Chapter 67: An Announcement

The meeting took place in the formal receiving room on the ground floor, the same long chamber with the black-stone table that had seen every major alliance discussion for the last decade. Heavy curtains were drawn back to let in the late-afternoon light. Maps and trade schedules had been cleared. In their place sat the simpler documents of a mating agreement that was now being hurried forward.

Kai sat at his father’s right hand. The old Alpha occupied the head of the table with the same flat, controlled expression he had worn in the study an hour earlier. Across from them sat Flora’s father and two senior representatives from the Bloodmoon pack. Flora herself sat slightly to the side, posture perfect, hands folded, the deep green of her dress sharp against the pale stone.

The conversation began with logistics.

Dates were proposed and adjusted. The ceremony would take place on the main grounds, open enough for allied packs to attend, formal enough to satisfy northern expectations. Guest lists were reviewed. Security rotations were assigned. The exchange of tokens, the public claiming rites, the feast that would follow — every piece was laid out and agreed upon with the efficiency of people who had done this kind of work before.

Kai spoke when he was required to. His voice remained steady. He confirmed the territory’s readiness, accepted the northern stipulations about the first year of residence and the joint border patrols that would begin after the mating. He did not look at his father more than necessary. The weight of the earlier conversation in the study still bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

Flora’s father leaned forward near the end of the practical discussion.

"There is one more matter," he said. "My daughter has news that should be shared before the final documents are sealed."

All eyes turned to Flora, especially Kai’s. Flora was always full of surprises, he wondered what she had to say now.

She rose with the same controlled grace she brought to every public moment. Her smile was warm, practiced, and directed first at Kai, then at the table as a whole.

"I am pregnant," she announced, her face beaming with an excitement that it never had before.

For a second the room was silent. Then Flora’s father let out a short, satisfied breath. The two Bloodmoon representatives exchanged glances and small nods. The old Alpha’s expression did not change much, but something in the set of his shoulders eased, as if a long-standing political calculation had just resolved in his favor.

"The child is Kai’s," Flora continued. Her voice remained steady. "I confirmed it with our own physicians before we traveled. I wanted the families to know before the ceremony so there would be no questions later."

Excitement moved through the northern side of the table at once. Congratulations were offered. Hands were shaken. The old Alpha gave a single, measured nod of approval and said the news would be formally announced once the mating rites were complete. Preparations that had been serious before now carried an extra layer of urgency and satisfaction.

Everyone was pleased, happy, and clearly thrilled by the news they had just received. Everyone except Kai.

He kept his face in the correct shape — the slight smile, the attentive posture, the quiet acceptance expected of an heir receiving good news. He had not touched Flora since the night she had helped ease him of a little stress. He had not claimed her, and he doubted if the events of that night were responsible for the pregnancy she claimed was his.The timeline did not fit cleanly against his memory of the last weeks. It should have been over a month now, if it were his, signs should have been obvious, after all their gestation period was only three months.

He said none of this, he really couldn’t, not in front of all these people.

The meeting continued for another half hour. Final adjustments were made. The date was set: two weeks from the present day. Preparations would begin in earnest at first light. The northern contingent would remain as honored guests until the ceremony. When the last document was initialed, the old Alpha rose, signaling the end.

Flora’s people left first, already discussing schedules and announcements in low, pleased voices. The old Alpha followed after a brief word with Kai that was more order than conversation: Do not complicate this. Then the receiving room was empty except for the two of them.

Flora turned to him at once.

The public composure she had worn at the table softened into something brighter and more personal. She stepped in, took his face in both hands, and kissed him full on the mouth. It was not shy. It was the kiss of someone who believed the board had finally settled in her favor.

"I’ve won," she said against his lips, quiet enough that only he would hear. "No one can take you from me now. Not an omega, not a bond, not any of the noise this house has been making. I’m going to make you the happiest man alive."

Kai smiled.

The expression was the one he had practiced for years. He let her hold the kiss a second longer, then eased back just enough to breathe.

"Two weeks," he said.

"Two weeks," she agreed. Her eyes were bright. "Everything is already moving. By the time the ceremony ends, this entire territory will know the future is secure."

She left him with another brief touch to his cheek and the same triumphant energy she had carried into the announcement. The door closed behind her, and the room fell quiet.

Kai remained where he stood.

The smile faded as soon as there was no one left to see it. He walked to the tall windows and looked out over the eastern grounds without really seeing them. The child Flora carried did not fit the nights he remembered. Either she was lying about the timing and the father, or something else had happened that he had not been told.

He did not know which possibility was worse.

Kai rested his forehead briefly against the cool glass. He didn’t know what to think or believe. He had his own secrets, sure, but lying about a child felt heavy to Kai. If she had not lied, then the child she carried might not be his at all. But whose child was it? Was she seeing someone else? There were a lot of thoughts going through Kai’s mind, and he couldn’t help but feel the next two weeks were going to be a lot more eventful than they had just planned