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But Crenshella’s next words dispelled that idea—and made my blood run cold.
“Oh, they all died,” she said placidly. “Mostly in childbirth, though one of them fell down the stairs and broke her neck, poor thing! Now let me see, was that Becky or Bethany? I never can remember…”
“They all died?” I exclaimed. “You mean to tell me that Pack Master Moncrieff has had five wives and all of them are dead?”
“Well yes, dearie—he couldn’t be Joining with you if they weren’t, now could he?” She shook her head and eyed me up and down. “I just hope your hips are wide enough to push out his baby once he puts it in you. It’s so tragic—it seems that all of the heirs he breeds into his wives just have such big heads and it’s hard for a woman to pass them. But then again, some of them were really too young to try and have a baby.” She shook her head sadly.
“How…how young?” I asked faintly.
“Well, let me see—I think the youngest was Madison—she was just fourteen and such a sweet girl. Though she did have a mind of her own. The Master didn’t like that one bit—no he didn’t. He doesn’t like mouthy females.”
I felt sick to my stomach. To think of that ugly old man forcing some poor little fourteen-year-old to get pregnant with his baby!
“How is that even legal?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Well, you know with the younger ones they do have to have the Joining Ceremony across the border sometimes.” Crenshella didn’t seem bothered by any of this. “That makes it legal, you know.”
“But…so they all died in childbirth? I mean, aside from the one who fell down the stairs?” I asked.
“Why yes—because they were too small and couldn’t push the babies out.” She nodded.
“Why couldn’t they have a C-section?” I demanded, dredging up knowledge from the books on human reproduction I’d gotten from the library.
Crenshella’s eyes went wide.
“My goodness—you can’t cut into a Were female to let the baby out!” she exclaimed.
“Why not? Is it something to do with Were anatomy?” I asked apprehensively. “I mean—does it hurt them or are Were organs different from human or what?”
“Oh, no—that’s not it.” Crenshella shook her gray head. “No, it’s just tradition. A Were baby—especially a son—must struggle to come out into the world. Otherwise he might turn out to be a Beta instead of an Alpha and he’ll be weak and subservient all his life!”
I thought of my own sweet Beta, Christopher, and how he loved to cuddle and comfort me. And then I thought of growly Gabriel and how he was gentle with me even when he was surly and had a scowl on his face. Suddenly I missed my stepbrothers so much I was afraid I might burst into tears again.
“So Moncrieff lets his wives die rather than letting them have an operation that might save their lives? And the life of the baby?” I asked.
“You must call him Master Moncrieff,” Crenshella corrected me sternly. “And he’s just following Were tradition. You should be all right though,” she added eyeing me. “Your hips look much wider than the other brides he’s married. He usually likes them so thin and small—that’s part of the problem—though I wouldn’t presume to tell him so, of course.”
“Of course,” I echoed faintly.
“Well!” Crenshella clapped her hands together. “Enough gloomy talk! The Lead Alpha will be here to inspect you soon, so we’d best get you dressed.”
“Uh, inspect me?” I thought of the big gray wolf who had tried pushing his snout between my legs.
“Why yes—Garen just needs to take a good deep whiff of your little cunny,” she said, as though it was a harmless little examination I wouldn’t mind a bit. “Then once he makes sure you’re not used goods, he’ll give the okay for the Joining to take place. The Master used to do the sniffing himself,” she added in a lower voice, as though imparting confidential information. “But just between you and me, he doesn’t Shift anymore—not even at the full moon. He’s getting a bit too old to take his Fur-form.”
“But…I don’t want anyone sniffing between my legs!” I exclaimed.
“Now, now—it’s nothing to be afraid of! Garen won’t bite you. Well, unless you don’t hold still—then he may nip your thigh to punish you,” she cautioned me. “But he has a very sharp nose, so it won’t take long.”
It appeared there was no getting out of letting the big gray wolf sniff my “cunny” as Crenshella put it, but I had one more question.
“Just out of curiosity, what if…what if Garen thought he smelled some other man on me?” I asked. “What would happen? Would I be sent home to my stepfather’s house in disgrace?”
I could certainly live with that, I thought. Though if the Alpha found out who had been in my pussy, I would certainly be in trouble.
