The Beast's Bride

The King

There was an impressive figure sitting on the throne in the villa created just for special events and meetings, the villa was built at the centre of the forest and around the villa the whole community was built. Deucalion Forester grinded his teeth. Surprisingly, they didn't turn to dust in his mouth. He was irritated that he had to be here at all, but the beta, Megan, had called the meeting. She was a vicious b***h trying to force him into finding a mate. She wanted to be his wolf mate, had fought and f****d her way to the top of the females, and had expected to be taken as his queen, which will never happen.

He loathed the beta though he respected her ferocity in challenges. He recognized the same ruthlessness in himself. Hence the reason he was the Alpha. However, mating her was off the table. He'd never mate with a female wolf. It was not a chance he wanted to take. He'd killed a lot of people, wolves, but the prospect of killing his own young was not one he wanted put in front of him. Instead, to quench his lust, he often took willing human females from one of the two towns at times that they weren't fertile. Young from any female wasn't something he needed right now. Not with Megan blowing smoke up his ass.

"Megan, give it up," Sebastian, Deucalion's second in command, was saying. "This will not work. Deucalion will take a mate whenever he desires. And you know it will be a human. So whether he decides to mate now or any other time, it will not be with you, so why are you bringing this up yet again?"

The small Female Beta faced him. "He could always take a female wolf. It's not unheard of. Besides, he's been our Alpha for well over ten years. He's not getting any younger."

Deucalion's hackles raised, but he let them duke it out. His second in command could handle himself and had always had Deucalion's back since he took the throne.

Sebastian crossed his arms over his massive chest. "And just why would you care if he is young or not? You can't bear pups for him unless you want to be the one to kill them, you know how it works."

She flinched, pain making her hunch into herself. It had been a low blow, but Sebastian didn't stand down. He was simply reminding her what would happen if Deucalion did mate her and she were to birth a young. Children born to male and female wolf couples were close to sociopaths, functioning solely on instinct. They were born in animal form and stayed that way for years. If they could manage to shift to human form, they would only look human. Those young couldn't or wouldn't take orders. Even ordered not to kill under penalty of death, they'd still go through their urges, seeing the humans as food even in their human forms.

They are beasts both mentally and physically. None of those young were still alive. They'd all been killed by their own parents. Which explained Megan's pain. All anyone knew was she'd had to put down her own son after getting pregnant by her wolf mate. Only the most ruthless and heartless wolves took wolf mates. Even though wolves could sense fertility in other animals, sometimes fate just happened and a young came along. Deucalion wasn't so ruthless to be able to kill a child, his own or otherwise.

After a couple moments, Megan pulled herself together. Lifting her chin, she looked out at the crowd of a hundred or so wolves. "It's true that as a Beta, I naturally want the strongest mate, our Alpha. What female wouldn't? But it's not just about that. Our Alpha has been good to us since he became our Alpha. Shouldn't we want to see him mated? See him give us our Prince or Princess?"

Deucalion's eyes narrowed. It wasn't like her to be generous. She made no excuses that she wanted to bed her Alpha, so why was she pushing for that, she wanted me to be mated when she knew it wouldn't be her?

Unfortunately, there were murmurs of agreement among the pack. A lot of agreement. Sebastian looked back at Deucalion with raised eyebrows. Though Deucalion was Alpha and the pack wasn't a democracy, what his people thought and their views affected his decisions. He wanted what was best for them and constantly listened to their opinions and suggestions. He could tell that if they did put it to a vote for consideration, over half would agree with Megan that it was time for him to take a mate.

"Not only that," Megan continued, "but mating a female from this territory would strengthen the ties, make this more our home. Sure, there are a number of us who have taken life mates from here, but if our Alpha takes Luna(Alpha's Mate) from this town would unify us even more. We've been here for well over a year, nearly two. And he wants to settle us here. We all seem to be okay, even happy, with that. If we're to stay here, we need to create ties. The Pack won't last long if we don't have Allies here, and with a Luna from here our position will be stronger."

Now a louder agreement rose up.

Sebastian stalked up the two steps of the dais to bend down next Deucalion's ear. "I can't argue with the second part of her logic, my liege. She has a point."

"You haven't taken a mate," Deucalion whispered back.

Sebastian gave a wry half smile. "This argument is about the Alpha. I am not the Alpha just his second in command. But should you order me to take a mate, I will follow your command."

Deucalion looked up at him with respect. Sebastian had been with him every second of the way since he'd joined the first pack, training him in the ways of the wolf. There had come a time when Deucalion had saved Sebastian's life. When the other wolf had healed from his wounds, he'd vowed to follow Deucalion wherever he went. And so he had. They'd jumped from pack to pack, finally landing in this one. They'd both fought their way to the top, Deucalion taking on the previous pack leader and Sebastian taking the previous second in command, ensuring that Deucalion would never be challenged again. Sebastian also played an enforcer when needed, but he didn't play leader. That was Jack, who was currently standing back and to the right of the throne. The other enforcers were spread out among the pack.

Sitting back, he forced his expression blank. "You don't need my permission and I am not going to force you."

Sebastian lost his amused expression and bowed his head to him before stepping off . Though he was the closest thing Deucalion had to a friend, it didn't help him to show favoritism. Or to get close to anyone. The last time he did, it broke a part of him. He needed to protect what was left, otherwise he'd become the monster he'd killed to become Alpha.

Standing up, he moved forward.

"Silence,"

He called to the restless pack. When they were calm, he looked out over the crowd. "It seems as though our beta has made valid points, one more so than the other. I have been your Alpha for a decade and feel that I have ruled over you fair and just. You deserve to be given the safety you crave. Sebastian, send word out that tomorrow evening, the females of both the Sanctuary and Lack Town should gather. I'll be choosing a mate tomorrow night."

As the pack cheered his decision, Deucalion sat heavily on his throne once more thinking that maybe, just maybe, the weight of his crown would eventually crush what was left of his humanity