Chapter 268: I Have A Problem
Raguk froze outside of his private quarters onboard his ship. This should have been the most secure thing in the world, and yet... it wasn’t.
The feeling of wrongness was what had hit him first, even before the scent. He could feel his skin crawling. He wanted to rip the layers off of his own hide to get the feeling to stop, but he knew that it wouldn’t work.
No, this feeling was bone-deep.
"My Lord," asked his second, Trilug, hesitantly. "Is there something the matter?"
Raguk could feel the rage inside of him growing until he could barely contain it. His room, his space, was tainted. He wanted to rage, to destroy everything and everyone within eyesight. Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten, and when that didn’t work, he counted to ten again.
"Yes," he hissed, the single word taking almost all of his control to say. He mashed his teeth together until they groaned in protest. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. There was a female inside of his room, stinking it up.
Trilug poked his head inside the room and looked around, trying to see what could have set his leader off. However, he couldn’t see anything.
"My Lord?" he asked again, not sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. The two of them had been standing outside of the hatch for a few minutes now, but Raguk had refused to step inside.
"Jun Li," growled Raguk, pulling out the communication device that Tha’juen had given him before he had left.
"Yes?" came the response, causing Trilug to be startled.
"Are any of the males available?" continued Raguk, the need to go berserk eating at him. He could practically feel his body becoming larger and larger as a direct response to the threat in front of him. And yet, it wasn’t actually a threat.
"Mei Xing is sleeping," said Jun Li. "But both Da’kea and GA are available to speak to you if you wish."
"Fine," he grunted. He knew who Da’kea was, and even Raguk had to admit he admired the other male. And he knew just how dedicated to their mate GA was. Either male would be able to offer him advice.
There was a moment of silence, and Trilug stared at his leader. He was the second strongest in all of the Uugazt hordes, but even he was terrified at Raguk’s shift. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was smart enough to know it was nothing good.
"Brother," said Da’kea, coming through the communications device. "What do you need?" His voice was calm and soothing, and Raguk could feel some of the rage disappearing at his words. But then he would catch the scent of the female inside of his room, and the rage would come back again, even stronger than before.
He tried to find the words to tell the other male what was happening, but he couldn’t open his mouth to speak.
"Do you need us there?" asked Da’kea. "We can be there in a matter of chwila."
Raguk grunted his agreement. He didn’t know how to handle the situation. He knew how he wanted to. But that would require him to go into the room with the other female. His body shuddered at that idea, and he could feel his stomach revolt.
"On our way."
That was it. Three simple words, and Raguk could breathe easily again. The other males would help him figure things out. But everything in that room would need to be destroyed.
He slammed his hand down on the keypad, and the door quietly slid closed.
"Furs," he grunted, turning to Trilug. "I need furs."
Trilug wanted to point out that the majority of Raguk’s furs were inside of his room, but given his reaction, Trilug didn’t think that would go over well.
"There might be some in storage. Some of the larger pelts," he said instead. Raguk grunted and nodded his head.
"My Lord. There is a shuttle from Jun Li requesting permission to land," came a disembodied voice over the comms. Trilug repeated the request to Raguk, who did not have one of the ship’s communication devices on him.
"Send them to the launch bay closest to us," grunted Raguk. It was the most he had spoken since he had approached his hatch.
Once again, Trilug repeated the order.
"Understood," came the voice.
The two Uugazt males stood silently outside of the hatch, not moving so much as a muscle.
"Brother," came a voice from right behind them, startling Trilug. He had never heard the other male approach. Letting his reactions take control, he grabbed the axe that rested at his waist and spun around, ready to take the head of his enemy.
His arm was stopped mid-swing, and a Saalistaja male appeared.
"Da’kea," grunted Raguk. He could feel the rage lessening just by having the other males here. They smelt like their mate.
"We are here," said GA as he appeared beside the other male. Trilug went pale to see the two males and, with his free hand, was about to reach for the communication device to let the rest of the ship know that they were under attack. They might die resisting the two males, but they would at least make them bleed.
Raguk held his other hand down, not letting him make the call.
"My Lord?" asked Trilug, a million different scenarios going through his head.
"They are my nest brothers," said Raguk, looking his second in the eyes. Trilug hadn’t been there when Raguk had met his mate, and even the servants that were wouldn’t breathe a word about what happened.
"They are horde?" asked Trilug, confused. No Uugazt had a mate, so it was impossible for Raguk to have nest mates.
"They are," grunted Raguk with a shrug of his massive shoulders. He had said what he said. If the other male refused to listen or believe, then that wasn’t his issue. "I have a problem."
"That is why we are here," assured Da’kea, letting go of Trilug’s arm. "What happened."
Instead of answering the male’s question, Raguk simply opened the hatch to his private quarters and stepped back as the slimy stench filtered out.
