Once my pup and I are the only alphas left in Oak Fur, this pack will really know what a harsh ruler is like. I’ll kill every wolf who has whispered that Kaylee and Lucas would have been better leaders. I’ll maim all the she-wolves and allow the men I have under my control fuck them to their hearts’ content until they beg me for forgiveness or a quick death. No she-wolf will talk badly about me once I’m in control.
“Marilyn!”
Exiting the packhouse, I spot Pearl rushing towards me, a smile on her face. Holding in my disgust for the pack whore I’d befriended to help me torment Kaylee when I first moved to Oak Fur, I plaster a smile on my face and wait for her to come to my side.
“How are you feeling? Is being a Luna while pregnant taxing on you?” the strawberry-blond asks, hooking her arm through mine. I carefully pull my arm away and watch a brief sneer cross Pearl’s face before it’s replaced with an adoring smile.
Suppressing a snarl, I motion for the she-wolf to walk with me. Goddess, do I want to shift into my russet wolf and sprint, but the parasite inside me is preventing me from doing anything Iwant now. I can’t even enjoy a glass of wine without being judged by the wolves beneath me.
“Being a Luna is easy,” I admit with a shrug. It’s true, considering Ramos won’t let me perform any Luna duties—not that I want to. The whole point of mating him was to live in the lap of luxury before his untimely death.
“All Ramos cares about is me being a good mate to him,” I continue with a smirk.
Pearl stares at me with wide eyes, her jealousy easy to sniff out as she shifts her gaze to looking anywhere but me. I know deep down Pearl wants the power and money that comes with being a Luna and would have thrown her naked body at either Lucas or Ramos—and probably both—if given a chance. Now, she’s stuck with nothing but the title of a warrior’s daughter. If she wants the power and riches I have, she’ll need to leave our pack and bag herself the alpha of another.
“Sounds like you’re living the high life,” she says happily, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
“I am. I can eat whenever I want, sleep, and rest without worry, and all I have to do is wait on my mate like a good woman should,” I answer, watching Pearl clench her fist from my peripheral vision. She really hates that I—an outsider of Oak Fur—am living a better life than she is.
“If you want the life I’m living, we’re expecting visitors to Oak Fur in a few days’ time. Maybe you can bag yourself a high-ranking mate then,” I suggest, watching the jealousy in Pearl’s eyes be replaced with a sinister cunningness. She thanks me for the suggestion before her eyes glaze over. After making anexcuse about her mother needing her help, she vanishes from my side.
Watching Pearl walk away, I let my smile drop, and a sneer takes its place. In a week, some of Ramos’ allies will be coming to discuss the details of the war he’s planning. Many coming wolves already have mates, but Pearl won’t know that. Once she fucks one of these alphas or even one of their betas, Pearl will be left to her punishment, and I’ll be rid of her and her scheming attempts of trying to get Ramos to her bed.
I may not want that old bastard as my mate, but I’m stuck with Ramos until the day I kill him. I won’t allow him to fuck any pack whore. I’ll be the perfect mate, taking his sleazy ways until this pup is born, and I can finally take over Oak Fur.
47
Lucas
Moving around the kitchen, a smile on my face, I watch the bedroom door to see when Kaylee will wake. Last night was a blast seeing Titus and Carson again, but I was worried when Kaylee went off with Ash and Royce alone. I waited patiently beside my god-brother while counting the minutes until she returned to my side.
When she did come back, she had a worried air about her but brushed it off when I asked. Of course, Royce stood beside her, his eyes scanning the crowd like a watchdog. I knew they’d bonded as friends and felt happy to know he was keeping my mate safe when I wasn’t around, but the way he refused to budge worried me even more.
“Lucas, are those pancakes I smell?” Kaylee calls out as she exits the bedroom, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Shelooks so tired yet adorable, and I can’t help but move to her side and pull my mate in for a hug.
“Yes. I just finished making apple cinnamon pancakes,” I answer with a chuckle, kissing the top of her head.
“How did you know I was craving them?” she asks in disbelief, her eyes wide with happiness.
“Because you woke me up two hours ago telling me you were craving them before passing out immediately after,” I answer, shaking my head playfully. She looks away sheepishly, embarrassed, and I think again how lucky I am. I almost lost this incredible woman, and now she’s here in my arms.
“Let’s get you some food. You told me you had something to discuss with me last night,” I suggest, pulling away from Kaylee and taking her hand. I lead her to the small table in the corner. The morning light filters in through the window, glowing around Kaylee.
Suddenly, my mind shifts, and the scene before me changes. Kaylee is no longer sitting in front of the cottage window but instead on the front porch of a different house resembling the one she grew up in. A little pup is in her arms, smiling at Kaylee with a toothy grin. Her blonde hair is pulled into pigtails on either side of her head, and her gray eyes, so much like mine, sparkle in the morning light.
“Lucas,” Kaylee calls out to me from the porch. I reach for her, only to feel like I’m falling.
“Lucas!”
My eyes refocus, and Kaylee is back to sitting at the small table in the cottage, looking at me with a worried gaze. The pup in her arms is gone, but I know for sure who that pup is.
“A girl,” I state with a grin, looking down at Kaylee’s stomach, which is slowly starting to bump out.
“What?” Kaylee asks, taking my hand in hers.
“Our pup is a girl,” I state, falling to my knees to kiss her small bump.
“It’s too early to tell,” Kaylee says with a laugh, running her free hand through my hair as I rest my head on her lap, breathing in her cinnamon-sugar scent.
