His mate had been pregnant when she died. A fight broke out in the street between two males, and weapons were drawn. When Vett saw that a young pup was caught in the middle of it, she went to go protect the pup. The child wasn't hers. Both males were enraged and blind to what was going on around them.

She got caught caught in the crossfire and died to save the pup. Dumala hadn't been there or he would have protected her, or killed the males responsible. He returned from a hunt and was told that she had passed. He became violent for a time with his other mates, until they left him. After that, he stopped hunting, stopped living. He left his clan, trying to escape what he used to be-a renound warrior.

He wasn't a warrior anymore, wasn't even a hunter. A yautja male that didn't hunt was useless in their society. Dumala drank down C'ntlip, an intoxicating beverage similar to alcohol, and began to ramble to to the other yautjas in the bar. He didn't drink often, and the other males seemed like they drank every day. While Dumala became unstable in his seat, the other males kept slamming down drinks.

He couldn't stop talking about Nicole, and the denizens quickly got tired of it. They steered him out the door and told him to go home. He began walking back home, but his thoughts were on Nicole. When he got in the building, he looked around and realized that he was back at the brothel. It had been many hours and Nicole was likely asleep.

The owner with the amber eyes walked up front and found him leaning against the counter, "Back so soon?"

He grunted, "Need room."

She tipped her chin up at him, "You've been drinking and your judgement is impaired right now. Come back in the morning."

"Naw. I want to see Nicole."

"I can set you up with a yautja female."

"I only want to see the ooman."

"She is asleep."

"Wake her up then."

The female squared herself in front of him, fully ready for a struggle, "Dumala, you'll kill her."

"Naw."

She hoped that the price would deter him, "If your going to see her in this condition, you'll have to pay her full replacement deposit. If you don't kill her, you'll get your money back."

"Sure."

The female hesitated, "Are you certain that you don't want to see a yautja female, a sturdier species?"

He held out his arm and the female flipped his hand over to stamp his palm. When he started going in the wrong direction, she pointed down the other hall. He huffed and headed the right way. Nicole was brought to him and he wrapped his burly arms around her immediately. She yawned and rested her head on his muscular arm.

Dumala lifted her up and fell into the bed over her. Her eyes were half closed, and she looked up at him sleepily. Dumala nuzzled her neck and his chest vibrated with a purr. When his fingers traveled down her body, she shoved them away. He reached for her hips, and accidentally scratched her.

She sucked in a pained breath, and shoved his hands away, "Dumala, I'm tired, what's with you?"

He slurred, "C'ntlip."

Nicole furrled her brows, "Did you just say catnip?"

"C'ntlip."

It still sounded like 'catnip' to her, but she could smell something on his breath and realized that he'd been drinking. Her heart started to race as his face lowered to hers and one of his tusks almost skimmed her eye. She wiggled away, but his body pressed down on her to prevent an escape. She could hardly breathe. Her eyes watered as his nails dug into her legs as he tried to part them.

Nicole pounded her fists into his shoulders, "How could you? I tell you that drinking was what caused my accident and then you go and get yourself drunk?"

Dumala didn't listen to the words, he just heard her sweet voice, and felt her soft body beneath him. He hummed a soft purr and nuzzled his face between her breasts. Nicole's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and she gave him a rough shove. Dumala straightened up at the wrong time and flopped off the end of the bed. When she peeked over the edge of the bed, his hand grabbed her wrist to tug her down to him.

Nicole thrashed and struggled in his grip, "Let go of me Dumala!"

He hugged her to his body, her ribs painfully crushed against him.

She grabbed his hair, squeezing lightly, "Let me go!"

He didn't perceive the threat, but his arms went slack, enjoying her hands on him. Nicole took the opportunity to slip away and ran to the door. It didn't open to her though, as she didn't have the key. Dumala's arms wrapped around her torso as he bumped his pelvis up against her ass suggestively. She pried at his fingers.

He carried her back to the bed, but when she slipped away, he grabbed for her. His firm grips were leaving bruises and his nails were slicing her skin. When she struggled and kicked at him then, his elbow bashed into her face. Pain jolted through her jaw, and Nicole dropped to her knees. Dumala tilted his head at her.

She hovered her hands over her jaw, and warm tears ran down her cheeks. Nicole opened her mouth to speak, but crushing pain prevented anything but a whine. Dumala staggered forward, knowing something was wrong with her. She turned away from him, then jerked the necklace off from around her neck and threw it at him. He tried to touch her but she pointed at the door.

Dumala let out a soft rattle, but obeyed. He assumed that she was tired and not in the mood to play. He fumbled with the door for a second and then wandered through the corridors until he found the front of the building. He bobbed his head at the female and tried to leave. The door didn't budge.

He turned around, "Your door is broken."

"You haven't paid." She hissed.

"Oh." He put his hand on the scanner but it didn't register.

"Is she alive?"

"Course." He drawled.

"Any damage?"

"None."

"Stay here. I will go and check."

Any other time, the female insisting to go check on the ooman to make she he want lying would be seen as disrespectful.

With C'ntlip clouding his mind though, Dumala merely huffed, and plopped himself down on the floor to wait.

The yautja female rushed through the door and quickly found Nicole sitting on the floor, "Can you stand?"

Nicole nodded slowly and stood up. The yautja female growled as her eyes looked her over. She lightly grabbed Nicole's arm and drug her to the medical bay. The female started applying healing salve to her bruises first then scanned her body and found broken bone. The enzyme cream would not heal bone very well. Nicole had to be placed in a machine to be healed, and then the yautja female took her back to her cell.

Dumala perked up when the owner returned, and scrambled up to pay.

"She is alive, but you broke her jaw. The deposit will be refunded."

"She is hurt?"

"She is healed now. Pay and leave."

Dumala stared down the corridors, "Let me see her."

The female stepped forward and shoved his shoulders, "Pay and leave."

With the female hovering in his face, Dumala placed his hand on the tablet to pay. Then, he walked out the door. His mind was still catching up with what he'd done. The owner had said that Nicole's jaw had been broke. Dumala tried to enter the brothel again, but the door was locked. He had nothing else to do but walk back home.

He went to bed and didn't wake up until late in the morning the next day. He was groggy at first, and laying on the floor beside his bed. Immediately though, he felt the guilt of what he'd done. Dumala jumped up and jogged to the brothel. The yautja female did not look pleased to see him.

The female stamped his hand, but said, "She does not want to see you."

He found the room with the appropriate number, but it was not the usual accommodations. The number matched her personal cell, and Dumala stepped inside. Nicole glared at him, and he could see the distrust in her eyes. He walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands. She jerked her face away and he let her go lest his nails scratch her.

"Go away." She pleaded.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Memories of my passed mate still pain me, and I just drank a little bit."

"That's no excuse."

He started to purr like an engine in an attempt to calm her, "Are oomans forgiving?"

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you right now. Just go away."

Dumala left, and went back home. He tried to work on a project to occupy his time, but he just didn't feel up to it. He worried that Nichole wouldn't ever trust him again, wouldn't like him ever again. He needed to prove his worth. Dumala decided to do what he always had done in the past when a female was angry at him-disappear for a while on a hunt.