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Chapter 2

Julian

"Do you doubt the ability of our men, Julian?" the Alpha asked in an intimidating voice.

I knew not to cross him when he used that voice, but to tread lightly and carefully explain what I meant.

"I have all the faith in the world in our men, and more. But times are changing, and we need to be prepared. They will be even more effective if they're able to track everyone who comes in and leaves."

"Hmm," was the Alpha's only response as he rubbed his beard, looking deep in thought.

He finally looked up and around as he opened the suggestion to the floor. "Everyone, what do you think?"

Everyone got a chance to give their opinion on my suggestion, taking turns to voice either their agreement or disagreement. That was one of the many things I respected about our Alpha. Meshack was a fair man who always sought the wisdom and counsel of the pack elders before making any important decisions. It was ultimately up to him as our leader to implement anything, but we did not take these meetings lightly.

After all of the Wolves who were present had voiced their thoughts, he looked at me and gave a firm nod.

"I agree that it is a wonderful idea. However, before we begin anything, I would like a proper proposal by tomorrow. Highlight the costs and how long it will take to make sure everything is set up. Also include a description of the weaknesses of the system and biometric brand comparisons."

That was a lot of work for just a day, something my assistant was likely going to frown over. Yet I just nodded and thanked him for considering my plan at all.

"Now, if there is nothing else, perhaps we can move to the fire?" the Alpha said as he stood.

We all bowed our heads slightly to show our respect and agreement, and he smiled as he led the way.

The younger pack members already had the bonfire going when we got outside, so we each grabbed a beer as we sat around it. Now that the meeting was over, we could dive into some light conversation and do some catching up.

"So Julian, thinking of settling down yet?" Martin started, reminding me of our earlier abandoned conversation.

I shook my head as I brought the bottle to my lips, hoping he would catch the hint that I didn't want to talk about it. Martin being Martin, of course, didn't catch the hint, which was a generous way of saying that he decided to completely ignore it.

"You can't play the field forever, man. The grass gets worn out after a while."

I had to laugh at that. Who knew getting some alcohol into Martins system made him deep?

"Thanks for the concern, or nosiness; but I am doing just fine on my own for now."

I was a very good liar. If only I could convince myself of what I'd just said.

"So you don't want a little Julian or Julianne running around? I can't tell you how my life has changed by just having Amara and the kids in my life."

"I can," I smirked as I decided to tease him a little. "You last held your own wallet ten years ago, and your car has Legos in places Lego should never be."

The men around us burst into laughter, and Martin joined them.

"Fair is fair," he said, finishing his beer in one go. "But children make it all worth it. And I can't wait to see you trade in your motorcycle for a sensible family car."

I chuckled and shook my head at that, trying to imagine myself in a family van.

"There is always another option if you don't want to settle down," Seth, a shifter next to us, said.

We all looked at him with curiosity, waiting for him to explain what he meant by that. Our attention must have taken him by surprise because he looked shy as he cleared his throat.

"Well, um, a friend of mine used this surrogate service for shifters. He recommended it, said they are very efficient and professional."

"A surrogate service?" I frowned, trying to digest this bit of information.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was all for progressive change, but this seemed just a bit cold and impersonal to me. Could I really go ahead and engineer my own child like that? Was it something that I could do?

"It's not for everyone, I agree. But it's a good option to have, I guess," Seth replied with a shrug.

One of the other pack members snorted. "If you can afford it." It didn't take a genius to figure out that a surrogacy service wouldn't come cheap. There were a lot of processes involved when you decided not to make a baby the good old-fashioned way, and all those things needed top dollars. It was not something I would worry about though since I had a sizeable savings account and then some. Moneywise, I was set.

Not that I was thinking about this surrogate service at all. It just seemed weird to me to place an order for a child like that. I liked things the old-fashioned way. Which led me back to my problem: I didn't have a mate. I took another sip of my beer as the conversation around me continued in another direction.

I stared into the fire as I considered how a surrogate service would work. Would one just need to select a suitable candidate, deliver some semen, and let technology do the rest? I had to admit that it sounded like a fairly stress-free process. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to find out more about it. I didn't have anything to lose, and after all, I prided myself in being a progressive thinker. Really, what was more progressive than having a child with someone I didn't know?

I could only hope that if I ever had a child, my sarcasm wasn't hereditary.

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