# Prologue/Excerpt

## Abby's POV

"Strip," he said as he left me to go to his tools.

I opened my mouth to talk, but no words came out. He had rendered me utterly speechless; all my fight and defiance remained flaked down at my feet. I couldn't fight him, not when he could easily crush me.

"I'm waiting," he said as he leaned on the table, watching me. I squirmed at his scrutiny. I tried to give myself some pep talk. Slowly but quietly, I lifted the hem of my top. I toyed with a loose strand of clothing, but that was where it ended. I couldn't do it.

I just couldn't.

"Please, have mercy," I begged. Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me. It almost gave me a heart attack.

"I said strip, human." I could see the look of disgust on his face. He hated my species. How could I take off my clothes for him? If I did, then he'd know who I am. What I am. What then? How could I defend myself?

He looked into my eyes like he was searching for something. I immediately looked away. There was something about his eyes that made me weak. And the more I looked, I felt some sort of electricity run through me. It made me have thoughts that I shouldn't be thinking of in the first place. It felt like he held an unknown power by his stares. He used the tip of his finger and tilted my face towards him. "You're not like the other males of Earth. You're weak, helpless, useless."

I didn't take it as an insult; all our human men would say the same thing. Yet right now, I was trying my best to keep my gender a secret. Not just for me, but for my sisters hiding out in the mountains.

"You're clearly hiding something. I don't take lightly to deception. Men should have honor, despite rank and species. You have no honor. A man should fight and protect those weaker. While I admire your refusal to reveal where your human women are hiding, there are far better methods of getting it out of you."

He pressed a button at the corner of the wall; a glass door came out of nowhere. It revealed something at the other end of the cell that looked like a bathtub. A big one. Inside it, the water glowed.

"What..." I couldn't find my words.

"Our technology far supersedes your own. This right here will extract the secrets of your mind and show me what you know." He strolled across the room casually, like the prince he was, only cruel. "I won't say it again, strip!"

"No, please," I begged, but the look on his face defeated my defiance. I felt like he'd put me under a spell. His eyes controlled my body; his presence made me feel like a puny human in the presence of a god.

His eyes bore into mine, the weight of his command pressing down on me like an invisible force. My hands shook as I clutched the fabric of my top, desperately trying to think of a way out. But there was no escape. Not here, not from him.

"Now," he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Every instinct screamed at me to resist, but my body was betraying me. My fingers loosened their grip, the fabric slipping from my grasp. A single tear rolled down my cheek, the overwhelming fear finally breaking through.

"I... I can't," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Please... don't make me do this."

He stepped closer, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. The smell of him—a mix of something dark and intoxicating—filled my senses, making my knees weak.

"You think you have a choice?" he sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "There's nothing you can hide from me, human. Your secrets, your fears, they'll all be mine soon enough."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out his words, his presence, everything. But I couldn't. He was everywhere, in every breath I took, in every beat of my heart. He was in control, and I was powerless against him.

He reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek, wiping away the tear that had fallen. The touch was surprisingly gentle, but it only served to heighten my terror.

"Open your eyes," he commanded softly.

I hesitated, but the pressure of his fingers on my skin made it clear that this was not a request. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and the sight of him so close made my breath catch in my throat.

"There," he murmured, his voice almost soothing, like he was speaking to a frightened animal. "That's better. Now, let's not make this any harder than it has to be."

I swallowed hard, my mind racing for a way out, but there was none. He had me cornered, and he knew it.

He took a step back, giving me space, but the command was still there in his eyes, in the set of his jaw. There was no escaping what he wanted, no denying him. And I knew, deep down, that if I didn't comply, the consequences would be far worse.

With shaking hands, I started to lift my top again, feeling the fabric pull against my skin. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears. I had to do this. I had to survive, no matter the cost.

The fabric reached the point of no return; I felt the coldness hit my bare stomach. The pieces of clothes wrapped around my chest, meant to flatten it and make me appear male, were not seen. I had an oversized shirt that easily hid the shape of my boobs. I felt his eyes on me. I felt the shift in atmosphere as he looked.

His gaze narrowed as he observed me. I unstripped the band wrapped around my chest, yet couldn't even get it fully done before a cold breeze hit my naked breast. I gasped, covering with both my hands. He stood, his eyes stuck on me. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. No one had ever seen me naked. Not even fellow women. Here, forced to reveal my gender in front of an alien man, was the scariest thing I'd ever had to do.

The realization hit Zarak like a thunderbolt.

"Impossible," he murmured, stepping closer, his eyes widening as the truth became undeniable. "You're... a woman."

End of Prologue