Pregnant by The Fake Mate

08- Dylan P.O.V

I've always hated parties, I didn't have a specific type that I hated more. Don't get me wrong. They have their importance for our culture, our pack. And the opportunity for the pack to meet its leader, respect, and fear its Alpha. To know that they are being led by a male who cares about the pack's direction. Normally, I only had to worry about two big events a year: the Lupercalia festival and the Summer Solstice. Any other event was small and held at the mansion, so it was a huge surprise when Romero brought up the name of the family of our master builder, Half, and the girl from the lake was at the end of the guest list as an honor to the family.

"She has a different last name," I pointed out, pointing to Madson Chesa's name on the honor roll sheet for Lycan Half.

Romero raised his eyebrows and looked at the sheet, searching for the indicated name. He raised his eyes to me again. There was curiosity and interest in his tone of voice, as a beta, he could read anyone well. Except his Alpha. I didn't allow it.

"She was adopted by the Sinclair family, Alpha," he reported, stepping back.

I tried to force my memory to recall some memory of the girl, but with that family, no other important information came to mind. That witch knew what she was doing with the potions; I was sure of it.

"I don't remember her," I lied, trying to avoid showing my beta how much I remembered about her and her past.

"The parents abdicated the pack and died in the human world a few years later; they found the girl in the ruins of the old house. The Sinclairs took responsibility for her when the Alpha accepted her into the pack," he said, and there was a slight sadness in his tone.

"I don't remember doing that," I said, extending the subject without revealing how interested I was.

There was a second of silence before Romero returned his attention to me.

"Your father, my Alpha. He ordered the girl to be accepted into the pack, not long after he and his mother left," he replied, bringing images of my former parents to the forefront of my mind.

"I understand."

I focused my attention on another name on the sheet, the future gamma of the council: Antony Weffild.

"I'm thinking of scheduling Antony's celebration dinner as gamma two days after we honor her father-in-law for his years of service to the pack. What do you think, my Alpha?" he asked, too distracted to see that I was focused on Madson name.

There was a long moment of silence as I went over all the information accumulated up to that point. I looked up at Romero's clipboard where the guest list sheet was and soon the image of my dining room at home seemed to cover the necessary seating arrangement for everyone, an idea beginning to take shape in my mind.

"No."

"My Alpha?"

"Let's arrange a single dinner to address these two issues, after all, it will be the same number of guests. Since Antony's parents are part of the council."

Romero fell silent but eventually agreed, sitting in the armchair in front of my meeting table.

"What day? I believe next week will be calm after we finish the Lupercalia festivals," he announced, flipping through the schedule of appointments.

"Tonight."

"What?" he asked, confused, blinking.

"Tonight is the first night of Lupercalia, sir. I don't think it's appropriate..."

"We'll release everyone early in case their heat intensifies," I interrupted.

Romero didn't like the idea, even though he was by far the conservative type of male. Since he had accumulated legendary stories about spending Lupercalia in a harem of females hungry for s*x, he didn't seem at all pleased to have guests having s*x in every room of my house.

"You don't have any females available in case 'your' heat intensifies during Lupercalia, Alpha," he retorted, dissatisfied with my response.

"Let me worry about what happens in my groin, Beta," I replied, looking at him sideways.

"Not when your groin can cause a civil war with our people," he replied, getting sulky.

"I've been just fine for the past two days before the festival, and I'll continue to be that way during Lupercalia," I lied, feeling the potion churning in my stomach. "If you feel the need to bury myself in some p***y, I'll make sure there's one available quickly to fill the vacancy."

Romero stared at me in a way that only a brother would, and I knew him well enough to understand that he wasn't challenging me for the alpha position. But still, I didn't like the way his eyes evaluated me behind a mask of indifference.

"You've never been careless, Alpha Dylan. I don't understand why you're starting now," he finally said, getting up from the chair.

"I'm not. I just want it to be done as I desire," I replied, returning my attention to the guest list.

Romero wasn't satisfied with that, but he nodded as he left the meeting room. There was a glint of curiosity in his eyes that made me fear that he would discover the reason for all this, and I couldn't hide it from him for too long. Not when he was my beta, handpicked by my father, the former alpha. Not because of generations, not because of lineage. Handpicked. For a reason, he saw through everyone... or almost everyone. But this, she, was something I had to handle delicately and calmly.

I was already at the table when the first guests arrived, Antony's parents seemed pleased with my choice of him as gamma. The boy had proven himself to be of great value in recent years, and it seemed appropriate to give him a chance to prove himself more to the pack.

"He's a hardworking boy, Alpha," his mother commented, happy.

"He'll bring honor to the pack and our family," his father asserted.

"I hope so," I replied, indicating the chairs on the left. They followed protocol and skipped the chairs designated for the other members, and there, the first two empty chairs reminded me of how much my parents were missed in the setting.

"I'll greet our other guests outside," Romero informed me, pulling me out of my thoughts and memories.

"Thank you," I said, sitting at the head of the table. I didn't even worry about the course of the dinner; I kept my full attention on my Lycan hearing as the Sinclair's car pulled up in front of the mansion.

Romero proved to be quite the provocateur, annoying Madson cousin. I tried not to laugh so that my guests at the table wouldn't notice how much I enjoyed eavesdropping on the other dinner guests.

Madson was the last to enter the room, wearing a short black dress that accentuated her slim waist and wide hips. Her thick legs made the skirt seem even smaller, and I felt an immense desire to grab those thighs up to her panties. I took a deep breath, trying not to show how much she was affecting me with that body. How she had already affected me for so long. After what happened by the river, it was impossible not to see her like that, with different eyes. With desire. With lust. And she seemed well aware of it, as she wore the kind of dress that seemed to test any male to f**k her like a savage. Romero's looks towards Madson didn't go unnoticed by me. My beta had taken an interest in her, and he made it quite clear as he sniffed her a second time before she sat down with her uncles on the right side of the table. I glared at Romero with fury, but he simply ignored me as if he didn't understand my clear warning. She's not for his taking. And she never will be. I felt the urge to growl, to show everyone that she wouldn't be his. But I restrained myself for now. "You may serve," I ordered, giving the cue for the waitresses to serve the champagne.