Horizon Ridge If I fall for you, I'll never recover

Pied's head snapped around, her eyes shrewd as she digested Kisu's declaration. Although she shied away from the idea of leadership, she sensed that it was not inherently implied for herself anyway; hypothetically, he could be Alpha of this splinter pack and she could hold whatever rank she liked. Her pale head bobbed, though she made no verbal reply. Akhlut had asked her to dedicate herself to him firstly, her mate secondly. Yet, deep down, Pied knew she would do almost anything for her chance at motherhood.

"I pledged my loyalty to Akhlut," Pied said slowly. "Motherhood means a lot—maybe even everything—to me." She paused. "Let's do whatever it takes to prove ourselves and win him over." Pied looked at him, her gaze telling him that, if they gave it their best shot and he still declined their wishes, then she would seriously consider Kisu's ultimatum.

"I think it will work out," Pied said, forcing her heart to unclench from its iron clasp of dread. Perhaps confidence and positivity would affect the outcome. "Akhlut will realize how wonderful we are and, of course, he'll be happy to welcome our progeny into his ranks," she said rather jokingly, though there was a kernel of truth in her words, and subtle determination too.