breeding check
Dirty paws felt like boulders as pads quietly scrapped against the familiar stone floor of their home. It had been nearly vacant for weeks now, the sole inhabitants Ryker, on occasion, and Matilda. She had lingered with wide, terrified eyes and taken care of everything. There was not a speck of dust anywhere to suggest the owners had been missing. Some might praise for her such a feat, tending to a home all alone to Adeline’s sky high standards. But Kenzo couldn’t muster even an ounce of appreciation for the woman. Not when she had so egregiously failed. He had ruthlessly placed the blame upon her narrow shoulders and even now, he felt no remorse. In his eyes, she had done nothing, she had failed her mistress and Adeline paid the price. All those weeks ago, he had come home to find her a blubbering mess, barely capable of getting the words out to explain what happened. If he hadn’t been in such a rush to follow Adeline’s trail, he like would have wrung her neck then.
Now that they were home, he’d be forced to deal with her. To decide her fate. Following Adeline up the stairs to their room, she quietly requested a night to herself and while it shattered what remained of his heart, Kenzo conceded. Nodding, he watched as his wife shut the door behind her, effectively shutting him out. Alone, he blew out a quiet breath, finally letting his shoulders sag beneath the weight of everything. A slight movement in his peripherals would have his head lifting, eyes snapping to the woman who had the misfortune of earning his ire. She had the decency to look at him with wide, uncertain eyes. He lingered outside their bedroom door for only a moment before he headed toward the maid. Her ears fell back. Kenzo knew her loyalties were to Adeline, that she only followed the russet woman’s commands. But he knew the monster that lingered in the dark shadows of his stare, the rage that never cooled below a simmer. She had enough self preservation to know when she trapped in the crosshairs of a predator.
His voice didn’t rise above a low rumble, like distance thunder, bringing with it the promise of a storm. ”Cross my path again, and it’ll be the last thing you do.” His message was clear. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me. If he had it his way, she’d have been gone weeks ago, chased from under this roof and to the ends of the earth. Unfortunately, she was the sole other wolf that Adeline put any trust in. And she needed that more than ever. His jaw would tic ceaselessly. ”Touch my pups and I’ll bury you in a hole so deep even Adeline will forget your name.” Confusion warred with her terror. She’d find out soon enough. That wasn’t what he wanted her take from this. He owned her now - if she was truly as loyal as she seemed. When he said jump, he expected her to know how high. The maid had royally fucked up and would spend the rest of her days paying for it.
Leaving her there, shellshocked, he returned to his post. Sinking to the cold floor, he leaned against the unforgiving wooden door. It was going to be a long night. His body ached, begging for the comforts of his bed, the warmth of his sheets. Resting his head on his paws, he blew out a sigh. His pups. His own words echoed almost mockingly in his skull. Of course he wanted them to be his, but there was no telling if they truly were. That knowledge had been eating at him since he first noticed the scratches at her sides and her round belly. Could he raise them no matter what they looked like? Could Adeline? A dark thought slithered into his mind then. Would he stop her if she chose to cast them aside? His teeth ground together. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d be contemplating the existence of his pups. It wasn’t their fault - surely that should spare them? But could he truly look into the face of his wife’s attackers everyday, for the rest of their lives? His ears tipped back against his skull. Pale brows pinched together and the wolf warred with himself. Only Adeline and him knew, no one else had to know. That didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
In the quiet of the house, he could just barely hear his wife’s muffled cries. Lifting his head, he looked at the door he rested against, like it would magically disappear. Adeline had placed with barrier between them and he had allowed her. Leaning his head against the door, all he could do was listen. Eventually, she’d fall quiet and he could only assume she had dozed off. There was no rest for Kenzo though.
"If the accident will."
"Kenzo Speech."
"Adeline Speech"
