Chapter 2

"If I may ask, who were those two girls just now?" Kael asked Miss Clarks right after turning his face away and focusing once more on the path ahead.

They were on their way to Rowena Clarks’s office—the director and caretaker of the orphanage where Kael Drenvarr intended to become a donor.

"Oh, that was Miss Veilthorn and Miss Caelwyn," Miss Clarks said, her tone noticeably gentler than the cold one she’d used minutes earlier when reprimanding one of the girls.

"I didn’t realize the orphanage cared for girls who were already of age like them," Kael remarked casually.

"Oh no, they’re not residents here, Mr. Drenvarr. They’re just volunteers who help us run the orphanage," she clarified.

"My apologies. I assumed they were orphans too, and that you were kind enough to take them in," Kael said again as he walked beside Rowena Clarks.

"Not quite, Sir. Miss Maera Veilthorn is indeed an orphan, but she wasn’t raised here. She became a volunteer by following in her grandmother’s footsteps. As for Miss Crystal Caelwyn, she still has her parents. At first, she came here as part of a social punishment. But over time, after becoming friends with Maera, she started enjoying her visits and often helps out whenever she’s free," Rowena explained.

"They have very different personalities, but you know how teenagers are—the more different they are, the stronger their bond seems to grow."

"Was Miss Caelwyn the girl we heard telling the story earlier?" Jorah asked, curious. Rowena Clarks nodded.

"I’m not exactly sure why, but Miss Caelwyn tends to enjoy reading fantasy novels. Even so, she’s a great storyteller, and the children adore her," Rowena said with a hint of praise.

"I heard her. I was even swept away by the story, as if I were inside it myself, playing the lead role," Kael replied with a faint smile.

"Yes, Miss Caelwyn is truly that talented," Rowena agreed. Before they turned the corner, Kael once again glanced toward the two girls, who were washing sheets by stepping on them barefoot.

"What are the requirements for adopting a child here? Must it be a married couple?" Kael redirected his attention back to Rowena, suspecting the man might have another reason for visiting the orphanage she’d been running for nearly twenty-five years.

"Are you planning to adopt a child, Sir?" Rowena asked curiously.

"No," Kael replied with his usual sweet smile. "I'm just asking," he added, trying to hide his true intentions.

"Well, we usually place children for adoption with married couples. And even then, the process involves several steps under government and child protection services. But if a single person wants to adopt, we don’t close off the possibility either. Still, that would only be considered after several assessments, especially psychological tests.

We need to know their reasons for adopting a child. Whether it's a couple or a single individual, we don’t want our children ending up in the wrong family," Rowena said firmly.

"I understand," Kael replied with another smile—something he rarely did, but this time it was necessary to make a good impression on the orphanage manager.

Rowena then led Kael and Jorah up to the third floor, where her office was located. But shortly after they entered, her phone rang, and she had no choice but to leave her guests to answer the call.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Jorah asked once the door closed and Rowena was out of earshot.

Kael didn’t answer. Instead, he walked to the window, taking in the view of the forest beyond.

"I'm still thinking. But after coming here, I feel like my resolve is starting to waver," he said softly.

Laughter drifted in from the open office window. Kael looked down and saw the two girls he had met earlier playing around, twisting bedsheets with their hands.

"Waiting a few more years might be worth it. But if there's someone I can use right away, why wait any longer?" Kael muttered, causing Jorah to furrow his brow deeply.

"What do you mean? You’re thinking of using one of them as a surrogate mother?" Jorah asked in disbelief.

"What do you think?" Kael replied with a question.

"They still have families, Kael."

"Then what’s the problem?" Kael shot Jorah a displeased look. They were friends, yes, but aside from that, Kael was still Jorah’s superior—so whether he liked it or not, Jorah had to follow his orders. "We can give her as much compensation as she wants." He continued coldly, turning his gaze back to the two girls who were still smiling happily.

"I still don’t agree with your plan, Kael," Jorah protested again. "Taking a regular human woman to be a surrogate is too much of a risk to her life."

"As long as she’s strong, she’ll be able to carry my child. There won’t be any complications."

"That’s exactly the complication. A normal human wouldn’t be able to carry a werewolf’s child without risking her life."

Kael gave Jorah a threatening glare.

"Think it over again. Why does it have to be a human? Why not choose someone from our clan?"

"Because they would demand that I make them my mate, and that’s something I can’t give."

"Mating isn’t something we decide. Just treat it like a one-night stand, like humans do. Once she’s pregnant, let her give birth, take the child, and raise him as the next Alpha if that’s what you want."

"No. I won’t risk our clan just to satisfy my personal desire," Kael replied coldly.

"Then what about the human woman? You won’t marry her, and you won’t claim her as your mate. What will happen to her later? And what about your child? He’ll be half-werewolf and half-human. Do you really think our clan will respect him if he becomes Alpha one day? And what if he can’t transform?"

"That woman will live a life without financial struggle. Eventually, she’ll marry someone from her own kind. And my child—he’ll only have me, because I won’t tell him who his mother is. He will grow up strong, because I’ll raise him to be. If he can’t transform, then I’ll make sure he lives among humans. No one will be allowed to look down on him. If they do, they’ll have to deal with me."

"You're insane, Kael. It would’ve been more reasonable for you to find a mate from our kind, but you chose the difficult path."

"I choose my own path, Jorah. And I’ll make sure no one gets hurt in the process. I won’t go mad, and no woman will die because of me—because I will not claim anyone as my mate. As for the human woman who will be the surrogate to carry my child, I’ll make sure she survives after giving birth. Orion said he’d help me." Kael mentioned his friend, a witch and potion expert.

Jorah shook his head in disbelief. Even to reach his goal, his Alpha was willing to work with a witch?

"Investigate those two girls. After that, we’ll devise a plan to make the chosen one come to me willingly and offer herself to be the surrogate who will carry the next heir of Drenvarr."

Meanwhile below, Maera suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Without meaning to, she looked up—and her eyes met the cold gaze of the man she had seen earlier. Who else if not Kael Drenvarr?

"What is it?" asked Crystal, also looking up to where Maera was staring. But there was nothing Crystal could see except for the large dark-glass window of the head matron’s office, slightly ajar—yet no one seemed to be there.

"What’s wrong? Did you see something?" Crystal asked again, curious.