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The door to a completely blue room slammed open and a fluffy-haired brunette stormed in. The blue figure behind the carved lapis lazuli desk didn't even twitch at the abrupt entrance, but instead waited until the other was comfortably settled into the overly large papasan chair.
Alec originally hadn’t wanted any such furniture in his office because he didn't want to encourage any visitors into staying longer than was absolutely necessary—even if they were his own Bonded—but it was impossible not to make any accommodations his Submissive willingly sought him out as a form of refuge.
When there was a long, irritated huff from the chair, Alec flicked his fingers and the door swung closed, shutting in the face of whichever Pareya who had been unfortunate enough to hover over their prickly Submissive. A heartbeat later, wards went up, effectively sealing off the office from the rest of the house.
"Who do I need to drown?"
"No drowning," Harry replied automatically. He was irritated but not that irritated. He wriggled on the over-stuffed chair, comfortable but feeling like something was missing. A moment later, his gaze fixed on his Merrow and he chirred sadly. Alec returned the look with a flat, unamused one of his own but he indulged the request, slowly pushing away his paperwork to join Harry.
As always, the cuddles from his Merrow were cool and slightly damp—a far cry from the searing warmth cuddling with his Fire Bonded entailed—but it was just what Harry needed right then.
After a few minutes, he rested his forehead against the other's neck "They want me to find a Carrier," he grumbled.
They could be several individuals, but in this case, Alec already knew Harry was referring to their three dominant Bonded of the Circle—their irritating Alpha, their equally stubborn Beta, and their perpetually scheming ACE.
Alec tried not to scoff. He could have told them that such a proposal wouldn’t go over well. Before there had been any mention of pregnancy, let alone the necessary conversions that would eventually lead to said pregnancy, Alec had broached the subject of Carriers once and had learned enough that he didn’t feel the need to raise the topic again.
Personally, he didn't quite understand the reluctance. Lots of Circles had Carriers when it came the time for children, especially during the first pregnancy when a Submissive didn't always know what to expect. But Harry was Earth-born and Earth-raised, so he had different ideas of what was normal or expected.
"I don't want an outsider coming in and upsetting things. It's going to be hard enough getting everyone settled again once the baby is born, but doing that with more people?" He shook his head. The idea was too absurd. "Besides, I haven't had any issues so far."
"You've been handling it very well," Alec agreed. “It’s not meant as a slight against your abilities." He paused, then decided to continue speaking because there was a reason he had broached the subject of Carriers with Harry when they were first bonded. The things he would do for his soul-bonded Submissive... "Is that the only issue, you don’t want an outsider coming in and upsetting things?
Green eyes peered at him suspiciously. "Why are you asking?"
Pushing back a scowl—and the beginnings of a headache—Alec settled in to explain and negotiate.
Several hours later, after their conversation and once Harry was taking a nap—a sure sign of the pregnancy because the Submissive normally never took naps—Alec left the wing of the house specifically designed for his needs and braved the rest of the manor to hunt down their Circle's Alpha.
"And hello to you too," the other man grumbled when Alec swept into his office, uncaring of he was interrupting anything.
The Merrow's blue gaze swept the room and spotted their brooding ACE in the shadows—perfect, he wouldn't have to hunt him down later—before his glower returned to the Alpha. He didn't always understand what Harry saw in this particular Bonded—in most of their Bonded, if he was being honest—but they had come to an understanding when Alec had first joined the Circle and the Merrow could respect the other's barely concealed ruthlessness. It was that ruthlessness he was appealing to with his current plans.
After a moment of silence, the Alpha sat back and gestured for Alec to start speaking, the expression on his face making it clear he was expecting a lecture or a scolding. Though to be fair, that was usually how things went in this particular office. Alec made his opinions known, the Alpha listened—or pretended to listen—and after a few hours, some sort of solution was figured out, with no one else in the Circle to know the finer details of what happened behind the shut door.
“I’ll be taking Harry to visit my family," Alec said instead, his tone short. "We'll return after the birth."
"The others won't like that," the Alpha replied after a long, tense moment.
Blue eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you'll find ways to keep them busy enough that they won't have time to complain, preferably off-realm," Alec returned. "And really, there's only one of them that actually gets a say in the matter."
The Alpha tilted his head forward, silently conceding the point, eyes lighting in understanding and an eerie glint entering them. Alec ignored the spike a bloodlust that pulsed through the Circle's bonds following that particular look, but he made a mental note to keep Harry in his wing until it was time to leave. He doubted the Submissive would appreciate the rougher than normal attention of their Gheyo Suite when said Gheyos were riled up and anticipating a bloodbath.
It was a very tidy solution. Alec got plenty of time alone with his Submissive, they wouldn't need to worry about finding a Carrier due to Alec's particular Merrow form and attributes, their Alpha could take care of a certain madman intent on pursuing Harry without having to worry about whether the Submissive approved of his specific methods, and the rest of the Circle got to indulge their bloodthirsty instincts.
Alec shifted his attention to the Circle's ACE, who was also the Sire of the child Harry was currently carrying. Usually during a pregnancy, they would be close at claw, but now the ACE would be needed elsewhere to keep the Suite on the because there was a thin line between bloodbath and massacre. The Gheyo was already frowning and Alec had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to get away with negotiating for a few scraps of shadows to monitor them the next few months—he and Harry were likely going to have a scrap of seaweed tagging along as well.
Kieran frowned at one set of instructions he had received from King Alcandor. "Your Majesty wants the Royal Nursery prepared?"
Alcandor simply nodded.
"Is...?" This was an odd way to find such information out, since the announcement traditionally came from the Queen and as Uncle to the Queen, Kieran should have been among the first to know.
"No," Alcandor answered evenly. "Your favorite little ward instead."
Kieran suppressed a shudder. He knew his ward, knew his ward's Submissive, knew that Circle's reputation. It was a pregnancy that was bound to be pure chaos. “… how many will be staying?"
"Alec, his Submissive, and the Joker Nori."
Pure chaos indeed.
"I'll triple the guards and get the Grand Priestess of the Sea Witches herself to reinforce the wards."
In the end, though, it still wasn't enough.