Page 4 of Forced Pregnant Mate

After a ton of meetings and a big party held at the foot of Dallas Peak, we considered the alliance to be solid, but over the last few months, we’ve heard little from them and the elders look concerned.

I don’t want to think about this.

I enjoyed the trips to Silverton. I wanted to be in support of the alliance, but there are a few bad elements amongst them I couldn’t reconcile. There were also some very good things that kept me in full favor of it.

“It’s true, I don’t like the quiet,” Bailey says. “They don’t want to run patrols with us anymore. I haven’t seen any of their pack members in town. They accepted our help for a hunt a couple of weeks ago but didn’t reply when I called to ask if they would join us.”

Dane looks surprised. “They didn’t answer at all?”

Bailey shakes his head. “I haven’t spoken directly to Decker Malcolm in about two months. I do occasionally get replies from their other council members.”

A disgruntled mutter rumbles around the table. A pack alpha not responding to the call of another alpha is just downright disrespectful.

Bae runs a hand through his hair, and I can see him try to stifle a yawn. It’s no surprise that he’s had trouble staying on top of this. Since he and Gina welcomed little Natalia into the world, Bae has barely had a moment to scratch himself.

“Well, the fact is, it looks like there is some kind of conflict going on within the Decker Pack,” Sasha says. “If we can’t contact the alpha, then we have no idea what’s going on in there.”

“And any move could be seen as a potential threat,” Bae mutters.

“This is what I’ve been saying,” Carson says. “So far, the two packs have not actually allied for any real cause. There was a lot of handshaking and verbal agreements, but nothing that would truly bind us together as sisters and brothers.”

Bae rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, I agree. After the big party, I don’t think we interacted with each other at all, although Kelta did encounter their scouts, and all was friendly.”

“I’ve gotten together with some of the older women,” Sasha says. “But the last time was a few months ago. They were going to do a bake sale and knitting circle type thing, but it fell through.”

“I bet Carla was all over that,” Bae laughs. Sasha grins.

“She sure was. She was going to drag the aunts over there and everything.”

“The longer I look at this, the worse it gets,” Seth shakes his head. “We went to a lot of effort to secure the alliance, mostly meeting in their territory. Since then, they’ve made no move to actually join in and support us, and our own efforts are being ignored.”

“Really bad form to insult pack matriarchs,” Dane agrees.

Bailey raps on the table hard. “Okay, Carson. Are you really worried about the Mt. Wilson Pack? Do you want us to gather up forces and possibly move in there, even if it’s just to check up on them?”

Carson shakes his head. “I don’t think it’s that important. I just wanted to make the point that an outside threat was what prompted us to reach out for an alliance in the first place, and now it looks like we’ll have no support if we need it.”

Bae nods, turning to Sasha. “Why do you say there’s conflict in the Decker Pack?”

“Well,” she says, frowning. “Nothing concrete. Just that there have been minor disputes in elder families. They are all pretty tight-lipped about it. It’s just that some resource control can’t be covered. I almost think that’s why the women’s circle got shut down—so we don’t end up talking too much.”

“But if they are having issues, why don’t they talk to us?” Seth asks in exasperation. “Isn’t that the whole point of being allied with another pack—so we can help each other?”

“This is exactly the problem,” Bae says, his voice firm and clear. “If they can’t trust us to help when they need it, the alliance is a sham. We need something better than our word to go on. I want to prove to them that we are in this together. Any ideas?”

Silence falls around the circle. Bae looks around expectantly, but no one says anything. This isn’t the awkward silence that comes from nobody knowing what to say—it’s the opposite. All of them are thinking the same thing.

What might that be?

“Marriage,” Carson says, shattering the hush. “We need a marriage.”

Bailey looks surprised, but the others are all nodding in agreement.

“I agree that it’s a good idea,” Bae says. “But I really don’t think—”

“Bae,” Sasha says gently. “This is something that has been done between packs for as long as our history goes back. I know that the idea of an arranged marriage can be a confronting idea, but if both packs agree, it truly does bring both sides together.”

“And not just for the short term, either,” Seth says. “For a lifetime. Once they have children, the families all mingle, and the kids grow up knowing both sides of their family as one pack.”

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