Page 67 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Julian
Looking at Hannah as she sleeps peacefully against me, I reluctantly untangle my arms from around her and carefully lay her back on the bed.
She whimpers, shifting for a moment until her arms wrap around the pillow I was lying on, breathing in my scent.
Chuckling, I shrug off the shirt I was wearing and place it beside her.
Hopefully, my scent will linger until I can return to her side.
Waiting on you, Julian, Fabian’s voice flickers through the link, and I suppress a groan of annoyance. I just want to stay here in bed with Hannah, to hold her tight and forget about my duties.
I know. Hannah and Saben are asleep now, so I will be at the Haven Trail pack house soon, I reply, looking at the baggy sweater thrown on the chair by the closet door.
It is Hannah’s favorite, the one she always wears in the morning.
With a smile, I shrug the sweater on, instantly enveloped by Hannah’s scent.
I will keep this sweater with me while I am busy with my tour.
Leaving the small cottage, I am stopped as I come face-to-face with Mavric, who nods at me, his eyes glancing over my shoulder.
“Aidan wants me here to guard my alpha and her heir,” he says, a sense of possessiveness filling me. I know he is Hannah’s head hunter, but I don’t want another male near her until I bear her mark.
Taking a deep breath, I calm the emotions inside me and remind myself that Hannah has known Mavric for five years. If he wanted her, they would have been mated by now. Instead, she is mine and mine only.
“I won’t let any unknown males near her, I promise,” Mavric says, giving me a reassuring smile.
“Besides, I am waiting for my own mate to show up so I can shower them with all the love they deserve, whether they are male or female,” he adds, and I chuckle, relaxing slightly.
It seems Mavric respects the mate bond, and I can’t help but feel reassured.
“I am guessing you are bisexual then?” I ask, watching a blush creep along his face.
“I am. But don’t let anyone know. Most people think I am into chicks, but I wouldn’t mind dominating a male every so often,” Mavric states, rubbing the back of his neck.
Scrunching my face at the idea of Mavric taking a male from behind, I tell him to ensure Hannah and Saben are safe while I am gone and wish him luck in finding his mate one day before moving aside.
The door shuts behind me, and I look back once, listening to see where Mavric will go.
Thankfully, he collapses onto the sofa, and the sounds of soft snoring follow.
At least he has the sense not to go further than the living room.
With a deep breath, I walk away from Hannah’s home and take the path toward the Haven Trail pack house.
I can sense the wolves around me, patrolling the forest and the border of this growing pack, and I smile.
Hannah has done a good job training these wolves, and I hope that one day she will be able to train the others in the royal pack.
Hell, I might bring most of my pack here to be trained by the Haven Trail wolves, as I know they will help mine improve by leaps and bounds.
Hannah’s suggestion of merging the two packs while keeping them separate is a great idea.
We could use a base of operations near the capital city of Canada.
It would make dealing with the many packs under me easier and give us a place to escape from the palace during the long, cold winter northern Canada experiences.
Looking up at the night sky, I notice how bright the full moon shines tonight. It is a good night to fly with clear skies, and I just pray that it stays that way.
“Mavric texted me that he ran into you when you were leaving Hannah’s place.” Jumping at the sudden voice, I turn to find Aileen walking beside me, the vampire watching the night sky as well.
“Goddess, Aileen, you need a fucking bell on you,” I snap at the vampire, who just looks at me with an amused smirk before resuming her gaze at the sky.
“I don’t think wearing a bell would be fun.
So no, I won’t wear one,” she replies in a teasing tone, and I grumble a low growl in annoyance.
As much as I hated this vampire at the beginning of my time at Haven Trail, I can’t help but admit that I like her.
She is no-nonsense when she needs to be and will take a stand if necessary.
Add to the fact that she prefers not to cause harm to wolves and humans and actively drinks animal blood, I can’t help but admire her.
“I know you have questions about my kind, so why don’t you ask them, werewolf king?” she adds, her steps slowing down.
Watching her serene expression for a moment, I return my gaze to the road ahead and think about what question to ask first.
“How can vampires walk in the sunlight?” I finally ask. This has been the one question on my mind since I was a little pup. Everyone knows that vampires burn in the harsh sun. It’s why hunters prefer to transport them during the day.
“There are two parts to this question,” Aileen says with a soft smile.
“The first is that it depends on the age of the vampire and whether they drink blood regularly, like I do, but the blood has to be human blood,” she continues, her hand moving to toy with a ring on her fingers, one that I have never seen her take off before.
“The second part is that we wear a moonstone enchanted by a witch, though those are rare to come by these days after the Salem witch hunt a few hundred years ago.”
Shocked once again by this revelation, I stop walking as I look at the wistful expression on Aileen’s face. “Witches exist?” I ask, Aileen stopping to look back at me.
“They do, although only a handful exist now. Their numbers have dwindled to one hundred in the world.” She smiles sadly, looking down at the ring in her hand.
“Witches were always female, whether they were born to a witch and a human, a witch and a werewolf, or a witch and a vampire. But not all females in a coven would be born a witch. Between my sister and me, I was the unlucky one—I was born human…” Her voice trails off, and her hand returns to her side.
For a moment, I am stunned by this revelation. I always assumed Aileen had been bitten and turned into a vampire. I just didn’t think she had family.
“How long do witches live?” I find myself wondering, the question coming out without thinking.
“Longer than a human but shorter than a wolf. Marianna was three hundred and six when she passed, but she learned how to make the rings that allow vampires to walk in the sun and passed this knowledge to her children. I guard them day and night with my coven, making sure they are safe,” Aileen answers, turning to look at me.
“Now come, Wolf King, you have hunters to destroy and wolves to manage. The faster you can get this done, the faster you can return to Hannah, and we can make a treaty between the royal pack and Coven Sunblaze.” Without another word, Aileen walks away, and I follow after her.
She is a strange vampire, but one that I now want to get to know as a friend. Hannah trusts her, and Saben adores her, so I know Aileen and her coven will be part of my life for good. With a soft smile on my lips, I welcome the silence between Aileen and me.
“There you are, King Julian!” Aliah calls with a smile, her eyes looking wearily at Aileen. “I just got word that our plane is ready and waiting to depart,” she adds, her voice quieter while Aileen glares at her.
“Aliah has a mate, Aileen. She means no harm regarding the mate bond between Hannah and me,” I reassure the vampire.
“I see. What a relief,” Aileen purrs, her glare turning into a friendly smile.
Goddess, I swear this vampire is bipolar.
Sighing, I tell her to enjoy her night before joining my wolves at our vehicles while she zips away.
Fabian looks worried as he stares in the direction of Hannah and Saben’s home, and I pat my friend on the shoulder.
I know he is close with Hannah, and I am glad that he was in her corner while I was a complete asshole to her.
“Does Hannah know what we plan to do?” he asks me, and I nod.
“She does. She isn’t happy about us leaving like this, but she is glad we are going to destroy a large Hunters Association,” I answer, getting a smirk from Fabian.
“She was never happy when we left the royal pack without her, but that was when she was still a pup and unable to shift.” Fabian shrugs, his smirk turning into a grin.
“But she was always so happy when we came home.” His voice is soft, and I close my eyes, picturing the white-haired pre-teen Hannah rushing to our side with a grin, her blue eyes wide with happiness to see Fabian and me returning home safely.
Goddess, I was such a fool not to see how genuine Hannah was after the rumors started circulating.
“Let’s get our job done so that we can return quickly to her. I know Hannah is excited to start planning your wedding to Miella,” I say, playfully nudging my friend with my elbow.
He rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide the cheeky grin at the mention of his mate. “Miella is amazing. I always thought my mate would be a wolf, but I am happy with a vampire as well, knowing that she drinks animal blood. It will make bringing home fresh game easier now,” Fabian says.
I smile, happy for my friend and excited to get to know the vampire who will inevitably become my beta female.
From what I have learned from Fabian, the vampires in Aileen’s coven help with hunting patrols.
They drain the blood of the prey that the wolves in Haven Trail hunt, making the kill easier to clean and less messy when transporting them back to the pack.
The idea of having a few vampires in the royal pack helping with cleaning up our kills does sound good, but only once the pack can get used to vampires being around.
“Come on, boys,” I hear a friendly voice call out, and I find Miella waiting by the vehicle that Fabian and I will be taking. “We have hunters to kill and a long trip ahead of us.”
Frowning at the vampire, I give Fabian a look before leaving his side and stalking toward my car.
Miella looks amused by my annoyance but thankfully keeps her mouth shut as she takes the front passenger seat, with Fabian taking the driver’s seat.
With everyone set, we drive off, and I pull the fabric of the sweater over my nose.
These next six months will be hard for me, being separated from Hannah for so long.