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"Calm down, Rat. If she's human I doubt she is ready to meet either of us. She needs to know and understand our ways first before she is introduced to the council." Alpha Zane replied.

"That is right, that is right." The Rat Alpha admitted, before facing Wolfariane, "But, a human mate? For you? What exactly is the Above thinking? Is this some kind of a joke to them?"

"That is exactly what I am thinking right here, Ratinus. A human mate for an Alpha King?" Alpha Asisy shook his head, "There are so many ways that can go wrong. Hell, she might die under you on a full moon night."

"Have you mated her yet? How did that one go, Alpha King?" Rodarh asked curiously, "I am mated to a strong female jaguar, but I can still remember how the mating ritual was for my Aniliny, twenty-five years ago. She barely got through it."

"My Zeally too." Alpha Zane added, "She could barely take it and she's a strong wolf."

Alpha Alphose glanced at his friend and winced inwardly. Wolfariane already has some good reasons why he doesn't want to mate with her, and these people aren't helping matters at all.

"Well, I heard it differs for mates. For some it's intense. For some it's mild. For some, it's both." He said out loud.

"Well, that part is true too." Head Sentinel Rodarh admitted thoughtfully.

"So, have you mated her yet?" Alpha Morose asked curiously.

"No." Alpha King Wolfariane spoke crisply, for the first time since all their bickering.

"Oh..."

"How do you feel about it?" Head Sentinel Adanel finally asked, "About her being human...? How do you feel about it?"

"A part of me likes her." The wolf, "Another part of me despises her and everything she represents." The mountain lion.

"What about the male? How does the male feel?" Adanel questioned, watching the Alpha King carefully.

Silence descended in the Meeting Hall. As dead as night, as they waited for him to answer.

Wolfariane was sure of what he felt about that prospect as of yesterday evening, but after the night before, he found himself having a slight hesitation.

Till now, the taste of the woman haunted him, leaving him wanting more. He has been thinking about it all morning, even here in court, he admitted to himself.

So, he settled for telling them the only truth he is sure of. "I have no intentions of mating. Not a human. Or a changeling." He paused, "Especially a human."

Stunned silence followed.

Then, "That is... understandable." Alpha Zane said. "We do not have all the details of what happened to you and your sister years ago, but from what we were able to gather from the others that were captured in that lab, you went through unspeakable tortures in their hands."

As always, Wolfariane did not say a word.

Whenever The Lab comes up in the council meeting, he does not say a word about it even though he knows that it hurts them and they think he does not trust them enough to share his pains with them.

But he knows that they are better off not knowing. Sparing them that nightmare is the best he can do for them. He will go on living with it. He, and the other six males that survived that captivity.

Automatically, Alpha King Wolfariane's eyes found Adanel's across the table.

The Sentinel's face closed up like a book, his jaws locked tight.

The Alpha King looked back at Alpha Zane, and then at all of them. "On our next meeting, hopefully, we will have updates on the Wild Psychopath. Also, we hope for more progress on the search for the ring. Now, we will adjourn this meeting." With that, he got up from his throne chair.

Instantly, they all rose too and inclined their heads.

"We hope so too." Ratinus said, "Hopefully, Alpha Degar will have better news for us at the next meeting about the search for the ring."

"I am also hoping on that too." Alpha Degar replied.

Eline looked her straight in the eyes, "You truly do not know that you are the Alpha King's mate?"