Swiftcurrent Creek tomorrow’s kings

He’d heard the word “surrogate” before, though never in this particular context. Etienne didn’t explain, leaving the yearling to fall back on his skills of deduction. Somehow, the thought of asking a she-wolf to carry offspring and give them away had never crossed his mind. It did now, with a little bit of a startled expression.

By ‘surrogate,’ do you mean asking a she-wolf to conceive, carry and deliver puppies… then give them away? What if she had a mate? Would he father them? Would they stay involved? Wouldn’t she have to stay involved? Cambria wondered aloud. Sorry for all the questions. It just sounds complicated.

Adoption seemed less fraught, though what did Cambria know? Well, he did know there were a lot of pups in need out there in the world. Between Etienne and himself, they even knew a handful of them. His lips pursed thoughtfully, wondering now if Etienne would’ve liked to adopt those orphans in the bypass, the ones who refused to come with him.

The yearling swallowed thickly.