Page 153 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

brYN

When I came back to the present, I found myself on the cold ground, trembling in the wake of the ritual and everything I’d experienced.

Night appeared at my side in an instant, crouching next to me and gathering me into his arms. I shivered against the heat of his body.

All the warmth had left my body during that ritual, as if seeing through my mother’s eyes had sucked some of my vitality out of me.

“Bryn, are you okay?” My mate’s murmured words permeated the heavy cloud of disorientation.

I gave a shaky nod and a shakier thumbs up.

He let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh and lifted me in his arms like a bride.

I felt a pang of sadness as he carried me.

Lucian—my father—had done this with my mother in the moments before her death.

He’d been just as tender as Night was with me.

I gripped Night’s shirt in my trembling hand.

I mourned for both my parents and the loss they must have suffered from being separated from each other so brutally.

“You can take her inside,” I heard Elder Queene’s voice from far away. I focused on it to stay in the present. “It’ll be warmer there.”

Night took me inside the elders’ cabin, the others following.

He sat on a bench with me in his lap, holding me gently as I tried to stop my body from shaking so much.

Elder Forsythe built a fire in the hearth while Violet draped a blanket over me.

I hadn’t felt this cold since I was human.

After all these weeks of living with a higher body temperature, I had no idea how I’d managed the cold.

“Don’t worry, Bryn,” Elder Woods said. “Your body is reacting to the strain of the ritual, but it will pass soon. We just need to get you warmed up.”

“Strain” was the right word for what I felt. My mind was still swimming with all I’d learned, and my heart drummed against my ribcage. I felt exhausted and wired with energy at the same time.

I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t form the words. Night, Violet, and the elders were all waiting to hear what I had seen, but I wouldn’t be able to tell them anything until I felt like myself again.

Closing my eyes steadied me. I hadn’t been able to see my mother’s features, but I’d heard her laugh and voice.

My vision blurred at the memory, and tears poured down my cheeks before I could quell them.

I hadn’t been able to cry while looking through my mother’s eyes, and it was such a relief to be in control of myself and my body again.

To be able to feel and grieve and ache for the loss of who she was.

“Oh, Bryn.” Night sighed, his lips brushing over my forehead. “What did you see?”

I was still shivering but not as much as before. After a few moments, I was able to find my voice. “I didn’t see my mom,” I said quietly. “But I heard what she sounded like, and I saw her hands and her pregnant belly. I felt what she felt as she experienced it. It was amazing.”

His smile was full of relief as he loosened his tight hold on me now that I could speak. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see what she looked like, but I’m really happy you got some answers. Did you see where your mother was from?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t go that far back.”

“What was it like navigating the memories?” Violet asked after she brought me a glass of water.

I gingerly took the glass. I didn’t trust myself not to drop it unless I held it with two hands. “It was bizarre,” I replied. “It was so difficult to focus on a single memory at first, but once I got hold of one, the visions became clearer. In fact, I can confirm that she lived on Warg territory.”

Violet nodded, a slight smile on her lips. “Anything else?”

“I was hoping to see some of the people she might have interacted with, and I got lucky.” I looked up at Night, and I touched his cheek. “I saw you when you were little, my love.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah. You were just a cute little boy. I think you were around six years old. Maybe seven?” I eased off his lap to sit next to him. “Why didn’t you ever mention that you knew my mother?”

“I had completely forgotten that I knew her until tonight. And even then, I didn’t start to remember her until Mom asked me about her.” He nodded to Violet. “It was like your mother had been erased from my memories.”

“Yes, that was how it felt for me,” Violet said. “I hadn’t thought about her until Night mentioned you wanted to know more about your birth parents, Bryn. Only then could I start to access those old memories.”

“Why is that?” I asked. “Why was it important that so many of you forgot who she was?”

“Only the spirits understand why things happen the way they do,” she replied. “I do, however, have a theory. I believe those memories were kept hidden from us because it wasn’t important that we remember them until it was time for you to learn about your past.”

“But why now?” I asked.

“I suspect it’s because you’re getting closer to achieving your destiny. Whatever the Fates have planned for you is approaching more quickly, so now is the time for things that were hidden from us to be revealed.”

The enormity of her words made me shiver. I wasn’t sure what to do with all of this. The surrealness made me feel like I was still in that dream world. I couldn’t shake the impression that the Fates had wasted their time on me. After all, I was just some girl. Why was I so special?

Elder Woods cleared her throat, catching my attention. “What else did you see, Bryn?” she asked. “Did you see what happened to your mother?”

I finished the water and wiped my mouth on my sleeve.

“I did. Sort of. I didn’t see everything that happened the night she died, but she was tied to a bed in a strange room within the Kings’ territory.

My father rescued her, and they escaped into the forest. He helped her give birth to me, and she died right afterward.

” It pained me to remember how she’d faded away.

It was such a quiet, tragic ending for someone so important.

“I didn’t get to see what happened to my father or how I ended up in the spot my mom found me in. ”

The ritual was a success, but disappointment lingered bitterly at the back of my tongue. I wished I’d seen more. There were still so many things I didn’t understand about my mother.

“Did you see your father?” Violet asked.

I nodded. This was what I’d been slow to bring up because I was still processing the information. “It was Lucian Slate.”

“Lucian?” Night blinked. “You and Dom have the same father?”

“Yes. I saw a memory where Lucian mentioned that Dom was looking forward to being my big brother.” I shifted a little in my seat. “I saw Lucian. Dom looks just like him.”

“That…that is huge,” Night said. “We wondered if you had any siblings, but I didn’t think your family would be this close.”

“Neither did I.”

“The more I thought about the pack mother, the more I wondered if you and Dom were related,” Violet said. “She and Lucian were very close, but she was quite guarded about anything related to her relationships and personal life. It makes more sense to me now than it did back then.”

“Violet, I never heard anyone say her name. What was it?” I asked.

“She asked us to call her Blossom. As far as I know, she never revealed her last name.”

“Blossom,” I repeated quietly, reverently.

“I never realized that Blossom was a pack mother,” Night said.

“But now that I’m thinking about it, it makes so much sense.

She always seemed special to me. I got the impression that I could never misbehave around her.

” He ran his hands over his face. “She used to tell me her baby was going to be my mate, but I didn’t know that was you.

Like Mom was saying, it’s like a fog is lifting from my brain, and the more I think about Blossom, the more I remember. ”

I could almost see the gears turning in his mind as he went through his memories. I envied that he had easier access to information I could only access through a ritual. But I would pick his brain about this later.

“Do you think Dom will take the news well?” I asked. “I’d hate it if things got awkward between us.”

Night chuckled and clasped my hand. “Bryn, you don’t understand how important this is for him.

We all believed you’d died with your mother.

We mourned both of you for weeks. We’d all forgotten about Blossom and you over time, but the minute Dom remembers, he’ll be over the fucking moon to learn that you’re alive. ”

I flushed at the thought. To think, my brother had been right by my side for weeks.

In some ways, I should have known he was here with me because we shared the same blood.

From the minute I’d met Dom, I’d felt close to him, but obviously, there would’ve been no way for me to know we were related without conducting a blood test—or performing a ritual that allowed me to see my mother’s memories through her eyes.

“Violet, I have another question,” I said. “Is it possible to be fated to someone?”

“Of course. That’s what makes you and Night soulmates.

Some wolves are destined for greatness, and the love of their mate helps them achieve it.

Fated mates always find each other, but it doesn’t always happen at your age.

Your mother must have sensed that you and Night were fated even before you were born because you two were in close proximity. ”

“Wow,” I breathed. It was a lot to take in—not just for me but for Night as well. We’d need to talk more about this when we were alone.

Elder Sage cleared his throat, and I almost jumped. The three Kings’ elders had stayed quiet while we talked amongst ourselves in their cabin. I appreciated that they had given us that space, though they must have been curious about what I’d experienced.

“What do you remember about the room your mother was held in, Alpha Hunter?” Elder Sage asked.

“There was a small bed, and the walls and ceiling had strange symbols all over them. I’d never seen that room before.”

“Can you draw those symbols?”

“I can try, but I’m not that great at drawing.”

“That doesn’t matter. Anything you can remember would be helpful.

We never knew that the last pack mother was in our territory.

We had heard that the Wargs blamed us for her death, but we weren’t sure if there was any truth to it.

Now that we have proof, I am ashamed that we couldn’t prevent her death. Her loss was a great blow to everyone.”

He lowered his head, as did everyone else. Killing a pack mother had left such an ugly stain. Blossom had deserved to live, and yet someone—likely a King wolf—had taken it upon themself to murder her. It was needlessly cruel.

“Can you think of any reason why there would be a room covered in symbols on your territory?” Elder Woods asked. “A place for rituals, maybe?”

Elder Forsythe shook his head. “No. As far as we know, there is no reason for a room like that to exist. Perhaps when we see the symbols, we’ll be able to discern more. For now, we’re just as unsure as all of you.”

“I’ll do my best to draw them,” I said. “I’ll do that tonight while it’s fresh on my mind. I should have the drawings ready for you by tomorrow afternoon.”

They bowed to me, and the gesture was so respectful that my cheeks heated. “Thank you, Alpha Hunter,” Elder Forsythe said. “You are giving us the opportunity to atone for the tragedy that befell a pack mother. Your mother.”

They asked a few more questions—what the quality of the visions were, and whether I could hear my mother’s thoughts in addition to feeling what she felt—but their questioning lasted only a few minutes, and then Night and I were free to head home.

Before we left, I turned to Elder Woods to say my goodbyes. “Safe travels on your way back.”

Her lips turned up at the corners. “Thank you, Bryn. I know Neil and Jacob will be eager to hear about what happened tonight.”

“I’m sure they will. I’ll be happy to answer any questions they have.”

“Oh, believe me, they will have them. Once things calm down here, I’d love for them to come and speak to you in person.”

“I’d like to go see them. It’s been too long since I’ve seen Warg territory.”

“I’m sure they will be happy to see you.”

After Night said his goodbyes to Elder Woods, we headed out. I gazed at the sky as we walked. When the ritual started, the moon was high above us, but it had sunk from that position. Hours had passed since I’d entered my mother’s memories, but I’d had no idea so much time had gone by.

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” Night said, pulling my attention. “I should have listened to you and my mother and trusted that you knew what you were doing.”

I hadn’t expected an apology, but hearing it made me smile. It felt like we’d gotten through something difficult and come out stronger. “Thank you,” I said.

He smiled back. “Well, where to now? I’m sure you’re exhausted after all that.”

“I am really tired,” I said. “But I don’t think Dom should have to wait to hear that he has a sister.”

“I understand, but you look like you could fall asleep on your feet.” He took my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Telling him can wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Is that an order?” I joked.

He snorted. “No, it’s a request from your mate who wants to see you safe at home and bundled under every blanket we have.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand. I wanted to tell Dom the truth right away, but the thought of being home surrounded by warmth and cuddled close to Night was just too tempting. Besides, after everything I’d seen, I’d earned a good night’s rest, hadn’t I?

“Alright, alright,” I said. “You’ve convinced me. But as soon as I wake up, we’re telling Dom, okay?”

“Of course.” He kissed the back of my hand. “First thing.”