Page 159 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

With everything that was going on, I was sure Bryn was feeling the pressure.

I felt the same pressure, but it was tinged with excitement at finally taking on the mantle of alpha of the Kings.

I couldn’t wait to put this struggle behind me and move forward with my goals.

I just needed to get past this challenge first.

I’d been training as often as I could—alone and with Dom—and Bryn had been trying to distract herself from her anxieties by throwing herself into work with Tavi.

We hadn’t had a chance to enjoy each other’s presence, and if it was getting to me and my wolf, I knew it had to be getting to Bryn and hers.

So, when the sun started to descend from its position in the sky but hadn’t quite reached the horizon, I took Bryn out. I covered her eyes with a strip of cloth and took her hand so she wouldn’t bump into or trip over anything while I led her through the forest.

“Remind me again why I have to be blindfolded?” she asked. “If you’re trying to kidnap me, you’ve already done that once.”

I snorted. “Kidnapping you was too much work. You’re a terrible captive—far too annoying.”

“I don’t know,” she sang. “I think it worked out okay.”

I chuckled and brought her hand to my lips. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Soon, our destination came into view: an old, two-story log cabin. I removed the blindfold and watched Bryn intently. At first, she looked confused, but after a few moments, her eyes widened, and she gasped.

“Is this…?”

“It is. If you’d like for it to be.” Threading my fingers between hers, I led her to the cabin.

There was no telling how old it was, but some logs had lightened with age.

It was constructed with a timber frame, so the logs were squared off instead of round.

Most of the planks were still in great condition, but others would need to be replaced.

There were no solar panels on the roof, which meant it wouldn’t have electricity, but that was an easy fix.

The corners of the interior were home to cobwebs, and a fine layer of dust coated the floor except where Dom and I had done our walkthrough.

The furniture—a dining table big enough for two, an ice box, cabinetry, and chairs—stood strong, only in need of washing, sanding, and re-staining.

It wasn’t the prettiest sight, but it had a lot of potential, and the floorboards were largely intact as well.

“I know it doesn’t look like much,” I said, a flash of doubt hitting me as Bryn examined one of the cracked logs in the wall. “But it could be something amazing if given time. I’ll make sure it’s perfect by the time our son or daughter is born, and—”

“Hey, easy.” Bryn came to and took my face in her hands. “You’re my mate, Night. You think you need to go all out for me?”

My face warmed. “I want to impress you.”

She laughed. “The location is ideal since it puts us closer to Warg territory, and I can see the potential of this place already.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me. “It’s beautiful. Now, give me the rest of the tour.”

My wolf was grinning as wide as I was as I led her to the second floor. The cabin had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one half-bath on the first floor. I showed her the master bedroom first, where an old king-sized bed frame and one or two chairs sat.

Bryn went to the window and gazed out at the sky. The sun had sunk lower by now, and the clouds were lined in gold.

“What a beautiful view,” she whispered. “And it’s in such a quiet spot.”

“Mmhm,” I wrapped my arms around her from behind, my hands pressing flat to her stomach. Eventually, it wouldn’t be so flat, and I couldn’t keep from smiling about it. “I thought it would be good because it’s not crazy far from the Warg territory.”

She leaned back against me. “That’s even better.”

We stood, watching the sunset a bit longer before I led her away. The other two rooms were smaller. Both were big enough for guests to stay over if we wanted…but one would work well as a nursery.

Bryn’s eyes went round the moment we went into the third bedroom.

It was across from the master bedroom and had the same spectacular view of the skyline.

She stepped into the room, the floor creaking under her.

I reached for her, but she steadied herself right away.

If she noticed the way the floor had dipped slightly, she didn’t seem to care.

“This one,” she said, looking from corner to corner. “This would be amazing for the baby. I could put a bookshelf there and fill it with all the baby’s favorites, and put a rocking chair under the window. The crib could go opposite that, and maybe a changing table here.”

I leaned against the door frame, watching her plan everything. I knew she’d had something of a mental block when it came to designing the space where the baby would stay, and it was such a treat to see her do it now.

“I take it this was a good choice, then?” I asked.

“Yes!” She whipped around and threw her arms around me. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much for this, Night.”

I lifted her and spun her once before setting her back down and pressing my forehead to hers. “That’s not the only surprise I have for you.”

“Oh, do you?” She kissed me. “Show me.”

It was outside in the backyard. There, I’d set up a table with candles and a woven basket sitting next to it.

I opened the basket, showing her the brisket sandwiches, chips, and chicken soup I’d packed earlier that day. Also in the basket were a couple of glasses and a bottle of some non-alcoholic cider I’d bought at the commons.

“Oh, Night, this is perfect.”

“It’s been too long since we had a date, and I wanted to make it up to you.”

“I had no idea you could be romantic.”

I laughed. “That’s my fault. Just consider this something new you learned about me today.”

“Hmm. This is lovely, but I won’t let you off that easily.” Her silvery-blue eyes glittered with mischief. “I think I’d like to hear more embarrassing stories.”

I snorted and started to unpack the basket. We sat next to each other, and I poured the cider.

“I had no idea this cabin was here,” she said. “How did you find it?”

“Dom and I found it while we were training the other day. We already know how we’re going to fix it up.” I explained how we would deconstruct it before rebuilding. We would replace the rotten and cracked logs. Bryn said she’d like the cabin to be updated, so we’d add the solar panels.

As we spoke, Bryn covered my hand with hers and squeezed it. “I really appreciate you doing all this for me, Night,” she said. “I didn’t know how much I wanted this until…well, until now, I guess.”

“Neither did I.” I brushed away the breadcrumb on her cheek with my thumb.

“Things are going to get complicated pretty soon,” I told her.

“So many things are going to change, and there’s no telling when we’ll get to spend time together like this.

I wanted at least one night where we could be mates instead of alphas. ”

She scooted closer so she could rest her head on my arm. “We’ve both been so busy, I wasn’t sure when would be a good time to mention it, but I spoke to Lance the other day.”

I clenched my jaw, and my wolf’s hackles raised. “What did he want?”

She took a deep breath. “He knew about the council no longer wanting me to be alpha, he knew about the challenge getting moved up, and…and he knows about the baby.”

I stiffened. “Did he threaten you?” I asked, my voice low.

“At the time, it felt like a threat, but all he did was tell me things we already knew or suspected: the pack is sexist, it was dangerous for me to be alone, and there would be opposition to your rule. I just don’t know what his endgame is, and I can’t figure out how he found out I’m pregnant.”

Rage flared through me so hard, my hand shook as I reached for the bottle of cider. What Bryn had just told me was more than concerning—it pissed me the fuck off. I had the urge to find Lance and kill him—after I found out where he’d gotten his information.

But that would be jumping the gun. He and I would have our day in the ring during the alpha challenge. I forced myself to calm down. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this time with Bryn by getting angry.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said.

“Thanks for telling me at all,” I said, nuzzling the top of her head.

Her scent and her presence did so much to settle my nerves.

“You’re right—we’ve both had our own things going on, and it hasn’t been easy to find time to talk about everything…

but let’s focus on us for now.” I lowered my lips to her ear. “Shift with me. Run with me.”

She brightened, and all trace of her earlier worry vanished. She started pulling off her clothes, more eager than I’d ever seen her.

“Wow, you never get naked this quickly when we have sex,” I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.

“Hush, you.” The last article of clothing she removed was her panties, which she dropped on the ground, grinning from ear to ear. “We never get to go on runs together. We have sex almost every night.”

I laughed and kicked off my pants. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to rectify that when things settle down—”

She’d started to shift before I finished speaking.

Standing on all fours, she shook out her rich brown fur.

Her tongue lolled out, and she cocked one ear slightly toward me.

She danced on her toes and lowered herself on her front legs, her tail swishing in the air, ready to go.

My heart just about burst with love for her, my wolf whining desperately.

I shifted, and we sprinted into the forest. I’d just set my wolf loose the day before when I was training with Dom, but this was special.

Different. The joy of running and playing with my mate trumped everything else.

Few things felt as wonderful as her teeth nipping playfully at my ear or her excited keening.

I don’t know how many hours passed with us playing and running together, but the moon was out and high above us when we rolled down a hill together into a patch of soft grass.

Laughing, we shifted back into our human forms. My heart raced against my ribs as goosebumps rose on my chest. Bryn nestled against my side, and I held her tight.

We looked up at the sky as we settled down again.

“I love you, Night,” she murmured.

“I love you, too—hey,” I said as she threw a leg over my hip and moved on top of me. Her eyes glowed silver in the dark, the waxing moon above framing her wild hair. “Hey,” I said again, a smile curling on my lips. “What are you doing up there?”

“You have to ask?” She leaned over me and pressed her lips to mine.

I brushed a hand across her face, holding her there as I caressed her thigh.

Her tongue snaked out to battle with mine, and I felt myself getting hard.

The soft weight of her warm body against mine, the slight vibration of her heartbeat against mine…

these were the things I craved when we were apart.

Bryn kissed her way down my chin and my neck, her hands pressed against my chest. She shifted her hips downward until her ass rubbed against my erection, wriggling back and forth. I groaned, gripping her hips.

She raised herself just enough, then wrapped her hand around my cock before sinking down on me.

I hissed as she took in every inch of me.

With a moan, she sat back, giving me a full view of her stomach to her neck.

My hands traced her skin, over the slight firmness of her muscles beneath her stomach and up her breasts to her neck.

Her hair shifted over her shoulders as she looked down at me, eyes still glowing.

She bounced on top of me, her eyes locked on mine, and pleasure radiated through my blood.

Her hands were flat against my chest, and her nails were claws, piercing slightly.

The slight sting elevated my pleasure, and she increased her rhythm, thighs slapping against mine.

The scent of blood and sweat and pussy was in the air.

She leaned forward again to kiss me, pulling my lower lip into her mouth and between her sharp fangs.

I growled low in my throat, and she answered with a growl of her own.

Gripping the back of her neck, I held her mouth to mine.

Her pulse beat powerfully under my palm.

I moved my hips to meet each rolling bounce of hers.

Her soft breasts jiggled and pressed against my chest.

Bryn groaned as she came, her pussy tightening around my cock.

While she was still feeling the ecstasy of her orgasm, I rolled on top of her and took control.

I took her hands, holding them above her head.

My toes dug into the earth for purchase, and she screamed out loud, her voice echoing between the trees as I drove into her.

Her legs locked around my waist, her back arching up off the ground to press firmly into my chest.

The pressure built and built until I felt her second orgasm roll through her body. My mate trembled beneath me, her muscles locked around me. Bathed in the soft, silvery rays of moonlight, I came inside her hard enough to leave me breathless.