Chapter One
Gideon sat behind hisdesk and angrily tapped his pen against the wood.He was sixty-four years old, and he’d turn sixty-five in a few months.Age had never held any significance for him until he was put into a position where it mattered.
“What are you going to do?”Leo, his closest friend since childhood, asked from the chair across from Gideon.
Fuck.This pissed him off.Even though he’d been dead for six years, his grandfather, the bastard and the last alpha of the pack before him, was still controlling his life.
“I have to fulfill the guidelines of his will, or I lose everything,” Gideon said.
“I can’t believe he would do this to you.Are you sure there’s no way to get out of it?”
Gideon looked at his friend.“I’ve tried everything.I’ll lose being the alpha of our pack if I don’t find a mate in the next six months.”
Leo took a sip from his glass and shook his head.“So, you’re telling me that you have to be married in the next six months?Does he expect you to find your true mate?”Leo asked.
“No.He knows that might never happen.I just have to take a wife, and it doesn’t matter if she’s a shifter or a human.”
“You know any single woman in our pack would mate with you,” Leo said.
“Yes.I hate the thought of it, though.The few single women are either a head case or...”
“Ugly?”Leo asked and grinned.
“Yeah.I know it sounds shallow, but she has to be at least somewhat attractive if I’m going to be able to fuck her.If it comes down to it, I’ll take one of the pack women, but I’m hoping to find one before the deadline.”
“That’s a lot to deal with besides the job of being the alpha.When are you going to have time?”
Gideon ran his hand through his hair in frustration.“I have no idea.I have to find a woman, court her, and be married before I turn sixty-five.How in the hell am I going to do that?”
“Well, you certainly can’t do it in a normal way.Maybe you could find a woman that will make a business deal with you.”
Gideon nodded.He’d thought the same thing.But how in the hell was he going to do that?He couldn’t just walk up to a woman and tell her about the situation and then ask if she wanted to make a marriage deal.Damn, he’d known about the clause in his grandfather’s will years ago but had forgotten about it until the family lawyer reminded him.Now, he had to rush to find a woman.
“I have an idea?”Leo said.“There is a party tomorrow night at the Coliseum.A lot of bigwigs in the area will be there, and there are always a lot of single women.Maybe you can find one to make a deal with?”
“Fuck.I’ve got to try something, because the idea of losing my position makes me sick.I’ve put my whole life into it and made it what it is today.”
Leo nodded.“You have made the pack stronger and more productive than it ever was.I’ll ask around.Maybe there is another way to find the woman.”
“I’ll try anything.If I have to, I’ll find a woman off the streets, but the thought of having to stay married to her and have a child makes me ill, too.”
“We’ll find a way.”Leo stood and set his glass down.“I’ll be in touch if I get something.If not, I’ll see you at the party.”
Gideon waved at his friend and then sat back in his chair and stared at the portrait above the mantel.His grandfather had been the man who taught him everything he needed to run this business and pack.His father had left the pack after he was born for reasons he’d never been told.It had been tough at times because his grandfather had been a bastard, but Gideon had put up with a lot because he wanted to be the alpha eventually.
Now he finds out his grandfather had once again tried to push him out.The old man always thought Gideon wouldn’t get married.If Gideon didn’t follow through, his second cousin, Adan, would take over as alpha.
That would be his worst nightmare.Adan was a fucking bastard, and Gideon didn’t trust him a bit.Gideon had caught his cousin trying to sabotage a few of his deals, and at the moment, there was nothing he could do about the situation with him.
After he found a wife, it would seal the alpha position forever, and then he could get rid of him.Now, by his grandfather’s will, Gideon had to keep him on until he had full control over the business.
It wasn’t lost on Gideon that his cousin had married and had a child.He was setting himself up to take over if Gideon failed.
Gideon would do everything in his power to win.There was no other option.
