Chapter 32

That’s the thing. The only thing holding me back is the fact that she’s pregnant.

His wolf hummed quietly, silently urging his human counterpart to continue.

I know you’re fine with raising a child that isn’t our own, but I don’t feel the same way. Marcellus huffed and ran a hand down his face, his eyebrows knitting together as he thought long and hard, momentarily forgetting that he wasn’t alone. As much as I want to accept her and live a lovely and fruitful life together, I know that I’m going to wake up one day and end up resenting her for starting a family without us. For not waiting for us. I know I’m going to resent that child because it’s not my own.

I thought we’d already established the fact that she’s human and so had no idea that somehow, she would end up with a mate. His wolf growled in frustration.

You don’t think I don’t know that already? He growled back at his wolf. I know that this isn’t her fault and that she would have no idea that she would end up with a mate, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s having a baby that isn’t ours.

She didn’t know!

I know she didn’t know, but this is just the way I feel! Marcellus groaned in frustration and for the first time since his mother had passed away a few years ago, he suddenly felt the urge to cry. But this time more so from frustration than pain and sadness, though it wasn’t far off. You don’t think I want to live happily with her? You don’t think I want a mate? Of course, I do and you know that! I want for everything to be okay and to tell her the truth about us being mates, but I can’t stop feeling this way.

Marcellus more so felt his wolf frown rather than saw it

Do you think this is something that will pass with time? His wolf asked quietly, holding his breath as he clung onto the last bit of hope that he had.

Maybe. He rubbed a hand down his jaw. It’s just too bad that time is the one thing that we don’t have.

His wolf groaned in appearance and dropped himself to the ground before throwing his paws over his eyes, almost as if trying to block out the unfortunate situation that there appeared to be no escape from.

“Mars?”

When Dalton called out to him, Marcellus blinked to snap out of his mate-infused daze only to find his friend and Beta watching him with clear concern shining in his dark eyes.

“What are you thinking?”

Marcellus sighed and pressed his head back against the headrest of his chair, blinking up at the ceiling as he attempted to reign in his emotions.

“I’m thinking a lot of things right now.”

“Like?” Dalton prompted gently, hoping that his friend would finally open up to him.

“I can’t really talk about it.” He murmured quietly, his lips pulling down at the corners into a melancholy smile, one which he couldn’t shuck off regardless of how much he tried to, if only to keep up appearances.

“I’m really worried about you, Mars.” Dalton frowned deeply as he sat back and stared at his friend, his eyes not wavering once, genuine concern and worry shining in the dark pools of his eyes. “There’s so much on your plate right now with the pack and the business, and now with the added stress of the council breathing down your neck and trying to pressure you into taking a mate, I just really worry about you.”

“I know, Dal.” Marcellus sighed, smiling softly. “I genuinely appreciate you as a friend and I understand your concern, but it just feels like everything is out of my hands right now and I can’t really talk about it all.”

Dalton nodded respectively, though the frown remained on his face.

“But what I can talk to you about is what we’re going to do about the council’s threats.”

“Can’t we talk to your dad? He’s on the council too and is a former Alpha. Do you think there’s anything that he can do?”

Marcellus shook his head. “I know that dad isn’t happy about it but there’s just one of him and eight of them. From what he told me, it doesn’t sound like the others agree with him and even if he does manage to get a few of them on board, he would need to get majority vote which isn’t looking very likely right now.”

“This is so fucked up!” Dalton released a frustrated groan, his lips curling down into a nasty scowl. “It’s been ten years and you haven’t found your mate. What makes them think that you’ll be able to do in two months what you couldn’t do in the years?”

“That’s exactly what I said to him but it appears that the don’t give a flying fuck about anything other than me having a mate and the pack having a Luna by the end of the two months.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Dalton watched him carefully, the lack of surety shining in his eyes as they not once wavered from Marcellus’ hazel orbs.

Marcellus nodded. He hated to admit it, but he nodded.

“We’re going to have to start looking for a choice mate.” He mumbled, a horrific chill running down his spine at even the thought of mating with a female that was not his moon destined mate. Especially since he knew exactly where his actual mate was. “If I don’t have a mate by the end of the two months, they’re going to take the pack away from me.”

“Can they even do that?”

“I have no idea.” He admitted honestly as another frustrated groan passed his lips. “But with the amount of power and influence that they have over the werewolf world, it’s a risk that I’m not willing to take.”

“Do you want me to start spreading the word?” Dalton dared to ask, mumbling the words as he believed in wolves waiting for their mates, especially since the Moon Goddess had paired them together. While he didn’t judge those wolves that chose to live life with choice mates, especially since in some cases, wolves were able to go a whole lifetime without ever meeting their mate, he judged the council for trying to force this lifechanging decision on Marcellus just because they suspected that he could possibly lose his mind in the future from having lived so long without a mate.

“No, but it appears that I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Just think about it.” Dalton hummed quietly as he rose to his feet, knocking back the rest of his coffee. “This time in two months, you’ll have a mate and the Lupum Griseo pack will have a Luna again.”

Marcellus murmured his agreeance but mostly chose to keep his mouth shut as he was unable to voice aloud the fact that he already had a mate but had no idea what he was going to do with her.

If only she wasn’t pregnant with another man’s child. Perhaps things wouldn’t be so difficult then.