It took Tempest a long while to decide on a gown. In fact, she'd spent so much time that Mexyn nearly had a panic attack because she thought Tempest would miss the opening procession.
In the end, the gown Tempest created for herself would give actresses attending the MET Gala a run for their money.
The gown was long, with a train that looked like liquid gold. It glittered with every step Tempest took. The front was wrapped in a corset-like fashion. There were even details on it that looked like rose vines embroidered from the sweetheart neckline down the front of the dress. The dress was by far one of the prettiest items of clothing that Tempest had ever put on in her life.
"Are you ready?" Mexyn questioned as they stepped in front of the door that led out of the facility.
Tempest was happy to finally be leaving the facility, but it hit her all at once that this would be the first time that she would truly see the state of the planet she was on. She nodded her head, and Mexyn waved her hand in front of the door, which opened with a loud whoosh.
Tempest's eyes squinted as she adjusted to the bright light that was streaming in.
Tempest's internal clock made it feel like it was late at night, but the bright sun made it clear that it was early in the day on this planet. Tempest was sure it was going to take her a long time to adjust to this time shift.
She took a step out of the facility and saw Gerax waiting next to what Tempest could only compare to a floating carpet. There were several stairs that led up to a platform.
Tempest raised her chin and took another few steps in the direction of the platform. She turned to look for Mexyn only to see that the woman had not actually taken a step out of the facility and stood there giving her a tight smile that Tempest had become accustomed to.
"You're not coming?"
"No, I'll leave you in Gerax's capable hands. He'll make sure you have everything you need to get the process. Choose wisely, Tempest."
There was a little catch in Tempest's throat. She didn't know why she was so emotional all of a sudden, but she assumed it had something to do with the fact that Mexyn had been the nicest alien that she'd met so far. Since she'd been in this strange predicament.
What if everyone else was mean to her or mistreated her? Mexyn was the only one who seemed to want to assure her that everything would be okay. Tempest hoped that the promises that Mexyn made to her earlier were all true.
She lifted her head and waved at Mexyn, wanting to say a little more to let the woman know just how thankful she was for what she had done for her while she was in this process.
She hoped that she would get a chance to see her at another time. Maybe after the selection process was over, she would get a chance to thank Mexyn properly.
Tempest turned back in Gerax's direction and walked up the few steps that would lead up to the platform.
Gerax reached out his hand to help her. Tempest looked down at it like it was a foreign object.
"Do you have a problem with my race?" Gerax questioned, but there was a slight snarl to his words.
"Your race? No. I don't care what race you are, but Mexyn said you guys didn't touch unless you were mated. I don't want to mess anything up."
Gerax breathed out, and the hostility seeped away. "Ah, I understand. That rule is only for mated Omega women. I am male and a Beta. You are an Omega but not mated." He offered his hand once again, but this time Tempest took it.
As she stepped on the platform, a small bench slowly erupted from the floor, and Gerax gestured for her to sit there.
"So that's what I'm to expect after I choose my husband? I'll be a mated Omega." Tempest fought to keep from rolling her eyes. This whole situation seemed so ridiculous to her. She just wanted to get through this in one piece. She wanted to survive.
"Oh, Moon God, no."
Moon God? Tempest thought it was a weird saying but figured it was just how it was translated into English.
She wondered if these people believed their gods came from the moon?
Tempest wanted to know more but didn't want to push too much into it.
"I thought…" Tempest started, but he didn't give her a chance to continue.
"When you get married, that doesn't mean that you are mated. It just means that you are agreeing to allow the husband to prove they would be a great mate. Husband is only for a short period of time. Mate is forever. You can have multiple husbands at one time if you so choose. You can only have one mate."
Gerax got right to the point. It was brusque, but it did make it easier for Tempest to understand.
The platform moved without anyone driving it. It felt like one of the automatic trains that went through amusement parks back on Earth. All on a set trail.
"So you mean I could pick as many husbands as I want?"
Gerax gave a smile, but it was tight, and it looked uncomfortable. It reminded her of how Mexyn first smiled at her in the beginning.
Like he wasn't used to it. Tempest appreciated that he was even putting in the effort at all.
"Yes, you can pick as many husbands as you wish as long as they haven't been selected by another. If multiple Omegas choose the same husband, the royal court will choose the best match. You don't want the royal court getting involved in the marriage. They'd want to take responsibility to make sure it turned out well. Meaning they'd take extra interest."
To Tempest, it seemed like having a bunch of kings and queens micromanaging a marriage she didn't even want to be a part of in the first place was a terrible idea.
Tempest turned her head. She had a million and one questions, but at that moment all she could do was focus on the opening landscape around her.
It was all backward. Tempest just couldn't wrap her head around what she was seeing.
It was hot, like living on the equator hot. All around her was desert. Sand dunes as far as the eye could see, only broken up by the large mountains that seemed to go around the entire perimeter of the land.
It felt as if it were at least a hundred and ten degrees, and she felt silly for choosing such an elaborate gown. If she had known how hot it was outside, she'd have opted for a mini skirt instead of what she was wearing.
She expected to see cactuses and tumbleweeds, but instead the land was lush with trees and shrubbery.
The two didn't match in Tempest's mind. She couldn't understand how in such an arid climate so much foliage would grow. Another oddity was the coloring of everything.
The sand was the typical brown color, but the trees, mountains, and even the patches of grass were strange colors. The mountains were dark, nearly onyx, and the summits were colored with a deep blue snow. At least that is what she thought was snow. She wished she could get closer and see it for herself.
The trees had a wide range of colors on their strange leaves. Pinks, purples, yellows, there was even some silver-colored leaves.
The grass… the grass was closest, and she couldn't stop herself from hopping off the platform.
"Tempest!" Gerax yelled out, and Tempest could hear the panic in her voice. She raced to get to the patch of grass. It wasn't green. It was pastel purple. It looked like little blades of gems glittering in the bright sun. It was stunning.
"Tempest, please." Gerax called for her again. Tempest looked up and realized in her effort to examine the grass close up she was about to get left by the platform.
"Crap." She ran back to the ever-moving platform, but trying to get on the stairs proved difficult with her long gown. Gerax lowered his hand, and Tempest grabbed hold of him. He heaved her up on the stage as if she didn't weigh anything at all. His strength surprised her. It seemed like he was stronger than the average human.
Sam tried to lift her a few times. He succeeded, but there was grunting and heavy breaths. Gerax didn't even seem like he exerted himself.
"You're strong." Tempest walked back over to the seat and sat.
"And you're impulsive." Gerax huffed out a breath and took a seat next to her.
"True." Tempest turned to look at him. "Are all the betas on your planet as strong as you?"
"I can't speak for all betas, but if you think this is strength, then you'll be more than surprised when you meet an alpha. They are much stronger."
Stronger?
Tempest couldn't imagine anyone being stronger than that. At least not anyone who wasn't a superhero. Is that what she was about to agree to marry some B-rate superhero.
Tempest chewed on her lower lip until she focused back on Gerax, who glowered. He was still upset that she'd jumped down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Tempest tried to smooth things over.
"I wasn't scared for your safety. There are no predators around here. Getting you to the procession is of the utmost importance. You'll be the first human…"
"Wait, I thought you said that you had other humans here."
"They never agreed to the marriage. One agreed, and once she was placed on the platform, she ran for the mountains and was not seen again. Her guide was thrown into the black cells."
Tempest gasped and stared at him. She waited to see if he was exaggerating.
"Are you telling me that if you show up to this procession without me, they are going to throw you in jail for the rest of your life?"
"Yes." He said it with no hesitation.
"That's crazy. Absolutely insane." Tempest shook her head and folded her hands on her lap.
"It's our culture. If you could assure me that you won't be doing anything like that again." Gerax raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"Sure. I won't run off." Tempest agreed. She hoped that she wasn't lying. The landscape didn't look too treacherous. Maybe she could live out on her own… no, the moment the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. She wasn't made for the outdoors.
Marriage was the only option.
Even with all the surrounding beauty, she hoped that being the only human to ever go through this process wasn't a prediction of what was to come.