Page 127 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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Tavi was already in the office when I got there.

I hadn’t even needed to reach out to her through our telepathic bond.

She was sitting on the floor, a large binder open in front of her, but she looked up as I walked in and gave me a tired smile.

The office itself was still pretty disorganized, but at least the messy piles that once decorated every surface had been cleared.

“Anything interesting?” I asked.

She snorted. “Not really. I was curious about the meeting minutes that Gregor kept, but it’s putting me to sleep.”

“That sounds riveting.” I laughed. “Well, I’ve got some news that should wake you right up.”

“Yeah?” She snapped the binder shut. “What’s that?”

“I’m pregnant!”

Tavi gasped, and seconds later, she was on her feet, across the room, and wrapping her arms tight around me. She didn’t often initiate physical contact these days, so it was a tremendous gift for her to do it now. When she pulled back, tears shone in her cinnamon-brown eyes.

“How far along are you?” she asked. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe there’s going to be a little version of you running around your heels soon!”

I beamed. Now that Night knew I was pregnant and his reaction wasn’t anything like I’d feared, the excitement was really starting to seep in. I was going to be a mother!

“A few weeks along, at least, because I’ve been getting morning sickness, but we’ll need to talk to a doctor to know more.”

“You poor thing. That can’t be fun.” Her empathy for my morning sickness shifted when another question entered her mind. “Wait! Who else knows? I’m sure Night is aware, but what about Violet and Dom? Your mom?”

“My mother gave me the pregnancy test,” I explained. “Violet doesn’t know yet, but I’m sure Night is on his way to tell Dom now. I’m not sure when we’ll break the news to Violet.”

“You’ve got to tell her as soon as you can. She’s going to be so excited to have a grandchild!”

It was so lovely to see this excitement from Tavi. I couldn’t help but pull her in for another tight hug, and my heart soared when she returned the embrace. Maybe it was my hormones or just the emotions of it all, but I started to tear up.

“How are you?” she asked when I let her go. “You seem excited, but you must be all over the place, right?”

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said, plucking a couple of tissues from the box the desk.

The first few were dusty, but eventually I found a couple that weren’t so old.

“I’m ecstatic about the baby, especially now that Night knows it’s coming, but it’s all happening so fast. It’s too late to slow things down now, but I feel like I haven’t been able to catch my breath, you know? ”

“I can imagine. But I’m sure things will have slowed down by the time the baby gets here. And there’s no doubt in my mind that you and Night are going to be kick-ass parents. You’re the kindest person I know, and Night will do everything he can to protect you both.”

I grinned as I thought of Night. His reaction to my pregnancy had been so precious, it would forever be a core memory for me.

“Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?”

The question pulled me back to the present.

“Oh. I don’t know. To be honest, I never thought I’d get to have children, so I haven’t given much thought to whether I want a son or a daughter.

I think I just want a healthy baby, no matter what gender it turns out to be.

I’d think Night would want a boy as an heir, right? ”

“Oh, Night will be happy either way. If it’s a girl, maybe she’ll become the first female alpha.”

That surprised a laugh out of me. “I thought I was the first female alpha.”

“Technically, yes. But interim alpha isn’t really the same thing for the Kings.

” Her voice entered my mind. “Like I said before, I didn’t even think we would have the ability to talk like this, even though it doesn’t seem to apply to the pack at large.

” She switched back to verbally say, “I’m sure there are still people who oppose you and the Wargs in general.

Can you imagine how much it’d shake things up to have a female alpha with full control over two powerful packs? ”

“When you put it like that, I see what you’re saying.” It was rare enough to have a male alpha with that much control; a female alpha was unheard of.

I pushed the tissue box out of the way and scooted onto the desk. “Why hasn’t there been a female alpha yet? Was it because they weren’t allowed to commit to a challenge? Or hasn’t one succeeded yet?”

Tavi considered the questions. “I think ability has to be part of it. The Kings aren’t the only sexist community of wolves.

Female wolves are definitely discouraged from competing so they can bear children.

And the fact that, on average, male wolves are stronger than female wolves doesn’t help. But you’re already aware of that.”

“I am. I guess what I really wanted to know is whether there have been any female wolves who challenged a male for the position before I did it.”

“I don’t think so. Pretty sure you’re the first.”

“Huh. Okay.”

I wasn’t sure which gender I wanted. A girl might have to spend her entire life fighting just to be viewed as someone who could do more than work in the gardens and care for children.

A boy would have it easier, but he would still have to prove to everyone that he was as strong—if not stronger—than his father.

There were pros and cons, expectations and shortcomings, to either.

I guess questioning ultimately had no effect on which gender I would have; nothing I said or did would change the baby’s gender.

“Oh, before we dig into more of this paperwork…Night and I were thinking we could have a little celebration tonight. You’re invited, and so is Dom.”

At Dom’s name, Tavi flushed and looked away from me, busying herself with the meeting book. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she said. “Should I bring anything?”

I bit my lip to stop my smile, then hopped off the desk so I could sit in the office chair. “Just your beautiful self.”

She scoffed and moved into one of the chairs with the binder so she could continue reading.

A few minutes passed. I should have started looking through the documents in front of me, but I was still watching Tavi.

She pushed her long jet-black hair over her shoulder, braiding it so it would stay out of the way while she read.

She didn’t wear makeup or flowy skirts the way she used to, but she didn’t need to wear those things to be every bit as gorgeous and intelligent and important as she was before she was hurt. I didn’t know how to communicate all that to her without sounding like I was forcing it.

“Bryn,” she said.

I jerked in my chair. “Yes?”

“I think this ledger is missing a page. Do you have it in your stack?”

“Oh. I don’t know. Let me check.” It only took a few seconds to find the page she was looking for. “Thanks for your hard work,” I said as I handed her the paper. “I don’t know what I’d do without you at my side.”

Her eyebrows rose. I worried that my words had come out awkwardly, but then she smiled, and my fears dissipated.

“Same here, Bryn,” she said. “I’m glad I met you.”

I shared her smile. As she stapled the papers together, I turned to the pile of overdue complaints. Getting my work done would be easier with my best friend at my side.

Afew hours later, after the sun started to go down and the sky was the color of lavender and peach, Night and I finished our day.

I had gone through more of the paperwork, and though I felt closer to understanding the state of the pack, there were still reams and reams to get through.

When I got home, I changed into a sky-blue dress and arranged my hair into two long braids.

Night had spent the day training for the alpha challenge. When he walked through the front door, he was shirtless, with his chest and shoulders glistening with sweat and his shorts clinging to the powerful muscles of his legs.

The heady, masculine scent of him filled the living room, and it set me on fire.

I was tempted to say we should forget the dinner so he could have his way with me on the couch.

He smirked at me as he walked by. I was sure that my desires were written all over my face, but instead of indulging me, he gave me a long, sensuous kiss that blazed all the way down to my toes.

“Later, love,” he said, sealing his words with another quick kiss, and then headed upstairs to wash off.

When he got back downstairs, we talked about what I’d planned for dinner. I wanted to keep things simple, so we had pasta with a meat sauce, a fresh green salad, and garlic bread. Night handled the meat sauce while I took care of the salad and bread.

We used beef, beef bones, and a combination of fresh and dried herbs for the sauce.

The scent of savory tomato sauce filled the cabin.

Night’s knowledge of cooking surprised me.

Beyond the occasional question about whether he was holding parsley or rosemary or if the heat was on too high, he handled himself well in the kitchen.

Using the same meat cleaver, he easily cut through bones at one moment, then finely chopped herbs the next.

“Not bad,” I said after tasting the sauce that had simmered for forty-five minutes. “You really know what you’re doing, huh?”

“I ought to,” he replied with a grin. “You know my mother. You think she’d let me leave her house without knowing how to boil liquids?”

I giggled. “Fair point, but you should cut me some slack. I don’t think there are many alphas who know how to cook for themselves.

Most of them would have their mates or lovers do it.

” I slipped my arms around him from behind and pressed my cheek to his spine.

His body was warm under his T-shirt. “You’re constantly surprising me. ”