Boris listened to Thomas's report with only a fraction of his attention. His thoughts were consumed by his daughter, yet his duty as Beta demanded a semblance of focus. The moment Thomas finished speaking, Boris offered a curt dismissal.
The news regarding the Alpha's son was less than encouraging, a fact that Boris seized upon as a pretext to visit Adrian's home. He needed to speak to his Alpha about Trinity.
Exiting through his back door, Boris strolled with a deliberate slowness, mentally rehearsing how he would broach the sensitive subject. He knew Adrian would be incensed by the news of his heir's mediocrity, hardly a mood conducive to discussing defectives. Yet, somehow, he had to find a way.
He clung to the hope that their shared parenthood, despite Adrian's well-known aversion to any form of weakness, especially in the form of defectives, might elicit some understanding. Adrian's belief was unwavering: a wolf's worth was inextricably linked to the strength of their bloodline, and defectives were an affront to that principle.
Boris's own property served as the first line of defense for the Alpha's compound. His backyard opened onto a vast expanse of green, where towering trees seemed to pierce the sky. Beyond this natural barrier lay the Alpha's residence. At Boris's usual pace, the journey would take a mere five or six minutes, a distance that would consume twenty for an ordinary human. The routine checks that would impede any regular pack member held no sway over the Beta. His status was a silent pass; patrols continued their rounds, seemingly oblivious to his presence.
Reaching the house, Boris bypassed the formality of knocking. Anyone who could approach the Alpha's dwelling this closely was no intruder. He opened the door to a flurry of activity within – maids and guards moving with purpose. Following the faint but familiar scent of his Alpha, Boris navigated the house, knowing instinctively where Adrian would be. The lower level housed a spacious training area, its subterranean location effectively muffling the sounds of Adrian's formidable power during his rigorous sessions, allowing him to unleash his full strength without disturbing the household.
Stepping into the large space, Boris lowered his head, offering a deep bow, a gesture of respect that years of friendship could never diminish.
"Alpha," he spoke, his tone respectful, acknowledging his leader.
"Raise your head, you old fool," Adrian chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "It's just us."
Despite their shared history since boyhood, the ingrained respect for the Alpha was a fundamental aspect of their wolf nature. No matter how often Adrian insisted on informality when they were alone, Boris could never fully comply. Adrian had earned his title, and the accompanying reverence was not something friendship could simply erase.
"I assume Thomas delivered the monthly report," Adrian stated, his gaze fixed on his friend. He had long since learned to steel himself against the disappointing updates regarding his son. The boy's consistent lack of progress remained a baffling frustration. Generations of Alphas, their lineage unbroken, threatened by the inadequacy of his sole heir. The thought spurred a fleeting consideration of fathering more children, a deviation from the tradition of the eldest son inheriting the Alpha title, but one Adrian would readily make if his son remained so utterly unremarkable.
Boris offered a tight-lipped smile, a clear indication that Thomas's report had been far from positive. Adrian suppressed a roll of his eyes. His countless attempts to motivate Luca had been met with a frustrating apathy. Lately, he had intensified his efforts, hoping to ignite some spark of ambition in the boy. Yet, his son remained stubbornly, inexplicably lazy.
They shared the same blood, the same esteemed bloodline. Luca should possess the same strength, perhaps even surpass his own. Instead, the boy was not exceptional, not great, not even adequate or above average. He was simply… normal. An utter embarrassment.
Deciding against any softening of the blow, Boris relayed the information directly. "Luca shows little aptitude. He has been disqualified from the next exam cycle, as has everyone in his class. No one met the prerequisites."
Adrian felt a strange absence of the anger, the frustration he might have expected. In a way, he had begun to anticipate his son's underperformance. The news no longer held the sting of surprise. He had only one son, but fortune had blessed him with two daughters. Perhaps it was time to consider their matings sooner rather than later. At least that would provide options. He was still young; the thought of relinquishing the Alpha title to his son was at least two and a half centuries away, perhaps sooner if the need arose.
"Hmm, perhaps it's time for Simone and Julia to see a bit of the world," Adrian said casually, the underlying meaning clear. He wanted them to explore other packs, hoping they would find their mates. And if fate, in its cruelty, had already claimed their true partners, he would arrange marriages with Alpha sons or Betas of strong Alpha lineage.
Boris understood perfectly. Simone and Julia were nearing their mating age. Soon, they would be able to sense their destined partners. If those mates were not within their own pack, it was customary to send unmated females to visit other communities under the guise of broadening their horizons. In truth, they were searching for the unique scent, the electric touch that would signify their other half. A male might also be drawn by the scent of a female in heat, a powerful lure of the mating ritual.
If a daughter returned mateless after two or three such trips, she would be compelled into a political marriage. It was a common practice among the higher ranks. Common wolves could afford to wait for the Moon Goddess's timing, but Alphas with inept sons did not share that luxury.
In a grim way, his daughters' happiness was contingent on his son's strength. If Luca proved capable, his sisters would have the time to find their true mates. But if Luca remained weak, his sisters would suffer a fate dictated by bloodline and pack strength, a consideration Adrian seemed to dismiss. His daughters would accept whomever they were given. If they had any objections, they could direct them to their useless brother.
It was a harsh reality that Boris was grateful his own daughter would never face. She had already found her mate. He would never forgive himself if she had to endure such a fate due to the Alpha's calculations. She had suffered enough in her young life.
"Luca will improve. He is still young. He has not yet reached his first half-century," Boris offered, his words tinged with the protective instincts of a father, a perspective Adrian could never truly grasp. He wasn't entirely convinced of Luca's potential for growth, but for the sake of his sisters, he hoped it were true.
Adrian merely hummed, offering no further comment. Boris understood: the Alpha was not placing any significant hope in his son's future.
"The defectives—" Boris began, intending to plead for Trinity.
Before he could continue, Adrian's sharp eyes snapped to his, cutting him off with a look that brooked no argument. Adrian's disdain for defectives was absolute. Their inherent weakness was a blemish on any bloodline. If Boris had possessed a son, Adrian would never have allowed him to mate with his daughters, not after knowing the disease in Boris's lineage.
Adrian considered it an act of considerable leniency that he had taken them in at all, refraining from the immediate execution that was common in other territories. It was always prudent to exercise some restraint, especially when the future leadership was uncertain. The next Queen might possess different values, a softer disposition. He was hedging his bets.
"Your daughter… Trinity?" Adrian asked, feigning a moment of uncertainty, though he knew perfectly well why Boris would bring up the defectives. It was always about his defective daughter. She held an inexplicable regard for Boris, viewing him as the perfect Beta – the strongest after Adrian himself, possessing Alpha blood. But this defective girl was a stain, not only on Boris but on Adrian as well. He was the only Alpha he knew with a Beta who had sired a defective. Had it been solely his decision, he would have eliminated the girl to quell any whispers of her existence. But Boris had sworn he could feel the bond between them, refusing to erase any part of her.
Adrian would never forget the moment he realized this defective child had created a rift between him and his oldest friend. When Trinity's condition was discovered, Adrian had given Boris a mere three days to send her away. Boris had begged him to turn a blind eye, to allow him to leave the pack with his daughter. But Adrian had refused. He could not fathom why Boris would even consider sacrificing the strength of their pack for such a worthless, disgusting defective. He felt a pang of betrayal at Boris's misplaced loyalty. He couldn't comprehend the depth of Boris's attachment to Trinity. It was as if he genuinely loved her, saw her as family. Adrian suspected a desperate attempt at overcompensation, a pretense of paternal affection for something he couldn't truly feel. It didn't fool him.
Yet, he needed Boris. He was an exceptional Beta, one of the few Adrian considered a friend. He wasn't willing to lose him over a defective, even if it had been his own daughter. He would have done the right thing. And killed her quickly and quietly.
Deciding against any further circumlocution, Boris nodded. He knew Adrian's sharp intellect would see through any deception. Directness was always the best approach.
"She's scared. The capture team bound her with silver, and for whatever reason, she's terrified—"
"They are all scared," Adrian interjected dismissively. Weakness bred fear. She was a child; why would she be any different? The reports indicated the defectives had been handled with surprising gentleness. Had he been present, he would have likely knocked them unconscious and tossed them into the transport, expediting the process. No need for delicacy with such dregs.
"She was traumatized. I am asking if I can go and speak with her. I know there is a ceremony, but it's just a few hours before. I want to ensure she is alright."
While his pack was known as a haven for defectives compared to others, Adrian's personal views remained unchanged. His pack hadn't hunted and killed their defectives outright, but they were still cast aside. He had been raised with the superstition that defectives brought only misfortune, that their weakness contaminated bloodlines, leading to the eventual decline of their species. He valued the continuation of the wolf race, and defectives were a disease to be eradicated. He would not stand by and watch his kind wither away in the name of misguided compassion.
In truth, the superstitions held little sway. What Adrian understood was the fundamental flaw of defectives: they could not call upon their wolves, they lacked the pack link, they were uncontrollable. They were rogues without the madness, unbound by an Alpha's command, lacking loyalty to a pack. They were humans with wolf blood – dangerous and weak. What use was a soldier who wouldn't obey, a captain who couldn't heal, a weak link unable to feel the unifying bond of the pack? Defectives were no better than humans; they would betray them all to save themselves. Adrian preferred to act first.
"Kael is watching her. Is that not sufficient?"
The look Adrian leveled at him made Boris's inner wolf recoil. He growled internally, suppressing any outward display of anger. He knew Adrian would be vigilant regarding the defectives, but he hadn't anticipated this level of scrutiny.
Boris felt a surge of fury. He knew Adrian never forgot, especially not his near betrayal for Trinity's sake. He would have willingly died to protect his daughter. That moment of defiance had irrevocably altered the ease that once characterized their interactions. The wolf within Boris clawed at him, yearning to emerge, knowing it couldn't. It craved to tear out his Alpha's throat for his daughter's distress. Forcing down the rising hostility, he offered a slightly less profound bow, a subtle acknowledgment of his Alpha's decision.
Adrian's sharp eyes followed every minute movement of Boris, anticipating any hint of challenge. Boris was strong, but his crippling weakness was his sentimentality, a detestable trait Adrian intended to extinguish in the days to come. He would not allow Trinity to corrupt his Beta.