GPS Emergency Transponder
662 Words
The room was quiet, broken only by the crackle of the dying fire and the steady, deep rhythm of Kaelen's breathing. He lay across the bed, a solid presence of heat and muscle, yet remarkably still. Maya rested at the very edge of the mattress, gazing at the moonlight. Her thoughts were far from "fated mates" instead, they lingered on a small yellow house in a neighboring town. Every Tuesday, she sent a text to her sister Chloe; otherwise, their mother would worry. Maya held on until Kaelen's heartbeat calmed down.
Maya didn't have a phone. She had searched every inch of the room while Kaelen was out, finding nothing but silk and stone. The "find a phone" plan was a failure.
But as she watched Kaelen sleep, she remembered the GPS Emergency Transponder clipped to her hair. It was a "dumb" device... no screen, no voice, no internet. It was designed for one thing: if she didn't check in with her lab, it would send a generic "Status: OK" signal to her emergency contact's phone via satellite.
It wouldn't bring the police. It wouldn't help her escape. But it would stop her mother from calling the morgue.
She crept toward the balcony door, staying low. As she reached the glass, a single green light on the device flickered. It was enough to send a pre-written emergency status update.
She pressed the manual override. Her heart hammered as the small screen displayed: STATUS: DELAYED. WILL CHECK IN SOON.
It wouldn't bring a SWAT team. It wouldn't help her escape. But it would stop her family from reporting her missing for another forty-eight hours. She hit "Send." The little spinning icon felt like it took a lifetime. Sent.
"That’s a very clever toy, Maya."
The voice was like a whip in the silence. Maya gasped, the transponder slipping from her numb fingers and clattering onto the rug. She spun around to find Kaelen sitting up. His torso was a silhouette of hard angles in the moonlight. His eyes weren't gold.. they were pitch black, fixed on her with a terrifying clarity.
"I... I was just telling my family I'm okay," Maya stammered. "They’ll come looking for me, Kaelen. They don't just let people disappear."
Kaelen got out of bed, his movements slow and deliberate. He didn't look angry; he looked weary. He picked up the transponder, looking at the glowing "Sent" message before crushing the device in his palm like it was made of dry leaves.
"I know about your mother's flower shop and your sister's nursing degree," he said, his voice a low vibration.
Maya froze. "You stalked me?"
"I protected my borders. I knew who was wandering in my woods long before you saw that execution," he countered. He stepped into her space, his scent of cedar and ozone overwhelming her. "Do you think I want this? Do you think I enjoy watching you tremble?"
"Then let me go," she pleaded. "Let me go back to them."
Kaelen took her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. "I can't. If I let you walk out that gate, the Ares Group or the Red Moon pack would have your scent within the hour. They would use your mother and sister to get to the 'Anchor' gene you're carrying. Is that the life you want to go back to? Being a lure for monsters?"
Maya looked into his dark eyes and saw the truth. He wasn't just being possessive; he was being a shield.
A sob escaped Maya’s lips. She leaned her forehead against Kaelen’s chest, the fabric of his shirt damp with her tears. For the first time, she didn't pull away. She let him wrap his massive arms around her, anchoring her in the middle of a world that no longer made sense.
"I'll keep them safe, Maya," he promised into her hair. "I give you my word as Alpha. No one touches your blood."
- Writer
