Page 128 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“I’m glad.” As he stirred the sauce with one hand, the fingers of his free hand caressed the back of my arm. “I’d hate to think you were getting bored with me.”

“Me? Bored with you?” I squeezed him tighter. “Never.”

It had taken me no time to throw the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers together for the salad, and the bread was toasting in the oven with butter, garlic, and cheese.

That meant I could turn on the battery-powered radio and put on some music.

I kept the radio on a station that played the latest hits, turning up the volume to let the music fill the kitchen and dining room.

Human music wasn’t as deep and bass-heavy as the traditional sounds played by pack musicians, but it was still fun to dance to.

I was used to reading and working in relative silence, so the music was a real treat.

I spun around to a particularly boppy song, and the pleated skirt of my dress swished around my knees.

As I completed the turn, I found Night nodding along to the beat.

“Tell me, Night,” I said, sashaying my way into the kitchen, “can my big, strong alpha dance?”

He laughed, looking at me over his shoulder. “Not as well as I can cook.”

I offered my hands to him. “Care to show me?”

He lowered the heat and covered the sauce with a lid to let it simmer. “Alright, but you have to keep what you’re about to see between us.”

“Oh? Is it that bad?”

He took my hands and let me pull him to the open space of the living room. “I guess you’ll have to decide for yourself,” he said.

As it turned out, Night wasn’t nearly as bad as he let on.

He didn’t know the most impressive dance moves, but he could hold the beat, which was more than I could say for some of the other male wolves I’d seen dancing at the few wolf celebrations I’d attended.

And despite how large and imposing he was, my mate was very light on his feet.

He took my hand and spun me before pulling me against him again. We swayed to the music, and his hand slipped down to my lower back. He gazed down at me, his eyes a brilliant jade-green, and my heart skipped a beat.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he heard the tempo of my heartbeat speed up. He leaned down and brushed his lips across the top of my ear.

“What do you think?” he asked. “Do I pass your test?”

“With flying colors,” I murmured. “I never get to see this side of you, Night.” I inched my hands up his chest to his shoulders. “Promise me when things get really busy, we’ll make time to do things like this once in a while.”

“I promise,” he said. “I love spending time with you like this.”

I stood on my tiptoes to nuzzle him. “I love you, Night.”

“I love you, Bryn.” He pressed his lips to mine, and my eyes fluttered closed. He kissed me for a long time—so long, I couldn’t think of anything but the softness of his mouth or the warmth of his hands on my back, my hips, my ass...

But we had company coming, and before things could go further, there was a knock on the front door. Night and I pulled away from each other, and I hurried to answer the door, smoothing my clothing as I did.

Tavi was the first to arrive. She’d dressed up for the occasion in a dark teal sheath dress and black flats. Her black hair, which she normally wore pulled back in a messy bun, hung down her back in soft waves. There was even a touch of makeup on her face—mascara and tinted lip gloss.

“You look gorgeous, Tavi,” I said, hugging her. Tears stung my eyes because she reminded me of her old self before Troy and his goons got to her. It meant so much that she was willing to celebrate with us tonight. “Come in, come in. We’ll put the noodles on.”

“Already on it,” Night called from the kitchen. “They’ll be done in ten minutes.”

“It smells great,” Tavi said as I closed the door behind her. “But I’m surprised you convinced Night to cook. It was always like pulling teeth to get him to do anything more elaborate than put together a box cake.”

“No, Tav, I was like that with you specifically,” Night retorted. “For you, I don’t do anything for free.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes at me.

I giggled.

There was a second knock on the door, and unsurprisingly, that turned out to be Dom. He had dressed up as well, wearing black slacks and a navy-blue button-down shirt that accentuated his muscular torso. His curly golden-blond hair was combed out of his eyes.

“Nice to see you, Dom,” I said, hugging him.

“Same here. And congratulations, Bryn.” He lifted his hand, which held a bottle. “I brought some apple cider for you.”

“Thank you so much.” I beamed at him and accepted the bottle. After I closed the door behind him, I watched his eyes find Tavi’s. There was an immediate connection there, the air between them electrifying as I stood there, and then Tavi looked away.

“It’s good to see you,” she told him.

“Yeah, good to see you, too,” he said gently. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Thanks. You…you clean up pretty nice.”

Dom grinned, slipping his hands into his pockets. I sensed this was my cue to give them some alone time, so I excused myself.

“I’ll set the table,” I said. “You two can change the radio station if you want. Just make yourselves comfy.”

I went into the kitchen and took my time getting plates and utensils. Fortunately, Tavi and Dom were standing in the sitting room, and I wouldn’t have to walk in on their conversation to get the dining room ready.

“Dom’s here,” I said to Night.

“I heard. Is he in there with Tavi?”

“That’s right.”

He paused, and I could sense where his thoughts were going. He wasn’t oblivious; he noticed the depths of their feelings for each other. I imagined that as the big brother to Tavi and best friend to Dom, Night was torn about the two of them getting closer.

I set the plates on the counter and touched his back. “It’ll be okay,” I told him quietly. “Whatever happens between them, you know Dom will do right by her.”

He sighed. “I do. It’s just hard to let her go. Especially after all she’s been through.”

“But that’s why it’s okay. Dom has been nothing but respectful to her, and he’s given her space while she deals with her trauma. He’s a good guy, Night.”

His answering sigh acknowledged the truth of my words. I fell even deeper in love with my big, strong, protective alpha.

“Do you need help setting the table?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’d like some.”

He took the plates, forks, and apple cider from me, and I grabbed three beers from the fridge. When the table was set, and the pasta was ready, the four of us sat at the table to chat about the baby and how the repairs were going around the pack.

“By the way, Bryn,” Tavi began, “whatever happened to the bitches who went out of their way to make your life difficult when you were growing up?”

She was talking about the Terrible Ts. “They’ve left me alone after the attack on the compound,” I said. “I think the way the Wargs and I showed up for the pack showed them that I’m not the same girl they used to know.”

“Damn right,” Dom and Night said at the same time. Laughter went around the table.

Once the laughter died down, I said, “Tanya and Tara let me know that they felt real remorse for the way they treated me and that I had their support. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time, but I think I’ll let them know that I accept their apology.”

Tavi seemed taken aback by that. “Wow, Bryn. I couldn’t even imagine forgiving them. Do you think you might be friends with them?”

I scoffed. “No, I wouldn’t go that far. With our history, I don’t think we’ll ever be that close. But they won’t feel like I have it out for them, and I don’t have to hold on to those bad memories so tightly.”

Of course, those awful memories would never go away, but this was my way of proving to everyone—myself included—that people can change.

The way Troy had treated me and the competitive environment he and his father had fostered in the Kings wasn’t permanent.

We could change as long as everyone had the space to do so.

“What about your training, Night?” Tavi asked.

“Hm? It’s going well. I’m sore every day, but what kind of training would I be doing if I didn’t have constant soreness?”

“Maybe you could train publicly with the rest of the wolves,” Tavi said. “Show the Kings what’s in store for them when you’re alpha.”

There was a pause, and we all turned to look at Tavi.

“What do you mean, Tav?” Night asked.

I thought she might blush under the attention, but she tossed her hair over her shoulder just like the old Tavi would have—a gesture that showed her confidence. It was so unexpected and welcome, I nearly laughed.

“Well, you’ve been training in secret, but maybe it would be more effective to show them what you’re capable of.”

Night thought for a moment. “I could do that. Before, I thought I needed to train privately because it would keep the other men on their toes. But you’re right, Tav. Maybe a little demonstration would be better.” His grin was sharp. “Thanks.”

Tavi grinned as if knowing how Night would take her suggestion. “It’s what I’m here for.”

The second little hair flip sent me over the edge. I started giggling, and soon that giggle became a laugh. It was such a relief to be here with three of the most important people in my life, and it was so, so wonderful to joke and laugh with them.