Oops… I Went Into Heat and My Alpha Daddies Claimed Me

Author’s POV

Vera was sitting in the annex when the door opened so abruptly that she immediately looked up from the papers in front of her.

Elder Osric hurried inside, shutting the door behind him before crossing the room. His expression was tense enough that Vera knew immediately that something had gone wrong. "Orin has been captured."

Vera’s face changed. "What?"

"He was caught at the estate," Osric explained, still catching his breath. "The guards found him inside the mansion. He’s being held now, and Callum intends to question him in front of the pack."

Vera pushed herself to her feet. "How?"

Osric hesitated. "Well—"

Vera scowled. "How did he get caught?"

"He was seen inside the mansion. He tried to get away, but Callum and the others—"

"I didn’t ask how they caught him." Vera’s voice sharpened. "I asked how he got there."

Osric lowered his eyes and Vera’s anger flared. She had arranged for Orin to remain where he could be controlled. She had been certain that he would remain locked up where she kept him. The fact that he had somehow escaped and ended up back inside Callum’s mansion meant that everything she’d been trying to contain could be exposed.

"Those guards were supposed to keep him there," she said, pacing across the room. "How did they let him escape?"

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" Vera stopped and looked at him. "Orin is reckless, unstable and desperate. We knew exactly what he would do if he got free, and somehow the people responsible for watching him allowed him to walk out."

Osric remained silent and Vera’s hands curled into fists. "He’ll talk."

Osric looked at her.

Vera shook her head. "He’ll tell them everything if he thinks it will save him," she continued. "You know that as well as I do. He has no loyalty to anyone. If Callum puts enough pressure on him, he’ll give them every name he knows, every place he’s been, every person who helped him."

"Then what do we do?"

Vera looked toward the window. "You deal with the guards."

"The guards?"

"Yes. Find out exactly who was responsible for letting him escape and deal with them before they have the opportunity to explain themselves to anyone else. I don’t care what it takes to make certain they cannot become another problem." She ordered.

Osric nodded slowly. "And you?" he asked.

"I’ll handle the estate." She turned back toward him. "If Orin starts talking before I can stop this, everything we’ve built could collapse. I need to know what they’re doing, where they’re taking him and what the hell is happening. You make sure the guards are dealt with. I’ll take care of the rest."

Osric nodded again before leaving the annex. Vera remained where she was, staring at the closed door.

Orin had become a problem the moment he’d escaped.

Now he was a threat.

********************

Outside the main hall, the crowd had grown larger.

Orin was forced to his knees in front of everyone, surrounded by guards while Callum’s men stood nearby.

Keisha remained among the crowd, trying not to draw attention to herself.

She noticed Riven near the front. Her eyes lingered on him for only a moment before she looked away.

She hadn’t expected to see him there at the questioning, but she didn’t care about it. There were far more important things happening around her.

Dane stepped forward. "Orin. Why were you at the estate? You know you have been banished from the pack."

Orin said nothing.

Dane waited before asking again. "You broke into the Alpha’s mansion. Tell us why."

Orin continued staring at the ground, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.

The crowd shuffled uneasily on their feet, their voices hushed as they looked about, waiting for Orin to talk.

The square was packed with spectators— everyone who wanted to watch the public spectacle they were about to make of Orin.

"What were you planning to do?" Dane pressed, clearly not impressed by Orin’s silence.

Still nothing.

The crowd began murmuring louder and Callum’s expression hardened. "Ask him about the assassins."

Dane nodded. "Are you connected to the assassin organization?"

Orin finally raised his head and his expression changed into something more knowing. "I can tell you about them."

Several people immediately started whispering.

Dane studied him carefully. "Then start talking."

"I will," Orin said. "But I want something first."

Dane’s expression became colder. "You aren’t in a position to negotiate."

Orin stared up at him, baring his teeth. "I know what position I’m in."

Dane scowled at him. "Then you should also know that you don’t get to make demands."

Orin swallowed and looked around at the guards surrounding him. "If I tell you everything I know, I want a guarantee."

Dane stepped closer. "You don’t get guarantees."

"I’ll tell you who they are." Orin’s voice was loud, carrying across the square.

"Then tell us." Dane’s voice turned harsh.

"I want you to promise me that—"

Dane cut him off with a rough kick to his stomach, sending Orin doubling over and coughing. "I repeat, you will not make any demand."

The questioning became harsher after that, and Orin eventually seemed to understand that refusing to speak would not improve his situation.

"Fine," he said. "I’ll tell you everything."

The crowd quieted and Dane watched him closely.

Orin opened his mouth. "The organization was—"

A single shot interrupted him and Orin immediately went still.

For a second, nobody seemed to understand what had happened.

Then Orin collapsed to the floor, blood oozing from his head as his body went still.

Then everyone erupted into screaming and chaos as guards hurried about, looking for the source of the gunshot.

Keisha remained rooted to the spot, her stomach churning as she stared at Orin’s lifeless body.

Tears pricked her eyes and she suddenly collapsed to her knees, a wave of dizziness washing over her.

What had just happened? Was Orin just...killed?

Her fingers dug into her stomach as she tried to fight the dizziness. "My babies..."