by Luna Hunter
Novak
Galactic Mates
Luna Hunter
Contents
Newsletter
Also by Luna Hunter
1. Michelle
2. Novak
3. Michelle
4. Novak
5. Michelle
6. Novak
7. Michelle
8. Novak
9. Michelle
10. Novak
11. Michelle
12. Novak
13. Michelle
14. Novak
15. Michelle
16. Novak
17. Michelle
18. Novak
19. Michelle
20. Novak
Epilogue
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 Novak! It’s the fourth book 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.
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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
1
Michelle
“Ambassador Coors, estimated arrival time to Kozara is thirty minutes.”
“Thank you, Cindy,” I say, nursing my glass of cuhla, the Zoran’s liquor of choice. I’m not a fan of the warrior aliens’ cuisine, but they do know how to brew a mean drink. “That’ll be all.”
My personal assistant nods quickly and leaves, and the ship’s door automatically whizzes shut behind her.
Kozara, the Zoran space station orbiting their homeworld of Exon Prime, is only a short half hour away. Good. I’ve been on this ship for two whole days, and it’s starting to make me claustrophobic. I’m not a big fan of space travel… which is problematic, seeing as I’m the human Federation’s ambassador to the Intergalactic Alliance.
That’s only the start of my problems. I’m heading to Kozara to inspect a spaceship that the Alliance has been working on for the last three years, together with the Zorans. I don’t know the faintest thing about warships, engine drives and weapon systems, but I’ll have to pretend and nod along.
Honestly, that is pretty much what I do all day: smile and wave. I thought that the job would be more glorious — after all, who doesn’t want to be an ambassador? An intergalactic one, at that? More alien parties and interstellar feasts than you’d know what to do with, with diplomatic immunity to boot, right? The reality couldn’t be more different. I imagined I’d end up skinny dipping in the grand fountain that stands outside the Alliance’s parliament together with some unruly Falurians, but no.
In truth, I spend almost all of my time in boring meetings with angry aliens who resent humanity for one imagined slight or another, and I have to bear all of that abuse. And remain friendly.
If my best friend Riley hadn’t asked me personally to take this job, I’d have quit long ago.
My intercom beeps. Speak of the devil. I click accept.
“Michelle!”
The familiar, holographic figure of my best friend, Riley Harper, fills my quarters. She looks as radiant as ever, her long brown curls cascading down her shoulders. Sitting on her lap is the most adorable little guy that I’ve ever seen.
It’s been a few years since we both set foot on the Alliance’s giant space station, the Observer, together. We weren’t as close back then, just a pair of starry-eyed interns, but after everything we’ve been through, we might as well be sisters. She met Thabo, and the alpha warrior swept her off her feet — literally. We uncovered a devious scheme by Orson DuPont, the human Minister of Interplanetary Affairs, together. He masterminded an attack on the Observer, trying to bait the Alliance into a war with humanity, while he schemed with other alien species. We only just managed to prevent the galaxy from descending into chaos. She moved back to Earth with Thabo, and she was quickly promoted to Minister of Interplanetary Affairs herself. She personally asked me to become the ambassador, and I couldn’t ever say no to her.
That little bundle of joy that’s sitting on her lap is the result of her and Thabo’s union.
“Hi! Oh my, is that Sean? He’s grown so much!”
“It sure is! Wave to aunt Michelle, Sean.”
The small half-Zoran, half-human child waves shyly at me, and my heart just melts. He’s got Riley’s skin color, but Thabo’s strong Zoran features. Today is his birthday, and I’m even more upset with my job than usual for missing it.
“Happy birthday, Sean! Oh Riley, I want to be there, with you guys,” I say.
“Come on,” she says. “You get to see the Andromeda in action! Thabo’s super jealous — it’s supposed to be the pinnacle of Zoran engineering. He says they poured years and years of work into—”
“Spare me the details, please,” I protest. “I read the file. It’s my job. Can we please not talk about work?”
Riley smiles at me. “Of course. Are you doing okay there? You sound a little stressed.”
I wave her away. “I’m fine. Sort of. I don’t know.”
Riley places Sean on the floor and tells him to go find his father. The little tyke runs off enthusiastically. “So, now we can have a real conversation. What’s going on?”
I shrug. “I want to be there with you guys. It’s pretty lonely out here.”
“Lonely? There’s millions of aliens living on the Observer!”
“Exactly. Aliens.”
Riley scruffs her nose. “Is my ambassador telling me she doesn’t like aliens? That could be a problem.”
“They’re fine, I suppose,” I say. “But different. The food is different, the customs are different, the holidays are different. I just want to celebrate Christmas, or eat a turkey, or find easter eggs, you know?”
“You hate holidays,” Riley says. “You always used them as an excuse to get drunk, if I recall correctly.”
“My point still stands.”
“That reminds me that I need a drink.” Riley walks out of view and appears a moment later holding a big glass of red wine. “Children’s parties,” she whispers. “Fun for the kid, hell for the parents. There’s dozens of kids running around in the next room, be glad you’re not here,” she jokes.
I raise my glass of cuhla to her. “Cheers.”
“Ah, you’re drinking the Zoran drink of choice now? So not all those strange, alien customs are so bad, huh?”
“It
’s just a drink,” I say. “I didn’t let one of those big brutes knock me up, like you.”
“Maybe you should have,” Riley says with a twinkle in her eye. “They’re quite good at it, you know.”
“Spare me the details.”
“Your loss,” she smirks.
“I don’t know how you do it,” I say. “You have this beautiful family and you’re the minister? How, for heaven’s sake?”
“To be honest, I couldn’t do it without Thabo,” Riley answers. “He’s a wonderful father.”
“So that’s the secret? Just find a wonderful, loving, amazing, strong man? I’ve been looking, but I haven’t found any of those lying around.”
“You haven’t been looking,” Riley says as she sips her red wine. “Or else you would have told me all the dirty details. What changed? As I recall, you were flirting heavily with those Falurian dragon-warriors when I first met Thabo.”
“Ah, Falurians,” I say. “All talk, no commitment. When I saw what you and Thabo had, I couldn’t settle for anything less, you know? I want that, that connection, that feeling that you just know you met the right person.”
“Oh, baby,” Riley says, cocking her head. “Now I feel bad.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault you found love.”
“You’ll find that person. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not,” I mutter under my breath.
“Aren’t you meeting a few Zoran generals today? Mister Right could be among them!”
I wrinkle my nose. “I know you’re a big fan of Zorans, having had one of their babies and such, but…” I weigh my words carefully, as the last thing I want to do is insult my best friend. “I have to deal with a lot of them as ambassador, and among the dozens of alien species I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with, I’ve never met anyone quite as headstrong, as condescending, as downright arrogant as the Zorans. I don’t know how you managed to tame Thabo, but…”
Riley bursts into laughter. “That’s the Zorans for you. Proud, alpha warriors. Everyone single one of them considers themselves the strongest warrior in the galaxy, the center of the universe, the pinnacle of evolution. However, underneath that rough exterior and that bravado, there’s an emotional center, a sometimes wounded heart, a fiercely protective man who wants to make you his and his alone. And, for the record, I haven’t tamed Thabo. I could never hope to achieve such a feat.”
“I know, I know,” I say. “Tell me he didn’t hear that.”
“Oh, he didn’t,” Riley smirks. “Believe me, you would have known.”
The metallic door that leads to my quarters whizzes open again. Cindy stands in the frame, a tablet clutched to her chest. “Ambassador Coors, we’re about to arrive… oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were having a private call,” the young girl stammers.
“Is that Cindy?” Riley says. “Step forward, let me see you.”
“It’s fine, come in,” I tell her. “Cindy, this is Riley Harper, Minister of Interplanetary Affairs.”
Cindy nods quickly, shaking like a leaf in the wind. A red blush quickly fills her round cheeks.
“N-nice to meet you m-miss. I mean M-minister.”
“Call me Riley, please. How’s Michelle treating you? Is she a good boss?”
The blonde girl nods. “Yes,” is all she manages to choke out.
I remember when I was as young as her — it was only three years ago, after all! Riley and I are the youngest minister and ambassador in human history, which might be another reason the Alliance’s aliens give me so much lip. They have to negotiate with a human female half their age!
“Cindy’s a godsend,” I say. “I’d be a blubbering mess without her.”
I can see the young girl’s shoulders straighten after my compliment. I should do it more often, but with my workload, it’s easy to forget. I make a mental note to tell her more often that I appreciate all the hard work she puts in.
She glances down at her tablet again, which contains a red, flashing screen.
“I don’t want to bother you, but we really should go…”
I knock back the last of my cuhla. The strong drink warms my throat, the heat spreading from my stomach to all of my limbs. It gives me the kick I need to bear a full day of Zorans sneering at me, and treating me like a child. I’ll grin and bear it. For the Federation. And, more importantly, for Riley.
“No, you’re right, Cindy. You’re absolutely right. Duty calls.”
Riley raises her glass of red wine. “Have fun, dear. That’s an order. And keep your eyes open for Mister Right!”
I stick my tongue out at Riley and cut the feed.
Cindy turns to me. “What did she mean by—”
“Ignore her,” I say as I straighten my decorative Federation robe. It’s long and unwieldy, but I have to wear it for this ceremonial day. It’s a dark blue, mixed with green streaks. The colors of Earth. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
My assistant glances at her tablet. “You are to meet with the Zoran General Novak, who will give you a tour of the Andromeda, after which you’ll take a test flight around Exon Prime. After that there’s a dinner, at which you’ll be expected to deliver a speech.”
“Great,” I say. “This Novak, know anything about him?”
“Nothing that stands out. Zoran General, decorated warrior, strong leader. Though according to our intel, he’s known for his vehement opposition to the Andromeda project…”
“That’s perfect. They assigned a isolationist Zoran General to show me around.” I just know he already has an intense hatred for me. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
I follow Cindy out to the bridge, as our ship starts its docking procedure at the Zoran’s space station orbiting their home world of Exon Prime. I was right on one account: Novak’s feelings for me were very, very intense…
2
Novak
“I refuse to work with the humans. The ship is not ready. This mission, this project, is a waste of valuable resources!”
“You will do nothing of the sort,” my king, Vinz, replies. “The Andromeda project is a cornerstone of our alliance with the humans, and with the Intergalactic Alliance. You will do as you are commanded, Novak.”
I stare at the holographic image of my king with barely concealed rage. We’re having a private audience in my chambers, so I can explain in explicit detail how I feel about this course of action.
“We don’t need an alliance,” I say, slamming my balled fist down on the table. “You’re making a mistake! These aliens, the humans, Falurians, Melek, Tyk’ix — they can’t be trusted. We’ve seen it time and time again. They’ve given us nothing but trouble.”
“May I remind you that without the help of the humans, you would still be serving the treacherous High Command?”
I bow my head. My king is mated to a human, and she helped him overthrow the corrupt Emperor. I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from being demoted.
“With all due respect, my king…”
“Please, speak freely, Novak,” Vinz replies. “We’re alone. Tell me what is on your mind.”
I take a deep breath. “If you insist, my king. I fail to see the logic in sharing our military secrets with our allies. We’ve built this ship for them — what will stop them from reverse engineering it? They are our allies now, yes, but alliances can dissolve. It’s not a matter of if we will ever fight the humans, but when. They are… ambitious.”
My king nods. “Ambitious… like us, correct? We are not so different, Novak. If you met the humans you would see that. That is why you will give the human ambassador, Michelle Coors, a guided tour of the Andromeda. Personally. I assume you’ll be on your best behavior. End of transmission.”
I curse under my breath. I grab a drink and knock it back, crushing the glass in my hand afterwards. Spending a whole day as a glorified tour guide, showing a clueless human our top-secret weaponry… this is madness. I should be running drills, practicing fleet maneuvers, sparring with my troops
. Anything else would be more productive than a day of ceremonial handshaking!
But an order is an order. I vehemently disagree with my king, but he is my king, I will respect his commands. Zoran society is built around this chain of command.
“Computer, pull up the file on Michelle Coors.”
Let’s see what I’m dealing with.
My onboard computer instantly pulls up an extensive datafile on the human ambassador. To my surprise she’s quite young — I expected a senior. So young, and she already achieved such a high rank. Interesting. I’m also surprised that the humans have made a woman their ambassador, but then again, the humans are known for their strange decisions.
I quickly browse through the report, but stop dead in my tracks when I come across her official portrait.
Michelle’s eyes are as blue as the ocean, her blonde hair as warm as the sun. Her skin is pale, yet… inviting. My body prickles with heat as I stare at the exceptional form of the human female.
“Computer, close file.”
No time for distractions. I slip into my ceremonial robe as I push the thoughts of the shapely ambassador away. The fire-red color of the robe clashes with my blue skin. I feel naked and vulnerable without my obsidian armor. After a life as a soldier, my armor feels like a second skin, a natural part of me. The soft, velvet robe feels strange and foreign. The fabric is pulled tight over my broad chest.
My com beeps. The human delegation is about to arrive on Kozara, the space station my battle cruiser Behemoth is also docked on. Let’s get this over with.
I exit my chambers and bump right into a red wall.
“Ah, Novak, there you are.”
“Jakob,” I breathe. “What the hell are you doing on my ship?”
The Falurian ambassador shrugs. “You were taking so long, so I decided to see what was keeping you. You don’t suffer from stage fright, do you?”
I’ll make you suffer, you dragon-skinned govno.
“I’ll be right down,” I say curtly. I walk past him, bumping into his shoulder as I go. Jakob is here on behalf of the Alliance, but I don’t trust him. He’s too smooth, too slick.