“But who? Who is it?”

“It’s a powerful Lycan alpha. From the notorious—I mean, the famous Balenescu family. His people are pressuring him to find a wife so that he might have an heir to his kingdom, and he’s chosen you, darling.”

“What? B-But I can’t give him an heir!”Kai clutched at his mother’s arm. “Males are so violent. He’ll kill me when he finds out. I know he will.”

“Calm down, sweet one.He won’t do that. First of all, the Balenescus are known for their generosity. Second of all,” she lowered her voice but still managed to sound absolutely delighted, “he likes men.”

“He does? More than women? But how is that possible?”

“Some men like other men more than females, darling. It’s just the way of the other worlds, and it’s this alpha’s preference. He’s only taking a female consort to satisfy his people and get an heir.”

“An heir? I can’t give him an heir!”

“Don’t worry, dear. By the time he finds out, you’ll be a long way from here, and his pride will prevent him from letting the secret get out. I’m sure of it. Anyway, he won’t be able to harm you when you’re so beautiful. I just know it.”

“But what if you’re wrong, Mother? What if he’s angry because we tricked him?”

The queen got a look of unease on her face, but quickly covered it up with a bright smile. “That won’t happen, darling. After all, you’re of royal blood, and I’ve never seen a male more beautiful. No, I’m sure of it. He won’t be able to resist you. Now go over and find your table, and we won’t discuss this until later. We don’t want to steal your sister’s thunderclaps. The matchmaker said he’ll travel here in half a quarter-cycle’s time to meet you. It’s not much time, but we’ll make it work. Don’t worry about a thing, darling. Leave it all to me.”

Trembling with reaction to the news, Kai went back to the wedding feast and found his table near the front of the hall. He tried to eat some of the delicious foods that were offered to him, but most tasted like ashes in his mouth. Only half a quarter-cycle’s time until he went to meet what would surely be his doom. How could his mother be sure the powerful alpha wouldn’t kill him when he learned of the deception? His mother said she would take care of everything. Kai shook his head and sighed. That’s what got him into this mess in the first place.

* * * *

Lycanus 3, 2257 CE

Lucas looked around his living room, which was currentlycrowded with five other big Lycan alphas—his brother and his cousins—the closest people to him in the galaxy, people he would give up his life for—and they were pissing him off. They’d arrived at his home over an hour ago, calling their visit an intervention. Bullshit—it was more like a trap, an ambush by the very people he trusted most. Lucas supposed they thought they were doing what was best for him, but he felt as if they’d put his back against the wall, and he was not happy.

“Just talk to the woman, Lucas. That’s all I’m asking you to do. She’s supposed to be really good at this. The best matchmaker in all of Lycanus.” His brother, Blayde, leaned toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. To his credit, Blayde only flinched a little when Lucas showed his teeth and growled at him. Then he grinned at him and slapped him on the back.

Konnor spoke up from the other side of him. “Really, Lucas, getting mated is great, and you know how much I resisted it. I couldn’t do without Ethan now.”His cousin, Konnor had just been happily mated to a beautiful Lycan omega named Ethan. His mate was definitely sexy and desirable, and Lucas was happy for Konnor, happy for all three of his cousins who had recently found their mates. That didn’t mean he was in any hurry to join them.

For the past three months, his family had been urging him to get a wife. He’d had three challenges to his leadership in the last three months, and though he’d easily defeated each of the challengers, the disruptions to his schedule had been inconvenient to say the least. It had all started when three of his family members had found their own mates within a short period of time. The members of his pack started looking at him and wondering when he might find a mate.

Then a member of the council, a distant relative and a troublemaker named Boris, had begun running his mouth about the fact that their alpha preferred males.

“Even when he marries,” Boris said to anyone who would listen, “The union won’t produce any heirs. Our alpha needs to do the right thing and have children to carry on our ancient Balenesculine. If he refuses, then perhaps he just needs to step down, and let someone else in the family lead us.”

At first, no one had paid Boris much attention. Other alphas in the past had used surrogate females, after all, and Boris was known to be a meddler. Lucas was popular, and had been an excellent alpha for the pack. But as time wore on, and Boris got even more vocal, people began thinking perhaps it might be a good idea for Lucas to find a wife and settle down. The murmuring had grown louder and now recent challengers had come forth. His family had finally stepped in and come to see him to convince him to see a matchmaker and give the people what they wanted.

The three mated members of his family were the most vocal. Nikolai, mated to a handsome Jayronian prince, had tried to reason with him, and he started his arguments up again now.

“Look, Lucas, no one expects you to fall in love. But find a female and breed her. She’ll have the status of being the alpha’s mate, and of course, she’ll have the children, and then you can go on with your life. Find a male concubine for your personal pleasure, like Grandfather did. Maybe you’ll even find your true blood mate. Then you can have your cake and eat it too.”

“No fucking way,” Lucas said in a loud, firm voice. “First of all, that’s a disgusting idea. I would never hurt some poor woman that way. It’s dishonest and I won’t be a party to it. As for finding a male concubine, that’s pretty much what got our grandfather into so much trouble and started this whole curse we have to live with.”

Nikolai’s great-grandfather, Gunnar, had seen a beautiful human woman on a voyage to Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, and had taken her by force. The inhabitants of the moons of Jupiter had long been rumored to practice witchcraft, but Gunnar was unafraid and defiant. He wasn’t interested in the woman for himself—his preference was for handsome males, but the female Lycan who was his mate liked other females. He kidnapped the woman to give to his mate as a present. At that stage in their history, both male and female Lycans frequently took pretty humans as companions, or to help them raise their children. Sometimes they took them as concubines. In fact, Gunnar even lay with the woman at the same time he impregnated his mate, so that both produced sons, even though it was forbidden to use humans as breeding stock. But then the wild, handsome Gunnar had always operated outside the law. The human female produced a son, red-haired and handsome, half Lycan and half human. And though she eventually grew to love her Lycan mistress, the human female never made a secret of her hatred forGunnar.

On Gunnar’s second trip to Europa he kidnapped her handsome twin brother to be his own concubine. Not only was Gunnar intrigued by his beauty, but since his mate was now really more interested in her lovely human, he was free to indulge his own needs. He thought he would make an excellent concubine. When the authorities finally caught up with him, both human siblings had decided to stay with their Lycans.

The male, whose name was Ivan, was furious with Gunnar, but also fiercely attracted almost against his will. He was a warlock, but couldn’t bring himself to hurt Gunnar. It was said, though, he led Gunnar a merry chase the rest of their lives. He’d even cursed all of Gunnar’s offspring. All of them would be males, he said, and all alphas. It was well known that alphas had great difficulty living together in harmony, so he had, in effect, ensured that all of Gunnar’s offspring would be at each other’s throats. In addition, and maybe because Gunnar left him alone so often to voyage around the galaxies, Ivan cursed them to fall madly, irrevocably in love while still very young, and never be able to be without their mates.

Lucas jumped to his feet and began pacing like a trapped animal. “I don’t want to meet any damned matchmaker and I’m not getting married—to anybody. And that’s that.”A small, soft voice by the door stopped him in his tracks.

“Oh, I do hope that isn’t your final word, Alpha. I did so wish to help you, but it’s all right. I’ll just go back home and tell the bank that they’ll have to go ahead and foreclose on my little home.”

Lucas whirled around in confusion and found the tiniest and quite possibly the oldest Lycan female he’d ever seen in his life standing just inside his front door. She had a black shawl wrapped around her shoulders and draped over her white hair, though how she could stand it in the ninety-degree heat outside the house was anybody’s guess. She leaned heavily on an ornate black cane as she tottered into the room. Her skin was as dark and wrinkled as the prunes his grandmother’s human concubine used to eat to aid in her digestion. Konnor scrambled to get up off the sofa and give her his seat. She gazed up at him as if he’d just offered her rubies and pearls, and dropped onto the sofa, sitting back with a tired little sigh.

“Thank you so much, dear. My poor old legs aren’t what they used to be, I’m afraid. And then, too, there’s my back. The doctor said if I could afford the operation, it might help, but otherwise, I’ll be completely crippled soon.”

Lucas looked down at his feet and shifted uncomfortably. “I…uh…of course, we’ll pay your fee, Mistress uh…”

“Mistress Katya. And thank you, dear, but I’m afraid I do have my pride—it’s all that’s left to me now. No, I would gladly take the fee if you had allowed me to help you, but if you won’t…” Her voice broke off tragically with a little sob, and she gave a tremulous sigh. Five pairs of eyes belonging to his family glared at Lucas at the same time. Blayde leaned over again and whispered in his ear. “Gods, Lucas. How can you be so cruel? She really needs the money.”