And although Tieran can control his wolf better than most, there are certain desires in life that we can’t deny. No matter how hard we may try.
“Tieran’s afraid his inevitable need to procreate will destroy me, and thereby destroy us.” I know better. I’ve told him I’ll be fine. But it’s the clan leader’s responsibility to do what’s best for his circle. And Tieran will always put our needs above his own.
Which is why he’s stuck in this conundrum.
“He has a duty to the pack to create an heir,” I say. “But he has a duty to his clan to keep us sane, too. He’s trying to figure out how to do both.”
“And me being unable to go into a true heat is the crux of it all,” she murmurs.
“We don’t know that yet,” I remind her. “You only just met your wolf for the first time. It may take years for you to fall into a proper estrus, or it could be a matter of days. All I know for sure is, you’re ours.”
I kiss her again, allowing her to feel the promise from my lips.
But I can sense some of her hesitation, the concern that she won’t be enough. “I would never hurt a child,” she says against my mouth, her tone adamant.
My brow furrows as I pull back to stare down into her fiery gaze. “Of course you wouldn’t. Omegas are naturals with children. It doesn’t matter who the mother is, an Omega is instinctually prone to care for the young. It’s another trait that makes them so unique and cherished among our kind.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Then how could Tieran think I would threaten the sanity of our clan by harming another Omega’s child. It would still be his child. I would never do that.”
Ah, I think. “You’ve misunderstood what I meant. He’s worried about how I will react to him taking another Omega when he has a mate. He’s concerned it’ll trigger me. Not to mention what it’ll do to you. Omegas are possessive of their Alphas. You may not feel it yet, but you will when we claim you.”
“Not possessive enough to hurt an innocent child,” she repeats.
“No, you would never do that,” I agree, softening my voice and adding a little purr. “As I said, Omegas love children. Even Gemma is affectionate toward me, despite our fractured bond and whatever my father did to her during his rut. She’s still soft, never cruel. She’s just distant.”
“I wouldn’t be distant. Not if it’s Tieran’s child.” She sounds adamant, almost angry by the concept of disrespecting an innocent. “Nantahala males take harems, Volt.” She presses her finger to my lips, silencing my rebuke to that. “I understand that’s not how things work among your kind—our kind—but I wasn’t raised with Carnage Wolves. I was raised to accept the wills of men.”
My teeth grind together, not liking the way that sounds at all.
“It may not be right,” she continues. “And I may hate it. No, I do hate it. The very thought of sharing any of you has my wolf wanting to commit murder. But under the right circumstances, I think I could accept it. That’s what I’m saying.”
“You won’t have to,” I promise her. “And I don’t think Tieran will ever allow you to accept it, either.”
“From what you’ve both said, he doesn’t have a choice,” she points out.
“Ah, but he does,” I say. “He could abdicate.” It’s a potential scenario none of us have mentioned, but it’s one I know Tieran is thinking about. “He doesn’t have to be the Black Mountain Pack Alpha.”
It’s what he’s been groomed for, what we’ve all been striving for.
But he could choose his clan over duty.
It may not be the best choice. It may not even be a good choice. But it’s still an option.
“I will never let him do that,” Clove vows, making me smile.
“Which is why you’re our mate,” I tell her. “It’s only a matter of time, Clove. You’ll…” I trail off as my inner wolf perks up, going on alert.
I look at the door, finding it empty. But a hint of peppermint touches my nose
Fresh peppermint.
“Caius is here.” Which can’t be good. If he’s here, then something has happened. I scent the air, noting the influx of new scents—scents that are not typical around this estate. “And he’s not alone.”
I push off the bed, searching for my jeans.
“We need to go downstairs,” I tell Clove. “Right now.”