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Chapter 12: Stirring the Pot

Kyle

Wolves howling reverberate through the silent forest as the sapphire moonlight illuminates it. An eerie, silent wind blows through the pine and spruce trees, causing them to sway. As my paws step on a twig, the sound of it breaking makes me even more alert to my surroundings.

I am sure I am being watched, but I don’t know by who, or what.

I had decided to run through the nearby woods because I feel much better when I shift. My wits are sharp again as my vampiric senses kick in.

Managing to slow down, my run turns into a small trot. I tune out my inner thoughts and listen intently to the world around me. I can sense someone’s heartbeat and shallow breathing. I pivot sharply toward my right side; I am certain I see a figure darting behind a tree. Since the migraines started, I am not sure if everything is just a mess, or I am just a bit paranoid.

As the Alpha of the Kwaad pack, I have trained rigorously to keep my physique strong and fierce. It’s my job to guide my pack, and keep them protected from any and all harm.

Once I reach a small clearing, a peculiar scent reaches my nose. I recognize it instantly.

"Leviathan...!”

My eyes narrow into slits. I lift my snout in the air and inhale. Yes…a Leviathan. I don’t know of any Leviathans around this area except for myself. I crouch down and close my eyes. My heart rate slows down and I feel the familiarity of my muscles expanding. I feel a stinging sensation as my vampire fangs unsheathe, and my eyes warm up, as I allow my vampiric abilities to take over. Soon I am standing on my hind legs as I transform into the full-fledged hybrid I am: a mix of a vampire and werewolf.

“The teller has arrived. She is waiting for you in the den.” Mathias, my Beta’s voice cuts into my head, through our mind link.

I take another look around the woods. The scent is fading and I figure the invader has moved away from the vicinity. I think about tracking the scent, but I have to get back to see what news the teller brings. I let out a fierce howl as a warning call; the next time they decide to stalk me or my territory, they won’t be so lucky.

Allowing my heart rate to accelerate, causing a temperature rise, I shift back into my normal wolf form. When I am back on all fours, I speed toward home.

Mathias meets me in the foyer with a change of clothes. After I am back in my human form, I get dressed and march toward the den. Mathias isn’t far behind as I enter the room.

The teller is in her usual gray hooded cloak that covers most of her face; all I see is deep red lipstick on a set of pouty lips, but nothing beyond that. She has always kept her true identity a secret.

If she hadn’t saved my life once before, I wouldn’t trust her. What changed my mind was when she had found me collapsed by the river bank once and used magic to teleport me back to my room. After instructing the doctor on the potions to use, she explained why I was having these episodes and how a pure-blooded witch was the answer to my predicament.

The teller then turns to face us and curtsies while keeping her face perfectly hidden.

“Can my Beta take your coat,” I say as I usually do, but she raises a hand, dressed with extremely long nails that are painted to match the red on her lips, and waves in dismissal. She doesn’t even offer her name as usual. Well, it was worth another try.

“The witch is ready. She came into her power a few days ago and you should go to her immediately,” she says.

I chuckle as I go and take a seat in my favorite leather reclining chair.

“Go to her and say what? I don’t think she will be thrilled when I tell her, ‘Hey, wanna come have my babies? By the way, I am a monster who can shift into so many things, so I am not sure what the baby will look like since we are throwing a ‘witch’ into the punch bowl of my wolf, vampire, and Leviathan mix.’ Maybe the baby will come out with little devil horns or bat wings for all I know,” I reason.

Mathias chortles, but the teller seems not too pleased by my attempt at humor.

“The potion the doctor is injecting you with will only last for a short while. Soon, your body will build a tolerance to it and it will not work. You need to pass the gene onto an heir soon or you will die,” the teller states.

I frown. “Not to be a dick, but let’s say I get this witch and she agrees to this whole thing….what if she gives birth to a girl? You keep saying an heir but there is always a chance it could be a girl, right?”

“Even if she gives you a girl, the gene will be passed to her. The gender of the child isn’t important, what is important is her getting pregnant,” the teller says with a note of seriousness in her voice.

“How do I get this witch? When I find her, how will I convince her to come to carry my child? Most girls are keen to get married and find love…fancy weddings, white picket fences and all that nonsense. I am not looking for any of that. I don’t want her to think there will be anything more between us except for where she will carry my seed,” I reiterate.

I had tried to mate before but had ended up being a fool. I doubt I even have a human heart left to give to any woman. Besides, matters of love only deter me from focusing on my duties as an Alpha to the most diverse yet powerful pack.

“The witch is in Trouville. She needs you as much as you need her. Go find her. Her life is in danger; offer her protection in exchange for her carrying your seed. Go to the Lombard old farm. That is where she stays,”

Lombard old farm; I knew the place well. Wasn’t that the residence of that has-been hunter? Why would a witch be residing at the residence of the very people that kill her kind? Why was the teller sending me there? Was this a trap?”

My people had reported that his brother and his family now lived there. I wonder if they sold the residence and my people hadn’t reported that development to me. Could they be holding the witch prisoner? Is that the danger she was in?

“What if she doesn’t know that she is in danger? Or what if she tells me she is a pure-blooded witch that doesn’t need my protection? I am certain she is powerful enough to fight her own battles,” I inquire.

I want to take what the teller is saying at face value, but I have always been known to have a concrete plan before executing it. That is how I have managed to keep my pack as the most respected and strongest in the lands.

“Powerful, that she is, but she doesn’t know the extent of her powers or how to control them yet. Stir the pot. Make her believe you. She awaits….Now go!” With that, she curtsies and walks out of the den. I watch her dark figure as she walks away head bowed.

“Why would you need to bring in a witch to carry your child? Am I not a woman? Also, I am a shifter, stronger than a mere witch,” Yasmeen says as she steps out from behind a pillar in the den.

Had she been eavesdropping all this time? How had I not perceived her presence?

“Why were you listening to matters that don’t concern you?” I bark at her.

“Don’t concern me? You are disregarding me for another woman, yet I know you more than anyone does. I have stood by you all this while yet you are on a mission to make another woman a Luna. Do you remember when you brought in Selina? How splendid did that go?”

I exhale sharply at the mention of Selina. How dare she bring that name up? And how dare she act as if I owed her something? I saved her life and raised her within my pack; never had I shown a romantic interest in Yasmeen.

“I am not in the market for a Luna. Also, never, ever say that name near me if you want to keep your head attached to your body,” I warn.

“Whatever, Alpha Kyle. All I know is that no stupid witch will come in here and take away a position I have been training for all my life. I belong beside you,” Yasmeen says.

I clench my fists and feel my brows come together. What the hell?

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