Eyes In Darkness

Chapter 1

They say that during cryo-sleep, only the primal part of the brain stays awake.
If that's true, it explains why I'm still conscious — and why the beast inside me won't stop pacing.

Even sealed in darkness, I can feel them. Heartbeats. Dozens of them. But two stand out — one light, quick, innocent. The other steady and warm, threaded with something that makes my instincts stir. A scent drifts through the chilled air: soft, human, familiar in a way that has no right to be. My body tenses before my mind can name it.

Mate.

The word rumbles up from somewhere deep, ancient, and unwanted.
I don't know her, but I know this much — if this ship goes down, I'll find her.

And then the alarms start to scream.

⸻

Jade never liked space travel. Too quiet. Too easy to imagine all that black swallowing you whole.

She was supposed to be heading to Earth — finally, a home. Imam's message had been clear: his brother's son needed a family. The boy's parents were gone, and Jade had more love than she knew what to do with. It seemed simple enough. Papers signed, goodbyes said, a fresh start for both of them.

Ali was small for his age, barely two, all curls and laughter. He'd fallen asleep in her arms just before boarding the Hunter Gratzner. Imam's older boys, Suleiman and Hassan, had clung to her before their father gathered them back, smiling with quiet pride.
"Ali already calls you mama," Imam had said, eyes kind. "He chose you before the paperwork did."It was the first time Jade had felt wanted in years.

When they boarded, she noticed the warning label on the cryo-pod across from hers:
INMATE — DO NOT OPEN EARLY.

Inside, a man sat chained, blindfolded, the kind of restraint meant for monsters. Yet when she passed, his head tilted slightly — as if he could sense her through the glass. A low, impossible sound reached her ears. Not a growl. Almost a purr.

Before she could blink, a guard stepped between them.
"Keep moving, miss."

She did. Tucking Ali close, Jade climbed into her pod. The air grew cold. Her last thought before sleep was of Imam's gentle smile.

⸻

When she woke, it wasn't cold anymore. It was burning.

The pod door was cracked open, sand spilling in. The sky above was a harsh, alien blue. Somewhere nearby, metal groaned and people shouted.

Jade twisted free, heart pounding, and turned to the small cryo-bed beside hers.
"Ali?"
Tiny fingers reached toward her, trembling but alive.

Relief hit so hard she nearly cried.

Whatever happened to the Hunter Gratzner, they'd survived.
But not alone.