CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO - ROSALIE
CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO - ROSALIE
Walking away from her right now feels like the hardest thing to do. I can feel it, the mate-bond. It’s calling to me too. Urging me to race up those stairs, to grab my mate and fuck her over and over until I’m out of semen entirely.
I glance at Aeron and I can see he’s feeling the same. We’re both on edge. We both need our mate.
And yet, we’re here. Stood outside the office. Knowing that for the next few hours we’re going to be hauled up, talking about treaties and defences and in reality a lot of things neither of us give a shit about right now.
“We could….” I say before I stop myself.
“No.” Aeron replies. “We can’t keep him waiting. And we have to do everything to protect her.”
I nod. He’s right. I know he is. Even when my body is screaming at me that he’s wrong. That we’re both wrong. That what we have to do is go and fuck our mate senseless.
Aeron growls. It’s low. But we both recognise it. The need. The want.
“Let’s get this over with.” He says as he pushes the door open.
Juan is stood in the middle of the room, his arms clasped behind his back as though deep in thought. When we walk in, he barely looks around.
“I take it your mate has been satisfied.” He says and we both realise that he knew exactly what was happening while we’ve kept him waiting.
Aeron smirks but I don’t. In this moment I feel like there’s a hidden threat.
“Relax, Alpha Cain.” Juan says. “While I may want your mate on an evolutionary level, I’m not such an animal as to act on it.”
I snort. At our base that’s exactly what we are. Animals. And we’re kidding ourselves to think otherwise.
“I could feel it.” He says. “I could feel the mate-bond between you all. And I could feel how her body especially was reacting to it.”
“What’s your point?” Aeron snarls.
“That while I’ll admit I’m envious of you, you have my word that I won’t do anything to break it. You have marked her. I don’t see there is room for any more discussion.”
Aeron grunts.
“So, you will help us in defending her?” I ask seizing the moment.
“Yes. But I have conditions.”
“And what are those?”
Juan smiles taking a seat on the couch and waits for us to join him. “Firstly, if Alpha Knox is taken out of equation, I want equal claim on his Pack’s lands.”
“Excuse me?” Aeron says.
“Come now.” Juan says. “We are not simpletons. The Supernatural Council can talk all it wants about treaties and peace but at the end of the day we know they are full of hot air and little action. If Knox makes an attempt to steal your mate, we both know you will not simply sit by and let it happen. You’ll fight, and in all likelihood, Knox will fall.”
“You think he is so weak?” I ask curiously. Knox isn’t weak. Despite his advanced years. He’s a forced to be reckoned with and a threat I won’t take lightly.
“Not weak but the maths doesn’t add up. If I support you, then we all outnumber him. And if he is removed, if he is killed, I want equal split on his lands.”
“Fine.” Aeron says.
“What else?” I ask because I can see he’s itching for more than just that.
“Your mate can produce Lycans.” He says leaning forward, his eyes gleaming and suddenly all my hackles are up, and my Wolf is threatening to come out. “I want a treaty between us. One of your Lycan pups will mate with one of mine.”
“What?” Aeron growls.
“It’s how we did things before. In the old days before the Council.” He says like we don’t remember it. Like fifty years ago was so long that our Elders don’t teach it. “If your line is turning to Lycans then it’s only fair that mine does too.”
“Fair?” I repeat as if the word makes no sense.
Aeron glances at me then back at him. “None of our pups will be forced into a mate-bond they don’t want.”
“It won’t be forced.” Juan says. “There will be an understanding. If you’re going to breed the girl as much as I know you will then you’ll have more than enough Lycan offspring for one of them to agree. Afterall, the Aurora Pack is a rich one, a powerful one. If we unite our children, then we could also unite our Packs. We could create one that oversees all the smaller Packs. That governs them.”
I fight the growl. I know what he’s trying to do and on paper it makes sense, but I won’t agree to something like this. I won’t simply sell out one of our future pups.
“Let us think on it.” Aeron says and my head spins in surprise.
Juan inclines his. “Do not take too long.” He states. “Even now Knox will be making moves.”
“Then perhaps as a show of good faith you will provide us with more protection.” Aeron replies.
Juan leans forward grinning. “I’ll see to it, Alphas.” He says getting up.
We wait in silence until we’re sure he’s gone and then I speak. “What the fuck was that?”
“I don’t like it any more than you do…”
“I won’t do it.” I state. “We’d be betraying our mate and more than that it would break Rosalie’s heart too.”
Aeron growls. “I know that. Do you honestly think I’d agree to something like that without consulting her first?”
My eyebrows raise. We’re so used to making decisions that I hadn’t considered he’d actually speak to her.
“We can take Knox.” I say.
“Yes, but it will be harder fight if it’s just us. I’d rather put the odds more firmly in our favour.” Aeron says.
I sigh sinking back into the chair. “I wanted her to be with pup already.” I murmur.
Aeron looks at me and nods. “Me too.” He says. “But did you see her face?”
“I felt it. I felt her reaction. She wanted it too.” I state, remembering the disappointment.
He smiles for a moment. “How do you want to do it?”
“Do what?”
“If Rosalie is not with pup yet, then we can ensure one of us impregnates her first. And then once she’s birthed our first litter the other can get her pregnant with theirs.”
“You want to be that prescriptive about it?” I ask smirking. It’s standard Aeron behaviour, planning it all out.
He shrugs. “I don’t mind. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s your pups or mine. As far as I’m concerned, their all our offspring, all our pups.”
“I agree. I don’t mind.” I say.
He smiles. “Then perhaps we need to not overthink this and simply enjoy our mate.”
“Now you’re talking, Aeron.” I say as he lets out a chuckle.