Unhappily Ever After

Chapter 29 - There are Consequences

Three million, two hundred thousand pounds.

It was more than I had been letting myself hope for. Less than my wildest dreams had imagined. There would certainly be enough to pay the raiders who were 'guarding' Kat, with seven figures left over. I whistled long and low. "That is a lot of money."

"They're mated," Tom told me in a duh tone. Kat wiped a speck of mud from Ebony's beak and said absolutely nothing. Her expression was shut off.

I knew Cornell was rich enough that three point two million was barely a slap on the wrist. He could have afforded a hundred times more. But, still, it was a high price to pay for a female who wasn't even his soulmate. As far as I could tell, he didn't even love her.

"You got a mate?" I asked Tom absently. He was in his mid-thirties, after all. As far as I could tell, most people had their mates by the time they were my age, let alone his. And having never seen him with a female, I was curious.

He shook his head.

"Girlfriend?" Kat tried.

She got another shake of the head, this time with a helping of amusement. There was clearly something we were missing.

I dared to ask, "Boyfriend?"

"No," he laughed. But there was a new, guarded edge to his voice. "I'm not interested."

"In males or females?"

"Neither. Both."

"Huh." I was slightly taken aback, I had to admit. Only seconds later, I was wondering why I had never considered that it could be possible not to have any interest in reproducing. And there was a certain defensive look in his eyes that made me wonder if people had given him shit for it in the past. Or perhaps failed to understand.

"So I guess you wouldn't want to settle down with anyone?" Kat asked, recovering first.

He shrugged. "Not in that way, no. But I wouldn't mind companionship, I suppose."

Because he was a wolf, and it was in his nature to be with other wolves.

I nodded along. "And kids?"

Tom was loosening, lowering those walls with every word that came out of his mouth. "Not fussed. I wouldn't mind having some about, I guess."

Kat's free hand went to her stomach automatically. I didn't think she even realised what she was doing. I watched the smile on her face fall away, leaving only worry and sadness. Ebony chattered away in crow speak, but Kat didn't seem to hear. Tom and I fell silent.

"Cornell won't want it," she whispered after a while. "What am I supposed to do?"

She smelled pregnant now. It had been driving my wolf to distraction, because he reckoned he needed to protect her at all costs, even though it wasn't my kid. Yesterday at lunch I had found myself growling at a ten-year-old for jostling her.

"Ivan will take the kid. He'll have to. And you can keep the little bastard with you," I told her.

"What if he wants me to..." Kat faltered. She wiped her eyes and chewed on her lip. "What if he wants me to get rid of it?"

And, finally, I understood the tears. I slipped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her towards me, wrapping her in a hug. "Then you'll call me, and I'll kidnap your pregnant ass all over again. For good, this time. And you can forget all about Ivan."

She laughed through a sob. Ebony squirmed in her hand, spooked by the noise. "It's not quite that simple, you know. You'll understand when you find your mate. The bond always wins in the end. You can only choose how long you fight it."