Elder Marcus's POV
Elder Marcus Sterling slammed his coffee cup down so hard it cracked. The hot liquid spilled across the morning reports, but he didn't care. The news was worse than he'd feared.
"Damn it all to hell," he mumbled, reading the intelligence report again.
The Blackwater Pack was moving closer to their area. Three families had already been attacked on the border. Women and children hurt, homes burned. And now Marcus had heard stories that Blackwater was trying to make an alliance with two other enemy packs.
If that happened, the Sterling Pack would be outnumbered three to one.
Marcus had been Alpha of this pack for forty years before passing control to his grandson Kai. He'd seen wars, betrayals, and strikes that would make grown men cry. But he'd never seen a threat this big.
His old bones creaked as he stood up and walked to the window. Outside, pack members were going about their morning tasks. Children played in the gardens while their moms hung laundry. Teenage dogs practiced fighting moves, laughing when they fell down.
They had no idea how much danger they were in.
"Alpha Marcus?" His helper knocked on the door. "You asked me to bring you the Cross Pack files."
"Come in, Jenny," Marcus said.
The young woman entered with a thick folder. "All the facts about Alpha Cross and his family. Including his daughter Victoria."
Marcus took the folder and sat back down. This was the answer to their troubles. The Cross Pack was powerful, with over three hundred wolves and the best warriors in the area. An alliance with them would make Blackwater think twice about striking.
And the best way to seal a partnership was through marriage.
Marcus opened the folder and looked at shots of Victoria Cross. She was beautiful, well-educated, and came from a strong family. On paper, she was perfect for Kai.
But Marcus knew his grandson. Kai had always been stubborn about marriage, saying he didn't want to be tied down. The boy had spent years avoiding any serious relationships, choosing to keep things casual with different women.
"Stupid boy," Marcus growled. "He thinks he can stay single forever."
At twenty-eight, Kai was getting too old to be an unmated Alpha. Other packs were starting to whisper that maybe he was weak, that maybe he couldn't handle the duty of a mate and future heirs.
Marcus had tried talking to Kai about marriage before, but his grandson always changed the subject. Well, this time there would be no dodging it. The pack's survival was more important than Kai's commitment problems.
Marcus picked up his phone and called his grandson. "Kai, come to my office. Now."
Twenty minutes later, Kai walked in looking relaxed and happy. Too happy, Marcus thought. The boy had been acting strange lately, smiling more and seeming distracted during important meetings.
"Grandfather, what's so urgent?" Kai asked, sitting down.
Marcus threw the information report across the desk. "Read this."
Kai's face got serious as he read about the Blackwater threat. "This is bad. Really bad."
"It's worse than bad. It's a disaster waiting to happen," Marcus said. "We need allies, and we need them fast."
"I'll reach out to the Mountain Pack and the River Pack. See if they'll stand with us," Kai said.
"Mountain Pack has twenty wolves, River Pack has fifteen. That's not enough." Marcus leaned forward. "We need the Cross Pack."
Kai nodded. "I'll plan a meeting with Alpha Cross. See what kind of partnership we can work out."
"I've already arranged it," Marcus said. "Victoria Cross arrives tomorrow."
"Victoria Cross?" Kai looked confused. "Why is his daughter coming?"
"Because you're going to marry her."
The words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to burst. Kai looked at his grandfather with his mouth open.
"I'm going to what?" Kai finally managed to say.
"Marry Victoria Cross. It's the only way to guarantee a strong bond with her father's pack."
Kai stood up so fast his chair fell over. "Grandfather, you can't be serious. You can't just plan my marriage without talking to me!"
"I'm dead serious," Marcus said quietly. "And I can arrange whatever I want if it saves this pack."
"I won't do it," Kai said, his voice shaking with anger. "I won't marry some woman I don't even know just because you think it's good politics."
Marcus felt his own anger rising. "You think this is about what you want? You're the Alpha, Kai! Your personal feelings don't matter when your people are in danger!"
"My personal feelings are the only thing that do matter!" Kai shouted. "I won't spend my life with someone I don't love!"
"Love?" Marcus laughed bitterly. "You think love matters when children are dying? When families are being torn apart by enemy attacks?"
"Yes, I do!" Kai slammed his hand on the desk. "Because without love, we're no better than the animals who attack innocent people!"
Marcus stared at his grandson in shock. In all his years, he'd never heard Kai talk about love like this. The boy sounded like he actually knew what he was talking about.
"Kai," Marcus said slowly, "is there something you're not telling me? Is there someone else?"
For just a moment, Kai's face went soft. Marcus saw love there, real love, the kind that changed a man's whole world. Then Kai's face hardened again.
"No," Kai lied. "There's no one else."
But Marcus knew a lie when he heard one. His child was in love with someone. Someone who wasn't Victoria Cross.
"Well, it doesn't matter," Marcus said strongly. "Victoria Cross comes tomorrow, and you will marry her. The engagement will be revealed at the pack meeting."
"And if I refuse?" Kai asked.
"Then you're not the man I thought you were. And you're not fit to be Alpha of this pack."
The danger hit Kai like a physical blow. Marcus hated using it, but the pack's survival was more important than one man's pleasure. Even if that man was his beloved grandson.
"You would really take away my position?" Kai whispered.
"If you put your own goals above the safety of three hundred innocent people? Yes, I would."
Kai was quiet for a long moment. Marcus could see the war going on inside him. Finally, Kai's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Fine," he said quietly. "I'll marry Victoria Cross."
"Good. The proposal party is next week. I've already sent invites to all the neighboring packs."
Kai walked toward the door like a man going to his death. But he stopped at the last moment and turned around.
"Grandfather," he said, his voice full of pain, "what if the person you love is someone the pack would never accept? What if picking duty means destroying the only good thing in your life?"
Marcus felt his heart break a little for his grandson. "Then you choose duty anyway, son. Because that's what it means to be Alpha."
After Kai left, Marcus sat alone in his office feeling like the worst grandpa in the world. But he'd done what had to be done.
An hour later, his phone rang. It was his spy in the kitchen.
"Elder Marcus? You need to know something. It's about Maya Rose, the omega who works in the kitchens. I think she and Alpha Kai are... involved."
Marcus's blood ran cold. An omega. His grandson was in love with an omega kitchen helper.
"How long has this been going on?" Marcus asked.
"A few weeks, maybe longer. And sir? There's something else. Maya looked sick this morning, and Sarah suggested she might be pregnant."
The phone slipped from Marcus's numb fingers and clattered to the floor.