#Chapter 122: Gatekeeper

Alaric’s POV The first thing I do, after hanging up with the elders, is tell John, “Book a flight for Melinda and get her to the airport.” I don’t acknowledge her at all, even when she stands from the couch and attempts to approach me. “We should talk about this,” she says. “The elders agree making me your mate is the best course of action. Why are you being so difficult? Why can’t you see what’s best for the pack?” Perhaps I am being selfish by placing my needs over those of the pack. In a way, I can see where the elders are coming from. I could have been more seriously hurt by that silver dagger, and without an heir, the pack wouldn’t have anyone to turn to for the line of succession. But I can’t in good conscious rush into a relationship or a marriage when my heart so firmly belongs to another. I can’t bring children into the world with someone I do not love. What kind of example would I be setting for those hypothetical children? Serve the pack above all else? Don’t expe