Killian stopped smiling altogether. He said to her, "I don’t remember saying that I want you to look for a woman for me. This is my pack and I will choose my Luna."
Molly pursed her lips. She was furious with how Killian had put her down; if it had been her eldest son, he would have never done such a thing. He would have understood her. Trying to ignore how easily Killian had ruffled her fur, Molly said to him in a cold voice, "You have long reached the age where the alpha of a pack should have given birth to a litter. As you have failed in settling down with a woman after the loss of your mate, I believe it’s my duty to find a decent woman for you."
When Killian arched a brow, Molly straightened her back and continued to speak, "And the family I have chosen for you is perfect. The Drakos are the only dragon shifters left of their kind in this world and time. As long as you imprint on their daughter, you will be the father of a dragon, as pure-blood shifters give birth to children with their respective abilities and beasts. Alpha Drakos has only one daughter, and she will be the perfect Luna for our pack."
"My pack," Killian corrected the woman at once. "You do not stay here, you do not live with my pack, and you do not have any position which would give you the right to make any decisions regarding this pack."
"I am your mother!" Molly got to her feet. Her face flushed red in anger as she glared at her son. "I have the right to make such decisions."
"You are Cole’s mom, not mine," Killian snapped. "You have always been his mother. And since I am not Cole, you better not try to pull the same tactics that you tried to pull on him. He was willing to be your golden boy, but I will never do the same because I am not him."
"Mother, say something!" When Molly saw that Killian was not willing to listen to her, she turned to look at her mother-in-law. "Look at him."
"You should have known that he would react in this manner, Molly. Tell me, what made you think that you can select a bride for Killian when you, as his mother, don’t even know what his likes and dislikes are?"
"Well, what I do know is what this pack needs. And what it needs is a well-behaved, respected woman who knows her values and can teach her pups to grow into fine gentlemen and ladies. A woman of fine breed and manners," Molly stated with a haughty look in her eyes. "A woman like that, everyone will prefer unless they are blind."
"Then I am blind," deadpanned Killian. "I do not need a female like that. If Cole were alive, she would certainly be his preference, but she is not mine because I am not my brother. We might have the same blood, but we don’t share the same likes and dislikes. As I have told you countless times."
"It’s not a matter of whether your preferences are similar to Cole’s or not. But you have to admit that this is what your pack needs." Molly’s eyes flared as she said, "I have seen the women with whom you spend your time. It’s an embarrassment. Who knows what kind of woman you might make the Luna of this pack? It is only right that I help you with it."
"Thank you, but there is no need," Killian replied swiftly. He turned to look at his grandmother before saying to her, "I have no desire to bring in a luna. You know that imprinting is a tender subject; if it goes wrong, then the worst outcome could be death. It is better that I find a woman whom I like; that way, the risk factors will go down."
"You are right, Killian," said Edira. She had no intention of forcing her grandson into getting into a marriage match because Killian deserved better than that. "You heard him," she huffed when Molly opened her mouth to speak. "There is no need to force your own son into doing something that he doesn’t wish to do."
If not for the fact that Molly had threatened to stay the night, Edira would have never allowed the woman to stay behind.
"No, this cannot be done!" Molly exclaimed. She turned to look at Edira and said to her, "I have already promised the Drakos that Killian will be taking their daughter to a nice candlelit dinner. I cannot break the promise that I have made."
Molly had finally found a way to control her out-of-control son, who refused to listen to her. She wanted to find a woman who could be controlled easily. She couldn’t control her son, but she could control his luna. It would be the same.
"Maybe this would be a good lesson for you," remarked Killian with his brow arched. "The next time you make a decision concerning an alpha, you will think twice because there is no way you can make an alpha listen to you. As you ought to know."
"I am your mother. Alpha or not, this is not a bad deal if you think about it. The Drakos family is a family of pureblood dragons; having a son or daughter with dragon blood will only do you some good. Not to mention the treasures that might become yours."
"If it is such a good deal, then you can become the mistress of the Drakos family’s head. I believe that’s not the worst of all the things that you have done." Killian got to his feet and was about to head out when Molly got to her knees and hugged Edira’s knees. She said to her, "Mom, you cannot break the promise made to the Drakos family. Think about it; they will take it as a sign of disrespect."
"And you know that dragons are inherently prideful creatures. We cannot risk a war!"