0065
Dane
It was amusing to hear her say it.
To finally announce who she was. Though I couldn't tell if it was the growing pups giving her confidence or whether Roan genuinely annoyed her to make her snap at him. Either way, it didn't matter.
"A Lycan Alpha?" Greg queries. "What the hell is a Lycan?" He looks around at the other men who all look equally confused. Except Roan.
Roan has his eyes are on my mate. And he looks at her in the same way Jenson used too. With a hunger to devour her.
'He can try.' Aero mutters
I keep my mouth closed much to Aero's annoyance. I wanted to beat Roan into the ground, but for now, it could wait.
"I am a monster." I see the dark smile on Neahs face. I notice how dark her eyes are too, barely a blue rim is present. She was letting Nyx hover near the surface.
"And you are running from your pack?" Roan questions my mate.
"As I have already explained to you, no, she isn't" I cut in. I was expecting more questions about her being a Lycan.
He bobs his head, "So you are the reason humans are turning up with bite marks." Roan rubs through the stubble on his chin.
"What are you talking about, Roan?" Greg asks
Before Roan gets a chance to answer, my mate snaps at him. "I am not biting anyone!"
I hold my hand up to Neah as I turn to Roan. "You've seen this?"
"Yes."
"You've seen them shift?"
"Now that is something I haven't been privy to. When they started showing up in the city, we dealt with them before things got out of control." "Your pack is in the city?" Neah asks confused
"Next city over. Ashburn City" Roan mutters like he expected her to know where that is. "My pack are more urban than you lot in Black Shadow." I roll my eyes at him. What worked for him didn't work for everybody.
"When you say...you deal with them, you mean?" Neah asks quietly and I see how the black fades and her eyes return to the usual blue. "We kill them."
"You didn't think to tell me, Roan?" Greg snaps at him
"You are not anywhere near the situation. You married and became an Alpha elsewhere. Hundreds of miles away. We may be brothers, but we haven't been close in over a decade."
My fist hits the table, "Whatever you guys have got going on, it needs to be put aside. You all signed a contract with me. I have held up my end when you needed me." I snap. "Now it's time you did the same." "There's nothing about Lycans in it." Greg murmurs.
"You are right, there isn't. But it does state that if there is a threat to my heirs, you will protect them with your lives."
"They aren't even born yet!" Greg grumbles.
"From the day of conception," Roan rolls his eyes at his brother.
"We are contractually bound. Or are you prepared to tell your wife that you have just handed over your pack?" Roan questions his brother.
They all turn to stare at my mate.
Her eyes are low. I see how she takes slow, deep breaths, trying to keep herself from throwing up again.
'I don't like the way she looks.' Aero tells me
"Neah, go get some rest." I tell her
"I have questions!" Roan snaps
"And if all my attention is on my mate, I won't be able to answer them!"
Neah practically runs from the room. Whether to escape the meeting or to vomit. I wasn't sure but this way, Roan wouldn't be ogling my mate.
Everyone's eyes are on me.
"Go on, ask!" I challenge, knowing that there was a single burning question on the tip of everyones tongue.
"What are they?" Greg asks
"It's too early to tell." I answer casually.
"What if they are like her?" Another asks
"They are still my heirs." I knew it was likely.
She was developing faster than the average Wolf, But I also knew the idea of them being Lycans was plaguing my mates thoughts.
She hated the fact that they could be Lycans.
She wanted the Lycan line to end.
Jenson and Eric were quiet, listening carefully to everyone's words. Until Jenson snaps.
"We didn't call you here to discuss the heritage of the pups. You are here purely to hold up your end of the contract."
"And when this is over, the contract is completed?" Roan asks, "We will be free?"
'Their lives won't be worth living if something happens to our pups!' Aero growls
This is what has kept my contracts in place. The clause that states that they will repay their debts. Though until now, I have never needed them. I have always kept them hanging on, desperate to be free of my grasp.
I was doing this to keep my mate and my heirs safe.
"Yes." I agree. "The contract will be completed."
The Alpha's exchange looks and finally, they all nod in agreement. They all wanted the same thing, to be free of owing me anything.
****
"Just help me understand. You are the natural Alpha of Moonshine, why will they not bow to you?" Roan asks Neah. "You have the power. I can feel it, it's fucking strong!"
The Alpha's had been here for two days and they still kept circling this question. Especially Roan. He was fascinated by the idea of a female Alpha and he always found a way to be present. Asking the same questions, trying to get a different answer. "They don't believe in a female Alpha." Neah replies, exasperated
"Yet, they still want you." He leans against the wall. "They are so desperate to get you that they are creating pricks that don't know how to handle themselves."
She gently thumps her head against the desk, tired of the same questions, "They want me because I will produce more Lycan Alpha's for them."
"The two that are leading the campaign. The male is her uncle." I tell him, "the female is his mate. We believe they can't have kids and that is why they kept Neah alive."
"So you thought it was a good idea to put a pup in her?" He cocks a brow at me.
"I did."
"That's ballsy. What if they try and keep one of the twins for themselves? You must see the flaw in that plan, right? I know you, Dane. I know you have one of the best war planners in your pack, was this his idea or yours?" "Does it matter? You are here to protect them."
"It's a dangerous game you are playing, Dane and you are putting all of our packs at risk."
'Fucking idiot.' Aero mutters. He hated how Neah was being questioned. He hated how our word wasn't good enough for the Alpha's. And he was becoming desperate to get to the surface.
I straighten up, glaring at him as my tone drops. "It's the least you can do, Roan. Especially after what we did for you."
He takes notice of my warning
"Are you trying to draw them out, is this the idea?"
"Yes. Though it's been a little quiet since she killed one."
He looks over at Neah. "There's nothing to her. She really killed one?"
"Two." I mutter with a smile. "She used her claws to tear out the first's one heart. The second, she punctured it's heart.
I follow his gaze. Neah's eyes are closed and she is resting her cheek on my desk. I was worried about her, she hadn't eaten in days and even water was a struggle to keep down. Some of the others had noticed too. Though when they started asking questions, I shut them down.
I decide to give her a couple more hours. If she was still struggling, then she will be going back to the hospital.
"Fucking crazy." Roan mutters for what felt like the hundredth time. "They would stand a much better chance if they had their true Alpha in place."
"I know that. You know that, but for some reason, they think they know better."
"And that is why they are dying out." Roan chuckles. "No offence." He smiles at Neah, and then frowns. "Has she fallen asleep? You know that's not normal right?"
Checking over Neah, I move her from my desk chair to the sofa. She doesn't stir, completely out for the count.
"You should get her looked at."
"Raven says it's early pregnancy stuff."
"We both know that is not normal." Roan cocks an eyebrow at me
"She's a Lycan. None of us know what's normal. She doesn't even know what normal is as they lied to her her entire life."
"What about the witch confidant you use? Maybe she has knowledge on this."
"Madame Curie? She hasn't been seen in a while and no one has left the pack grounds."
"She's in my city."
"What? Why?"
"It's a long story. I can put in a call. But you and I both know she doesn't come cheap."
"Call her!"
He whips a phone out from his pocket and holds it up to his ear. I hear her the moment she answers. "Alpha Roan?" "You are requested at Black Shadow."
There's a pause before she answers. A long sigh echoes down the phone before she tells Roan that she is on her way.
"She responds to you?" I ask curiously when he hangs up.
"I caught her in a spot of bother." He smirks. "Let's just say I've learnt a thing or two from you over the years."
He rises to his feet and glances over at my sleeping mate. His eyes hover on her a little too long before he turns back to me. "I never thought I would see the day where you found a mate." "Neither did I. If anything happens to her......"
He smiles at me. "Oh I know, I've already made that mistake once. This world will never be the same. It's better to be on your side than against you."