Chapter 7

67 14 2
                                    

I'd barely walked in the door when Gus approached. It was a new day, and I held a lot of hope for something less problematic than the previous days. Naturally, I was wasting my time.

"We got a dead wolf notice from Dark Claw. The Alpha is looking for his son and thinks he's here."

"And hello to you too."

He frowned, which earned a huff from me.

"Have you checked with Konrad or Ezra to see if they got one, or are you just assuming that they think we're going to do something dastardly like take over their land?"

Pulling out my phone, I gave Gus a smug smile as I rang Konrad.

"I am almost finished packing."

"That is not surprising. I rang because we received a dead wolf notice for Dark Claw's Beta. Did you get one?"

"Not as yet. I will let you know if we do."

"Thanks."

I said goodbye, watching as Gus shook his head and turned to the stairs. Alec gave me a shrug and returned to restocking the fridge.

Following Gus up the stairs, I found the rest of my Betas sitting at the long table as if they were expecting a meeting to happen.

"We cannot accept this." Gus grumped. "Konrad said he hasn't got one."

Frank shrugged as if it didn't matter.

"It is clear that the Alpha is doing a sweep of the clans. We don't know that he started with us. For all we know, he could have sent something to Iron Fang first. Unless you plan on ringing the other clans, you'll never know. As for accepting it, you are correct in saying that we can't. We have already created the temporary agreement. He's in our land and it is the end of it. The issue that we face is that we have to travel through their land so we must be careful with the steps that we take. It would seem that now is the appropriate time to send the indifference notice."

I frowned, wondering where I had left my notebook. I'm almost positive that Frank mentioned it. When did he say something about indifference? Hearing a chuckle, I stopped searching and looked at Frank.

"You forget too easily. Perhaps we can blame the young wolf, hmm?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I'd heard that baby brain was a real thing, and that's why I had my notebook. It would be alright if I knew where I'd left the book.

"It means we shut down all transfers until we're done with the Blood Moon transfer. You don't need to worry about Konrad, the Beta or his partner. They are all covered under the temporary agreements. I would also recommend that one of us contacts the government to ensure that they received the agreements before we send the notice."

Charlie nodded, rising from his seat.

"I'll start the document," Stanley muttered.

"The beauty of this is that the Dark Claw Alpha will not have an answer regarding his son, at least in the temporary sense. Once they've got acceptances from the other packs, he will figure it out. Perhaps you could ask Konrad and Ezra to hold out for as long as possible? We certainly will be."

Finding a chair, I eased myself into it. The struggle was watched by everyone, and when I looked down, I saw the belly.

"Charlie, find out how long they're going to be with that Blood Moon approval. Tell them that our Alpha is pregnant and likely to give birth sooner than we'd like."

He nodded, and Frank gave me a firm stare.

"I'm going to be perfectly clear here, Megan. That child needs to be born under this roof. If there is even a hint of you going into labor, you will not be going with us."

I sighed, reluctantly agreeing with a nod. There was no choice in this.

"Okay," Charlie said as he stood from the desk. "They said they would rush through the approval and we should have it by tomorrow. They have received the agreements but they don't know anything about the dead wolf notice."

"That is rather odd," Mick offered. "Were they sure it wasn't misfiled or sitting on someone's desk?"

"No, this was the guy that sits next to the machine. He sees everything that comes out of it. There also haven't been any acceptances come through either."

"He knows," I interrupted. "We're going to travel through his land, and this guy will know we're there and that we're hiding his son. If he doesn't suspect a coup, then he's an idiot."

"Agreed, but he knows the rules and we will remain vigilant. If he attacks, then we will gain his territory as punishment. It is a risk that the sensible would not be willing to take."

That didn't make me feel any better.

Smoothing my hand over my stomach, I got the feeling that this kid was going to come out early. There might be a chance that there was more than one in there, which would make the mound understandable, but I don't think it was the case. This baby was clearly created at the Midnight Festival or maybe in the bathroom at the Jade Palace. The other interactions were too close to create a child this active. That meant that my time was running out.

"Frank is right. There might be a chance that I won't be going with you to Blood Moon land. I think that we need to plan this with the belief that I won't be there."

The Betas looked at me with a mixture of emotions showing on their faces. Disappointment, fear, and anxiety.

"If I can go, then it will be a bonus but we all know the rules about the birth of Alpha. We cannot risk the future of this pack just so that I can attend a meeting several hours north of here."

"Agreed," Gus responded. "We could try a video call if you'd like to speak with the pack members."

"That sounds great. Just make sure that the government is aware of what is happening. I don't want any hiccups that could ruin the legitimacy of this takeover. Now if you will excuse me, I have to waddle to the bathroom."

Gus helped me stand, giving me a warm and thoroughly amused smile. As I slowly walked out of the room, I looked down at my stomach.

"I swear it's like you're getting bigger by the minute."

My hand brushed over my stomach again, and this time, I felt a limb push against the wall of the womb. It made me smile and I began to wonder why I protested so loudly about this. Sure, it was rough on my body but I was loving every single moment of this journey.

BetaWhere stories live. Discover now