Page 177 of Labor of Love

“I thought that had fallen out of favor years ago,” Cesare murmured as he sipped his own drink.

“The pack is broke and needs the money this alpha has offered to pay for Kael.” Anatoly paused, feeling his anger surge. “He made Kael kiss him tonight, then attempted to touch him intimately to see if he was still a virgin.”

“Fucking hell! And Kael’s alpha let this happen?” Cesare slammed his glass down onto the table.

“He was there as well. Stepped in before it happened, but it affected Kael. I wouldn’t have met him if I hadn’t detoured through the forest on my way home. Found him crying.” Anatoly sipped his drink and exhaled after swallowing. Even now, he wanted to find the alpha and hit him.

“Because of what had happened with the alpha.”

“Yes.” Anatoly licked his lips. “I’m not happy he went through that, but if he hadn’t, there is a chance I would never have met him.”

“Fate made your paths cross.” Irina sighed softly. “What does he look like? He’s going to be my son-in-law. Tell me everything you know.”

Anatoly chuckled. “I don’t know a great deal yet. He’s shorter than I am. Maybe five feet seven or eight. Slim, too, with dark hair and pale skin. Light green eyes that appear to shimmer in the light. He sounded resigned to the situation even after we’d spoken, and I’d assured him I wouldn’t let him be mated off.”

“He could be scared, Anatoly. Maybe worried about his family.”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t mate him, then take him away. He’s young, and his family is all he knows. I come along and mate him, and his life changes when he’d accepted being mated to an alpha who would use him to have pups. A loveless mating. Why do shifters still have them?”

“Abram’s mentioned some do it for power and money. Vampires stopped doing it a long time ago.” Cesare sipped his drink. “How do you think his family will take hearing about you? There is some animosity between our species.”

“Some?” Anatoly arched an eyebrow. “That’s putting it mildly. In some areas, there is open hostility between us. I still wonder how it started?”

“Similar to this now,” Irina told him. “A shifter was promised to another, then found their mate in another species. A vampire. Talks were held to resolve the issue, but in the end, the shifter ran away with her vampire mate. He simply teleported in, grabbed her, and left. The shifter she’d been promised to couldn’t accept she had a mate and then couldn’t accept she’d left with her mate. Fighting broke out between the shifter pack and the vampire clan until other groups were dragged into it,and then the whole area was in a full-scale war. More and more packs and clans became involved.” Irina shook her head. “We had the agreement in place back then that mates were more important than any agreement, but this shifter refused to accept it. So many lives lost because of him.”

“Feels like history repeating itself,” Anatoly mused. “I don’t believe this alpha will accept us either, especially as I’m a vampire, and I’m not certain if I want Kael to be around his alpha once he finds out about us. I can only imagine he wouldn’t be too happy losing all that money if Kael mated me instead of the other alpha.”

“Money makes us all do stupid things, and if the pack is in dire need of funds, then they’d want the mating to go ahead.” Cesare stared at the table for a few seconds. “Speak to Abram. As you know, he’s the alpha of the pack here. There could be a chance Kael’s family comes with him, and then they won’t bear the brunt of their alpha’s displeasure.”

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll wait until the children are in bed before I speak to him. I don’t fancy being climbed all over.”

“Now that’s a great idea.”

A couple of hours later, he teleported over to his sister, Gabriella’s house and waited for her mate, Abram, to open the door. When he did, Anatoly realized he should have waited another hour. “We are having no more,” Abram said as he thrust a crying baby into Anatoly’s arms.

Anatoly stood, holding the baby at arm’s length, then smiled when she gave him a toothy grin, her bright blue eyes shining up at his. “Come in, Uncle Anatoly.”

Anatoly held his niece close to his chest and stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind him. Gabrielle came up and smiled. “Anya, come to mama.” She took Anya and walked into the kitchen. “Kael, huh?”

“Of course, Mom would have called. “

“Just got off the phone now.” She kissed Abram’s cheek, then sat on the chair he’d pulled out for her. “Teething.”

Abram passed Anatoly a beer, then asked, “What can you tell me?”

“Not much, to be honest. We’ve only just met.” Anatoly told Abram what he did know, and Abram nodded several times.

“I need to meet them as soon as I can. Time is running out, so the sooner you mate, the better, and yes, I’ll speak to the parents and see what we can do to help. I can’t imagine how helpless they feel, seeing their son mated off to some alpha. Some packs need to move with the times, but if they’re desperate for money and someone offers them a lot, they’ll grab it. I’m sorry your mate is going through this.” Abram sipped his beer and said, “Get me the parents’ number, and I’ll give them a call. Your mate is young, and he won’t want anything to happen to them when he mates you.”

“Yes, he cares for his family and doesn’t want them to suffer.”

“And he’s so young to be going through this,” Gabriella adjusted Anya, who had fallen asleep, her head resting on Gabriella’s shoulder. “Abram will sort this out, and soon, you and your mate can put this behind you.” Standing, Gabrielle smiled at Abram, who nodded, touched Anya’s back, then smiled at Gabriella as she left the room.

“I can’t make any promises, you understand. We’ll talk and see what I can do to help, and if they sound like a good fit, I’ll offer them a place in the pack.”

“That’s all I can ask, and thank you for the offer to call.”

“An omega.” Abram leaned back in his chair. “In the old days, omegas were sold for a great deal of money. Hard to believe it’s still being done now.”

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