Page 5 of The Alpha's Sold Pregnant Mate

“I know,” Asher replied, massaging his eyeballs, “They…they say we need fresh blood to solve this problem.” He poured himself another drink.

“Fresh blood?” Callahan asked, “You mean someone who is not part of your Pack, who is unaffected by the witches’ curse?”

Asher nodded affirmatively and ordered a refill. “Keep 'em coming, alright!” He said to the bartender with his pitcher raised in the air.

“Well, you could do a cross-marriage. That should work,” Blake suggested.

“Yeah, like Blake and Eleanor or me and Josie…” Callahan said. “You know, like the rest of us.”

“I wish it was like that, I really do. But it's not,” Asher replied.

“What do you mean?” Rowan asked.

“Well, you see… They say it's fresh blood that we need—”

“Yeah, we got that part loud and clear,” Fannar interrupted his response, “What we don't get, though, is why the cross-marriage wouldn't work.”

“Oh, it'll work,” Asher replied.

“Okay, now I'm confused.” Callahan sipped his drink.

“What are you talking about, Asher?” Xander asked.

“They believe it's human blood that we need. Blood that has nothing supernatural in it.”

“Human blood…” Atticus’ eyebrows rose in surprise.

“I'm sorry, did he just say ‘human blood’? Because it sounded a lot like that's what he said,” Callahan whispered to those closest to him.

“Yeah, he said that,” Fanner replied with the same tone.

“Okay,” Callahan said and turned to Asher, “Are you kidding me right now?” His voice was very audible this time, a testament to his disbelief.

“Nope, I'm very serious,” Asher replied. “That's what they proposed to me.”

“Well, how the hell are you going to get a human to agree to marry you?” Blake asked.

Asher sighed, “This is where it gets tricky. They want me to kidnap a woman from one of the neighboring towns.”

“Kidnap?” his friends asked in unison, and he gave a subtle nod.

“That's just crazy, man,” Xander said.

“I know.”

“We've heard the stories about how the Ghostbound wolves used to kidnap human women, but that was all we thought it was, you know, stories,” said Rowan.

“Well, clearly, it's not. We used to do that—I know it's barbaric—but we used to do that to suppress the curse and also procreate,” Asher replied.

“But you stopped.” It was supposed to be a question, but Callahan's words came out as a statement.

“Yeah. Yeah, we did, when we started to evolve with the rest of the world and realize the cruelty of taking people like that,” came the response. “We stopped for a long time because the Wards were still strong, Apiana's tree was alive, and the charms were working.” As he spoke, his voice rose and fell rhythmically. “None of those are working now. So, it looks like we have to go back to the old ways.”

“Wait, you're not seriously considering kidnapping a human woman, are you?” Blake asked.

“No. No, I'm not. I'm just going to find a human woman who would willingly come with me.”

His friends snickered at his statement, and Callahan said, “Good luck with that.”

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