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“It is an honor to be called in direct service of the Mckenna and his family.”

Kai turned at the sound of another voice and saw Tana coming up the stairs carrying a tray weighed down with a lot of food.

“Your timing is impeccable.” Kai laughed. “I was just coming down to get food for my sister.”

“And you, I’m sure.” Tana effortlessly continued up the stone stairs and stared pointedly at Kai’s belly.

Instinctively, Kai touched her stomach and caressed where she knew the scale marking sat. “If this little one continues to demand food like this, I don’t think there will be enough for anyone else in the territory.”

Tana laughed, and her scales gleamed an eye-piercing canary color. “Don’t you worry. We have plenty for you and all the other mothers we expect.”

“That’s good to know.”

“My mate and I will start breeding in the next few days when I am off,” Aine chimed in. “We have wanted offspring for so long to help grow the Thunder. Thank you, Aguya.”

Shocked at the woman’s words, Kai felt a tightness in her chest. To hear Aodh talk about how his people could not have children since he had become a leader with no mate was one thing, but seeing the lavender flames of hope in this Drahk woman’s gaze and radiating along the markings on her arms beneath the short sleeves of her uniform caused a flutter in Kai’s belly.

Kai never thought much about children, but it wasn’t because, unlike the Drahk women, she had been denied the chance.

No. Kai had too many other responsibilities on her shoulders, which kept her from just finding a man to lie beneath until she conceived like many other women in the district.

But to have a mate you cared for and they cared for you in return but not be able to create a child had to be the greatest sorrow a woman could experience, only surmounted by the loss of a child. The last thought caused Kai to protectively press a firm hand against her stomach.

“I am glad you all can start your family soon.” Kai wanted to reach out and embrace the woman, but she knew Drahks saved touching for their close family and mates alone. Instead, she offered her a smile.

Kai turned to the attendant, who stood at the landing. “Tana, I have not yet shared the baby news with Morlie. She is dealing with a lot right now, and I don’t want to overshadow her issues by talking about anything else yet.”

A disquiet shadow moved through Tana’s eyes, but she nodded. “As you wish.”

No one had to tell Kai that once Morlie decided she wanted to leave her suite, it wouldn’t be long before she heard the talk about Kai’s pregnancy, but Kai hoped to tell her sister first.

“Can I help you carry something?” Kai asked.

“No need, I have it.” Tana shifted the heavy-laden tray to one hand, then pushed open Morlie’s door with the other. The tray didn’t even wobble.

The Drahk’s strength never ceased to amaze Kai.

When they entered, Kai saw that her sister had not moved from the spot by the window. It was becoming light outside now, and the purple hue of the sky was reflected through the glass onto her sister’s face, giving Morlie a haunted, ethereal appearance.

“Morlie, we have food. Tana was already bringing you something.”

She watched her sister paste a fake smile on her face as she turned to them but remained by the window. “Good. I should have let you bring me something when you asked before, Tana. I wouldn’t be so hungry now.”

“Well, I have plenty for you both to get your fill.” Tana crossed the space with smooth, measured steps. At the table, she started unloading the tray, placing one dish after another, and then she set a basket of fresh bread on it. “You two are all set. I’ll be back later for the empty platters.”

Kai took a seat at the table and glanced down at the food. “We’ll do our best, but this is a lot.”

“I have confidence in the two of you,” Tana briefly shifted her gaze at Morlie, then back at Kai. “Enjoy.”

Kai waited until Tana had left before she looked at her sister. “Come join me. Or I may eat all this before you get here,” she taunted.

“I may have to arm wrestle you for the first and last bite.” One last time, Morlie looked outside, pulled herself away, and came to the table.

Yes, something was going on with her sister. Kai felt assured she had made the right decision about the baby news until she could sort out what was happening with Morlie.

~YH~

“Congratulations to the Thunder,” Liekki sauntered into Aodh’s office.

“Yes, congratulations to the Thunder,” he echoed, watching his brother claim the seat across from his desk.

“On my walk to your office, I was serenaded by the satisfied cries and moans of multiple Drahkelles being bred.”

Aodh chuckled. “Good. Our number has been stagnant for way too long.”

“Honestly, I doubted for a moment that your dragon would ever lay his claim on Kai. I am sure fucking her with all those soft curves had to be incredible, but knowing each time you pulled out her womb was empty had to tie your cock in knots.”

He scowled at his brother. “Not quite, but it wasn’t easy being divided inside. I don’t wish that on another Drahk.”

Aodh meant it. He’d never been on opposing sides with his dragon.

He and his beast had been aligned since he first shifted as a youngling.

However, knowing Kai was his mate but having his dragon refuse to agree shredded Aodh in two.

Now, he felt whole, and with Kai’s claim and breeding done, he felt complete.

“I don’t plan to be in your situation. When I’m ready to settle down, I’ll let my dragon lead me to my mate, a Drahk. That way, I don’t have to wait for his approval.” Liekki winked.

Aodh rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “Anyway. Update me on Morlie.”

“She’s going to rabbit.” Liekki shifted lower in the chair and rested one ankle over the other knee. “She was fine as I was bringing her back. But, not too long after, she pulled her door open to leave. I startled her when she saw me sitting outside of it.”

“I figured as much.” Aodh rubbed his chin. “You think it’s from the mark. Her being in contact with her mate triggered something?”

“Chanin isn’t a fool. He did what I would have done.” A cunning smile stretched along his brother’s mouth. “The wolf placed his mark on her. I’m sure it was due to Morlie’s agitation and the lock she kept on the forest for hours.”

“You think Chanin will come for her.” Aodh’s features tightened with the thought. “Shit, maybe he’s out there now, pacing along the border looking for her?”

Liekki shoved a hand through his long, dark hair. “We’ve had added patrols since the theft incident, so if he attempts to cross for her, Chanin will have a fight on his hands.”

“True.” Aodh had confidence in Edjer’s security team. “However, as I told Kai, Chanin knows that our treaties are important to maintain civility. No one wants the same battles and wars that happened when humans first went underground. It’s for the best.”

“Yes. So, what do you want to do?”

“In the next few hours, Morlie would have been under guard for more than twenty-four hours. We’ll know by then if he marked her enough for her to shift.” Aodh leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk as he bridged his fingers.

“Fuck, if that happened. She’d put herself at risk. A wild, untrained wolf in the middle of Drahk territory?” Liekki let out a piercing whistle.

Aodh had the same thought as his brother.

If Chanin bit Morlie and allowed enough of his serum to leak into Morlie’s bloodstream, it could be bad.

Not only would she have to go through such an intense change alone, but even if he warned his Thunder not to attack Morlie, she’d be feral and uncontrollable in the first few hours.

If Morlie drew first blood...Aodh shoved the thought back.

It was a situation Kai shouldn’t have to deal with.

Apprehension swelled inside of him. If Kai’s sister got injured or killed at the hands of one of his Drahk, it would break his mate.

Even if she didn’t carry his offspring, he couldn’t allow Kai’s emotions to shatter in such a way.

“You know what would solve a lot of this?”

He shifted his gaze to his brothers. “For my mate to come to me and confess that her sister is actually of age to mate?”

Aodh wasn’t upset at Kai for misleading the council. She’d tried to protect her sister. Someone in that state of mind would always have his admiration. He had an entire Thunder to protect, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to keep them safe and healthy.

His brother’s mouth tilted up into a half smile. “Why do you think she lied? Doesn’t she know we can smell her sister’s level of maturity?”

“I’m sure that possibility never crossed Kai’s mind. Otherwise, she’d have done something else.” Aodh sat back. “But, it’s simple, brother. Kai has built her whole world around her sister and doesn’t know how to cut the strings.”

“Soon, she won’t have to because Morlie will rip those strings apart.”

~YH~

“Forget hitting them at midnight. It seems they are doing most of their fucking dirt in the night. I want to catch them as unprepared as possible.” Chanin stalked around the table and stood before Boris.

Like him and Bleddyn, Boris was part of a new and younger generation of Pack leaders.

Before, leaders were in their middle wolf years when they fought for or assumed any head position.

However, losing so many during the initial blast and from the resulting fallout and radiation forced Alphas and Betas to come forth at a younger age and claim high-ranking positions.

Most of them were barely staring at the human age of thirty.