A/N: Yes, I made up some huttese words ^^; The language isn't fully complete so there are a lot of words missing. The translations appear at the end of the paragraph italicized and in parentheses. I did my best to make it feel real!

"Stay put. I'll get the child and lead you down to the cart," Mando ordered her dryly.

"Mando, what's going on?"

He stopped to slip his cape over her narrow shoulders and tie it in place, making her decent and covering her in his scent. Why was he acting so protective of her? What had she done to deserve it, or rather, what did he expect in return? Credits? Sex? The muscles she had felt under all that armor helped her infer he could take whatever he wanted from her. Her omega side told her he'd never do that, but again her logical side makes too sound of an argument to deny; She didn't intimately know this man. What if he was taking her back to the Empire? She would have no way of knowing, what with her eyesight the way it was. It could all be a lie, a trap.

"I'm taking a job and you're coming with me. I have to go get the kid." He put his forehead on hers, inhaling her sweet and spicy pheromones. "I'll be right back."

When he returned with the child, he took her hand and led her down the ramp. She let him pick her up and place her in the speeder car, wrapping her tighter in his cloak just like he had that morning. He placed the child next to her and he curled up into her warmth. Once she was enveloped in his menthol and metal scent, she could smell past the steel and pick up on a hint of cinnamon. His natural scent was such a soft thing behind the full suit of armor he wore. It made her stomach do flips. She almost forgot herself, but she was in the presence of a child so she had to calm herself down.

It was odd enough that she missed him, even though he was only a few hundred yards away. She felt slick between her thighs for him, a total stranger that she hadn't gotten to know all that well.

"Who's there?"

But rather than a voice, she was greeted by a scent. He reaches out and runs his gloved thumb along her jaw. Leather, warm and soft, menthol-metal and cinnamon waft up her nostrils and go straight down to between her legs. She lets out more slick at his touch. Athri bites her tongue, praying he doesn't notice the change in her smell.

"We're going to a farm. The people there want protection from raiders," Mando tells her, shuffling into the corner on her left. "They're going to put us up for a while. I want Cara Dune in on this."

She almost missed it, thoughts consumed by his smell. "Cara? Will you be able to work together with me around? Just the three of us?"

He tensed, perturbed by her ironically good insight. His eyes locked on her dainty fingers drawing shapes on the table. "It is... difficult to go against my instincts," he admits finally. "I am an alpha."

She shifts closer to him, resting the child on her left hip to place him between them. "I'm not into girls, you know. I won't go running off with her if that's what's bothering you."

"I don't know what you mean," he says, feigning cool, but his arm clinches around her middle. Nothing more was said until they found the former rebel.

Cara looked back at Mando incredulously once he'd explained his plan. "So we're running off a band of raiders for lunch money?" He had made a point of stationing himself between the alpha and the omega. Anyone in his position would act the same. Hell, Cara would be doing it if she were in his shoes. It was just biological.

"They're quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked, that's a pretty square deal for somebody in your position. Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we're a deterrent. I can't imagine there's anything laying in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn't handle."

She lied back, signaling the end of the conversation. He should also try to rest. His eyes darted back to Cara. He wasn't quite sure he could trust her around them yet, so he turned onto his side to cage the child and Athri in his arms. They'll be fine if he just takes a short nap. He tried to remind himself that Cara was a friend. Just before he fell asleep, he felt the omega curling closer to his chest. He tried to remind himself that what he felt was a biological reaction, but his heart wasn't listening.

When they arrived, the sun was up. "Well, looks like they're happy to see us."

"Looks like," Cara hummed in agreeance.

"Oh, does it look that way?" Athri smiled in their general direction, causing a chuckle. "Thank you both for being so descriptive." The bounty hunter helped her out of the cart, telling her not to move when he set her on the squishy, wet soil.

The two from the village, Cabon and Stoke, seemed nice, if a little naive. It was difficult to create lasting friendships when she couldn't see their faces, though. "Mando?" She asked after someone bumped into her. She gets a curt "No." Another figure brushed by her, getting her turned around and she wasn't sure how far she'd traveled. She may have stepped into a high-traffic area. She managed a few steps back before she heard her name right behind her.

"Athri!" He was close and she hadn't gone far, but it had terrified her nonetheless. She hadn't realized just how frightening an ordeal like that could be without her eyesight. "Don't wander off like that." He tugged her along by her upper arm, pulling her into a building with him, noting the step for her to avoid.

"I hope this is comfortable for you," a female voice worried aloud. This must be Omera, the one they told us would see to our lodging. "Sorry that all we have is the barn."

"This will do fine." The box he was carrying clunked heavily when it hit the ground. Athri hummed in agreement.

"I stacked some blankets over here. And I laid out a dress for your mate."

"Thank you. That's very kind." Pointedly, he paid no mind to her assumption about them.

Athri, feeling embarrassed at her state of undress, piped up finally. "Yes, thank you. I quite appreciate the thought."

"This is my daughter, Winta. She's not used to strangers." Omera hugged the lanky child to her hip. "This nice couple is going to help protect us from the bad ones."

The girl's tiny voice was barely audible. "Thank you."

"Come on, Winta. Let's give our guests some room." Their footsteps trailed out the door and then faded into the distance. Truthfully, Athri was relieved they left, but she didn't want to be ungrateful. One thing still weighed on her, however.

"Why didn't you correct her?" Her face felt hot.

"It's none of her business what we are," he replied shortly. He busied himself, the rustling of fabric and clinking of metal accompanying his movements. There isn't anything Athri can do to help, so she finds her cot and relaxes for a while. The white noise Mando made almost lulled her to sleep, but she jerked back awake at the entrance of another.

Omera smiled at her guests, leading her daughter in with her. Omera and Athri convinced Mando to let the baby go out to play. Once Omera had followed them outside, the two were free to tuck into their meal. Athri made it to the table just fine, then stuck her hand in the plate on accident. "Oops! I guess that one's mine."

He grunted and her smile fell. Feeling silly, she tried to focus on the plate in front of her and sat down quietly. "Don't turn around."

"Okay." The zeltron searched for a utensil on the wooden surface. "Any particular reason why?"

He sighed, his voice sounding closer than usual. "I've removed my helmet. To eat."

"I see. The creed, right? I've heard a little about it. People say a lot of things when they think no one is listening." She could hear him eating and took a bite of whatever was on her plate. Then, without thinking, she asked, "How long has it been since you put the helmet on?"

"A long time. No one has seen my face since I was a boy." He pauses to chew. His voice is surprisingly steady. "My parents were killed and the Mandalorians took care of me."

"My condolences." She tilted her head down, feeling regretful to have asked.

"This is the way."

Donning the gifted dress and feeling clean again, Athri's gentle smile shines radiantly. The baby wouldn't stop whimpering, meaning he wasn't smiling back. She had to try something else.

The ruckus outside bled through the walls. They weren't built to block out noise, to be fair, but what she wouldn't give for some sound insulation. The hammering, the shouting... it was too much for her and the babe. "Shhhh... It's okay, darling," She soothed, patting the child's back softly. She rocked him with her body, swaying back and forth hoping to calm his nerves. The entire village had been training day and night since Mando and Cara returned.

They had found evidence of an AT-ST in the raider's hands. A plan was devised, consisting of attacking their base and drawing them into the open where a trap had been set. Of course, Athri wasn't involved in the training or the discussions. She knew why. She'd be dead weight out there, just a sitting duck waiting to be shot.

But she wasn't helpless! She could shoot. She just wished she could aim. When she woke that morning, Mando was already gone. The baby had woken her up, crying to be held. She found there were a few sticker burrs stuck to his robes, irritating his skin while he slept, and when she removed them he sighed in relief. Then the beta squealed at the presence arriving at the barn. "Mando?" She questioned, trying to keep the apprehension from her voice.

"It's me," he placated, and his wafting cinnamon, metal, and menthol scent reassured her. "The sun is about to set and we'll be leaving soon. When we return, we're coming in hot." The child was so happy to see the alpha that he had completely forgotten about what had him so upset.

"I understand. I'll keep him safe," she promises

"Keep yourself safe, too. Keep this on you." Athri's hands opened to receive the cold metal of a blaster pistol. "Don't let anyone in. And remember-"

"Shoot first, ask questions later." He had said it to her so many times over the course of the day that it was emblazoned on her brain.

"Good girl." He held her to his chest in something like a hug. Surprised, she reciprocated, embracing the man that she was slowly beginning to think of as her alpha, the alpha of her little pack... He pulled away and his resounding footsteps sounded to her as if he were going to war.

They all sat as still as possible, even though war was waged just outside their walls. All she can hear is the reinforced walls rattling. She was stationed in front of all the children, sitting facing the door head-on. This way, she wouldn't have to aim with her eyes. She was about 2 yards from the doorway, which told her exactly where she should aim the pistol to hit someone walking through that door.

Hopefully, she wouldn't nail a friendly. She shook her head. She had to focus on her surroundings and listen for any disturbances that may indicate an enemy. What she heard first was an ally, however. Behind her, her child starts to whine. She and the Mandalorian's baby whom she became attached to was crying out. She could not look back, however, dare she lose her center and her aim. She eventually chose to emit a calming scent, soothing the baby's ire and calming him down. If her scent didn't give them away, the crying would have.

Sadly, the damage was already done. Crunching grass is the clue that tips her off. Then, it speaks to her. She only smells one new scent, so far. Is he in the doorway yet? She hears it open, so she aims the blaster at the intruder and fires. "Gusha!" It's one of the raiders. Her shot missed. He speaks Huttese, a lingua franca in the world of galactic trafficking, and sounded like a Klatooinian. Though she didn't have much experience speaking it, Athri was intimately acquainted with the language. Memories flip through the darkness that is her vision. She remembers the years she spent analyzing the language her captors spoke. For as long as she had been under their thumb she was always learning it. He must be speaking to someone else, maybe over a radio based on what he says next. "Eh. Solo omega. Leah yuna. Grancha buba." ("Lucky! Yeah. Single omega. Nice body. Big tits.")

The whimpering of the children behind her was deafening, enough that she could no longer hear the battle outside. She tried to reassure them with her scent, but it turned bitter from her fear. Her baby was the loudest of them all, crying out for her, panicked. But then he almost seemed to concentrate, holding out his tiny hands in resistance.

"Chuba nopa koona tah keepuna jee," he taunted, his steps making shuffling noises in the grass at his approach. ("You not going to shoot me.")

Unceremoniously, he grabbed her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "P-please, stop! Nobata! Jeeska neechu!" ("No! Keep away!")

"Ooh, so ken takka?" He said rhetorically. "Dobra koona ta ufka chuba. Ba du leah shag." ("Ooh, it can speak? I'm going to fuck you. Be a nice slave.")

Her blood ran cold. Athri would never be a slave again. Gripping tighter, she pointed the blaster at her best guess of where he was. She fired, but he grabbed her blaster and pointed it away. The charge went through the roof and the weapon was wrenched from her hands.

"Jee settah ba leah," he snarls. "Karking schutta." ("I said be nice. Fucking whore.")

Athri's struggles renew in strength. "No!" She was supposed to be free. She wasn't a slave anymore. "Mando! Help me!" As she pleaded, after moving her two wrists into one oversized fist, he struck her casually. Her face ached from his punch and his other squeezed her bare thigh. She kept them pressed together as tightly as she could and she was flipped onto her stomach easily. He placed his knees between hers, forcing them open.

Cold metal touched her neck. The blade trailed down, stopping only to circle her breast with its keen point. His whispers sent a terrifying shiver down her back. "Nobata wompa koonang ta hopa chuba." ("No one is going to help you.") He chuckled, the blade shaking with him. Then he finally spoke what was likely the only basic he knew. "I bite. You mine."

A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I just moved cross-country to be with my fiance. We were in an LDR and now we're close! I'm very happy to be with him, but inevitably I will have less time to write once I get a better job. I just need more money so we can get our own place! Anyway, I hope you're excited for the next chapter because I sure am!