“The eastern defense formations will remain the same, then. What about the Alphas from neighboring packs? They all received the news of our alliance with the tigers… And of my marriage?” Hunter grumbled, but didn't look up from the papers in his hands as he spoke to Aiden and Felix, in the gardens at the back of the Calibur house.
“All messages were delivered from the Alphas in person, as you ordered, and fortunately, all couriers returned safely. Some of them said that certain Alphas expressed their desire to be invited to the ceremony.” Aiden cleared his throat “But… I think they will soon understand that what happened yesterday was not a matter of… Union between an Alphas and his Luna.”
“Are you sure the girl didn’t try to do anything yesterday?” Felix asked, suspiciously “Those dark circles make you look too tired and agitated for someone who should be ha
“What the fuck is going on here?” Hunter asked Belle, through gritted teeth.“We’re sorry, Alpha.” Cindy’s eldest daughter was the one who responded, leaning forward as a sign of respect to him, even though she was clearly not even seven years old yet “It’s all our fault. Our mommy brought us to work today because our father was busy and asked us to take care of Archie, but... We got distracted by playing hide and seek and when we finally found where he had gone after escaping from the basket where we left him sleeping, he was almost falling…”“Actually, they came to Cindy and me first, and we were in the same hallway as… The Valiant princess…” Belle said, as if she could still hardly believe her own words “The three of us went after them together and saw the baby placi
“You dirty dog…” Octavia's eyes turned gold and Hunter had the distinct impression that she would rip out Felix's insides right then and there, if her arms weren't already busy helping Corinne walk “Damn the day those invaders forced our pack to make an alliance with someone like you. At least, I know that our Alpha will give you what you really deserve, when he finds out what kind of treatment you have been giving his daughter…” “Feel free to join your coward Alpha, who would rather sell his own daughter than face his enemies alone.” Felix retorted, making the two tigresses bristle “You old kitten…” “That’s enough!” Octavia growled, now actually looking like she was about to transform “I’m going to make you swallow those words along with your ego…!” “Stop!” Corinne and Hunter said in unison, each to their own so
“For the glory of the Sun God, Corinne, if I didn't know you did this for a baby, I would be really mad at you…” Octavia growled, pacing the room as Corinne remained sitting on the bed, with her leg stretched out in front of the doctor who was examining her still painful ankle “And those damn wolves… How dare they treat you like that? Did they wish you would have let that poor cub break his head in that fountain? Just so they could accuse you of even more nonsense?” “I’m glad you’re not mad, Octa.” Corinne couldn’t do much but laugh “I would be very worried if you were…” “Don’t play with me, girl. I'll still rip that old wolf off when I get the chance, don't think so. No one offends my Alpha and his children in front of me, especially not you.” the tigress snorted, and Corinne could almost see smoke coming out of her head, as she continued to growl, furious “
Corinne had grown up with escorts and soldiers following her everywhere, even in the country house where she had spent much of her childhood. Had she really imagined that she would be free of this when she was married? Because, at that moment, as she walked around her husband's property, pretending not to see the almost ten wolves that followed closely behind her, that old hope seemed simply ridiculous. The only difference was that in Valiant she used to be an escort to be protected, and here she was clearly being followed as if she were a criminal about to attack someone. As much as she was used to it, sometimes it could be terribly... Uncomfortable. “It feels like we're being led to our execution…” Octavia complained under her breath “What the hell do you want to do out here, anyway? I could have brought anything you wanted straight to your room and avoided
“This is Opal.” Isabelle appeared beside her before Corinne could even turn around “She used to be a rebellious colt, but not to this degree, until she managed to escape into the fields during a rainy night in a lightning storm destroyed several of the properties, including part of this stable. We found her months later, pregnant and extremely indocile. We had no choice but to bring her back. She was raised indoors, after all, we didn't think she would be able to survive much longer alone outside. However, she doesn't seem to be enjoying being back in her bay very much. She has attacked everyone who comes close and the majority of the pack considers her a threat. As far as I know, there are some discussions among animal breeders about euthanizing her…” “What? Why…?!” Upon realizing that she had spoken here too vehemently, Corinne struggled to bury her emotions, as always “I mean… What is the need to do something like that to a young, healthy mare? Maybe there is more than one baby in
“All right, Opal, you’re getting a one in a million chance today, so behave yourself, will you?” Corinne murmured to the mare, patting her back as she slowly guided her toward the outside of the almost completely deserted barn “This is our chance to prove to everyone that you're not just waiting for the right moment to destroy this entire pack, so make the most of your freedom. Especially since your roommates should be back from pasture in just a few hours, if the plans James told me go as expected.” Snorting almost as if she could understand her advice, Opal trudged to a trough full of water near a tree, drinking there while Corinne finished brushing her back fur, careful not to agitate her by accidentally touching her belly. She was very proud of how Opal had evolved in the last few days that she had been responsible for taking care of her, although, Corinne had to admit, she was the most temperamental
“And, again, we found no trace of the invaders in the forest.” Aiden sighed “Whoever they are, they know very well how to cover their tracks, but we gonna keep looking. At least the tigers' entry into patrols has helped us better protect the borders. We have not had any further reports of invasion, not even in the most remote regions.” “That's good…” Hunter grumbled, trying hard to focus on what Aiden was saying, though his eyes continued to move toward the window of his office, hoping to perhaps meet a certain pair of turquoise eyes outside. “It’s great, isn’t it?” Jennifer celebrated nearby, sitting in one of the armchairs near his desk as she always did when she insisted on attending his meetings, although that day he was too lost in thought to pay attention to her “This means that soon this alliance will no longer be necessary, it is not? Everything will
“You promised me that nothing would change after she got here, but now it seems like you don't think about anything other than her! Even when you look at me, it seems like your mind is with her!” “I promise you I wouldn't allow anyone to be in danger while she was here. Furthermore, I have already made it very clear that what happens in my temporary marriage is not a matter you should be concerned about.” Hunter grunted, starting to lose his patience “But since you're clearly still not capable of understanding this, go to your room and let us work. I am busy." “Now it’s always like this! You are always busy for me!” she whimpered “I bet you wouldn’t even care if she killed me right now, before your eyes…” “Do what the Alpha says and go to your room, Jennifer.” Isabelle advised “Before you say something you might