Vukan (Scifi Alien Romance) (Galactic Mates) Read online

  Vukan

  Galactic Mates

  Luna Hunter

  Contents

  Newsletter

  Also by Luna Hunter

  1. Olivia

  2. Vukan

  3. Olivia

  4. Vukan

  5. Olivia

  6. Vukan

  7. Olivia

  8. Vukan

  9. Olivia

  10. Vukan

  11. Olivia

  12. Vukan

  13. Olivia

  14. Vukan

  15. Olivia

  16. Vukan

  17. Olivia

  18. Vukan

  19. Olivia

  20. Vukan

  21. Olivia

  22. Vukan

  23. Olivia

  24. Vukan

  25. Olivia

  26. Vukan

  27. Olivia

  28. Vukan

  29. Olivia

  30. Vukan

  Afterword

  Preview of Alien General’s Baby

  1. Jillian

  2. Vinz

  Also by Luna Hunter

  About the Author

  Copyright 2017 Luna Hunter.

  Published by Luna Hunter at Amazon.

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This work is property of Luna Hunter, please do not reproduce illegally.

  Created with Vellum

  Thank you for picking up Vukan!

  This book is an entry in the Galactic Mates series, but each book can be read as a standalone.

  However, if you want the full Zoran experience I recommend starting with the Zoran Warrior series. You can find the links on the next page.

  If you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get Zoran Wedding for free! It’s a short story that takes place between the events of the Zoran Warriors and Galactic Mates series.

  I also share chapters of my work in progress, and you’ll be the first to know when a new book is released.

  Click here to sign up!

  Happy reading!

  Also by Luna Hunter

  Zoran Warriors

  Alien General’s Baby - Jillian’s Story

  Alien Warrior’s Baby - Kaitlyn’s Story

  Alien Soldier’s Baby - Kelly’s Story

  Alien Guardian’s Baby - Isabella’s Story

  Galactic Mates

  Thabo - Riley’s Story

  Fenrir - Abigail’s Story

  Bojan - Zoey’s Story

  Novak - Michelle’s Story

  Dusan - Cindy’s Story

  Zivan - Mia’s Story

  1

  Olivia

  This is it.

  The moment I’ve been working towards for the past year.

  Juliet slowly peeks her snout around a tree. Romeo has prepared an offering for her: a pile of branches, stacked together very carefully. The male dadyr drags his hooves across the forest floor, inviting her in.

  I hold my breath as I watch the two animals circle each other. The dadyrs are very shy animals, and the slightest disturbance could scare them off. With their majestic antlers and their beautiful white fur, they are a sight to behold.

  No human has ever studies their mating ritual before — until now.

  It took me months to get permission to travel to Audur, the Falurian homeworld where they live, and even longer to gain their trust.

  Now, it’s all about to pay off.

  Juliet walks closer, taking a single step at a time. Romeo stands still, frozen, waiting for the female to make her decision.

  They touch noses, and my heart almost melts.

  I furiously scribble down notes. I can already see the headlines in Nature magazine! I can’t wait to rub it in the face of all my teachers who laughed at me when I said I wanted to major in Alien Animal Sciences. Who’s laughing now, principal Flint?

  The sound of a space shuttle flying over disturbs the picturesque scene in front of me. The two animals glance up, their big eyes opened wide. They freeze up, and I’ve seen this happen too many times before.

  I know exactly what comes next.

  “No no no,” I mutter under my breath. “Please!”

  The sound, like a giant fan, comes closer and closer, almost as if the shuttle is heading straight for me. The many branches of the trees above us rustle in the wind, and all the birds fly off, chirping loudly.

  The dadyr run off in opposite directions, spooked off by the loud sounds.

  I throw my clipboard down on the ground, cursing loudly. They were so close! So close! All my months of work ruined by some boor in a shuttle.

  What is it even doing here?

  The sun itself is blotted out by a large ship hovering overhead. The trees themselves part as it attempts to land in the clearing — the same ones the dadyrs were about to consummate their union in.

  The symbol of a green and blue planet painted on the side of the ship betrays its origin. The Human Federation.

  Of course.

  The ship lands with a thud, destroying some ancient trees in the process, and a walkway is lowered down onto the fertile forest floor. A squad of heavily armed forces storm out, their rifles at the ready. A mean looking guy with a bushy mustache and a cigar in his mouth walks up to me.

  “Miss Booth? I’m Captain Jonathan Price,” he snarls.

  “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” I say, barely containing my rage. My research paper — gone. Months of preparation — gone. Those poor dadyr are probably so terrified by a spaceship landing in their clearing I bet I won’t see them again. And mating season is almost over…

  “Excuse me?” the military man says.

  “You heard me!” I bellow, my face growing redder by the second. “I have spent countless days preparing for this, and you just fly in here with that heap of metal and ruin everything!”

  I prod his chest with my finger as I yell at him. His brown eyes go wide. I bet he’s not used to being talked to like this. His uniform doesn’t intimidate me, however.

  “The Federation needs you, Miss Booth,” he says.

  “I don’t care,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “My work is here.”

  “And what work is that, exactly? Playing hide and seek in the bush?”

  The officer spreads his arms wide.

  “There’s nothing here but dirt and trees!”

  “Exactly.”

  I like it that way. I try to stay as far away from civilization as possible. My place is in nature, among the animals. That’s where I feel at home.

  “Are you done insulting my life’s work? I’d like to get back to it,” I say. Perhaps not all is lost. The dadyr’s tracks are still fresh.

  He shakes his head, pushing back his cap. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, miss. I have strict orders to bring you back to Vonnegut station.”

  “What?! From who?”

  “Captain Simopoulos himself.”

  I glare at him. I don’t care if Captain Simopoulos, or King Vinz himself wants to see me. They have no right to interrupt my work like this.

  “He can come see me himself if it’s so urgent,” I say. “Now, if that’s all?”

  The officer scratches his head.

  “Did you not hear me? Captain Simopoulos of the Human Federation wants to see you? Are you not hearing me?”

  “Are you not hearing me?” I say. “I don’t think I could be any clearer.”

  “You’re telling me that you, a world-renowned scientist, are not interested in hearing why one of the leaders of the Federations wants
to speak to you?”

  That’s the first time I’ve ever been called world renowned before. Still, flattery won’t work on me. “If it’s about dadyr mating rituals, I’m all ears. But, knowing the Federation, it’s probably more politics. So no, I don’t care.”

  I turn around and walk away. I won’t let this boor tell me what to do. No one tells Olivia Booth what to do, and certainly not some military grunt.

  “Miss? Miss?!”

  The man curses under his breath, and I can’t contain a slight smirk. That good feeling is ruined when he suddenly grabs my arm from behind.

  “What are you doing?!”

  “I told you I had orders to bring you in,” he says. The smile on his face is gone — he’s all business now. “Orders must be followed.”

  “Screw you and your orders,” I bite.

  It was following orders that tore my family apart.

  “Either you walk into this ship or I carry you. Your choice.”

  I won’t let the man carry me. I’m not a child. I briefly contemplate kneeing him between the legs and making a break for it, but that childish power fantasy dies when I see the squadron of well-trained, well-armed soldiers all glaring at me.

  I’m at home in these woods. I know them like the back of my hand, and I’d be able to avoid these soldiers for days, perhaps even a week… but then what? They’ll find me sooner or later. The Federation doesn’t just give up.

  The sooner this is over, the better.

  “Fine,” I say. “Let me go.”

  “Are you going to come willingly?”

  “Does a dadyr mate in the woods?”

  The grizzled man looks at me quizzically.

  “I don’t know,” he says softly so his squad won’t hear of his ignorance.

  “They do,” I sigh. “At least, as long as military vessels don’t land in their clearings. Let’s go.”

  I trudge towards the ship, letting my fingertips graze past the bark of a tree. There are millions of years of history contained in these woods, in these trees themselves, but the Federation doesn’t care. They plop down their ship wherever they want. Why would they care if they destroyed some ancient trees that withstood the tests of time, only to be felled by some stupid hunk of metal?

  The thought makes me so angry I have to bite the inside of my cheek just to stop myself from giving the soldiers another earful. It’ll be a long journey back to Vonnegut station, and something tells me it’ll be even longer before I get to enjoy the serenity of these woods again…

  2

  Vukan

  The beast in front of me snarls, its big pincers snapping shut menacingly. The Ygg Queen is the size of a fighter jet, and weighs about the same.

  She could crush me with her weight, snap my body in half with her pincers, or melt my skin right off with a blast of her acid.

  If I were a lesser warrior, that is.

  “Come on,” I growl. “Make your move.”

  I circle the animal, holding my trident firmly in my hand. I call her Inis. It’s the weapon of my clan, my most prized possession. The only way I can bring honor to my name is by bringing down Ygg Queens using her. The bigger the better.

  And this one’s big.

  Her bug eyes follow me as I circle her, her many feet clicking across the cave floor.

  She’ll strike at any moment now.

  I’ll only get one shot. One mistake, one misstep and I’m done for. She’ll tear me limb from limb, feast on my body like the killing machine that she is.

  I could have made this easy for myself. I could have let my soldiers surround her and taken her down from a distance with rifle fire. It’ll take quite a while to penetrate that armor plating of the Ygg Queen, but it can be done.

  But where’s the honor in that?

  I lean forward, shifting my weight to my toes, Inis raised above my shoulder. I love this moment.

  It’s the only time when I really feel alive.

  Adrenaline is coursing through my veins, my heart beating like a drum. With my heightened senses I can hear the muscles in the beast’s jaw pull tight. Any second now she’ll pull back, lift her front paws off the floor, and fire a stream of biting acid in my direction.

  Exposing her soft, weak underbelly to me.

  I get one shot. My aim needs to be true — and Inis needs to penetrate the beast’s black heart. For if I miss, she’ll pounce. And fighting a Ygg Queen unarmed is a fool’s errand. Even for a warrior such as myself.

  The monster cries out, her high-pitched scream echoing off the cave walls. The sound hurts my sensitive ears, but I don’t let it break my concentration. She makes her move as quick as lightning. She throws her weight back, lifting her front two legs and exposing her belly to me.

  My trident flies through the air. I don’t even think about it — I’m fighting on pure instinct and muscle memory.

  This beast is quick — quicker than she has any right to be with her size. She manages to fire off a blast of acid before Inis penetrates her weak spot, the three prongs making quick work of her.

  I roll out of the way as fast as I can, but it’s not fast enough. A splash hits my right shoulder, the acid biting right through my obsidian armor.

  That’s going to leave a mark.

  I ignore the biting pain and run up to the Ygg Queen. She’s laying on her back, in the throes of death, her body writhing erratically. I pull my trident out of her belly and stab her again, mercifully ending her life with a single strike.

  “Getting sloppy, are you?”

  I’d recognize that grating voice anywhere. Teodor.

  I whirl around to see my second-in-command standing in the opening of the cave, fresh Ygg blood dripping down his longsword.

  “What are you talking about?” I growl. “Took down the biggest Ygg Queen this side of the galaxy. Alone.”

  He nods at my shoulder.

  “You’re injured.”

  “Barely grazed me.”

  “I can smell your burning flesh from here. Go see a medic.”

  “It’s fine,” I say.

  Just another scar. A reminder that I need to stay on my toes.

  “And you needed two strikes to finish her off.”

  “The first already incapacitated her,” I growl.

  Teodor shakes his head. “Like I said, you’re getting sloppy, Vukan. Next one’s mine.”

  “Over my dead body,” I say as I tear one of the monster’s pincers off as a trophy.

  “About that… there’s a call for you from command.”

  I always turn my com off when I’m in battle. I need to be in the moment. The last thing I need is some chatter breaking my concentration the moment before my enemy’s about to strike.

  Strictly speaking it’s against protocol, but fuck it. I’m a Zoran General. I make my own rules.

  “Who is it?”

  “Supposedly, it’s King Vinz himself,” Teodor answers.

  My smile fades.

  “Do you know what it’s about?”

  Teodor shakes his head.

  I thrust the pincer into my friend’s hands as I stride out of the cave. Other generals would be pleased with getting the attention of our king, but I can see the thunderclouds forming. I received direct orders to patrol this corridor of space and to not engage with any enemies without explicit orders to do so.

  But when we caught the scent of a Ygg Queen hiding in this sector, I couldn’t resist. I had to make her mine, add another notch to my belt.

  Now, that insubordination might cost me.

  I step into my cruiser and let the ship take me up to my warship, the ZMC Bran. A battalion of my soldiers remains on the surface to mop up the rest of the Ygg infestation. Even one of the beasts left alive could breed a whole new colony in a matter of months, buried far enough underground that our sensors won’t pick them up until it’s too late.

  I pop my armor off and inspect my shoulder. The acid has seeped into my skin, leaving pinkish scars on my deep-blue skin. I feel the anger insi
de of me rising as I stare at my scarred skin.

  Most Zorans don’t care about scars. It’s seen as a sign of competence — it’s proof you’ve seen battle. However, my father vehemently disagrees. He considers scars a sign of weakness. Inadequacy.

  And my body is littered with them.

  I know exactly what he would say if he saw me now.

  “That never would have happened to your brother.”

  He wouldn’t compliment me for taking down a Ygg Queen singlehandedly. No, he always focusses on the smallest mistakes.

  Out of love, or so he claims. “I’m just saying this to help you.”

  Funny enough, my brother never got the same treatment. I glance down at Inis, my trident; my weapon. It has intricate markings, decorated with gold and silver, a sea-serpent circling up the length of the pole.

  It’s our clan’s symbol. It’s ancient, priceless, and my father’s pride and joy.

  And I took it when I left home and never looked back.

  I slide my armor back on, refusing to wince even though the fresh wound hurts like hell.

  Can’t let my king wait.

  3

  Olivia

  “Captain Simopoulos will see you now.”

  The pencil-thin secretary looks at me through her horn-rimmed glasses, and all that makeup can’t conceal the look of disapproval in her eyes.

  Yes, I’m dressed like I live in the woods, because I do live in the damn woods.

  At least, I did. Before the military dragged me all the way to Vonnegut station…

  “Thank you,” I say, forcing a smile.

  Simopoulos has me forcibly removed from my place of work and transported halfway across the galaxy, and the man has the gall to make me wait for over two hours before he has time to explain what the hell he thinks he’s doing!

  I’m itching to give him an earful.