Chapter 2
Roland
“Roland, is that you, son?” Roland heard as he strode down the hall to the sitting room that his father enjoyed being in because he said he felt closer to his mother there.
His father was sitting by the fire with his reading glasses on and put down the book he was reading when Roland entered.
“Father, how are you feeling today?” As if on cue, his father coughed.
“Much better, but now I have this cough medicine from Shea but am still having a bit of difficulty trying to shake it.” He gave a rueful smile.
“Back in my youth this cold would have been nothing, and now I can feel and see that I am getting old. After this mating season has passed and you have found your mate, I will hand over the reins to you and enjoy the rest of my time with my grandkids that you will be giving me.”
Roland flinched and then scoffed. “Only in your mind, Dad. You still look to be in your prime, and I know I have said this before, but you should maybe find someone to share your bed and spend time with. There is still a lot left in you to give to someone and to your people.”
“No, your people, you have taken over since I could not with the death of your mother. You are the ruler of Moonshadow in every way but ceremony, and everyone recognizes it as such. And you would have been already if you had a fated mate. This time there will be new females coming of age, and you will be able to find the one.”
His father said confidently, but Roland wasn’t sure; it had been several cycles now, and he still hadn’t found his true mate.
The newer females now were much younger than his thirty-five years, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle a young female as his mate.
Especially since now Emiyah and her twin sister were now due for that cycle, and if it turned out to be one of them.
He shuddered, not because they were not attractive, but because he watched them grow up, and the mess they would get into when they were younger would make a saint curse.
If he didn’t find his true mate soon, then eventually, he would settle with another and hope that someday they would produce an offspring before her heat cycle ended.
His thoughts went to Shea, the one person he should not want nor need in his life.
Her father had caused so much pain in their lives, but she’d been on his mind lately, especially since learning of the mystery shifters in the area, and seeing her in the hall today had awoken something in him that he didn’t like or want.
Shea was an attractive woman with her brown skin, dark eyes, and mass of curly hair that fell to her shoulders.
She was tall for a woman but reached only to his chin, slim where he liked his woman on the more cushiony side, and her bosom wasn’t bad, enough for his hands to cup.
He reflected that they would get bigger once he filled her with his pups.
Wait. He shook his head; it wasn’t going to happen.
Shea, it turned out, was one of those women who did not go through the heat cycle, at least she did not the first time, and if it didn’t come once, then it usually would not at all.
He felt pity for her. She was alone and an outcast except for the small band of friends she had been able to maintain.
As king, he would insist that she come back into the fold; it was time.
She’d paid her price for her father’s wrongdoing, and she was cursed to not be able to bear children as punishment for her being related to a monster.
Now to be forever unmated, but maybe she could find someone to warm her bed at night.
“Son, why are you growling? Are you okay? What happened at the meeting?”
“What? Oh yes, sorry, Father.” Roland wondered what was happening. He must be feeling the effect of the moon and the heat cycle upon him soon because the idea of her being someone’s bed wench didn’t sit right with him.
“The meeting went fine. The other clans, we discussed what has been happening with the mystery visitors that are in the area, and no one has reported any foul play, loss, or stolen items.” He moved to the table that held the spirits and poured himself a drink before turning and facing his father again.
“They have also seemed to have moved further away. We, as a collective, will keep an eye on them by each sending out scouts to track them, but it seems they were just curious.” Roland shrugged, but he still felt an unease in his shoulders that he couldn’t shake.
He had brought up his concern and had been ignored by the other clan leaders.
Just getting them to send a scout out was a bit of a fight, but he was finally able to convince them to listen so that they would not be taken off guard.
He didn’t share that news with his father because he didn’t want him to worry and go with the rest of the men to help, making his cough worse.
He was still going to have a small band patrol around for the next couple of days to make sure that they were indeed gone.
His father coughed again. “Dad, I can call Doctor Vickers to come and see you.”
“No, Son, he just got called to go to attend to an outbreak with the children at the Easyrun Clan.”
“Shit, what is it?” He paused with the amber liquid at his lips.
“It is the equivalent of what the humans call chickenpox. The children who are showing signs and the ones with the outbreak are quarantined for a couple of days, with Dr. Vickers monitoring them.”
“Shit, and I just met with their clan leader.” He started to feel suddenly itchy. Putting down his glass now.
“It’s okay, son; it’s not contagious to adults, just children, and they seem to have caught it in time. Nothing to worry about.”
His father broke out into a session of coughing, and Roland walked over to the water pitcher on the table stand, near the fire, and poured his father a glass of water.
His dad took it with thanks in his eyes, like his own.
“I will go and see Shea tomorrow and see what she can provide to ease the coughing better, Father.”
His dad frowned and then nodded as another coughing fit hit him. He drank more of the water, and it seemed to help ease it.
His father, King Ramsey, flopped back into the chair, and he took several deep breaths.
“How is Shea doing? Have you told her to come closer to the community? I don’t know how she can live all the way on the outskirts by herself. She reminds me of her mother. More interested in nature and her plants than people, it was a surprise when she mated with—”
His dad’s face turned into an angry mask, and his lips firmed in disgust. He loved his father, especially for the fact that even though he was grieving and angry over the loss of his fated mate, he never once blamed Shea for what her father had done, but despite that, the village could not forget the loss of their queen and placed the blame and anger on the only living person that could take their sorrow of loss, Shea.
He too, to his shame, was the same way as the rest of his people, and even the pain and sorrow in her brown eyes did not sway him.
He'd wanted revenge or at the very least to have her outcasted for her father's crime, but he was not the ruler and had to abide by his father’s decision.
Time began to heal his wound, and he no longer hated or despised her.
But seeing her all the time was a constant reminder of what he and his father had lost, and he was glad she lived on the outskirts.
His father had not taken another female Lycan to lie in his bed. His love for his deceased wife was still strong after all these years, and his father seemed happy to be alone, but sometimes, he could see the loneliness for his mate in his dad’s eyes, worrying him.
Roland hoped that with the upcoming heat cycle he would find his predestined mate and give his father something new to look forward to while he stepped down as the King of Lycans in the Moonshadow Clan.
He looked at his father sitting there, and despite everything that happened, his dad was still a virile and good-looking man.
The single women that were not mated and sometimes even the mated women would come by regularly to check on him in the hopes that they could share his bed, but his father paid them no mind.
Just nodded, smiled, and conversed until he could get them to the door and usher them out.
Roland could tell that his dad was milking his illness, making his coughing fits long and loud, deliberately making it sound worse than it really was so that he would not have to see the females in the village when they came by with food, to clean, or to check and see how he was doing.
His thoughts broke when he saw his father pull the quilted blanket up further onto his chest.
“Father, why don’t you turn in for the night and rest?”
His dad nodded and then rose to his impressive height, his muscles rippling underneath the PJ set he was wearing, and he began to fold the quilt over his arm.
Roland’s head turned to the side to get a better look. That quilt was new, and the images interwoven on it were spectacular, along with the color.
“Dad, where did you get that?”
“Oh, Fantasy dropped it off for me. Sweet girl.” A soft smile graced his handsome features, and his eyes held a bit of a sparkle to them. “She came by to check on me after the meeting and gave me this.” He raised it toward Roland.
Interesting.
“Oh, did you guys have a nice chat?” He moved closer to his father to see his expression.
King Ramsey frowned, giving him a look. “Yes, she stayed for a little bit, and we talked about what was happening with the mystery pack of Lycans in the area, and then she left, son. She is too young for the likes of me, and no one can compare to your mother.” His father warned in a stern voice before moving toward the door.
He turned. “Good night, Son. Don’t stay up too late worrying about the mystery pack; you cannot do anything right now until they make a move.”
Roland ran his hand through his hair. His dad knew him so well; he would be up late thinking.
He didn’t like when something was left uncertain, and he always wanted to take action.
They weren’t doing anything illegal or frightening, but he still had a feeling something was about to happen, and he would be at fault if someone got hurt, as he was their protector along with his father.
He strode to the back of the room and to a table, picking up the forgotten drink, tilting his head slightly back, and downing it in one swallow; the liquid warmed him, and he sat in the chair his father vacated.
His dad was right, and he and the other clans were taking precautions to make sure nothing happened.
His thoughts now turning to what was about to occur in a day or two.
The cycle was soon upon them, and he noticed he had been feeling agitated all day, and not just from his concern about the mystery Lycans, but his heart rate was increased, and his sense of smell and hearing were heightened.
He had picked up that some of the females had begun to feel the heat building; the rest of the eligible females would follow.
He gazed at the fire, his thoughts on one thing.
This time he was going to find his fated mate.