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

Callum’s POV

I had already taken several steps away from the warriors’ quarters when I stopped.

I looked at Dane, then back toward the quarters, and made my decision. "Tell them to come outside," I said, turning around.

Dane looked at me with slight surprise. "All of them?"

"All of them. If we’re going to ask these men to stand between this pack and an army, I’m not going to leave them with nothing but rumors and fear. They need to hear from me exactly what we’re facing." I nodded.

Dane nodded and walked back inside. Within minutes, the warriors began filing out into the open space in front of the quarters, some still confused about why they’d been called back. I waited until everyone had gathered before stepping forward, looking across the faces of the men and women who would soon be standing along our borders.

"I know what you’re thinking," I began, keeping my voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "You weren’t expecting this. None of us were. We’ve spent months dealing with problems inside our territory, and now we’re being told that thousands of Duskfen warriors are sitting outside our borders. Some of you are wondering whether we have enough people, enough weapons, enough food or enough time to prepare, and I’m not going to stand here and insult you by pretending those aren’t legitimate concerns."

The warriors remained silent, their attention fixed on me.

"I won’t promise you that nobody will be afraid, because that would be a lie. I won’t promise you that this will be easy either. What I can promise is that we will not stand around waiting for Cael to decide what happens to us. We will prepare every warrior we have, we will protect every entrance into this territory and we will make sure that the people who aren’t fighting know exactly where they need to go if an attack begins. You aren’t fighting for some piece of land that belongs to me. You’re fighting for the people who live here with you."

I let my eyes move across them before continuing.

"Your families are here. Your parents are here. Your children are here. Your mates are here. Your friends and the people you’ve grown up with are here. If Duskfen comes across our borders, they’re not going to stop at the warriors. They’ll come for everything we’ve built. So when you stand on that border, remember what you’re standing there for. Nobody is asking you to throw your life away. I’m asking you to stand together, protect one another and give this enemy no opportunity to take what belongs to us."

A murmur moved through the group, and one of the older warriors stepped forward.

"We’ll stand, Alpha," he said, his voice carrying across the others. "We’ve defended this territory before, and we’ll defend it again. Whatever comes through those borders will have to get through us first."

Another warrior nodded beside him. "My family is here. I’m not letting anyone walk into this pack and decide they can take them from me."

Several others began voicing their agreement, and the uncertainty that had filled the group earlier slowly gave way to determination.

I watched them for a moment before giving a firm nod." And I, your Alpha, will be with you every step of the way."

Dane came to stand beside me once the gathering began to break apart, and we headed back toward the hall while discussing the next steps.

The Duskfen had given us no explanation for their presence, and I wasn’t willing to assume their intentions without giving them an opportunity to speak.

"I want a letter sent to Cael," I said as we walked. "Ask him directly why he has thousands of warriors camped along our borders when they came here under the pretense of peaceful negotiation a while ago."

Dane glanced at me. "You think he’ll answer?"

"I don’t know, but I want his response before I decide what we’re dealing with. If he claims there’s an innocent explanation, he’ll have to explain why an army is sitting outside our territory."

Dane nodded. "I’ll have someone deliver it immediately."

"And make sure the messenger is protected. I don’t want Cael using the letter as an excuse to harm one of our people." I warned.

Dane nodded. "I’ll handle it."

We continued toward the hall, but as we approached, something about the estate caught my attention. Guards who usually greeted us without hesitation suddenly became quiet, and a few of the maids standing near the corridor exchanged looks before lowering their heads. I noticed it immediately, and so did Dane.

"What the hell is that about?" Dane asked under his breath.

"I don’t know."

One of the maids glanced at us before quickly turning away. Another guard did the same, and the strange behavior continued as we crossed the entrance.

I ignored it.

Whatever was happening could wait until I had dealt with the more immediate threat at the border.

The moment we entered the hall, however, I realized the reason for the tension.

The elders were already there.

Every seat around the long table was occupied, and from the expressions on their faces, they hadn’t gathered for another routine discussion. Elder Osric was standing near the table with his arms crossed, while the others looked toward me with a mixture of anger and suspicion.

I stopped at the entrance. "If this is another meeting about something you could have sent through a messenger, I’m not interested. I have an army sitting outside my borders and an entire pack to prepare, so I don’t have time for another one of your unnecessary tantrums."

Osric’s expression hardened. "Then perhaps you’ll find this meeting more important than the others."

"I doubt it." I clicked my tongue.

Another elder stood from his chair. "We want to know whether the rumor circulating through the pack is true."

I frowned. "What rumor?"

Nobody answered immediately and Dane shifted beside me, his expression becoming more cautious.

Osric finally spoke. "Is it true that you and your Beta are both mated to Keisha?"

The room went completely silent as I stared at him. "What?"

The elder’s eyes remained fixed on mine. "We’ve heard that Keisha isn’t simply the ordinary woman you have insisted she is. We’ve heard that she is your mate, and that she is also Dane’s."

My jaw tightened.

"And we’ve heard something else," another elder added, leaning forward. "We’ve heard that the children she’s carrying belong to both of you."

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. The rumors had reached the council.

After everything that had happened, after every attempt to keep Keisha’s identity and the truth about the pregnancy away from them, someone had finally put the pieces together.

Osric stepped closer. "We deserve an answer."

I looked around the room, then at Dane. He was just as stunned, but neither of us moved.

For years, I had protected this secret because revealing it could destroy Keisha, destroy my position and give the council exactly what they needed to challenge everything I had built. But with the elders already whispering about it, denying it might only make things worse.

Perhaps it was time.

I took a breath. "I—" I began.

The doors opened before I could say anything else and everyone turned.

Vera walked into the hall, her expression composed. She looked from the elders to me and then toward Dane before speaking. "That rumor is false."

Osric turned toward her. "Vera, this isn’t your matter."

"It became my matter the moment you decided to spread accusations about the Alpha and his Beta," she replied calmly. "There is no proof that Keisha is mated to either of them, and there is certainly nothing proving that the children belong to both."

I stared at her. "Vera—"

She didn’t look at me. "The council has wasted enough of the Alpha’s time today," she continued, addressing the elders with remarkable composure. "If you have no evidence, then you have no reason to continue this discussion. Return to your duties and stop feeding rumors that can destabilize the pack."

Osric looked furious, but several of the elders exchanged uncertain glances.

After a tense silence, they slowly began leaving the hall.

I watched them go, my attention never leaving Vera.

The moment the last elder disappeared through the doors, I turned toward her.

Why the hell did she stop me?