her.

“The food here is so good,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen so much of it in my life. And the chocolate cake! Oh my god. I could live on that alone.”

He bit back his anger and nodded. The anger wasn’t at her but at the number of females he saw coming through here with the signs of malnutrition. Earth and her colonies had more than enough females that they put huge numbers of them in those gods-damned factory cities, forcing them to work on nutri-blocks he wouldn’t feed to the lowliest of animals.

“I must admit I’m rather partial to chocolate cake as well,” he admitted but didn’t add that was because what the human females referred to as chocolate cake was, in fact, Latharian field rations. Every warrior knew how to make it. “And your match will have his own recipe for it. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to make you some.”

“Yeah?” She perked up a little. “I like them when they’re like cake, but then all mousse-y inside.”

He quickly added that to the info packet for her match. If all he could do today was make sure her warrior knew how she preferred her cake, that was a win in his book.

“Okay,” he said, setting the scanner aside, “let’s talk about what to expect when your match arrives. Ashaan is?—”

The door chimed again, cutting off his explanation. He frowned as he glanced at the time display. This was his only appointment until later, which meant Eliza’s match was early. Which was not… unusual for a Latharian warrior who’d just been matched.

“One moment, please. Let me deal with this,” he said as he stood and headed over to the door.

As he suspected, when it slid open, he found himself face to face with Eliza’s match. Ashaan was on the big side for a warrior, his huge frame filling the doorway. His posture was tense as his gaze darted past S’aad to catch a glimpse of the little human sitting in the room.

“Ashaan,” S’aad greeted him with a nod, biting back his amusement at the warrior’s obvious need to meet his match. “You’re early. Is everything alright?”

The big warrior’s jaw tightened, and he cast a pleading look at S’aad. “I… couldn’t wait any longer,” he admitted, his voice low. “The anticipation was unbearable.”

S’aad nodded in understanding. Even though he hadn’t been matched himself, he’d seen numerous other warriors in Ashaan’s shoes. They were all nervous. Plus, he knew Ashaan. Not well but enough to know that he was a worthy and honorable male who would treat his mate well.

“Take a deep breath,” he ordered in a low voice. “Remember your orientation training for meeting human females. Eliza is just as nervous as you are.”

Ashaan nodded and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, a new determination lay in his gaze. “Thank you. I’m ready,” he said firmly.

S’aad turned and looked over his shoulder. Eliza sat in her chair, her eyes wide, but not in fear. Her gaze was locked on to the big warrior standing in the corridor.

“Eliza?” S’aad drew her attention back to him. “Are you happy to go ahead and meet Ashaan?”

She blinked, managing to look at him for a moment before her attention was drawn back to Ashaan. “Yes… please.”

S’aad smiled as he stepped aside, allowing Ashaan to enter the room. He watched as the Latharian warrior’s eyes locked with Eliza’s… something passing between them.

“Lady Eliza,” S’aad said softly, breaking the spell, “I’d like you to meet Ashaan. Ashaan, this is Lady Eliza. She has been matched with you but has not yet accepted your claim. If she finds you acceptable, you may begin the courting period.”

Ashaan inclined his head in a respectful bow as he took a step closer. “It is an honor to meet you, Lady Eliza.”

The little human stood, her nerves seemingly forgotten as she gazed up at the big warrior.

“Hi,” she breathed, a hint of wonder in her voice as her gaze searched his face.

S’aad felt a familiar warmth spread through his chest. He loved it when a meeting went like this, like the couple was so utterly transfixed by each other that a herd of wild kervasi could charge through the station, and they wouldn’t notice. He only hoped his own matching would be the same.

“Let’s all have a seat,” he suggested, gesturing to the arrangement of chairs. “And I’ll go through what’s expected during the courtship period.”

S’aad leaned back in his chair, the faint hum of the computer in front of him filling the otherwise silent lab. He’d just finished inputting the last of the data for Eliza and Ashaan’s match, and a smile quirked the corners of his mouth as he recalled the way Eliza had shyly slid her hand into the big warrior’s as they’d left the lab. The spark between them had been scorching, a promising start to what his gut said would be a successful mating.

His stomach growled, reminding him he’d missed lunch. Sighing, he shoved back from the desk and unfolded his lean frame from the chair. With a grunt, he stretched to his full height, easing the kinks out of his back click by click, and then headed out to find some lunch.

The corridor bustled with activity, a mix of Latharian and human staff going about their daily routines. He nodded politely to those he passed, his long strides eating up the distance quickly. Warriors acknowledged him with curt nods. Not all of them recognized him personally, but his scars commanded respect automatically. Despite not actively practicing, he’d completed his training at the healer’s hall, and no warrior in the empire wanted to get on a healer’s bad side. Or, even worse, get blacklisted by the healer’s hall and cut off from any kind of treatment.

He headed straight for the civilian area of the station. The multi-level promenade and shopping center were open to all on board. It didn’t take him long to get to his favorite cafeteria, where the smell of food greeted him, making his stomach rumble loudly again. Earth cuisine. It always intrigued him, even if he didn’t know what half of it was.

He entered the bustling area, filled with the din of voices and clatter of cutlery. A few women from the LMP offices noticed him and called out.

“Hey, S’aad, over here!”

“Come sit with us!”

Their friendly greetings stirred something inside him, and appreciation for their open acceptance rolled through him. Making his way through the crowded room, he approached their table. They were all older human females, assigned to help the new mates settle in on the station… Margaret, Judith, and Elena. Their faces lit up as he reached them.

“S’aad, dear! Come and join us.” Margaret patted the empty seat beside her.

“Ladies,” he greeted them with a small bow and then settled into the offered chair. “I hope you don’t mind me intruding on your lunch.”

Judith laughed, a rich, throaty sound. “Nonsense! You know you’re always welcome.”

Elena, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Your company is never an intrusion, S’aad.”

The genuine affection in their voices touched something deep within him. He’d worked on many teams in the past, and successfully, but none of them had ever felt quite as… caring as the group of human women made the LMP offices feel.

“So…” Margaret leaned in. “We heard you had another successful match this morning. Do tell!”

He smiled as he ordered his food at the console set in the middle of the table. “I did, yes. Eliza and Ashaan. They seemed very taken with each other from the start.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Elena clapped her hands together. “It was love at first sight again, then?”

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he sat back in his chair. The cafe was crowded, but he knew from long experience that it wouldn’t take them long to get his food out to him. Hopefully before his stomach started eating itself.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but there was definitely a strong initial attraction. Ashaan could hardly take his eyes off Eliza, or she him.”

“And how did Eliza handle the whole process?” Judith asked, her brow furrowed in concern. “I remember her coming aboard. She was a nervous one.”

His expression softened slightly. “She was nervous at first, yeah. But she handled it really well. We talked through what was happening, but to be honest, I don’t know how much she was listening to me after Ashaan arrived. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.”

Margaret reached out and patted his hand. “You really do such a great job of putting them at ease. You’re so patient with them, and it really helps for them to see you first since you’re… well.” She waved her hand to indicate his appearance.

His lips quirked. “You mean I’m Lathar?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I forget you are half the time. You’re way less uptight than most of them, and you talk like we do.”

He inclined his head. “Thank you. My translation matrix is a much more advanced model than most warriors have, so it lets me pick up nuances in language?—”

“That and the fact you’ve watched every single human movie in the station database?” Margaret suggested, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, it could be that as well.” He ducked his head, chuckling in amusement. A waiter appeared at his elbow with his food, and he thanked the male in an aside before returning his attention to the females around the table.

“But thank you. I just try to do what’s best for everyone involved. These matches are so important, not just for our species but for the individuals themselves. I want to give them the best possible start.”

“And that’s why you’re so good at what you do,” Elena chimed in. “What are you eating there? A burger?”

He nodded and then admitted, “It’s the only thing on the menu I can identify.”

The conversation flowed easily as the four of them ate their food, and then the topic turned to upcoming matches and the challenges they might face.

“We have a particularly tricky case coming up,” he said. “A human female with a traumatic past. We’ll need to be extra careful in how we approach her matching process. I’m glad we have the profiling now. We didn’t have it when the prince was matched, and that situation could have gone to the seven hells in a heartbeat.”

Even just thinking about what could have happened broke him out in a cold sweat. If Prince Rohn hadn’t taken one look at his new mate and instantly become—what was the human phrase? A cinnamon roll?—then things could have gone very, very badly. He was glad they had more procedures and checks in place now.

Judith leaned forward, a mug of something she called “tea” in her hand. “What do you suggest?”

He frowned as he considered. “I think we’ll need to take things much slower than usual. Perhaps arrange for her to meet her potential match in a more neutral setting first, with chaperones, before we even broach the subject of courting. Building trust will be crucial. I mean, she knows what she’s here for, all the mate potentials do, but we don’t need to be dicks and frighten her. This process needs to happen at her pace.”

The women nodded.

“You are such a nice young man,” Elena said. “Wise beyond your years, I’d say.”

He couldn’t help his grin. “I’m sorry, ladies, but you’re laboring under a misapprehension. I’m not as young as you think. I’m probably older than all of you put together.”

“Yeah, right.” Margaret scoffed. “You can’t be more than mid-twenties at most.”

“I just celebrated my twenty-first?—”

“See!” Margaret crowed. “I told you!”

“My hundred and twenty-first,” he added.

The women’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Fuck! No way!” Elena gasped. “But you look so… young!”

“Latharians age differently than humans. More slowly.” He grinned and finished off his burger in large bites.

“My god, you’re older than my mother!”

“What about skincare?”

The conversation evolved into a rapid-fire interrogation about his life and the longer lifespan of Latharians, but then, as their meal wound down, Judith’s expression turned thoughtful. “You know, S’aad, it’s a pity you haven’t found a match of your own yet. You’re a hell of a catch. You shouldn’t be alone.”

Elena nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. You need a nice young woman of your own.”

“Or man,” Margaret added with a wink.

“I appreciate your concern, ladies,” he said with a smile, “but I’ve had my DNA in the matching program since I arrived here. So far, no hits. If I do have a match out there, she’s not registered with the program.”

“Well… shit,” Margaret muttered, her face and the other women’s falling in disappointment.

“As for preferences. Same-sex bondings aren’t unknown among us, but they’re not common. Personally…” He winked at Margaret. “I find females more attractive than males.”

“Oh my, charm like that, I’d give my Bill the heave-ho and run away with you myself!” she said, fanning herself with her hand. “You keep that under lock and key, young man, or we’ll have no chance of palming the girls off on their mates.”

Elena glanced at her wrist device, her eyes widening. “Shit. It’s late. Lunch is nearly over.”

Margaret and Elena began gathering their belongings, the soft rustling of fabric and clinking of utensils filling the air. S’aad stood, his tall frame towering over the table as he took over collecting the empty plates.

“Please, allow me,” he offered. “You ladies should head back to the office. I wouldn’t want you to be late on my account.”

“Such a gentleman.” Margaret smiled at him. “You’re spoiling us, S’aad.”

The three females hurried off, their heels clicking against the floor as they departed. He gathered the lunch things and cleared the table before following them at a slower pace. He hadn’t wanted to say anything to them in case they thought he was weird, but looking after them, even in such a small way, eased the hollowness in the center of his chest.

The hollow place where hopefully, one day, his bond with his mate would reside.