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"Not for once. Not even then."

He couldn't hide his surprise. Even during the full moon!? How was he able to control THAT particular urge? It is too overriding. Too demanding. The urges of the full moon. How was he able to control himself all these years?

But then again, with the Alpha King, almost everything is possible. His control is always impeccable, even in front of danger.

No changeling male can do the things he can do. No changeling male has half of the control he does.

It's suddenly starting to make sense. Those roars that tear out of his mouth occasionally during the full moon. He'd thought they were just of pleasure, but they did sound like that of pain too.

Now, he realizes that it's both. That effort it takes to not release inside a female's body during the full moonmustbe agonizing.

Why does he have to put himself through that? "But... why?" However, even as he asked that he already knows the reason.

He picked up the pen again, flipped the pages of the document in front of him, and scribbled down his signature on it. "A child. I do not want to risk getting any female pregnant."

Of course. Alphose lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Placing the document aside, he picked up a new one and flipped through it, "I do not want a child."

But he did. Once upon a time, he wanted a child. He daydreamed about a mate and children too.

Alphose's heart was heavy for him. Humans did way more than any of them knows.

"Go and check for updates on the sentinels we sent to the non-changeling world. Let me know if there's any new development." Wolfariane said, reluctantly.

Alphose knows a dismissal when he hears one. He inclined his head respectfully, made his way to the door, and stopped.

"Think about what I said...please. You are not in the lab anymore. You do not have to mate her. If she consents to a physical relationship, youcan take sexual pleasure from her and it will be a win for the both of you. Just think about it, alright?" That said, he opened the door and walked through it.

Long after he left, those soft-spoken words remained in the air.

Wolfariane dropped the pen and allowed himself to stare at the woman lying down on his bed. Even now, his body reacted to her.

His life has always been hard because of the past nightmares he has to live with every single day. Painful, because of a sister who lost her sanity because of him...now trapped in her wolf form for eighteen years. Heavy, because of his duties and the safety of his people.

Now, his life has taken an intensely complicated turn.

His missing ring that might have put the life of his people in danger, a dying human mate, and this craving for her that only gets worse every single day.

The mountain lion growled and flexed his claws inside him.

CHAPTER 23. THE PAST, AND THE NIGHT.

Eighteen years ago...

UNKNOWN LABORATORY IN AMERICA

Dr. Angor was blatantly frustrated. It is in every step he took as he paced in front of the young wolf's cage.

The wolf was drugged; in pain, horny and restless. Yet, the rage in its amber eyes cannot be disguised as it growled at them from behind the iron bars.

Hector took a step away from the cage in fear, but Dr. Angor paid the cage no heed, "This goddamn animal refused to procreate! It's been a month, dammit!"

"We have thrown every woman his way, and yet, no results at all." Hector couldn't hide his own frustration. "Our women, he tore to pieces, every last one of them. Yet, number 6 can't get his kind's women pregnant either."

Dr. Angor stopped pacing and glared at the cage in question. His eyes connected with the raging pale-yellow eyes of the wolf, "You, number 6, are not giving us what we want! And we are running out of time, damn you!"

The wolf straightened, stepped back, and threw itself at the iron bars of the cage, howling thunderously. Furiously.