“Has he lost his mind?” one finally asked. “What sort of Alpha determines a replacement based on litter size?”
“I don’t know, but I guess I’ll be up at the Dirty Dugout looking for a loose Omega in a hurry to marry and get knocked up,” one of the others laughed.
Malcolm laughed, but didn’t comment, instead just absorbing the conversation around him. It consisted mostly of how and where to find a bride that didn’t mind a quickie marriage and immediate pregnancy.
“Gotta find out which families around here have the biggest litters,” Clay remarked. He was the youngest of the guys assembled, barely twenty-one and only just coming into mating age.
“Hey, Tommy. Ain’t both of your sisters still single?” Terry, an older shifter with two failed marriages already under his belt, asked.
“Fuck you,” Tommy replied, along with three of his ten brothers who were present. “I don’t know how your old ass got on this list anyway.”
“Yeah you do. Let’s go outside and I’ll remind you,” Terry replied with a slow smile.
Tommy shot him the bird and turned to talk to one of his brothers in a quieter tone, most likely about nothing concerning Terry. He was right about what he was saying. Everyone knew why Terry was there. He might be older and have a hard time keeping a wife, but he made up for it in sheer power. In the battle they just had with the rival clan, he had taken out no less than two dozen wolves without help from anyone. While there were many considerations in selecting an Alpha, having strength like that was at the top of the list.
Back at home, Malcolm pondered the situation. It was unexpected. He had known he would be expected to take a mate prior to being considered for the Alpha position, but he hadn’t expected it would be so soon. He had thought he had plenty of time and never imagined that the size of his litter would be a consideration. It limited his choices, as it meant he would have to marry an Omega. They were the only ones well known for increased litter capacities.
The Alpha he had been seeing had seemed to have potential and though she wasn’t his ideal mate, they got along okay and he’d thought she’d do for his purposes. It was a cold way of thinking, he knew, but he had been groomed his entire life to become the Alpha of their pack and now it could be taken away by anyone based on something as arbitrary as the size of their family. It didn’t seem fair, but he had to remind himself that the wolves chosen were all well qualified in other ways.
His thoughts led him to consider the largest litter in the pack, and that would be Tommy’s family. Terry had been onto something there, but Tommy’s sisters were too young to mate: the reason he’d bristled at Terry commenting on them. All of the other Omegas were spoken for, which meant he would either have to go outside the pack or try to win one away from another wolf, creating a whole new problem. Contemplating Tommy’s family once more, he remembered that his mother was Canadian. There were plenty of eligible Canadian Omegas.
With no time to waste, he packed a bag and tossed it on the back of his bike, making a quick call to Foster to tell him he would be gone for a few days or longer. Soon, he was on the road north from Wyoming to Canada. He’d find a pack there and choose an Omega from the largest family. Even if he had to pay her to get her to marry him and have his kids, it would be worth it to win over the Alpha slot.CHAPTER FOURAutumn
Autumn felt the sunlight on her face, shining through the branches she had stuffed at the mouth of the tiny cave she had taken shelter in. She had maintained her bear form for warmth and was afraid to shift back in case Trevor was near enough to hear her. She had heard him pass by her in the night and had not heard him return. Exhaustion had eventually taken over and she had fallen asleep. Now, she had to figure out the best way to get back home without him finding her.
After a while of hearing nothing, she shifted back into human form. Quietly, she eased her way through the trees, naked. Her fear was gone. Now there was only anger. At the edge of the woods, she stopped, looking toward the cabin to see if there was any sign of him. The car was gone. She stepped out of the woods, finding her shredded clothes and purse on the ground. It was intact. She continued to the cabin, glad to find it unlocked.