Page 101 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“Do you swear to counsel your Alpha through the duration of their leadership, guiding her to the best of your ability and in the best interest of the pack?”

She nodded and looked at Bryn. “Yes, I do.”

“Then it is done. The decision is made.”

The Wargs’ section of the crowd began to clap as the ceremony came to a close.

I saw that some of the Kings women looked like they wanted to clap, too, but stayed quiet with the rest of their pack.

That was alright; it was a start. I looked again at Dom to find him grinning wide.

I understood already that he had feelings for Tavi; I would have had to be blind not to see the cat and mouse game that the two of them had spent the last few months playing.

But I hadn’t voiced my knowledge to either of them.

Now, with the changes that had come over Tavi as a result of Troy’s kidnapping, I wasn’t sure where they stood.

But I accepted that it wasn’t really my business.

If Dom was going to make a move, then he needed to be brave enough to admit his feelings to Tavi first. Until he did that, I’d keep my opinions to myself.

Afterward, the celebration could begin in earnest. Most of the Kings went home rather than celebrate, but there were more than enough Wargs to make it a party, so we were determined to eat and drink enough for those who had left.

“Congrats, Tav,” I said. “I’m so proud of you.”

She paused and turned a smile on me that was a little something like it used to be. “Thanks, Night.”

She went on to share a few words with her closest Wargs friends, but she avoided anything that would tie her up longer than a few seconds. Even Jasper couldn’t get a conversation out of her. She made a beeline for Bryn, who was surrounded by Wargs and family.

Bryn received a huge hug and a slew of kisses from Glenda and Violet, and dozens of other wolves crowded her to tell her how proud they were of her.

Finally, she peeled away to hug Tavi. I knew Dom wanted to speak to Tavi, but before he could, she had said something to Bryn, hugged her again, and then quickly walked away.

As happy as Tavi must have been about all of this, she had been out and about for a while.

I couldn’t hold it against her if she needed to recover at her cabin.

Though disappointed, Dom quickly threw himself back into the festivities, dancing and drinking like his life depended on it. I could relate. I tried repeatedly to get close to Bryn, but someone new would always come in and whisk her away.

Pax was a bit too young for these festivities, but he almost pitched a fit when his mother told him it was near his bedtime. He wouldn’t go until he had spent some more time with Bryn. She took his hands and spun with him in time with the music, but the pup pouted.

“What’s wrong, Pax?” she asked.

“I thought you were going to pick me as your beta,” he grumbled.

She laughed and spun him again. “You’ve got a little more growing up to do, Pax, but one day, you can be an Alpha if you want to.”

“An Alpha?” His eyes glittered at the thought. He paused in his dancing to pull up his sleeves. He flexed for the crowd, drawing a laugh out of us all.

“I’m surprised she curried the favor of so many Wargs in just a few weeks,” said a voice next to me.

I tensed briefly, but relaxed once I realized that it was just Evan.

“Imagine watching it happen in real time,” I said with a grin. “My girl had them eating out of the palm of her hand in a week.”

“She must be something special to have that kind of magnetism.”

I was content to sit back and admire my mate, the Alpha, but as the night wore on, I wanted some alone time with her. I finished off my beer and caught her when she, laughing at something Frankie said, walked backward into my arms.

“Hey there,” I said as she turned. “I hope you’re not too tired for a dance with me.”

She beamed up at me. “Never.”

A slow song began to play, and I looped an arm around her waist while the other held her hand. She smoothed her hands over my shoulders, and we swayed to the music.

“You must feel on top of the world,” I said.

“Almost,” she said. “I’ll get there once you and I finally have our ceremony.”

Fuck me, had she always been so smooth? “You sure know how to make a man feel wanted.”

She giggled and squeezed my hand. “I wish Tavi could have stayed longer, but she told me she was feeling tired.”

I nodded. “Maybe she’ll stay longer at our binding ceremony.”

“I hope so.” When her smile began to wane, I led her into a spin that made her laugh. It was illegal for her to feel anything negative right now. This night was all about Bryn, and how incredible she was.

“You’re pretty light on your feet for such a big, bad Alpha,” she said. “Who knew you could be so gentle?”

I chuckled and dipped her to the whooping applause of onlookers. “I think you know exactly how gentle I can be,” I said, and kissed her.

She bit her lip as I lifted her up, her gaze the blue of fire.

I knew exactly what she wanted, what she needed.

Hell, in my mind I was halfway to our cabin already.

As the slow song ended, she opened her mouth to say what was on both of our minds.

Before she could speak, our mothers literally, and very dramatically, pulled her away.

“Sorry, Night,” Glenda said with a teasing smirk. “You’re not allowed to see her before the night of your binding ceremony. Tonight, she’s spending time with us.”

“What?” Bryn asked, confused and a bit dazed. “What?”

“I know, sweetie, you’re so tired and you have to get some rest at my cabin.” Glenda and my mom led her away.

“Mom, not you, too!” I called after them.

“It’s tradition, kid,” she replied, like that would help. “But don’t worry, you’ll have her all to yourself tomorrow.”

“I’ll hold you to that!”

The remaining Wargs laughed at our antics, and I laughed with them. I wouldn’t have my mate with me tonight, which would be tough, but this was too warm and sweet of a night for even that to sour my mood. I felt like for the first time in my life, things were going right.