“Look what he did to me!” she wailed.
“If you ever insult my pair-bond mate again, I will ignore our pack’s rule against harming women, and I will tear your throat open,” Lukan snarled.
“But I’m here under the protection of the Federation,” Alexandra whimpered, hiding behind Patrivar. “That would be a declaration of war.”
“Any Vulfan leader who let his mate be insulted in such a fashion would be betraying his people and displaying weakness. Such a leader would swiftly be overthrown,” Lukan said coldly.
“Actually, he is correct,” Patrivar said. “You know full well that your contract requires you to respect the customs of the people you are doing business with. Insulting the Reginar’s intended mate is a grave violation of that custom.”
Alexandra glared at Lukan, her eyes glittering with tears. She held her hands out to him in a final appeal. He stepped back. “I would be a much better bride-to-be than…that woman. You should choose me.”
“You have disgusted me from the very moment I began dealing with you,” Lukan said. “Everything from the gallons of what you call perfume, dumped on you to mask your foul scent, to your unpleasant personality, to your hideous garments. I have wanted Talia from the moment I laid eyes on her, and you caused both of us a year of unnecessary suffering. Every single day that I could have been with her, I hold against you. I am ending our business relationship because I can no longer work with you.”
“We do have a problem with that,” Lukan’s brother Fangor said unhappily. “We need a liaison on Earth to help us get brides. She is responsible for eight successful matches so far, although of course we had hoped for many more. But she is our only liaison. It might take years for the Federation to approve a new Earth contact.”
Alexandra flashed a triumphant smirk at Lukan. “You need me,” she said. “And I…I won’t work with you unless you break up with Talia.” Her eyes gleamed with malice. “So if you want your race to carry on, you need to choose me. You haven’t claimed her yet – she bears no mark on her neck. It’s not too late. The survival of your species depends on it.”
Talia sucked in her breath in dismay, and Mar-ee lunged at Alexandra. Talia grabbed her arm. “No,” she said.
“Fuzz-killer,” Mar-ee muttered.
“Buzz-killer,” Talia corrected her quietly.
Lukan scoffed at Alexandra. “Nothing in this world could induce me to set Talia aside for any other woman – least of all for you.” His lip curled with contempt. “Besides, you are making a fortune from us, and I know you won’t give that up,” he continued, more coolly. “Also, Cora Lee was Talia’s idea, so you have can only claim credit for seven successful matches. In the past year.” He gave her a look of scorn.
“Nonetheless, we have no other options,” Fangor said. “I will take your place at the agency so you do not have to endure her presence. I will travel to Earth on the days that you used to travel there; you will give me a briefing on the workings of the agency. If she lies to any member of our pack again, we will terminate our arrangement with her and find a new partner, no matter how long we have to wait.” Fangor gave Alexandra a look of contempt. “You will sign a new contract with Patrivar now, agreeing to this change, or we are finished with you.”
Alexandra’s lips were compressed into a thin, furious line. She gave one sharp, abrupt nod.
Lukan led Talia out of the room, with Mar-ee and his packmates following.
“I wish to speak to you about the rumor that you are considering a truce with the Thorolf pack,” Salvi said, scowling at him.
“It is not a rumor. It is fact.”
“Unacceptable,” Salvi gritted out. “We will never make peace with those bastards. Being forced to enter that disgusting business partnership with them was enough humiliation—”
Lukan spun to face his brother, his eyes glowing with anger. He pushed Talia gently but firmly behind him, shielding her with his body. “I am the Reginar, not you. Do not challenge my will again.”
His brother immediately dropped his gaze and angled his head to the left, baring his neck. “Acknowledged, Reginar. But I would like at least to discuss it with you.” Salvi’s gaze was downcast, his brow furrowed.
“We shall see,” Lukan said coldly. “Right now, my priority is showing my true mate her new home.”
Chapter Twelve
Lukan got dressed as they headed back to the Wor-Lan territory. He apparently always kept extra clothing in his skimmer, in case he shifted at some point. Pity. The tunic and leggings were certainly flattering to his muscular frame, but the sight of him naked was simply breath-taking.
“Is there some kind of party going on?” Talia asked, puzzled, as the skimmer hovered over Lukan’s castle. Sunlight bounced off the twisting spires and domes and globes of the massive, sprawling building. Off to the right, in a huge grove, there were dozens of banquet tables, and there was a big empty stage. Hundreds of people were gathered, milling about.
“Not that I know of,” Lukan said. “I have not yet officially announced that I’ve found my true mate.” He winked at Talia. “That is you, by the way.”
“It had better be!” Mar-ee piped up from the back seat.
Lukan gave Talia a look. She didn’t need to be able to read his mind to know that he was silently asking her permission to rewire the retro-bot he’d programmed to be Talia’s companion. It warmed her heart to think that he had created Mar-ee a year ago just to make her happy, even though he’d thought they could never be together.
“No,” she said, stifling a laugh. “You may not.”
“Whatever my true mate wishes.” The mighty, fearsome warrior tried to look grouchy, but the smile tugging at the corner of his lips gave it away.
