A Feral Wolf

Cassian

A wolfless woman? Carrying my child? I almost want to laugh at the absurd idea I just proposed. Instead, I bring the glass of my favorite whiskey and down everything while staring blankly at the flames in the fireplace.

I shouldn’t have brought her with me. She wasn’t supposed to be part of the contract, but I feel something every time I look at her.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t fucked a woman in weeks. Another thought fills my mind.

I hope it will be my wolf, but it seems he decided to leave me the day she left me.

The only woman who ever made me feel like I wasn’t a monster people made me out to be.

I threw my head back, leaning into the recliner. What the hell am I doing? I close my eyes when another scent fills my nostrils.

“Are you going to stand there the entire night, or will you tell me what you came for?” I asked Taylor, my Beta.

“No, your Grace. I just wanted—” he pauses, then slow, quiet footsteps follow. I can hear his heart pounding hard against his chest.

“I hear you brought another bride,” he starts

“Mm”

He sucks his teeth like he does when he knows what he is about to say will annoy me. “It’s been less than two months. Are you thinking of taking another bride? What will happen if your wolf attacks her and she dies?” He asks, his voice low yet laced with so much fear in it.

 I feel a pull in my chest at the idea of her dying, but I quickly push it aside. So, I give him the best answer I have mastered over the years. “Then it’s unfortunate,” I reply.

“For us, unfortunately. The contract you signed with her father. It puts us in a dangerous position if anything happens to her.” He comes closer, his scent making me turn to him.

“Since when do you come so close to where I am?” I ask, my voice calm and low.

I don’t like people in my personal space, and he knows that. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. It’s just…” He pauses, then sighs heavily. Tilting his head like he is carrying the weight of the world.

“Get out.”

“Your Grace”

“Get the fuck out, Taylor!” I growled. Trying to keep my wolf at bay. He might not speak to me, but he doesn’t like people disrespecting us or trying to question me.

“Yes, your Grace,” he dips his head, then walks away, leaving me to my thoughts—Dark thoughts.

**

“Your Grace, if I may,” Alpha Rodrigo, who is in charge of Home Affairs, finally spoke, leaning forward on the table so he could look at me. “People are getting restless and concerned.”

“Restless? Concerned? Which people, if I may ask? The people out there who are well taken care of or the ones here?” I raise a brow, my voice low.

“Your Grace, with this dark cloud looming above us. You need an heir,” Alpha Harry chimes in, his voice nonchalant.

“Elder Harry, are you saying I am about to die?” I ask him, leaning forward.

“No. But I believe it would be wise to have an heir.” He adds, holding my gaze. He is not one to back down from a fight, and I am sure he is the fool who’s been sending all those women to my room.

“I don’t need an heir to provide or protect my people. If this is all you need to discuss with me, then we are done here." I get up to my feet, picking up my phone. My head is throbbing from the talking and lack of sleep, but that’s nothing new. I haven’t slept in years.

“Your father would want you to continue his bloodline,” Alpha Harry shouts.

My jaw tightens. I stopped in my tracks, clenching my phone tight. He knows exactly which buttons to push and when to push them. I slowly turned to face him. He knew this would get a reaction from me.

“He would?” I raise a brow.

Lies. My father would be delighted to know I won’t be bringing mini-me into this world. But Harry knows this.

“Yes. You need an heir.”

“No, I don’t. Whatever I have done and continue to do is for the people. A child will not change what I have achieved for them!” I snapped, my wolf stirring in me. I could feel him pushing forward, wanting an out.

“And that they appreciate. But I hate to say this. This is not about you anymore. It’s about protecting this pack and the legacy that so many gave their lives for. So yes, you will need to have that heir.”

“My wolf won’t have any she-wolf. So, how do you hope to achieve that, Alpha Harry?” I raised a brow, waiting for his response. Bjorn is unpredictable, and right now I can feel him wanting to surface. No one questions us.

“We need to find a way. We can’t possibly just give up.” He adds on, his eyes peering around the table, hoping the other seven alphas agree with him. Some nod in agreement.

“I hear there’s new technology where you don’t have to sleep with the woman to get her pregnant. If you can’t do that, then perhaps get a luna.” He adds on. I stare at him blankly, not sure I have heard him correctly.

He thinks I should have a surrogate to carry my heir.

“This discussion is over!” I said dismissively and made my way out of the room. I can’t believe he would suggest that.

Making my way out of the room, I headed back to my chambers.

“Your Grace.” Taylor, my Beta, followed closely behind, trying to keep up with me. “What is it?”

“The girl. Why didn’t you mention her?” he asked, causing me to stop in my tracks and turn to face him. I hadn’t seen her since she arrived with me a week ago.

“You could have announced that you already found someone,” he suggested. I inhaled sharply, taking a moment to think. I wasn’t sure if Bjorn could accept her, and I didn’t want another death on my conscience.

“I won’t let Bjorn tear another woman apart. I have to make sure he can tolerate her presence. If she dies…”

Just the thought of it sent chills down my spine.