Chapter 118: A New Reality
Ye’tab stood in the corner of the X94 and listened to the conversation between the human and whomever Jun Li was.
The information that was being told was simply unbelievable.
The Ethawainians were considered to be an almost Godly species. He wasn’t sure exactly how they managed to do it, but they were able to improve upon the genetic makeup of any species that they procreated with. In fact, any male child blessed in the union would later go on to become the most dominant male on his planet.
Females though, no matter what the father’s species was, were always Ethawainian, their genetics following the matriarchal lineage. No one had ever been able to figure out why; that was just the way it went.
The Ethawainians had been hunted to extinction, not only by their own chosen males but also by females of the other species as well as other males. They were considered to be the most highly desired mate, but because only the males with the most dominant traits were ever chosen, the males couldn’t stand the idea of sharing. However, it was physically impossible for the Ethawainians to only mate with one male their entire life, so when a new male was called, the old mate would become insane and try to destroy everything around them.
Other males would become enraged if they were not chosen to be one of her mates and would fly into a murderous rage, killing whole Ethawainian families as a result.
However, the true danger lay in the females not of Ethawainian descent. Because they couldn’t produce offspring that were genetically superior to that of an Ethawainian hybrid, they were no longer desirable to their own males.
It was a well-known fact that any Ethawainian female could not stand to share one of their mates with other females, so some males would become obsessive about keeping themselves pure, completely disregarding any other female.
Ye’tab snapped his head up and stared at the female curled under the fur that he had provided her. Would she be upset that he had spawned offspring with other females? Would she reject him based on that fact? His stomach started to churn over the idea that he would be rejected by his genetically chosen mate simply because he was forced to provide his tribe with a new offspring every 100 years.
No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He would kill all the females that he mated with if it made the human feel better, but he wouldn’t let her reject him because of something that was not his choice.
Then again, he wasn’t the only male to be called by her. The Njeriuujk was also transformed when she was in danger. But if he was actually called to mate, wouldn’t he have transformed long before? Maybe he was just called to be a protector. Was that a thing? Maybe it was given how hunted the females were.
Ye’tab clenched his fists when he realized that the pet his brethren were hunting was a genetic match to the Ethawainian Royalty and his genetic mate. And it was his fault that they had all the information on her that they did. However, he would not let any threat to her stand.
Maybe he should contact the Njeriuujk and inform him what was going on. It would be hard, but the two of them should be able to take out the other four if it came down to it. Not to mention they were now physically bigger and stronger than the others. It should work out in their favor.
Ye’tab shook his head, not knowing what to do. He had followed the scent of the human into the ship in order to find out who had taken the Saalistajaian technology. Still, this revelation was so much more important than a simple case of stolen technology.
And he was trapped on a ship with an AI, so all communications would be closely monitored. He wouldn’t be able to contact the Njeriuujk. At the same time, the AI would add another level of protection to the female in a way that he or the Njeriuujk couldn’t.
His thoughts spinning, Ye’tab continued to track the conversation between his mate and Jun Li. He would record it to go over later once they were aboard her ship.
However, the Sisalik that did this to her? Well, they might want to hope that he never came across them. He would take great pleasure in reminding them why the Saalistaja were the most feared species in the universe.
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"You seem to be taking this better than I thought you would," admitted Jun Li as I started to tickle the bottoms of Night’s feet.
"Really?" I asked curiously. "How am I supposed to be taking this? Are you aware of a way to regress the Ethawainian genes now that they are dominant?"
"No," admitted Jun Li.
"Are we not already being hunted by idiots?" I asked as I moved onto another one of Night’s feet.
"We are," said Jun Li.
"Is there really going to be any big change in our life right now that we have discovered this?" I continued with a sigh. I might be nesting, and I would hesitantly admit that, but I would not be an Omega.
"Not really. I mean, once you find your men..." I thought about the transformation that Midnight had undergone and wondered if that meant that he had reacted to my pheromones or if that was just something that happened to him before he started to fight. I mean, he was a werewolf, after all. It would not surprise me either way.
"We will deal with my men once we find them. It’s not like your ship isn’t big enough. Or are you going to be kicking me out now that you know I am an Ethawainian?"
Jun Li burst out laughing at that idea. "I read a new phrase when I was scanning through your internet, and I think it applies to this situation."
"Hit me," I said with an answering smile of my own. I was right. There was nothing I could do to change things, so I would just have to overcome and adapt as I have been doing all my life. This was my new reality. It was just that simple.
"I am your ride-or-die bitch."
I tilted my head back and couldn’t stop the laughter that came out of me if I tried.
"That you are, Jun Li. That you are."
