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“There will be no retaliation. As alpha of the Kedrick pride, I am enacting the secondary clause to the mating contract. Abbie?”
The woman at the table smiled and looked down at the binder, and began to read out loud. “In the event of either party finding a heart-match before the mating contract is consummated, that party’s alpha may substitute another if the substituted male or female is of equal or greater standing.”
“What does that even mean?” Madison whined.
Byron said, “As Duke’s alpha, I’m within my rights to choose a male to take his place in your mating.”
“No, that’s not right. I never signed anything like that!” Madison said.
Abbie cleared her throat. “Your signature is right here. It’s not my fault if you didn’t read the contract in its entirety.”
“Daddy, do something!” Madison said. “I want to be alpha female. You promised me I would be!”
Elroy said, “Wait, the contract says that you have to have a male of equal or greater standing. How is that possible if Duke is your only son?”
“You can come out now,” Byron said loudly.
There was a pause for a moment that was as silent as a cemetery at midnight, and then the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the hall echoed around them. Four men came into the kitchen, the one in the lead appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with short blond hair and a lean, swimmers build.
Duke’s brows rose. “Stef?”
Stef smiled. “Nice to see you, cousin.”
Duke and Stef embraced, slapping each other on the back. “Sweetheart, this is my cousin, Stefan Fairborn. He’s from a pride in Tennessee.”
Byron said, “This is my brother, Colin, alpha of the Harris pride. His son, Stefan, is next in line to be alpha. They are my kin, and Stefan is willing to be substituted for Duke in the mating to Madison.”
Stefan strode to Madison and pulled her into his arms. She squealed in surprise. “My pride is twice as large as Duke’s, and we’re also wealthier. I need to mate a strong, beautiful female before I can take over, and you’re just what I’m looking for.”
Madison’s cheeks pinked and she smiled. “Wealthier?”
“More than you could spend in a lifetime.”
Byron said to Abbie, “The revised contract?”
“Here,” she said, standing and holding a pen out to Duke. “I’ve crossed out your name and added Stefan’s, and then you need to sign on the back page agreeing to Stefan taking your place in the mating.”
Duke looked at his dad. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Duke initialed all the changes and then signed the back page. He handed the pen to Madison and Stefan, and returned to Ree’s side. He hugged her close and said, “This worked out better than I thought.”
“No war,” she said. “I was worried.”
“Not me. I would fight to keep you by my side, have no doubt of that.”
When the paperwork was signed and officiated by Abbie, the visiting pride left. Stefan stopped on his way out and said, “Thanks for finding your heart-match. You saved me a lot of trouble.”
“I wish you well in your mating,” Duke said.
“You, too.” Stefan said.
“Wow,” Mercy said. “That lioness really didn’t care who she mated?”
Barron said, “Some don’t. They care what they can get out of a mating. Some females only want to mate with the best male, and that would be the alpha or the next-in-line.”
Mercy harrumphed. “I thinkyou’rethe best male.”
