“I’m sorry,” Brawn said, but the words felt strange coming from him. He’d never said them to try to comfort another person. He was a warrior, a male of the planet of Hades.
He apologized and bowed to no one, defeated his enemies because they were weaker and a less advanced and brutal species, and made sure that the Hades name was feared amongst all. He was alpha all the way, used his strength to crush his opponents, and never showed emotions. Yet here he was, saying those two words to Minka because she was hurting and he couldn’t stand that fact.
She may have only been in his presence for a short time, but because he had already bonded with her, recognized that she would be their mate and the mother of their sons, something shifted inside him.
“Were you on that planet for supplies or to take us?” she asked without turning around.
“The only reason we were on that fucking wasteland of a planet was because of a busted engine,” Lukin said.
Brawn snapped his gaze toward his brother. “Lukin,” he growled.
“He’s right; it was a wasteland,” she said and faced them. “Is that where you’re from?” She pointed over her shoulder at the red planet of Hades that was in the near distance.
“It is,” Thorque replied and took a step closer to her. “We should be arriving in the next few hours, as we were not that far from home when the engine gave out.”
She swallowed after his brother spoke and then nodded. “So, Brawn said I am to be...” She lowered her head and looked at them with just her eyes. It was this little look, one that had lust pounding through Brawn’s body like a ship about to crash. He wanted her now, wanted his cock deep inside her, but he needed to play this safely. “I am your mate?”
“You are,” Thorque answered first.
“Our breeding need has made us these mindless Hades warriors who need to implant our seed into a female,” Lukin said, his voice slightly slurred from the Monel sticks.
He was acting out of line, and although Lukin—who was the youngest out of them by fifty years—often spoke out of turn and without thought, and most certainly enjoyed the mind-altering substances the many planets in their galaxy provided, right now, he was about to get his ass kicked.
“Lukin, all you’re doing is frightening her.” Brawn didn’t stop his voice from rising, didn’t stop his fangs from descending more from his anger erupting. “She has had a difficult time as it is, so take your Monel stick and get high somewhere else,” Brawn growled, and Lukin took a step forward.
“Do it, Lukin,” Thorque spoke now, his voice just has hard and unyielding as Brawn’s had been.
Lukin looked over at Minka, and Brawn did the same. She didn’t look fearful, but that might be because she was used to violence. Still, she shouldn’t have to see any of them like this, ever. They were to protect her and make sure she was happy, not fight with each other because one of them couldn’t control himself. Lukin finally cursed in their language and stormed out of the room.
Brawn walked over to the rehydration center, grabbed some fruit and meat for her, and hydrated them. He placed the items on a stone slab and brought it over to the sitting area. “Come and eat something. You’ll need your strength when we land and have to fly to the cavern.” He pulled out the chair for her and gestured for her to take a seat.
She was slow in coming, but she did take the offered seat. “Thank you,” she said softly, and before Brawn did something stupid like take her out of the chair, press her to the wall, and fuck her until she was screaming his name, he called Thorque to follow him.
“We’ll be in the command center, preparing for arrival.” They left her alone, and as much as he needed to be with her in every way possible right now because of the breeding lust inside him, he forced himself to walk away.
5
Minka stared out the observation window and watched as the red, fiery planet of Hades came into view. She had finished eating hours ago, and aside from when Lukin came in to tell her they were arriving and that she needed to prepare for the reentry, the three of them had left her alone.
The ship broke through the barrier of Hades, and Minka stared out the window as the red planet came into view. No longer were the darkness and stars her background. All she saw was giant black mountains, rivers of lava and fire, and a red tint that covered the planet that was now her home. Maybe she should have fought harder and not given in to them so easily, but the honest truth was that she had nowhere else to go.