The Broken Wolf
Chapter 139

“Molly… Princess Molly,” Albert quickly corrects himself, though I had no plan of doing so. “I can’t do what you’re asking. I’m not strong enough, my wolf isn’t that big. I have no clue how to even run a pack.”

Seth speaks up, leaning forward. “Albert, that’s what makes you best for the job. Even wolves who have lived their entire lives and been taught how to run a pack replace that they don’t know as much as they thought when they’re in it. There’s a certain amount of humility required to be truly successful.”

“Am I not doing a good job here?” he asks and I feel so terrible that asking him to become an Alpha has made him feel that.

“Albert, you’re doing a wonderful job,” I tell him with what I hope is a reassuring smile. “You’re doing such a good job that we trust you with a whole pack.”

“Listen, I’m going to be completely honest with you,” Seth tells him, taking a gulp of wine. I don’t think he realized he’d have to try to convince him to take the pack. It’s what most male wolves dream of… but not Albert, apparently. “You were with us at the fight. You know they were targeting Benjamin. What you probably didn’t see was that Alex was the one orchestrating it. We need someone capable of leading the pack while also keeping an eye on him. We can’t toss him out until we know what is going on, but we need to form a pack immediately to try to keep them safe.”

“My parents are just omegas,” Albert says softly, looking down.

Ahh, now we’re getting somewhere. “That was here. In Benjamin’s pack, he was third in command,” I remind him gently.

“But then they left,” he says, looking up to me. “They chose to leave their pack. The people there won’t support me.”

I look up at Seth and he just nods at me. “My parents abandoned me in the woods. I have no business being a princess, but I am.”

“That’s not the same,” he tells me, looking frustrated.

“It is, though,” I tell him. “You were a small baby and they were just trying to keep you safe. They won’t hold it against you, especially if you come in and prove it to them.”

Albert reaches up and pushes his hair back with his hand. “Does Benjamin know? It’s his pack.”

Seth chuckles a little at that. “Benjamin insisted we place you on Molly’s guard. Did you know that? That was only after Randall said the same. You are the person that BOTH of her father’s trusted with her security,” he tells him, pouring another glass of wine and offering some to Albert who nods in acceptance. “Molly met with him this morning and he approves. He understands that it will not be his pack, but he will keep his home there with ours and the King’s blessing.”

“He’s requested to be the one to tell the pack that they will become official,” I tell him with a smile. “He’s also suggested that he be the one to introduce you to them. They trust him and if he tells them to, they’ll trust you, too. I’d like to join you guys, but taking Seth to the lands for that isn’t the best choice. We’ll have to figure out exactly how that will look. ”

Albert nods and drinks about half his glass in one gulp, staring at the now empty plate before him. “How do you even form a new pack?” he asks.

His question causes me to pause and blink a few times, looking to my mate because, to be honest, I have absolutely no idea. Seth chuckles a little bit. “The three of us, well… the Alpha and two senior members of the royal family must walk the perimeter of the territory, barefoot,”

“Barefoot?” I interrupt and Seth chuckles again.

“Yes, barefoot. We have to physically touch the ground to form the boundary,” he says and I nod. I guess that makes sense. “Once the border has been formed we would have to place some of our b***d on the ground and then I would immediately name you Alpha of the new pack, and then… that’s it. You just become Alpha. The wolves in the territory at that time would feel it, and it would form the pack.”

“That sounds like an odd process,” Albert says, wrinkling his nose, no doubt at the thought of having to give a b***d offering to the land.

I giggle a little. “It sounds like a magic spell,” I say. “Honestly, half the stuff wolves are able to do sound like they’re rooted in magic. It’s ridiculous they’re all so scared of it.”

Seth just looks at me and I can tell he’s thinking. I meant it as a joke, but, well…. it’s true.

“Why don’t you think about it tonight,” Seth tells him, taking my hand in his. “We can talk about it over lunch tomorrow. Maybe we can have Benjamin join us then, if you’d like.”

Albert nods, still staring at his plate. He sighs and finally looks up at us. “I know this probably isn’t the response you expected, but I really do appreciate that you think I’m capable of handling this. It’s truly an honor.”

I smile and tilt my head. “Albert, there’s no one that I would trust more with this pack than you. I hope you truly understand that.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, bowing. “I truly do. If it’s alright, I think I’ll leave now so I can go think everything through.”

“Of course,” I say and Seth stands up to walk him out. “Good night.”

I clean up the table from dinner, placing everything on the tray and sitting it outside the door. I sit down on the couch and sigh deeply, sitting back and leaning my head back with my eyes closed.

“You alright, Love?” Seth asks as I feel him sit on the couch next to me.

“It’s really only been a few months since we even met,” I say, opening my eyes to see his face. “It feels like a whole lifetime, though. So much has happened, and it’s gone so fast. I don’t want everything to go this fast,” I say, placing my hand on my stomach.

Seth pulls me back to lie on the couch as he moves to kneel down on the floor beside me. He slowly lifts the edge of my shirt and runs his fingers slowly across the skin. “It wont,” he says, his voice raspy with emotion. “The kingdom will never stop moving, but when it’s just us, we won’t let it move like that. It’s going to be hard, but we’ll take time for the two of us. And then the four of us.”

I smile at him and tangle my fingers into his hair as he leans down and places a gentle k**s over our growing pups. “And maybe someday, it will be the 5 of us. And the 6 of us.”

He chuckles against my skin. “Someday. Let’s just get these two out safely first.”

“Fiiiine,” I tell him with a giggle. He stands up and picks me up, carrying me over to the bed. He starts to try to walk away, but I grab his tie and pull him back to me, kissing him aggressively. I can feel his smile against my lips and he quickly returns my k**s, his hands replaceing any of my skin that they can.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips and reach for the edge of my shirt, trying to pull it over my head. He leans back, allowing me to pull it off and he smiles at me, but in a way I haven’t seen before.

“What?” I ask him, starting to feel a little uneasy and moving to cover myself with a blanket.

Seth shakes his head with a smile and reaches his hand out, stopping me. He gently places his hand over my stomach. “You’re starting to show a little,” he tells me, kissing me gently.

I look down and realize that he’s right. My belly is just the slightest bit swollen. It’s so slight that if you didn’t know that I’m pregnant you wouldn’t even notice. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” I tell him with a frown.

“Oh, Molly,” he says with a smile. “I can’t wait.”