A Hostile Arrangement

"No way am I going to have a wedding for a contract marriage." Freya’s voice crackled through the car speakers, sharp and unyielding. "What would people think? You got engaged to Veda just weeks ago, and now you are going to wed me in three days. Are you insane? Even if I’m as crazy as you, who plans a wedding in three days?"

The sound of her heavy breathing filtered through the line. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. A raw spike of nerves hit my chest. Was she getting too upset? Stress could affect the pup. Before today, Veda’s emotions were the only ones that mattered to me. But the second I learned I was going to be a father, a fierce protective instinct flared up. When I went to the clinic to demand my semen back, I never wanted this to end in abortion. I wanted my bloodline secure.

I needed my pup close. I couldn't let my child grow up in another territory. And there was the inescapable truth of our laws: even if Veda and I conceived later, the firstborn was the undisputed heir. Luna Freya carried that heir in her womb right now.

"Look, I need you at my pack," I stated, my tone brooking no argument. "The pup needs to be protected."

I forgot who I was dealing with. She didn't miss a beat.

"I’m very well protected at my pack," she snapped. "You don’t tell me what to do, Alpha Zaire."

I rubbed my jaw, a headache building behind my eyes. This was going to be a logistical nightmare. It was unheard of in our world for a ruling Alpha to marry a woman who already sat as the ruling Luna of her own pack. Tradition dictated that a she-wolf became a Luna by mating or marrying an Alpha and joining his territory. We were two heads of state. The level of complication threatened to tear my plans apart.

"Okay," I forced myself to concede, buying time. "Let’s hold off on the public wedding details. I will see you in three days."

"Please don’t come to my pack," she replied. "Let’s meet at the werewolf conclave."

I stared at the road ahead, thrown off balance. This was the first time any she-wolf had outright rejected my presence. Most women, Veda included, would be thrilled to have me cross their borders. They would beg me to stay. But Freya was stubborn, combative, and relentless. It made me wonder how brutal our daily lives would be once we shared a roof.

"If you are so scared of seeing me," I pushed back, "then what will happen after the wedding? We can’t live separately."

The silence on the line spoke volumes. It was a massive hurdle. I could not abandon Shadow Fang to stay at Cobalt, and she would refuse to leave her people for mine. Why the hell did she have to be a ruling Luna? For a fleeting second, I wished she was soft and dependent, like my Veda. This would be solved in an hour.

"You are right," Freya finally said, her voice tight. "Let’s give ourselves time to think about this. I will call you when I’m ready."

She wanted to hang up. I refused to be left in the dark, separated from the pup growing inside her until she decided it was convenient. Then the reality of my timeline hit me. I needed these three days anyway. I had baggage to clear.

I had to end things with Veda.

'You can’t do that,' Titan, my wolf, growled in my mind. He paced with aggression, rejecting the thought of breaking our engagement.

'If you can’t think of a better way to secure our pup, then shut up,' I snapped back. I was losing my patience, and Titan’s sudden retreat into silence proved he had no alternative plan. The heir came first.

"I will save your number," I warned her, pitching my voice low and dangerous. "If I don’t hear from you in three days, I will come to your pack."

The threat hung in the air. I heard a slight shift in her breathing.

"This isn’t my personal number," she lied.

I caught it. Fear made people slip up. I was mildly amused she possessed any fear at all.

"You are lying," I exposed her without hesitation. "Special digits like yours are reserved strictly for pack authority. Not even your Beta carries a line like this."

Before she could invent another excuse and complicate things further, I laid my cards on the table. "Look, this is harder on me than it is on you. I have a woman I love. A woman I was ready to spend my life with. And yet, I am going to break up with her to secure this child."

Freya, ever the problem-solver, fired back a solution.

"You don’t have to break up with her. Just be transparent. Tell her the truth. Who knows, she might get pregnant on your wedding night. You can have your life with her."

A harsh scoff left my lips. If she was trying to trick me into getting Veda pregnant so Freya could keep my firstborn for herself, she was delusional.

"It doesn't matter," I crushed her hope. "Your pup will still be older than hers. The firstborn is the undisputed heir. That law is final."

I could hear her processing the immovable reality of my stance. She realized she couldn't maneuver out of this.

"But..." she hesitated, the fierce edge dropping for a fraction of a second. "I also need this child to take care of my pack."

I couldn't help the dry chuckle that rumbled in my chest. She just admitted the greatest complication of all.

"Then think carefully, Luna," I warned, letting my dominance bleed through the speakers. "Because if I win this custody challenge you proposed, then my heir is going to take charge of my pack. If you try to add your pack's responsibility to this child, then I am by extension taking over the Cobalt Pack too."

It was a ruthless checkmate. I hated taking advantage of her cornered position, but I survived by exploiting weaknesses. Rival leaders always complained I was manipulative. I called it survival.

"I hate you," she yelled. The raw fury in her voice vibrated through the car.

I felt the heat of her rage, and a bitter, exhausted weight settled in my gut. I didn’t expect her to love me. But this level of combative hostility meant a war was brewing in my own future home. I matched her venom with a cold, final strike.

"So do I. See you in three days, Luna Hatred."

I cut the connection. The sudden silence in the car was deafening. A strange, sharp ache pulsed in my chest. I didn't know why she and Veda were driving me insane, pulling me in opposite directions. My head pounded. I needed to get home. I had to map out a definitive plan to abandon the woman I loved before facing Veda tomorrow.

The drive back to the Shadow Fang territory was a blur of dark asphalt and simmering anxiety. The reality of upending my life settled heavy on my shoulders.

When I pushed open the heavy oak doors of my pack house, the familiar scent of pine and polished wood offered zero comfort. My Beta, Vance, stood by the grand staircase. He was waiting with bated breath, needing to know the outcome of the disastrous clinic visit.

Vance looked worn out. His shoulders slumped, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. I prayed nothing terrible had gone wrong in my absence.

"You look like I’m feeling," I muttered, shrugging off my dark coat and tossing it onto a nearby leather sofa.

Vance offered a tight, forced smile. "I feel like I’m looking. How did it go?"

I walked past him and lowered myself into my heavy leather recliner. My muscles ached. I leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling.

"She is tougher than she looks," I started, my voice rough. "She proposed paying me for my pup. Wanted to buy me out."

"That is unacceptable," Vance stated, his jaw clenching.

I offered a weak, cynical smile. I was glad my Beta and I were always on the same page.

"I proposed paying her to be my surrogate, but she refused. We both desperately want this pup. We are locked in a stalemate." I dragged a hand down my face, letting the exhaustion show. "So, I’m going to marry her."

Vance froze. The expected look of pure shock washed over his face. He took a step forward.

"What about Veda? What would everyone think? The pack members already fell in love with her, Zaire. You two are engaged. The ceremony preparations are already in motion."

I didn’t need the reminder. The guilt was already clawing at my throat.

"I know," I answered, my tone hardening to block out the doubt. "But put yourself in my position, Vance. Would you choose your fiancée, or would you choose your blood? Your heir?"

Vance fell silent, wrestling with the impossible question. "My pup," he finally admitted, his voice dropping. "Of course. Unless it involved my destined mate."

I gritted my teeth. The concept of a destined mate was a subject I refused to entertain. The Moon Goddess hadn't blessed me with one, and I built my empire without that mythical crutch.

"Let's move on," I deflected, sitting up. "What happened in my absence?"

Vance walked over to the side table and poured a glass of ice water from the crystal pitcher. I had been on a strict no-alcohol challenge for the last forty days. Today was my final day. I needed a clear head now more than ever.

He handed me the glass. I took it, gulping down the freezing water as it chased away the dryness in my throat.

Vance clasped his hands behind his back, slipping into his official Beta role.

"Well, your departure was abrupt. The pack noticed. Everyone was curious," he reported. "I handled the immediate questions. I informed the guard and the council that you had urgent business to take care of regarding border logistics."

I nodded, setting the empty glass down on the table.

"I also contacted the clinic staff," Vance continued. "I told the doctors and nurses not to leak a single word of information to the pack members. Anyone who talks will face a tribunal."

"Good," I responded. It was exactly what I expected. Vance was proactive, ruthless when needed, and always anticipated my orders.

He shifted his weight, his expression dropping into a tight, grim line. He looked down at me, and the air in the room seemed to turn heavy.

"I handled the internal matters," Vance said, his tone shifting into something cautious. "But the external situations require your direct attention."

I watched his posture tense. Vance was a very proactive beta, but his next words got me strangely nervous.