Chapter 35 It will not work
~Dagan’s POV~
Seeing Kael and the witch entangled in that position genuinely shocked me. The sight struck me with a force so sharp and so unexpected that it dragged up the realization of how lonely I had been and how unbearably sex starved I had become.
Valira was far away from me, and the absence of her warmth had begun to feel like a hollow ache in my bones.
I needed a release, not the brief satisfaction that came from stroking myself in the solitude of my room, but the deep, intoxicating satisfaction that came from burying my dick inside a warm and willing body. I craved the kind of heat that wrapped around me and made me forget everything.
While the thought settled into me and pulsed with need, I already knew who I wanted to use for that purpose. I was not absolutely certain it would work, not even close, but the idea had already taken root in my mind. I needed to try. I needed to test my chances. I needed to reach out and touch the possibility before it slipped through my fingers.
But before taking that step, I headed to the store to get the camera for Kael. My body still hummed with frustration, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand before walking toward her room.
After reaching the door, I lifted my knuckles and knocked.
She opened the door almost immediately. She said nothing. However, she raised one brow at me, her expression unreadable but clearly questioning my presence.
“Can I come in?” I asked her in a calm voice, forcing myself to sound collected.
She pulled the door wider and stepped aside without a word, allowing me to enter.
I walked into the room and closed the door behind me. “You really lost your temper back there,” I commented as the soft click of the latch echoed, but she remained silent.
She simply moved across the room toward one of the sofas before lowering herself onto it with restrained grace.
“Are you crying?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as I took in her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, the kind of redness that comes from emotions held in too tightly. Even though I did not detect any tears on her cheeks, something about her gaze told me she had been wrestling with more than anger.
“I am an Alpha. I don't cry for stupid reasons,” she said, her voice low and defensive.
I smiled and made myself comfortable on the sofa directly opposite hers.
“You do not have to pretend with me, Brenda. I know you are hurt. What happened out there wounded you deeply. You may force yourself not to cry, but you cannot force yourself not to hurt.” I fixed my gaze on her, watching the subtle tremor in her jaw as she fought the urge to break down in front of me.
“How could he do that? How could the Alpha of the strongest pack lower himself to sleep with a witch of all creatures? That is so low,” she complained, letting her pain escape in a rush of words. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes when she saw that I did not flinch or react with matching outrage. “Why is this not bothering you as much as it is bothering me?” she asked, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Oh, it is bothering me alright,” I said. “The reason I am not panicking is that I have already figured out what the problem is.”
She frowned and leaned forward slightly.
“You did?” she asked, her voice quiet but full of urgency.
I nodded twice. “Yes. I did.”
“What is it?” she demanded.
“I suspected this from the very first day we captured that witch. Even though everyone keeps insisting she is a basic witch, I believe she found a way to break through Alpha’s defenses, and what we just witnessed confirms it.”
She tilted her head and her frown deepened, her mind racing.
“Are you by any chance implying that…”
“I am not implying anything,” I replied, keeping my expression deliberately serious. “I am telling you what I am now certain of. Alpha is still immune to magic, that much is true. But we are dealing with a different kind of magic here, one that he is not immune to, and one he is already deeply entangled in. If we do not approach this carefully and with wisdom, we are going to lose him and everything we have fought for.”
“What do you suggest we do?” she asked.
“I like that question,” I said with an approving nod. “Now is not the time for us to act based on emotions. Now is the time to strategize and rescue our Alpha from the hands of the witch.”
“How do we do that?” she asked again, impatience rising in her voice.
I could sense her desperation, and I knew I needed to guide her attention exactly where I wanted it. I still needed to delay just a little more to ensure she fully swallowed what I was about to feed her.
“First of all,” I began as I adjusted my posture on the chair, “you must not mention what you saw tonight to anyone. Let me handle that part. Your role is crucial, and I do not want you to be on the receiving end of his wrath.”
She gave a small, barely noticeable nod. Her thumb brushed over her other fingers as she settled her attention entirely on me.
“Secondly, if he is already sleeping with her, which we strongly suspect he is, then she has already taken a place in his heart. A very important place. A place that should belong to you. If we do not take action soon, he will declare her Luna of Ironfang.”
Her face twisted in horror, as if I had just spoken the most disgusting idea imaginable.
“A witch cannot be Luna. That will never work,” she declared.
I shook my head slowly and offered her a sad, sympathetic smile.
“It will happen if we do nothing. That position belongs to you, Brenda. Many of us expect you to become Luna because we know you possess the strength and the quality to wear that crown. We cannot bear the sight of a witch in that role. Do not tell me you are giving up so easily.”
“It is not that I want to give up,” she said quietly. “But Kael already told me it will not work between us.”
“And you believe him?” I asked, raising a disbelieving brow. “That is not him talking. That is the witch speaking through him.” I allowed my expression to shift into a regretful, almost defeated look. “If it has already reached the point where he openly dismisses you, then the solution will not be an easy one.”
“If you know the solution, then say it. Stop circling around it,” she snapped. The Alpha energy radiated from her, sharp and growing. It was exactly what I needed.
“Fine. Since she has wrapped him around her finger, the only thing that can pull his attention away from her right now and break the spell is family,” I revealed.
She blinked in confusion. “I do not understand. What do you mean?”
“I mean that you have to get pregnant for Kael,” I said, dropping the words like a stone into still water.