Page 149 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

Icaught the savory scent of dinner even before stepping into the cabin. As delicious as it smelled, it worried me that Bryn cooked dinner when it was usually my responsibility. I called her name as I stepped inside the cabin.

“In the kitchen,” she said. “Violet’s here with me.”

Oh. Well, that answered that question—Mom wouldn’t have let Bryn cook on her watch. I walked into the kitchen and kissed Bryn on the forehead before kissing my mother on the cheek.

“How are you two doing?” I asked.

“Good,” Mom said. “Just bonding over girl things.”

I took that to mean that they were talking about pregnancy. I was glad Bryn had listened to my advice.

I went to the stove and ladled some soup into a bowl. Now that I was closer to the pot, I recognized the scent. I should’ve known Mom had been the one to make dinner.

“How are you?” Bryn asked as I grabbed a beer from the fridge. “And how’s the pack?”

I joined them at the table, sitting next to Bryn. I told her about the cabins I’d seen that seemed like promising new homes for us. I hesitated to talk about the fight I’d broken up, and my conversation with Lance, but it was best not to keep anything from her.

“Huh,” Bryn said after I recounted everything. “I’m glad you were there in time for Ricky, but…Lance is kind of weird, isn’t he?”

I raised my eyebrow. “You know him?”

“Not really. He’s been a mystery since he joined the pack. We never talked to each other. Well…actually, the first time we spoke was at the market when I bought your bracelet.” She paused. “He bartered down the price.”

I frowned at her, alarm shuddering through my veins. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

She set her hand gently on my arm. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. It just…didn’t seem important, I guess? He didn’t threaten me or anything. It was just a weird conversation.”

I knew the moment I met her bright aquamarine eyes that she was being genuine. I could believe she hadn’t intended to keep it from me, but after our talk about being honest, I felt a little hurt. I forced myself to loosen my death grip on my spoon.

“Bryn, we promised to be open with each other about this stuff.”

She winced and lowered her head. “You’re right. I dropped the ball on this, Night. I really am sorry. I’ll try not to keep you in the dark about anything like that again.”

“I know. It’s okay.” I touched her wrist. “So, what did you and Lance talk about?”

“Not much. He and the vendor went back and forth about the price. For both bracelets, I was told it would cost forty-five dollars, but he dropped it to thirty because Lance said he’d seen the vendor’s daughter sell them to her friends for fifteen each.”

That told me Lance was very perceptive. It also told me he was familiar with everybody in the pack. Funny how he seemed to know so much about everyone, but no one knew anything about him.

“Did he say why he helped you?”

“He said he was just having fun.”

I scratched my chin. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the situation Bryn was describing, but she clearly wasn’t sure what to think about it. I wanted to go out there, find the kid, and settle things right now, but that was obviously a bad idea.

“Did he rub you the wrong way?” I asked.

“I mean, I was cautious, and he didn’t seem dangerous. But you know, now that I’m thinking about it, he came off as kind of…awkward?”

I scoffed at the thought that the arrogant guy I’d spoken to earlier would seem awkward, but I believed her. I wondered if he was hiding his true personality from her, but I couldn’t come up with a reason why. How would he benefit from throwing Bryn off?

“Well, I see you two have a lot to talk about,” Mom said, standing. “I’ll go now. Bryn, I’ll get things ready for tonight, alright? Meet me when the moon is at its zenith.”

“Okay, Violet. See you later.”

“Night, walk me out,” my mother said.

“Oh. Sure.” I walked her to the foyer. When we reached the door, she looked up at me.

“Listen, Night…” She looked at me. “Don’t be too hard on Bryn. Believe me when I say that the little things can slip from a woman’s mind when she’s pregnant. It sounds to me like that thing with Lance was one of those things.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. My mother was sticking up for my mate, which I would normally appreciate…if it wasn’t about something Bryn and I had talked about and promised to improve upon.

Instead of responding to that, I asked, “What did you mean when you said you were getting things ready for tonight?”

“I’m sure Bryn will tell you. It’s not anything you didn’t already know.” She patted my cheek. “See you then, son.”

I closed the door behind her and returned to Bryn. “What are you and Mom doing tonight?”

She smiled brightly at me. “There’s a ritual that will help me learn more about my birth mother. We’re doing it tonight!”

Her smile was so sweet that it took me a few seconds to comprehend what she’d just told me. “Wait, you’re doing that tonight?”

She nodded. “Isn’t that awesome?” But her smile slowly disappeared when she saw me frowning. “You don’t seem happy.”

“Mom told me about that ritual. She said she needed to make sure it would be safe.”

“Well, I guess she made sure it was safe. She wouldn’t have suggested it to me otherwise, would she?”

She was right, but frustration swarmed my chest. “How could you make that decision without talking to me about it first?”

When she scowled at me, I knew my question had come out the wrong way. “What are you talking about? I’m telling you right now. This was the earliest I could tell you. Anyway, Night, it’s my body. I can do what I want with it.”

“No, Bryn, it’s not just your body while our pup is growing inside you.

I think I should have a say if you’re going to put our baby at risk.

” I glared at her. “I’m not saying you can’t do the ritual at all; I just don’t get why it has to be right now while you’re pregnant.

This is our only chance to have a baby. Why would you want to put that at risk? ”

“I’m not putting anything at risk! I just told you that Violet made sure it was safe.

She would never suggest something that would endanger me or our baby.

You know that better than anyone else.” She huffed, setting her spoon down with a clatter against the bowl.

“I don’t think I can put into words how deeply important this is to me, that it’s something I have to do. ”

I heaved out a long sigh. “I know it’s something you need to do, but what if you see something that will affect you mentally? Or emotionally? There’s no way to control what you’ll see.”

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the hard look had softened.

“Night, I know you’re just looking out for me and the baby, but I’ve already considered the risks.

I know I might see something upsetting, but you forget that I’ve already been through hell.

Growing up was torture, and then I dealt with a week of horrors after Troy kidnapped me.

” She uncrossed her arms and took one of my hands between hers.

“I know I can do this, Night. Please trust me.”

I stared deeply into her eyes, finding her resolve and her desperation. She was so close to finding answers to questions she’d had all her life, and she couldn’t wait anymore. If we were supposed to have an equal and honest relationship, I needed to trust that she knew what she was doing.

“Okay,” I agreed, even though I wished I didn’t have to. “But I’m going to be there with you, and if I see any sign that you might be in danger, I’m putting an end to it, okay?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. I want you there, Night. I wouldn’t do something like this if you couldn’t be there with me.

” Now that we’d both calmed down, she smiled without any anger or hesitation.

“I wish I’d had more time to tell you, but I didn’t make this decision without thinking it through. I have to know more about who I am.”

“I know.” I sighed. “Okay, I’m with you on this all the way.”

“Thank you, baby.” She brushed her lips over mine. “Thank you so much.”

We had a few hours to kill before the full moon was in position, so I finished my dinner and went out to train. After I returned and freshened up, it was time to go.

The moon cast a silvery glow over everything as we headed to Mom’s cabin. Though this night wasn’t technically different from any other, something about tonight gave it some weight. It felt like something important would happen tonight.

Bryn must have felt the same way because she squeezed my hand as we neared the elders’ cabin. I squeezed her back.

We walked up the steps to the cabin’s front door, but Violet called for us to head around back.

We rounded the cabin and found dozens of white candles lit around the small backyard.

I wasn’t surprised to see the three King elders standing with my mom, but I didn’t expect to see Warg Elder Patrice Woods there as well.

Bryn and I exchanged greetings with everyone, and I turned to Elder Woods.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” I said.

She smiled kindly at me, her white hair glowing in the moonlight. “I’m sorry, Night. I didn’t tell Violet I was coming, either. Considering the importance of this ritual, we decided one of us ought to be here, but I didn’t get a chance to let you all know.”

I would've liked more of a heads-up so I wouldn’t be caught unawares, but her reasoning made sense. From what I understood, much of this had come together at the last minute. “It’s just you?”

“Yes. The others and I decided I should be the one to make the trip. I arrived about fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry to cut in,” Elder Sage said, rubbing his thick silver beard, “but we only have so much moonlight. We should start before it gets any later.” He inclined his head toward the center of the white candles, where a perfect circle had been drawn in white chalk.

Other symbols drawn in chalk surrounded the circle.

My wolf whined his unease at the sight of it.

“Elder Sage is right,” Mom said. “Bryn, step into the circle when you’re ready.”

“Right.” Bryn started walking toward it, but I pulled her back.

“Just a minute,” I said. Elder Sage seemed displeased but didn’t say anything as I pulled Bryn aside.

“Are you nervous?” she asked.

“Aren’t you?” I pushed her hair behind her ear and bent so I could talk to her at eye level. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

She kissed the corner of my mouth, then looked up at me with love blazing in her eyes. “I haven’t been this sure about something since the first time we made love,” she whispered.

The kiss, followed by the memory of that first night, seared through me. Yet, it still seemed so unsafe. “Everything in me is screaming at me not to let you go in that circle,” I told her.

“I know you want to protect us,” she said, her hand on her belly. “But Night, you can’t protect me from this. This will answer so many of my questions about who I am. I need to do this.”

I let out a long breath. I wished with everything in me that I could do this ritual with Bryn, but I knew I couldn’t. This was something only she could do, and I hated that she was going somewhere I couldn’t follow.

I pulled her in for a tight hug and another kiss before slowly letting her go. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Bryn smiled at me one more time before turning from me and heading toward the circle, her fingers slipping free of mine. She stepped into the circle, and all the candles flickered at once. I stood behind Elder Forsythe, my hands buried deep in my pockets.

“So, how does this work?” Bryn asked.

“First, you must sit down,” Elder Queene replied, pulling his long hair into a ponytail. “Then, we will perform a chant to activate the ritual.”

“Once the ritual has begun, you’ll be able to see through the eyes of your mother,” Elder Woods said. “You’ll be able to control which memories you see, but it can be difficult.”

“Why?” Bryn asked.

“Because you’ll have to remain calm through the process,” Mom replied. She had moved a few candles closer to the circle. “You’ll need to open your mind to memories that aren’t your own so they’ll flow naturally toward you.”

“Gotcha.” Bryn sat down in the circle, and the candlelight flickered again. “Now what?”

“Just close your eyes and take deep breaths in and out,” Elder Woods said.

Bryn set her hands on her knees, closed her eyes, and breathed.

When she looked relaxed, the elders and my mom formed a circle around her.

They closed their eyes and raised them to the sky.

At first, I could hardly hear them chanting anything, and then their voices grew louder until they were at a normal speaking volume.

They were speaking a language I’d never heard before. It was guttural and sounded as old as the earth itself. Their voices never went louder, but as they lowered their arms, the circle and symbols started to glow an ethereal white.

Bryn slumped forward. I cursed, heading toward her, but I stopped myself before entering the circle. I didn’t know much about magic, but I knew it was a huge fuck-up to interrupt its flow. So, I clenched my hands at my sides, my eyes riveted on my mate, my wolf howling inside me.

When the circle was as bright as the moon, the elders’ chanting lowered again to a barely audible whisper before they went completely silent.

A second passed, and then another, and suddenly Bryn sat up straight.

Her eyes shot open, but they weren’t the silvery blue I knew. They had turned completely white.