Page 4 of All for the Beast

The ship was a bit over half done, with the bottom of the boat having been completed and moved from the shipyard into V’s private pier. The steel for the top half was being cut and would soon be lowered into place by a massive crane, sliding the two gargantuan pieces together perfectly.

V had worked closely with the engineers, and though he wasn’t one himself, he felt he possessed enough knowledge to give advice. He would make notes during his walkabout and speak to the men and women later.

But Tarvos seemed to be in a chipper mood that morning. V wondered if his father had put him up to the task.

“What do you really want?” V said, writing notes on his clipboard. “I know you don’t give a shit about this thing, so what is it? Fess up.”

Tarvos scrunched his nose like a five-year-old, then crossed his arms. His hair was a mix of blonde and brown, his eyes the same dazzling shade of blue and green as his own.

“I think you know for a fact that I do give a shit,” Tarvos said. “I’m the one that helped you pitch all this to the king, remember?”

V scoffed, turning back to the vessel.

“You’ve done your part,” V muttered. “Now, you can let me do mine.”

Tarvos sauntered around V, the sound of the water washing up beneath the ship a sign of troubled seas. Tarvos was building up to something. V knew his friend down to the bone of his essence.

“I think the real question, V, is, what doyouwant?”

There it was. V and Tarvos often had a playful manner of bantering, but Tarvos was much more able to let things go and keep topics light. V had the tendency to take things personally too quickly, and it was usually Tarvos who was the one backing down, leaving his friend to sulk and gather his bearings.

V had become aware of this facet of his personality, and he felt it at that moment when Tarvos posed the question that came with an assortment of threads.

“Not now, Tarvos,” V nearly grunted. “We’ve been over this shit so many times.”

“Have we, though? I don’t remember you actually answering me.”

V let the clipboard drop to his side, and he finally shot his head in his friend’s direction. He gave him a scowl that could cut through the thick trunks of trees, but it didn’t scratch Tarvos. His grin remained plastered.

“Seriously? Did the king put you up to this?”

Tarvos shook his head.

“I’m trying to have a conversation with my friend,” Tarvos said, eyebrows rising. “I hate seeing you out here on your own all the time. Especially since it’s getting so close to that pivotal time.”

V sighed, breathing in the salt lingering in the air. His friend meant well, but he was feeling a bit harassed about the whole notion of becoming the new alpha of the Siborim pack.

“My father isn’t dead yet, Tarvos,” V said. “He’s going to fucking live forever if he has his way. There’s no point in worrying about all this now.”

Tarvos cocked an eyebrow, his grin disappearing.

“That’s not what I meant.”

V knew exactly what he meant. As the next alpha in line for the pack, it was his job to find a mate and reproduce, to start another line of wolves, the oldest born, to succeed him once his time as king was over. But mates on their planet had become scarce, and fertile ones even more rare. There were rumors in the pack that someone needed to step up who already had a mate or was at least willing to find one to keep the legacy of the Siborim pack alive.

The mutterings all extended back to V, who was the rightful heir but was focused more on the concept of the cruise ship than anything else. He had been criticized in whispers, but he had chosen to ignore all of those so that he could finish his job.

V huffed. “You know I hear their mutterings. I know what they all go on about. But what I’m doing is for the people. It's to help our town to thrive, to help the mates and children thrive. They’re too blind to see that.”

V growled, then stomped along the pier. He grunted when Tarvos continued to follow.

“Well, let’s talk about this for a second,” Tarvos began. “Beyond all the implied dutifulness of it all, don’t you want a mate? I do.”

V’s teeth ground together. He knew Tarvos cared about him, but this wasn’t the time or place to express it all. He scribbled on his clipboard, hoping Tarvos would just go away before he blew his top.

“Do you hear me?” Tarvos said mockingly.

V shot him a ghastly glower.

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