Chapter 66: What Is A Breeder’s Fate?

"Yes, I hear you, but how do I know if she is sweating too much?"

Daemus paced at the foot of the king-sized bed, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Is it bad if she sweats? My mother wants to burn healing herbs around the room, is the smoke going to mess up her hurt lung? Hello?" Daemus paused, running a frustrated hand through his messy blue hair. "Okay, fine. But what about her hair? I’m looking at it right now. It’s turning silver at the roots. Are you sure she isn’t aging rapidly? Stress? Really? That’s your professional opinion?"

It had been five days since Blair was cleared to leave the Royal Crest Hospital, though she still hadn’t woken up. Daemus used his royal privilege and feigned severe lingering pain from his fight with Rain to secure a medical leave of absence for both of them, on the strict condition they make up all their exams and do all the assignments sent to them upon returning.

It was a three-day journey deep into the freezing, snow-capped mountains of the Wintercrest pack’s territory.

From the outside, the royal estate looked like a massive, rustic log cabin carved straight out of the wilderness. But inside, it was a marvel of ultra-modern luxury. Large, exposed wooden beams lined the vaulted ceiling, contrasting beautifully with the heated, polished stone floors and the sleek, voice-controlled smart glass windows that looked out over the snowy pines.

Daemus walked over to the side of the bed. He leaned down, gently parting Blair’s dark hair with his fingers. Just as he had told the doctor, the roots growing from her scalp were shimmering with a metallic silver hue.

The bedroom door swung open.

"Daemus, for the love of the Goddess, hang up the phone," his mother scolded, walking into the room with a silver basin of steaming warm water.

"I have to go," Daemus muttered into the receiver, ending the call and sliding the phone into his sweatpants pocket.

His mother set the basin down on the glass nightstand. She shot him a tired, maternal glare. "Your incessant worrying over every little detail is not helping her recover. You are driving that poor doctor insane."

"I’m just being thorough," Daemus defended, crossing his arms over his naked chest.

The door opened again. A young wolf beastwoman strolled in. She had the same striking silver eyes and dark blue hair as Daemus.

"Make way for the medic," his sister, Luna, announced. She dropped a leather medicine kit onto an armchair. It was packed full of fresh gauze, bandages, and small vials of pungent healing oils and crushed leaves.

Their mother dipped a soft cloth into the warm water, wringing it out. "If you had just brought her to us sooner, she wouldn’t still be asleep."

Daemus let out a sigh, pulling up a chair and plopping down beside the bed. "Right. My mistake. Next time, I’ll just send Killian to you."

At the mere mention of the Crown Prince’s name, Luna practically lit up. She stopped sorting through the bandages, a dreamy, swooning smile stretching across her face. "Oh, please send him to my room."

Daemus wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I honestly don’t know what you see in that psycho."

"And I’m wondering the exact same thing about you," Luna clapped back, gesturing toward the unconscious girl on the bed. "I can’t believe you fell in love with a little human."

Daemus’s face instantly reddened. "I am not in love with her," he argued quickly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "She is my fated mate. The Moon Goddess made the decision, not me."

Luna rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly. "Well, then I guess the Moon Goddess makes mistakes. You know who she didn’t make a mistake with? Kyana." Luna smiled, leaning against the bedpost. "Kyana is so pretty. And she’s kind, and strong, and just perfect for you."

Daemus ignored her. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket, desperate for a distraction. His side-hustle was booming; he had successfully traded another one of Jack’s nude photos, bringing his total up to three favors. More importantly, the contact had finally messaged him back regarding the favor he’d cashed in for Blair to find Heather.

"If Kyana is so perfect," Daemus mumbled, keeping his eyes glued to his screen, "maybe you should date her then."

"Enough, both of you," their mother silenced them with an authoritative tone. She pointed a finger at the door. "Daemus, out. It is time for her morning bath, and I need to undress her."

Daemus groaned but pushed himself up from the chair. He walked out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him. But he didn’t go anywhere. He leaned his back against the wall right outside her room. He needed to be as close as possible.

Inside the bedroom, the mother pulled the duvet back and began to carefully undo Blair’s bandages.

Luna stood by the nightstand, handing her mother a vial of healing oil with an irritated frown.

"I don’t understand why we have to do all this dirty work," Luna complained, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the healing scabs on the human’s back. "We have dozens of servants. Let them bathe her."

"Absolutely not," her mother responded sharply, carefully wiping the damp cloth across Blair’s collarbone. "This girl is far too important. She is carrying the future genius genes of this pack. I will not leave the care of the mother of my grandchildren to a bunch of stupid, clumsy human servants."

Luna groaned, tossing a fresh roll of gauze onto the bed. "Do we really have to pretend to be nice to her when she wakes up, too?"

"Yes, Luna, we do," her mother sighed, unscrewing a vial of oil. "Humans are very weak-minded creatures. If she feels mistreated or scared, she might try to kill herself. We cannot risk the investment. We will welcome her into this family with open arms, and we will keep her happy and comfortable until she dies from bearing her last cub."

Luna paused. A slow, understanding smile spread across her face.

"So..." Luna hummed, looking down at the unconscious girl. "Once she’s done breeding, Daemus will be back with Kyana?"

Her mother smiled warmly, nodding her head as she gently rubbed the oil into Blair’s skin.

"Of course," she confirmed. "The Moon Goddess obviously provided this human to act as a breeder mate to save our family’s future. But Kyana is his true mate. And she is the one he will marry."