Page 9 of Brutal Alpha’s Sold Mate (Starfire Hollow Alphas #4)

Kai holds my gaze, and in that moment, I can see the conflict in her eyes. She despises me for my willingness to go through with this plan, but she has doubts about her own assumptions. “They’re still your brothers,” she insists, as if that alone should make me see reason.

I want to tell her she’s naive, that she doesn’t know these men like I do.

But the hint of sorrow in her voice shackles my anger.

Instead of lashing out, I draw a slow breath and lean in.

“I’m not proud of what I might have to do, but if you knew Reed and Jacob the way I do…

what do you propose, a family therapy session? ”

“At least talk,” she suggests. “Lay out a plan that doesn’t involve burying people. Or is that kind of discussion below your pay grade?”

I want to snap back, but something behind her catches my attention. The crowd ripples like a shift in the wind, and the band’s tune stutters as if even the musicians sense a disturbance. People move aside, some with worry etched across their faces, others looking eager for drama.

And then I see him.

Reed Hunt.

He steps into the ballroom with the grace of a predator, shoulders rigid, eyes moving across the crowd until they land on us. A hush rolls outward in a wave, thinning the noise to a low hum. Reed’s presence alone ratchets the tension up to suffocating levels.

Kai turns, following my line of sight. When her eyes settle on Reed, I can feel her posture tense.

He’s not as tall as I am, but he’s bulkier, with coiled muscles straining against the sleeves of his shirt.

There’s a faint scar above his left eyebrow, and a perpetual scowl that makes him look one insult away from going berserk.

He prowls forward, his gaze bouncing between Kai and me. Without warning, his lip curls. “So, this is the infamous new addition to the Black Cauldron.”

Kai glances at me, and I see the question in her eyes: is this the same brother we’ve been talking about? I give a slight nod. Yes. This is him.

Reed doesn’t wait for me to speak. Instead, he jabs a finger in my direction. “You waltz in here, throwing a party like we’re one big happy family, but I know what you’re doing. She’s just another tool to help you claim the rest of the territory, isn’t she?”

A growl builds in my chest, but I keep it at bay for the moment. “This is a celebration,” I grind out. “Something that used to matter to our pack.”

“Don’t lie to me. You think I haven’t heard the rumors? You’re looking to unify the pack, sure, but unify it under you. And anyone who doesn’t fall in line?” His nostrils flare. “You’ve already made it clear how you plan to handle that.”

Kai stiffens beside me, and I sense her about to speak. She does, in a voice that cuts like cold steel. “Oh, he’s made it crystal-clear. And maybe if you two took a second to talk, you wouldn’t be ready to kill each other.”

Reed’s eyes snap to her. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Kai stands her ground. “The one who’s not impressed by your little displays of dominance.”

He lets out a humorless chuckle, a sound that makes a few watchers inch backward. “Brave words for someone who’s new here.”

“I’m not interested in being polite,” Kai fires back. “I’m just calling it like I see it: all you Hunts are more focused on carving each other up than worrying about the pack.”

“You don’t know me,” Reed barks, and his eyes flash amber for a split second as his wolf edges close to the surface. “And you sure as hell don’t know what this pack needs.”

“She knows enough,” I butt in, not liking the way Reed’s eyeing her. “Back off, Reed. This isn’t the time or place.”

“Because it’s never the time or place to confront you?” He squares his shoulders. “You always were Father’s favorite, the one who got everything handed to him.”

My wolf snarls at the memory of all those times Father pitted us against each other. “You’ve got a real short memory. Father never handed me a damn thing. I had to fight for every scrap, just like you.”

“Except you came out on top, didn’t you?” Reed takes a step closer, and I can hear gasps from the onlookers. “You always made sure to look like the golden son. Well, guess what, brother? I’m done.”

Kai’s gaze flicks anxiously between Reed and me. She looks ready to jump in again, but isn’t sure whose side to take. Then Jacob emerges from the crowd with a pleased grin spreading across his face. Of course he’s enjoying the spectacle.

“My brothers are at each other’s throats,” Jacob drawls, coming to stand a few paces away. “Ah, it feels like old times.”

“Shut up,” Reed and I growl in near unison, and Jacob lifts his hands in mock surrender.

Kai tries once more to defuse the situation. “Is this how you plan to run a pack? All this energy wasted on who can snarl the loudest?”

Her words land in a hush that settles over the group. Even the band has gone silent. Eyes move between the four of us, the Hunt siblings and the newcomer who’s now mired in our family drama.

Reed doesn’t even look at her. His focus is pinned on me. “You think I’ll let you rule me, Theo? Now that you’ve got a mate, you think I’ll let you become the next alpha of this entire territory, telling me what to do?”

“I don’t give a damn what you want.”

He cracks his neck, a gesture meant to intimidate. “You’re not my alpha. Never will be. Not so long as I can stand.”

A tremor of rage ripples across my shoulders, but Kai steps between us, placing a hand on my chest as if that’s enough to hold me back. My wolf strains, wanting to show Reed who’s in charge, but knowing that to get to him would mean putting a hand on my mate.

“You’re both so stubborn!” Kai shouts before turning to glare at Reed. “Why can’t you handle this without turning it into a battle?”

Reed barks a laugh. “Because that’s the only way it ends in this family. You’ll learn that soon enough, little luna.”

“Don’t call me that,” Kai snaps. “You don’t even acknowledge him as alpha, but you’ll use the title for me?”

“It’s why you came here, isn’t it?” Reed says. “To climb the top wolf’s dick and take the accolades that come with it.”

“I’m here because I don’t have a choice.”

“If that’s true, then that’s exactly why you shouldn’t trust him,” Reed shoots back, jabbing a finger at me. “He doesn’t care about anyone except himself and his ambitions. He’ll use you and then discard you when you’re no longer useful.”

“Watch your mouth,” I snarl, puffing out my chest with the need to defend myself.

“Or what?” Reed demands, taking another step closer. “You’ll run me through with your big, bad alpha teeth? You know I’m not scared of you, Theo. I never have been.”

We’re close to blows now, so close I can smell his anger. The crowd backs away even more, forming a ring as if they’re expecting blood to be shed at any second.

Jacob steps forward, playing the peacemaker even though I know he’s loving the hell out of this. “Now, now, Reed. Let’s not ruin the party. I went through all the trouble of setting this up.”

“Shut it,” Reed growls, casting Jacob a glare that would slice lesser men in half. But the tension between him and me is what’s about to boil over.

Kai places her other hand on Reed’s shoulder like she’s trying to keep him from lunging. “Stop. Both of you.”

He shrugs her off, never once looking away from me. “Get out of my way, or you’ll regret it.”

And then, my restraint snaps. He just threatened my mate in front of everyone, and if he thinks he’s going to get away with it, he’s got another thing coming.

Taking a step forward, I close the gap until Reed and I are almost nose-to-nose. His breath is ragged. Mine is just as erratic, and I can sense the next move teetering on the edge of violence.

“You think you can challenge me?” I grind out.

Reed sneers, and his lips peel back. “I think I can tear you apart. And after that, I’m going after Jacob for good measure.”