Page 29 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

Clara gasps and yanks her hand from mine. The others don’t see the movement, but they do notice her reaction.

“Do you have a problem with this subject, Clara?” Nathan asks.

Clara shakes her head as red spots appear on her cheeks.

“Good,” George says. “It’s important for the strength of the pack that we have these matters in hand. When Cliff died, it was quite a blow.”

I look away at the mention of my father. The subject is too painful to think about right now. I admired him—I loved him, even—but his rejection of Clara made it impossible for me to ever really reconcile with him.

“So, Clara,” Jacinta addresses her again, wearing a catty smile, “just how many heirs do you think you can provide for Quartz Key?”

My thoughts slide quickly to how the heirs in question would come to be. I’m suddenly immersed in a sensory memory of Clara’s naked body under me, my hands sliding over her sweat-slicked skin as she wraps her legs around me and thrusts her hips against mine. I can hear her voice calling my name and taste her breath on my lips.

“Galen?” George says, looking at me suspiciously. “Are you listening?”

“Of course,” I snap, trying to drag my mind out of the bombardment of sexual thoughts. “We’re talking about future heirs to the line of Ramses.”

“You don’t seem to be taking it very seriously,” Nathan remarks.

Oh, I’m taking it seriously, alright. In fact, you have no idea how serious this is.

My eyes slide across to Clara, who has her head down, staring at her hands in her lap. Her cheeks are getting redder, and she obviously doesn’t want to look at anyone.

Even though I’ve tried to banish the images from my mind, my body isn’t getting the message. Heat starts to build in my core, and I can feel my pants getting tighter.

I should be tired after spending the whole night lying next to her, so fucking horny, I almost couldn’t breathe, so desperate to touch her. But my need for this woman is keeping me in a perpetual state of excitement.

“By all means, Clara, please tell us,” Jacinta says, cutting through my mental chatter.

I suddenly notice how uncomfortable Clara is. She’s not just mildly offended, but utterly mortified about trying to answer these questions.

“I wish I could give you an exact timeline,” I speak for her, silencing them with my hard tone. “But you are all perfectly aware of how slowly these things develop. Even if we begin to work on this immediately, it could be a couple of years at least until we produce another heir.”

I try to keep calm as I say the words, but I’m still hung up on the idea of producing another heir, right here and now.

How about right on the table? Let them watch! They might even learn something.

I can see George and Nathan getting ready to interject, so I raise my hand to silence them.

“With respect, I’m going to ask you to drop this subject now. I’ve answered your questions as best I can, and the point is null and void at the moment. We already have an heir of Ramses' blood, and that person is Nico.”

A deep silence follows, and I notice George fidgeting uncomfortably. Finally, Jacinta is the one to break the silence.

“We have heard that Nico is unstable,” she says with a cold smile. “There is no guarantee that he will develop into a suitable alpha. This is why we wanted to discuss this matter with some urgency.”

“Unstable?” Clara repeats, her voice low but hard. “What exactly are you implying?”

“I’m not implying anything,” Jacinta replies coolly. “I’m stating a fact.”

“Where exactly did you obtain these ‘facts?’” Clara asks. “You have evidence of this?”

“Do I need it?” Jacinta shoots back. “Are you going to deny it?”

Clara’s mouth sets in a hard line, and I can almost feel the waves of anger coming off her. “Nico is having some difficulties, yes, but he is anything but unstable. Now that he has the support of his father and his pack, he will overcome these challenges, just like any wolf in their first years of shifting.”

“Can you be sure of this?” George asks.

“I can be,” I cut in, giving George a hard glare. “Nico is my son, and in the couple of days we’ve been together, we’ve formed a deep bond. The boy has been without guidance for most of his life and is struggling because of it. The blame is not on him.”

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