Chapter 37

Duncan was a little alarmed at what Adira had done; he wasn't sure how to approach the subject. He was also not entirely sure if he wanted to know—his sweet little wolf, who was all that was understanding and kind, just poisoned a man to death.
Letting out a big sigh, he opened the door to their chambers. Adira was there waiting for him; she patted the seat on the sofa next to her. She had been waiting for him and knew that he would want answers without consulting with their wolves.
He sat down on the opposite side of the sofa and patted his lap; she laid her head down where he wanted—playing lightly with her hair and tracing the outside of her ear.
"Tell me, my little wolf, why did you do it?"
"Oh, Duncan. I realized that it was his punishment for what he did. After talking with him, I realized that he was so corrupted. That is why I gave him the poison, I brought it with me, but I wasn't sure if I was going to use it. He confirmed it with his answers to my questions."
"I got the poison in Alfred's room; he had two boxes. One was potions; the other was poisons. I took out the one with my name on it. "Spare.”
"He had poisoned with your name on it. That evil old turd, I should go and kill him again."
"I think he was hoping not to use it; I think it was his backup plan should things not go the way he wanted."
"Anyone who thinks that killing someone because they are different or not high enough of a class, are unhinged. These are dangerous people. First, they start with one or two, then before you know it, entire populations."
"He knew that I was carrying our pup; he would have murdered not only me but also our pup. I didn't want to leave here, not knowing for myself that he was dead. I couldn’t let him take his sweet time to do it; if he knew I had poisoned his food, he would refuse to eat.”
"Enough about that evil turd; let’s talk about what will be coming in two weeks."
Duncan sat in silence for a little bit and decided that he liked knowing that Adira had an edge if pushed too far to protect herself and her family. He wasn’t sure if it would have been just Adira’s life that Alfred tried taking. She might have done nothing, but even if she won’t admit it to herself, he threatened their pup—something no mother will tolerate.
“Little wolf, you are not due for another month and a half; what else could there be?"
"Christmas, you silly!”
"I have never had one; I was always in the attic and was not allowed to show my face. So, I want a Christmas; I want everything to do with Christmas. Everything, leave nothing out."
Duncan got a sad look on his face.
"What is it, Dun? You don't want Christmas?"
"Don't be a silly little wolf; I was sad because before all this crap started, we were starting to plan our wedding."
"I know, my love; I just thought we would do something simple and have a party or something. However, now that I think about it, I don't want to compromise. So how about we have a Christmas wedding?"
“I will have all the other Christmas celebrations I want later in the future with you and our pups.”
"We will have the wedding and dinner celebration here, and then we are going home to our pack to have our party. I want to spend some time with you there and have our pup. Can't deprive the pack of its Alpha and Luna for too long."
"I am not sure what the King has in store for the future, but I know it will take him some time to set things in motion. I am taking that time to get to know and be with our pack; you barely met any of the pack members. You are their Luna, after all."
Duncan was done talking; he wanted his mate all night long. He had already ordered their dinner brought to them. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up. Turning her around, reaching her front, he began to undo the buttons on her blouse.
She moved to help him, but he stopped her. Whispering in her ear.." I want to go slow; I want this to last all night long."
His lips slowly made their way down her neck to his mark; he licked it and nipped it, driving her insane with pleasure. He held her back tightly to him and massaged her breasts; he started to suck on his mark like giving her a hickey.
She gave out a high-pitched wail and a moan as she reached her climax; she would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't held her upright.
He turned her to face him once again, she started to undress him, but it wasn't fast enough. He ripped off his shirt and pants. Standing naked before her, he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
She crawled up it till she was on her hands and knees. Duncan wasted no time; he came up behind her and entered her in one slippery naked thrust. He tossed his head back and let out a howl. He was home. She was his. He was hers. Perfect.
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He stood in the middle of what used to be The Rising Moon pack. Now it is nothing but burnt grass and ash. He was furious. He at first thought that piece of shit shifter packed up and left. This was different, though; this looked like annihilation.
Everything was gone; he sensed movement off to his right just inside the forest line. He didn't know who it was, but he ran back to his car, driving off in a hurry. Just what he fucking needed, he has a shipment due in two weeks. He could get the females anywhere if it were just the average pervert.
These guys were scientists, and they wanted shifters. They wanted werewolves, werebears, and werecats. It didn't matter. As long as they were shifters, they would pay a premium price.
He wasn't sure where to go to get more; he would have to find his initial contact, which wouldn’t be easy. This shifter was a ghost; you would not see him if he didn't want to be seen. He also knew that at least one stronger group of weres nearby because of all the damage done to Rising Moon.
He will have to locate that pack and send in a team to harvest some of them.
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When his cell went off, Jack was fueling up and getting some snacks at a gas station for the road. It was one of the guards he left at what was left of the Rising Moon pack. He reported that they had a late-night visitor. He didn't stay long enough to look at him, but they did get his license plate number.
Jack hung up; it seemed the third player would come out and play. He knew that Alpha Michael wasn't acting alone. He had the prince to finance it all, and Michael took care of acquiring the products. That left distribution of products.
Jack knew that it wouldn't be easy to find the one shipping the products. They were never easy to find because of all the paperwork and programs they hide behind. By the time you see them all, Shell companies and fake addresses would have already made twenty more.
Jack hoped that this third wheel would stay away, no such luck. When shit rolls downhill, it takes the whole outhouse with it. He would have to call in all kinds of favors to get this guy.
He would have to tell Duncan when he could, let him know that one more turd was still floating in the bowl.
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Duncan had just gotten the text from Jack about the third guy involved. How was he going to tell Adira this? It's going to ruin everything. He let out a few swears into the air.
Adira came into the room with concern written all over her face.
"What is wrong, Duncan?"
"Well, I just got some bad news from Jack; he texted to tell me that there is yet one more idiot to deal with. The one that took care of shipping everything and finding new clients for Alpha Michael."
"Adria didn't look happy, and that was the last thing that Duncan wanted; even Apollo was pissed. He didn't like anyone near Adira since she became pregnant, and now he wants to kill things."
"I've talked to Marco; we leave here in three days, just long enough to have our little wedding and pack up. Marco will be sending a boatload of pack warriors to escort us home. My sister is on her way here right now, so she can be part of the wedding. Then she will be with us as we travel."
"Everything is ready to go, Duncan; we have everything we need for the wedding, including that I had to alter my dress."
"The King sees to all the arrangements and the license. He will have a dinner banquet in honor of our marriage; there will also be a few royals but no one else."
"The King is still paranoid about who he can and can't trust. He also says he has a surprise gift for us too. Everything is ready to go for tomorrow night."
With that all said, they cuddled next to each other in bed; Duncan had his hand over Adira's abdomen, protecting their pup.
"I love you, Adira."
"I love you, Duncan."
Adira put her hands over Duncan’s.
“We love you, our little pup.”