#3.

HUNTER

I stood by the window, staring out at the pack grounds below. My hands were locked behind my back. I hadn’t moved in a long time. The glass reflected my shape, tall, still and heavy in the dim light of the office. Below, the pack moved with a rhythmic caution. Guards switched shifts at the gate, and wolves crossed the yard with their heads bowed, never looking up at my balcony. They knew better than to go looking for my gaze.

The door clicked open behind me.

“My king,” Eran said.

I didn’t turn. I heard the slight tremor in his voice, the way he held his breath after speaking. I exhaled slowly, the glass fogging for a split second before clearing. I stepped away from the window, the movement feeling stiff.

“What’s the news?” I asked. My voice was sharper than I intended, cutting through the quiet of the room.

Eran straightened his posture, though he kept his eyes on the floor. “We haven’t found a suitable breeder yet. The candidates from each territories were... insufficient.”

I began walking toward him. My boots hit the floor in slow, deliberate thuds that seemed to echo off the stone walls. I watched his throat move as he swallowed. His breathing hitched before I even reached him.

I stopped right in front of him, close enough to smell the nervous sweat on his skin.

“You’re saying you’re unable to find a single female who can survive the claim?” My voice dropped, becoming a low.

Eran’s hands clenched at his sides. “I’m working on it, my king. It’s a matter of finding the right bloodline. Most cannot handle the—”

I didn't let him finish. I tilted my head and took a step to the side, then another, slowly circling him like a predator. He stayed rooted to the spot, but his shoulders were pulled tight to his ears.

“You’re working on it,” I repeated. “Months of ‘working on it,’ Eran. And yet, my halls are still empty.”

I completed the circle and stopped directly behind him. He flinched when I spoke into the back of his neck.

“Go and bring me Alpha Elijah’s daughter,” I said. The words felt like they were being torn out of my chest. “She has the lineage. She’ll be my breeder.”

The silence that followed was too long.

“I’m sorry, my king,” Eran said, his voice cautious, choosing every word like he was walking through a minefield. “His daughter already mated with someone else. She left her father’s pack two weeks ago.”

I stopped moving. The world seemed to go very still.

Slowly, I stepped back around to face him.

“She what?”

“Yes, my king,” he said, his voice getting smaller. “She chose a mate. A rogue, from what the scouts say. She left with him.”

The room felt smaller, the walls pressing in. My jaw tightened until it ached. I leaned forward, forcing him to meet my eyes. My face was inches from his.

“Find her,” I said. “I don’t care who she’s with. Bring her to me.”

“My king?” Eran asked, the question slipping out before he could think better of it.

I snapped upright, my shadow falling over him. “Question me once more and your head will replace the answer.”

He dropped to one knee instantly, his knee hitting the floor with a hard crack. “Forgive me, my king.”

He stayed there for a moment, head bowed, before lifting it just enough to speak. “I have another lead. A better idea. One that would please you totally, if you'll allow me the time to verify it.”

I laughed once. It was a short, dry sound that carried no humor. “One that will please me totally. I’ve heard that before.”

I turned my back on him, staring at the wall. “Leave my sight.”

“My king—”

I spun back so fast he stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he scrambled to his feet. Our eyes locked for a second, mine full of a heat I was struggling to keep down, his full of pure instinctual fear. He didn't wait for another word. He backed out of the room, nearly tripping over his own feet as he pulled the door shut.

I returned to the window and pressed my forehead against the cool glass.

The pack stretched out below me. Years of failed attempts. Years of weak females brought before me, none of them capable of enduring what I was. They broke too easily. They weren't right.

A common female could never give me what I needed. They couldn't survive the strain of the pregnancy, let alone the birth. They couldn't carry an heir that would be strong enough to lead after me.

My fingers dug into my palms until my claws drew blood.

If he brought me another weak one, another girl who shook at the sight of me, I would tear her apart with my bare hands just to stop the disappointment.

The door opened again. A soft, rhythmic knock followed.

“My king,” my advisor said, bowing low as he entered.

I didn't turn. I didn't have the energy for more excuses. “Any reason why I’m being disturbed? Or are you just fond of risking your life?”

“No, my king. I only wished to advise you on the preparations for a breeder Incase one is being brought here.”

I faced him then, my expression flat. “Keep your advice to yourself and leave. Now.”

He didn’t argue. He saw something in my face that told him the conversation was over. He backed out quickly, bowing a final time before the door clicked shut.

I stayed where I was, eyes fixed on the wolves below.

I would find a breeder. I would create an heir. I had to do it before the curse finished its work, before the heat in my blood turned me into something I could no longer control.

I stepped away from the window and stormed across the room, the sound of my own footsteps the only thing filling the void.