Page 175 of The Alpha's Dhampir

His father said he would have to have a baby of his own, but he still didn’t know how he was supposed to make one. Did hehave to be close with Lucie for that? Or could they just pick one out together like friends?

“What do you think, Derrick?” Willa urged with elation.

Derrick gave his mother a crooked smile and stared back at Lucie. But the more he looked at her, the more he was thinking … he wanted to pick his own mate.

Lucie gurgled and smiled at Derrick. She made soft, cooing noises and kicked her feet. He reached out and grabbed her hand. Okay, he could admit it. She was sort of cute in a gross way. As he glanced at the couples around him, he couldn’t help but wonder what the difference would be. How would being with a chosen mate be different than a fated mate? He would need to talk to his parents more about all of this. Was this really the only way to secure their treaty?

He smiled at Lucie. Maybe the two of them could come to their own agreement? Maybe they could work something out for themselves? Perhaps he and Lucie could have their baby and just be good friends. But that got him thinking …

“Well, son, what do you think?” Alaric asked, coming closer. He smiled down at his future daughter-in-law.

Derrick looked up at his father and tilted his head. “How do I have a baby with Lucie?”

“So, what is it that you have here?” a sinister voice hissed.

“This is the blood of the Werewolf King and his Queen,” a child spat out angrily.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“This is exactly what I want to do. Prepare what I need.”

“What you want will take years to perfect. Maybe over a decade.”

“That’s fine. I have time. I can wait. So … do we have a deal?” the child asked.

A deep chuckle rippled from the creature’s throat. “Yes we do, little witch.”

“It’s Beryl, not ‘little witch’.” The girl smirked as she looked into the witch doctor’s eyes. It wasn’t over. Killing her grandmother ended nothing. No, it was only the beginning.