Thank you vintage1993 for the cover!
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Mikko's POV
Going into the alpha house, I knew something was off. I paused before walking into the house. I usually had an accurate sense of foreboding, this felt no different.
Fully on guard against anything, I walked into the house.
I could smell the members of the other pack and hear them in the living room. My sister was doing her best to entertain the rowdy bunch. I sent my reassurance to her through the pack bonds. I felt her appreciation before she receded and continued her task.
As I walked up the stairs, I picked up three distinct scents. Immediately, I felt my anger start to simmer. They had been allowed only to bring the alpha and his beta. The daughter was supposed to stay with the pack. She was human and not privy to werewolf business, and she would only get in the way or cause problems if this all came to a fight.
I made my way into the room at the exact time of the meeting was set to begin. I had been partially tempted to arrive late and show them the same courtesies they had shown me, but that would've just gotten me in the hot box.
The visiting alpha and beta were standing together by the hearth while Finn sat at his desk watching the girl, but his attention was fully on the two men. She smiled charmingly at Finn and was obviously trying to impress him with what she had to say. For once the girl was dressed appropriately.
"Finally," the beta, Jeremy Jones, said humorously as he followed his alpha to the two chairs in front of Finn's grand desk. "We were starting to place bets on whether or not you'd show up on time." He must have thought because he had a past with Em made him special. It didn't.
I carefully shut the door behind myself. "Yes, I actually know how to tell time."
Don't rile him up, Finn warned through the bonds. We need them to cooperate today.
Acknowledging the command, I walked further into the room and said no more. I stood to the far side of Finn, behind the chairs he had in front of his desk so that all three visitors were between Finn and I. Effectively, we had them surrounded and out powered. They were compromised by their human and their arrogance. These negotiations were just a formality to show that the Madill's could be reasonable when we wanted to be. Regardless, this pack would become part of Continental Pack Finn was building.
"I've come to a proposal that will bring our two packs together," Alpha Russo said as he sat down with his back to me. Either he didn't consider me to be a real threat or he assumed his beta could handle me. Either assumption would show to be wrong.
"You've brought packs into your circle by marriage once before. I propose you do it again."
I kept silent as the alphas talked. It was protocol.
"And what are you suggesting? That I marry off my other daughter to you?"
Over my dead body, I said through the bond. Finn returned the sentiment.
My sister needed someone who was caring kind and patient. This alpha was none of the above.
"No, not your remaining daughter. Everyone has heard of her quirks."
I growled as a warning. He was toeing with the line. If he crossed it, I'd make him regret it.
"It was meant only as an observation, not an insult against your sister," Jones interceded, not so much as looking away from the daughter's feet.
He wasn't dominate enough to be in this room. His instincts told him he needed to remain invisible, but his stubbornness told him that he needed to back his alpha. It was his job. At least he took that much seriously.
"So, then you wish to have whom bonded to one of my sons."
Russo nodded his response. Immediately I knew which son he wanted and bonded to whom.
I looked over at Megan to see her smiling at me before she turned her attention to her father and Finn.
"My daughter, Megan." He held his hand out to make it obvious who he was talking about. "She would be a good wife to a wolf of alpha status."
She corrected her posture and smiled as her father spoke. She wanted to appear to be of the caliber of woman who could handle a dominate male, but she never would be able to handle the stress.
When she glanced at me, I let her know through my eyes how I felt about this plan she and her father had concocted. I would not fall easily into their plan.
"And you wish to bond your child to whom?" Finn's face was calm, cool, and collected to the uninformed observer, but inside, he was ready to leap across the table, snap two necks and be done with it all.
"I want my daughter bonded to someone capable of taking care of her," he paused and kept his eyes on her, as if daring her to speak against him, "and someone who has proven that they are able to sire children."
She was immediately flustered. Her jaw slackened to speak, but she quickly composed herself. Children hadn't been in the discussion they had.
"Mikko has a family already. You are too late for him," Finn said dismissively with the wave of his hand.
"He isn't completely bonded to the woman and neither she to him. Neither has shown interest in ever completing the bond."
I knew that would come around to bite me.
"He has responsibilities to the mother of his children regardless of his relationship with her."
"Responsibilities that can still be addressed while he is bonded to my daughter." Russo was determined to shove Emily to the side and place his daughter where Emily should have been.
I felt my anger spike as the room was quieted.
Never, I told Finn as I kept my eyes on him. I knew he had heard me, but he gave no indication as he pondered the predicament we were now in.
"This isn't something that can be decided at his moment. Things must be considered now what my grandchildren have been involved."
With another wave of Finn's hand, the visitors left the room. Megan lingered at the door, but when she wasn't acknowledged after a few seconds, she shut the door.
"I won't abandon my family because she wants to sink her claws into me," I switched to our native, Norwegian language in case someone was listening.
"No one's asking you to abandon them Mikko," he replied in a sigh of the Norwegian language. He thought it was a good idea too. "If you had done what you needed to do a long time ago, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"I'm not bonding with that spoiled child," I stated firmly. "I will not give in."
"Even if it comes to challenging for alpha and retaining that title?"
"If I wanted alpha, I would've taken it years ago." I never wanted to be an alpha. It was a lot of work and a lot of stress. Every little problem required your attention and I didn't have the patience for it.
"And now your family hangs in the balance."
I growled at the thought of being stuck with Megan until she died. That equated to a lifetime of punishment for me and abandonment for my children.
"You need to find a solution if you don't want to marry the girl."
"Philip," I said immediately.
Finn shook his head. "Not when he's going to assume your job while you look after your children."
"He's not cut out for it anyway." I sat down on the sofa. "I still think killing them is easiest."
Finn's serious exterior cracked into a small smile. "The easiest route is not always the right one. You should've learned that with the pregnancy of your triplets."
"I'll think of something." I said in English as I got up and walked to the door.
"If you don't come up with something, you might end up bonded to the girl or bloodied from a fight." He kept his Norwegian words. It wasn't often that we had the opportunity to use the language, so he took the opportunity when he could.
I smirked at him from over my shoulder. "Blood looks good on me."
Finn's small smile broke out into a grin and finally decided to speak in English again. "Perhaps it's time you remind them of who you used to be."
I stopped dead in my tracks. "That would scare my family away."
Finn shook his head. "It won't. You forget how Emily was raised. She has the fortitude to survive you."
I walked out of the room without another word. I was ready to snap the neck of whoever tried to tell me what to do again.
At the bottom of the stairs, Megan waited. She had tussled her hair, hiked up her skirt, and pulled her blouse down to appear more desirable. She didn't achieve the result she had been going for.
"So, what do you say we get out if here?" She played with the hem of her blouse. Her attempts at seduction weren't working.
I ignored her and walked right out of the house. I didn't care about what she had to say or what she wanted. She wasn't getting it from me.
I had intended to shut the door behind myself, but my anger kept growing, so the door ended up slamming from the force I used.
I dug the keys out of my pocket, and walked to my car. Once I had the door open, I realized that I couldn't drive home. It would only intensify the growing anger.
I needed to run. I needed to strain my muscles until I could hardly walk. I needed to feel the ache and the exhaustion.
It would distract me enough so that no one else would have to worry about the problems Megan was creating.
If I didn't, I would end up snapping at whoever tried to talk to me when I returned to my home. I tossed the keys onto the front seat, and shut the door as gently as I could, then walked towards the trees.
I didn't want to have to pay for, yet another, door.
Once away from the alpha house, I stripped and changed. I needed to let the wolf out and deal with the anger myself so no one else had to.
I couldn't let Megan near my children. They would grow up to be like their parents. Emily was the role model they needed. My children couldn't end up like me. I didn't want them to have to endure the same hardships I had to.
Once freed, the wolf immediately reached through the bond with rushed force. I didn't reach through the bond because it bothered Emily that I did, so I was usually slow and gentle about it. Half of the time, she didn't notice when I checked on her.
The wolf forced his way through as if he were accessing his mate. The fact that she couldn't reply to him with anything but emotion frustrated the wolf, adding to the flames of my anger.
He receded from the bond once satisfied that she was okay, but we both felt her relief once the wolf left her bond. That confused and angered him.
So we ran off our frustrations together.
I knew the actions I took against Emily had worked. A part for her hated me and that had been what I had wanted. I did not want her to become the target that Finn's wives had become.
Nothing had been her fault. She wasn't supposed to have gotten pregnant. Jess and I had tried for children for years before she was killed. I never had any relations that had resulted in a child. It wasn't supposed to have been able to happen.
I ran harder when the scent of an elk crossed my nose. With a change of course, I was on the hunt. It didn't take long. When the scent grew stronger, I became as stealthy as I ran. Hunting deer was a dangerous enough task when alone; elk offered even more of a challenge.
The antlers were fully developed and very dangerous. His hind legs were powerful enough to cave in my skull. The hooves of the animal would slice through me like a hot knife through butter.
It was just the challenge I needed to get my frustrations out.
I crept silently.
Prey animals tended to have heightened hearing and were incredibly jumpy. This full grown male wouldn't be jumpy he would fight back when I attacked.
I readied myself as the animal grazed. The echoes of scurrying critters caught the elk's attention, creating an opening for me to rip out his throat, but I didn't want it to end so quickly.
I leapt on the elk and dug my claws into its flesh. The elk immediately reared up and tried to toss me. I dug in deeper and sunk my teeth into the flesh of its neck, past the thick mane that protected vital arteries.
The coppery blood did little to sate my fury and ignited a bloodlust that I hadn't indulged in for years. This was what Finn had wanted.
He wanted me to look like a crazy killing wolf, when all along he was the one orchestrating everything.
I dug in deep as the elk started running and bucking. I was ready to feel its blood flow hot, sticky, and warm.
I sunk my teeth further, ripping through flesh and tearing through the artery. I twisted my neck and used my front legs to rip off a chunk of the elk's neck. I jumped off the animal before it dropped and watched it fall as its thick, hot blood fell from my muzzle.
The elk kicked as the blood flowed out. I dropped the chunk that was still in my mouth and ate the available meat. Fresh was the best, and I had to share with no one.
Bringing down an animal of that size sated my bloodlust. Knowing that not many others could accomplish such a feat made me feel powerful.
Once I had my fill, I changed back into a human again. I couldn't drag the carcass back as a wolf.
There was still plenty of good meat that shouldn't be wasted.
Once human, everything shifted into focus. I wasn't just mad at the deal Alpha Russo had wanted. Everything felt clearer than it ever had before because with the wolf ascended, every problem had a simple solution.
It shouldn't have taken the threat, having to create a mate bond with a girl I didn't want, to make me realize the errors of my ways.
I had been stupid and childish in the way I had treated Emily. I had known what I was doing while I was doing it. It was just easier that she hated instead of loved me.
But she was a target regardless of her feelings towards me. She was the mother of my children, which still made her a target worth killing to anyone who hated me.
I had been unfair. I knew I wasn't worth her troubles anymore. All I could do was to offer her what she wanted. She deserved everything she wanted from me.
I could learn to be what she wanted. I had changed multiple times during my lifetime. Keeping her close was the best way I could protect her. I could give her the respect and understanding she wanted because she was respected. I cared for her as much as I could care about someone. The kind of love she wanted would come, I just needed the time.
I dragged the elk carcass to my shed. Whenever I had gone hunting, I butchered the animal myself. I grabbed some clothes to cover my nudity on the off chance that someone would enter the shed.
I donned an apron to cover the clothes before I skinned and butchered the elk. I wrapped the meat in butcher paper and tossed it into the freezer. I kept the furs for later use.
I cleaned up the shed before leaving it, and then I stayed outside for a while longer.
I knew she was in the house with my children. That was where she should be, and that was where I wanted her. I couldn't hold onto my stubbornness and expect her to stay. I had to give in and give her what she wanted so that I could keep everything that I wanted.
Having a family wasn't something that I had ever thought about after Jess had been taken from me. It wasn't something that I thought I deserved. But I had a little family anyway.
I just needed to take care of them the way I should have all along.