1 Chapter 1

Who knew a person could be alone when surrounded by so many people? Was what Braytek thought as he sat on his throne, staring out at the orgy that was going on in his great hall.

Rubbing his face with his scarred hands, he pushed back several strands of russet hair that had fallen out of his leather tie that held the rest back.

"Cheer up Braytek! This celebration is for you and your pup!" called one of his betas who was rutting a pretty blonde, keeping her still with one hand and saluting the alpha with a mug of ale in the other, before he took a great huge gulp and started pounding into the female even harder than before

Alpha, Braytek thought and scoffed. He may wear the skin of the first Black Ice Wolf but at this moment he felt like a scared pup. It didn't matter that this would be his eighth pup. No, being a father never scared him, it was the fact that the one who was bearing the pup was down below all alone.

Huffing, he sat back and rubbed his face again. Well, she wasn't completely alone, a room full of the woman were helping her but not him. Tradition dictated men were not allowed to be in the birthing den until after the pup was born. The tradition dated back to the age of wolves when the litter was born. To protect them, the alpha female would allow no other wolf to enter the den. Not even the alpha male was allowed in or she would viciously attack those who entered.

Braytek gripped his cup of ale and took a gulp to try to calm his nerves. But panic began to come over him and sweep through his muscles. Why was it taking so long? Where was the nursing woman? Was Analise still even alive?

As the questions ripped through his mind, his breath seized up in his lungs and was making his heart feel like it was being ripped in two. Analise, he thought, with her raven black hair, cerulean eyes, and gorgeous smile all gone.

A deep growl started in his chest and he threw his cup at the wall as his temper surged through, "Fuck it!" He snarled and started down the steps of the dais to head towards the stairs for the birthing den.

As he had stormed down the betas in the hall had gone silent as they watched their alpha. Within that silence, a scream of agony came before it was broken into by the howl of a squalling infant.

Braytek and his betas stared at one another, all in the middle of the process of taking a woman before all howled an approval and started thrusting harder and deeper into them. Many orgasmed on the spot and others soon after.

Braytek heaved a sigh of relief and climbed back up to his throne to wait for the woman to escort him down below. He was excited to see both Analise and the babe. The squalling of that infant had the echo of a howling alpha, something he hadn't heard in a very long time. 

It thankfully didn't take long for the nursing woman to appear. One of the rare women that were not available to the males of the pack. They were guardians of the pups born to the alphas and betas of the pack. One of the ways to recognize one of these women was the nun-like black robes they wore. If one of them went without these robes they were fair game to the pack no matter the circumstances.

"Alpha," the woman said quietly, "you are needed down in the den."

Before the woman was even finished, Braytek had jumped down off the dais and was striding past her towards the stairs that would lead him to his mate. His heart was pounding as he reached the door. Taking a steadying breath, he hesitated for a moment as the smell of blood was apparent in the air. Taking a deeper sniff, he relaxed when he knew that it wasn't death's blood.

Upon entering, he looked towards the bed to find Analise dozing. The women who were near backed away respectfully and he moved immediately to her side with only a sideways glance to the pup in the bassinet.

Pulling Analise into his arms, he snuggled closer and sighed. She was his biggest weakness and his most guarded secret. The pack believed she was just his favored one, nothing more than a body to slake his lusts on. They thought once he tired of her that she would be given back to the pack or killed because she was no longer useful.

At first, it had started that way. Analise had been nothing more than a body for him to use. The village he had ransacked had many fine women that had been brought back to pack land. Analise had been one of them and when he had seen her black hair and lovely eyes, he knew that she was going to be his.

It had taken several months of running her to the ground and in that time she had tried to kill him twice. But in the end, Analise was more than a body for him to slake his lusts on. She was his best friend and loving mate.

He smiled as her eyes flickered open and she smiled back up at him, "Hello there, witch, " he murmured softly.

Analyst scrunched her nose up and looked around before her eyes locked onto the bassinet, "I want to see, " she said softly.

Braytek gently moved away from her and went to the bassinet, waving away the nursing woman who had jumped to hand him the infant. He looked down at the bundle and carefully picked the babe up before taking him to Analise.

Depositing the bundle in her arms, he sighed, his ninth boy. But Analise wouldn't know so he said nothing so she could be surprised. He watched as she unwrapped the babe to make sure he had everything. Analise relaxed against Braytek and looked up at him. Quietly, she asked, "Do you think we did it?"

Braytek frowned as he looked down at the pup. Inside he sneered because the babe was whimpering and mewling much like his other sons. But for Analise, he smiled, "I haven't a doubt."

Analise smiled and moved the infant towards the nursing women for him to be rewrapped, "I'd like to see the other one now."

Braytek jumped in surprise and his whole body began to shake with excitement, "The other? Do we have twins?" He asked in disbelief. In the older days before the curse, mates would sometimes have twins and triplets. Now it was rarer than before.

"We have twins!" Analise laughed and took the bundle from the woman. Braytek frowned though when he looked at the nursing women who were all pale-faced and shaking in fear.

Glancing down at the babe, his eyes widened as they connected with emerald. This pup had emerald eyes were as the other pup had the usual ice blue of the Black Ice wolf.

Braytek's mouth popped open when those eyes narrowed and challenged him. Taking the bundle out of his mate's arms, he stared at the pup who stared at him. Glancing at the nursing women, he asked, "Was this the pup that howled?"

"Yes alpha, " they replied.

Braytek started back into the pups eyes and laughed when he felt a rumble in the infant's chest, much like a growl. Still laughing, he handed the bundle back to Analise, "We have an alpha on our hands, my witch."

Analise laughed as well as she began to unwrap the pup. Braytek was laughing when he felt Analise stiffen. Pausing in his laughter, he glanced down and felt himself freeze in surprise as his eyes connected with his pup. With his daughter.