The intense heat seemed to stick to Tempest’s skin.

It didn’t matter what she did, it seemed like there was no air circulating around them. Even fanning herself did nothing but make it seem like the stale air clung to her body.

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to ask to go out exploring this early in the day.

She looked over her shoulder to see Dron just a step behind. The man was perfectly at ease. He didn’t seem to be affected by the weather in the least bit. Tempest was envious at how lucky he was. With every step it felt like her skin was just a second away from blistering from the constant exposure from the heat.

Tempest blew out a steady stream of air and continued moving forward, making sure not to touch as much of her surroundings as she could.

"Are you alright?" Dron’s voice was laced with concern as he spoke from behind her.

"Yeah, I’m fine." Tempest answered, trying to sound as chipper as possible. After all, it was her idea to do this. She felt stupid now.

"Are you sure? You don’t seem as excited about it as you were when we started out. We can go back if you wish." Dron was giving her a life line, or was it enough rope to hang herself with?

Tempest thought for a moment about how she would break it to him that she truly wasn’t having as much fun as she thought she would. She also thought about how intensely he’d ripped into her for wasting his time.

In that moment, a realization went off like a bomb in Tempest’s mind. She was assuming Dron would be like Sam.

It was always Sam who would put her down for trying to do something and then not being able to complete it. He’d call her foolish or downright stupid for even believing that she could in the first place. Her failures always became more focused on how they inconvenienced him and not on what she was trying to do.

On top of that, if Tempest somehow did manage to complete a project she set out to do, instead of Sam being proud or happy for her, he’d always be there to tell her how it wasn’t done right. Or how they could have paid someone else to do it and gotten a better result. He’d made her feel useless on more than one occasion.

So far, Dron hadn’t truly ripped into her about anything. The only time he’d seemed genuinely upset at her was when he thought that she’d done something that would result in her getting injured. If he hadn’t been stalking her the night before, there was a real possibility that Tempest would have been mauled by that monster cat hybrid.

Tempest pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, worrying it a little bit before she finally settled on an action. She would trust Dron a little more. After all, they were supposed to be trying to get to know each other better. How was she going to do that if she constantly hid everything from him?

"Honestly, I’m getting a bit tuckered out. I didn’t account for the heat being so oppressive." She fanned herself again, and once again, it did nothing to cool her.

"Heat." Dron nodded his head. "I actually was doing some research on Earth facts, the little that we do know about your planet, through my system." He lifted his arm to show her the wristband.

The small device was really one of the most interactive portable internet devices Tempest had ever seen. Like an Alexa on a million. She wondered if there were applications like Google on there.

Dron continued, "it seems like you might not be adapted to the higher temperatures on our planet. Today is a rather pleasant day for native Ustean people." He shook his head, "I fear if you ever set foot on Skoq you skin might melt off entirely. "He laughed slightly.

Tempest’s eyes widened, "Are you serious? It gets hotter than this?"

"Not usually in Thraqe, but in other parts of the world, absolutely." Dron shrugged his shoulders. "It’s something that we’re going to need to speak with Gerax about. Maybe he can get you an altered nectar or tonic that can lower your body temperature a bit so you would be more comfortable. I’d hate having to walk around feeling like I was boiling all the time."

Tempest sighed a bit in relief. She hadn’t really been expecting a solution, but knowing that there could be one in the works was a weight off her shoulders.

Dron gestured to a fallen log and went to go sit. "We can rest here for a while, if you like. I’ll still tell you about the surrounding areas. That way, you can still continue with your exploration and knowledge. Or if you are truly too uncomfortable, we could go back to the house." He waited patiently for Tempest to make a decision. There was no judgment or annoyance.

It was a breath of fresh air.

Tempest jumped at the chance to sit. She knew it hadn’t been that long, but her feet throbbed as if they had been walking for hours.

"I think a little rest before we move on would work wonderfully." She settled on the log and looked around her. It truly was a beautiful place. She was sad that she hadn’t seen any more of the animals she dubbed squabbits, but she was more than happy that they hadn’t come across any bigger predators like the kraznoks either. Meeting one of them in her lifetime was more than enough.

"So you’re telling me this country...wait..is Thraqe a country or a continent? Are there other places? Gosh, it just dawned on me that I don’t know how big this land really is."

Country?" Dron tilted his head to the side. "That coming up on my translator as boundary. Is that what you meant to say?"

"Yes and no." Tempest seesawed her hand, letting Dron know that he was close. "On my planet we have several continents, and on the continents that are several countries, some smaller , some larger." She felt like a grammar school teacher but knew this was good information for Dron to have. While she was learning about his planet, she could teach him a little about hers. "For instance, on the continent of North America, we have the countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as some smaller islands. They are separate countries but all one landmass. So my question is, is Thraqe the entire landmass or just one of the countries in a larger land mass?"

Dron nodded his head as he processed what Tempest was saying to him. "We have something similar here. Thraqe is indeed the entire land mass, but we don’t have what you call countries. We have class systems."

Tempest gulped at those words. It sounded dangerously close to a caste system, and she learned a little about that from Indian history. In her mind, it wasn’t a good thing.

"Care to explain that a little more?" Tempest nudged him with her knee.

Dron turned so that he was looking at Tempest straight on before he continued. "Well, in Thraqe, there are five different class systems, and those members of the class systems all have designated areas of Thraqe where they are permitted to live. The best and most fruitful land belongs to those in the high society class. That is meant only for the royals and the members of royal blood. Life nectar literally flows through fountains there. It’s much more lush and...soft, I guess you could say."

Tempest nodded and let him continue.

"The next is designated as the blessed class system, that is reserved for the Omegas and the Alphas who are mated to those Omegas. Also, alphas who are clearly next in line to be chosen as a mate. It’s also very lavish. The people there live a leisurely life. They want for nothing. As you know, our omegas are put on a very high pedestal. After that is the upper class. This location is filled with the academics, scientists, and alphas that have somewhat fallen from grace. They are still high up in the rankings, but they must have done something or made poor decisions. They aren’t exactly cast out, but it’s clear they aren’t as respected as they once were.

Under that is the military class. Most people don’t live here. In fact, the only ones that do live there are the workers who directly contribute to the fighting during wartime or the military men who are either just coming home or getting ready for a tour of duty. It’s not really used as a forever home for those who can help it. It’s more of a stopgap."

"And the last one?" Tempest was almost afraid to ask. So far, it seemed like, apart from the high royal class, everyone else was what she would consider to be middle class back on earth. She knew ever from back home that the poor did take up a lot of space, and more often than not, there were very few provisions for them.

She hoped it was different in Thraqe, but she wasn’t about to hold her breath.

"The last level are for those that are destined to a life of servitude, the ones that will never be more than a low-level workers. They all work hard, but it’s very unusual for anyone to go from the lower level to even the military level."

"Is that where I will go? I mean, after all this is over?" Tempest questioned.

"Absolutely not. You’re an omega. After your marriage to me, you will go straight to the blessed class system. I’m sure you’ll have a very comfortable life there." Dron nodded and gave her a tight smile as if she should be happy to hear this news.

Tempest wasn’t happy about it at all. Sure, she didn’t want to go to the lower level. But she didn’t want to go to the blessed class either. She didn’t want to be on this planet for even a minute longer than she had to. She wanted to go home. Instead of learning more about her surroundings, what Tempest should’ve been doing was finding a way to do just that.

Tempest had spent so long trying to get used to Dron and going along with this contract marriage that she had completely forgone her goal of trying to find someone willing to travel the stars and bring her home.

"I see." Tempest nodded her head but looked away, "So what class do you live in? Where are we on the map?"

Dron pulled his shoulders back, and a small scowl appeared on his face.

It wasn’t directed at her, but Tempest could tell that he didn’t really like to talk about his place in this world.

"We are right on the edge of both the military class and the lower class. My property touches both borders."

That didn’t make sense to Tempest. If anything, Dron should be between the military and the upper class borders. She already knew he was wealthy. He was an alpha. His placement didn’t seem to make sense.

Dron rubbed his hands together before dropping them down to his sides.

It was then that she’d gotten the answer before she even asked the question. "Is this simply because of your markings?"

"Yes. If I wasn’t in the military, I’d be placed in the lower class and forgotten, but because I’m valuable on the battlefield, they allowed me to take space here. I can’t complain. It’s still good land." He turned back in her direction.

"Like hell you can’t complain. It’s not fair. Ugh... I hate that these people—"

"My people." Dron corrected her.

"Fine, your people, treat you differently just because of what you look like. It’s not right. There’s nothing wrong with you. If I had to place a bet, I’d wager you were better than more than half the so-called alphas that are in the upper class, maybe even some of the royals."

Dron hissed at her. "Careful, Temptation. If anyone heard you talking like that, you’d be on your way to a jail cell."

Tempest gasped for a second. "You mean they’d throw me in the black cells?" She’d heard Gerax talking about them. Mexyn also mentioned it once. Tempest knew it was the epitome of punishment for the Thraqen people.

"No. Omegas are never thrown in the black cells. You are too valuable to our people and the land. Even if you tried to kill the crown prince himself, you’d simply be imprisoned in the blessed lands to live out the rest of your days having children." Dron shrugged his shoulder at her.

That struck a chord in her. She was happy that she didn’t have to think about going to the black cells, but did that mean regardless of what she did, she wouldn’t be reprimanded for it?

"Does that mean I can get away with anything? Any crime?"

Dron squinted his eyes at Tempest. She gulped hard. Maybe she’s said too much.

"Depending on what crime you were talking about," Dron crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, okay." Tempest pushed a strand of her sweat damp hair behind her ear.

"So, are you going to tell me what you are planning, or should I just guess?" Dron tilted his head but kept Tempest in his sights.

"I’m not planning anything," Tempest answered, maybe too quickly.

"What have I told you about lying to me?" Dron growled.

"I don’t know... I mean... It’s silly of me..." Tempest tried her hardest to get out of telling Dron what she so desperately wanted to let him know. The only saving grace was the fact that she knew that he didn’t want to be in the marriage along with her. They were both prisoners in this horrible circumstance.

"You promise you won’t overreact? It’s not like I have the supplies or ideas needed to actually pull something like this off." Tempest looked up at Dron through her lashes.

"I promise I will try not to overreact. That is as much as I can offer right now."

"And you’ll keep this between us?" Tempest asked, biting the corner of her lip. She didn’t want him running off and telling anyone that she was thinking about doing something that would go against the norm. For all she knew, if anyone else found out about this, they’d post security to follow her every moment of every day. It was bad enough that Dron was basically her twenty-four-seven bodyguard. She’d have no autonomy.

"I’ll keep it to myself." Dron nodded once, but the slight scowl on his face didn’t dissipate.

"Okay, I know it’s not going to happen any time soon, but I do want to try to find someone who wouldn’t be too adverse to doing something that would go against what the high council wanted. I guess you could consider that a crime."

"Anything that goes against what the high council wants is a crime. We don’t get to pick and choose which of their rules we follow. Either we follow them, or we are punished."

"But what if the person doing it didn’t get caught? Surely there are people here like that? Spies. Thieves. People of that sort."

"Absolutely, you’ll find a lot of them in the military class and the lower level. Is that what you’re looking for? A thief?" Dron asked, his eyes widening a little.

"No, not a thief. More of a smuggler."

"And what is it that you want to smuggle?"

"Me."