I was a glorified puppy mill.
Rex cradled my face in his big, warm hands. “I don’t want this any more than you do, Taryn. You’re like a daughter to me. I love you. I don’t want to lose you. But as Pack Master, I have a responsibility to our bloodline.”
“And what about your responsibility to your family? Or do I not count because I’m not really a part of it?”
He shook his head. “If there were any other way, I would bend Heaven and Earth to make it so. But what else can I do?”
The pain in his eyes mirrored the sorrow I felt in my heart. I turned from him, not wanting him to see my tears. In truth, there wasn’t much he could do, besides forego the treaty. An act that would send the northern territories into chaos.
I breathed deeply to steady my voice. “When will the exchange take place?”
“Tomorrow night.”
I whirled around to gape at him. “Why so soon?”
His gaze darkened as his hands curled in his lap. “You’re in heat, Taryn. I can smell it. We all can. The longer you stay, the greater the risk of you...”
He trailed off. I stared at the floor, trying to hide the flush creeping into my cheeks.
Yes, I was in heat. It didn’t matter how many times I made myself come in the darkness of my bedroom; my body wanted to mate—needed to mate. It was a physical ache inside me.
“Greater the risk of me, what?” I asked.
He couldn’t meet my eyes. “Of you causing a frenzy.”
Frenzy. The word sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. It was a phenomenon we spoke of only in hushed whispers: the uncontrollable urge to mount and be mounted. There was no fighting it once it caught hold, and it did not discriminate among packs or relations or even species. Heaven help the innocent girlchild who found herself alone in the forest with a pack of frenzied wolves on her tail.
The idea hit me suddenly, like a bolt from the blue. What if I did cause a frenzy? If one of Rex’s sons were to impregnate me, Rex would be forced to call off the exchange. Since I was technically a Pack Master’s daughter, the bloodline would remain pure.
I could stay.
“Fine,” I lied. “I’ll go.”
My Pack Master folded his arms around me from behind. I leaned back against his broad, solid chest and breathed him in, rain and cedar, smells I’d known my whole life. I would do whatever it took stay here, even if it meant taking one of his sons as a mate.
“I’m so sorry, Taryn.” He kissed my temple. “Try and get some sleep tonight.”
I waited until I heard his bootsteps on the stairs, then quietly shut my bedroom door.
There was no time to waste.
I ransacked my closet for the thinnest, shortest dress I could find. Something that would leave very little to the imagination. I settled on a gauzy white nightgown that draped loosely and ended just below my ass.
No underwear. Where I was going, they would only get in the way.
Ears peeled, I opened my window, slipped out onto the garage roof and down the side of the shingled house. I didn’t bother with shoes; Rex’s oldest son Declan’s place was only a quick sprint across the field. As I suspected, Declan’s youngest brothers, the twins, Shane and Lucas were still up playing video games on his seventy-inch television. Their other brothers, James and Brian, lived in the main house with me, but I wasn’t sure where they’d gone or when they’d be returning. Plus, I was quite certain the twins would be the easiest to seduce.
I stood on the porch, watching Shane and Lucas through the window, anxious and unsure as to how to proceed. Would it be better to try and tackle one at a time, or should I simply offer myself to both and let the frenzy take over?
Before I could decide, Declan opened the door.
“Hey,” he said, his gaze leaden. Ten years older than me, he was his father’s second in command. He’d no doubt known about my fate for weeks.
“Hi.” I shifted from foot to foot. “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d come see what you guys were up to.”
Declan stepped aside so I could enter. He seemed to be holding his breath as I slipped past him into the kitchen. Sounds of simulated gunfire and rang out from the living room. I tried my best to appear casual as I clasped my hands and said, “So, I’m guessing you heard the news.”
“I did.” He stuffed both hands in his jeans, his amber eyes searching my face. “How are you coping?”