Page 161 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

The morning of the alpha challenge, I was pumped and ready to take on the day.

Bryn, however, was a nervous wreck. She’d already thrown up twice, and her hands trembled.

Worry for me was written all over her face.

Even when I held her and kissed her and assured her everything would be fine, it was impossible for her to relax.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said when I asked her a third time whether she wanted me to make her some peppermint tea. “I know that this will pass once all this is over. When you’re in the ring, don’t even think about me. Just focus on winning and making it out in one piece.”

I kissed her temple. “I could never stop worrying about you, love.” I kissed her forehead. “Just like you can’t help tearing yourself up about me.” I kissed her lips. “I know you’ll be like this until it’s over, but I promise I’ll be okay. I promise.”

It pained me to see her so upset, but nothing I could say would make it easier on her.

My actions would be much better at convincing her she had nothing to worry about.

The only thing I could do was go and prove to her that her worries were unnecessary.

After today, I would make this broken pack a safe place for Bryn and our baby.

I kissed her again. “Hey, do you mind cutting my hair before we go out?” I ran a hand through it. It was still a bit damp from the shower I’d taken the night before. “It hasn’t been this long in years.”

As I’d hoped, that distracted her a bit. “That’s funny.”

“What is?”

“The idea of you taking a shower hours before you’ll inevitably get dirtier than I’ve ever seen you.”

I smirked. “To be honest, Bryn, the shower was for your benefit more than mine. It’s not a bad tactic to not bathe for days or weeks before a battle. That way, you distract or even confuse your opponent with your smell.”

She made a horrified expression.

I laughed. “I don’t need to rely on those sorts of techniques, but I figured you’d want me as clean as possible while we shared a bed.”

“You figured right.” She smacked me on her way to her vanity and patted the stool. “Sit, sit.”

I took the seat and combed my hair back before she grabbed her scissors. My wolf purred, and I blinked slowly from the soothing feeling. This was the first time she played with my hair like this, and it was so relaxing I could almost fall asleep.

But all too soon, it was over.

“What do you think?” she asked. “I know you like the sides shaved, but I don’t have clippers.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, mussing it a bit.

She was right that it wasn’t quite my preferred style, but it was far from bad.

In fact, it looked great. For my purposes, which was to keep my hair out of my eyes, she’d gone above and beyond.

Now I’d not only claim the alpha spot in front of every King who’d ever doubted us, but I’d also look good doing it.

In the mirror, I saw her chewing her lip as if waiting for me to say it was the worst hairstyle ever. I pulled her into my lap and kissed her. “I love it. Thank you.”

She let out a breath of relief. “I’m glad. I’ve never cut a man’s hair before.”

“That’s good to hear. Because from this point on, I’m the only man who gets to feel your fingers running through it.”

She giggled. “What about Dom?”

“Fuck, no,” I said, nuzzling her ear.

She giggled harder. “But he’s my own flesh and blood.”

“So what?” I maneuvered her so she was straddling me. “You’re my mate, and I’ll fight the next man you do this for. I don’t care if it’s my beta.”

Her laughs turned into little moans as I kissed her neck. We didn’t have much time before the challenge, but I didn’t care. I wanted her, and I wanted her now.

She leaned back across the countertop, her back pressed to the mirror. I spread her legs and kissed up her thighs toward the prize between them… and paused.

“No panties?” I asked, grinning up at her.

She panted as she looked down at me, her eyes the color of dark smoke with the haze of her lust. “I forgot to put them on…”

“Mmhm.” I pushed her skirt further up so I could see her. Her pink slit was wet and glistening. I ran my thumb up and down, getting it slick before I pushed it inside her soft warmth. “Are you sure you weren’t anticipating that something like this would happen?”

“N-no,” she moaned, her hand gripping the top of her mirror.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

She looked at me and flashed a small smile, the tip of her tongue running along her upper lip. My cock throbbed for her—my mate, the seductress.

I stood, leaning over her as I caught her lips with mine, pushing my thumb slowly in and out. Bryn shivered, arching her back to press more of herself against me.

I left her moaning for me and went down again, this time to taste her.

I removed my thumb but replaced it with my mouth.

The vanity bumped against the wall as I pulled her legs over my shoulders.

She shivered, her thighs pressing against the sides of my head, muffling her gasps and groans.

My tongue dipped inside her and then out, lapping at her clit.

She throbbed against my tongue. Each lick made her twitch and squeeze against me.

I felt the vibrations of her scream through her legs, and she gripped my hair, tugging, urging me to press harder, to lick more.

I knew she was close, but I edged her closer.

I sucked her clit, and she jerked once. At the same moment, I slipped a finger inside her again.

She shuddered, and the vanity rocked against the wall again.

Bryn was dripping for me, so wet that my tongue could hardly keep up.

When she came, her thighs locked around my head, holding me in place while the orgasm shook through her. I’d only intended to give her a little something to hold her over while I fought, but fuck, she made it impossible for me to be satisfied with just that.

When the muscles in her thighs stopped jerking, I stood and pressed against her. Digging my fingers into her hips, I pulled her to the edge of the vanity. My teeth were against her throat at the spot where I’d claimed her.

“N-Night,” she whimpered.

I growled in response, tearing my pants along the seam so I could be inside her as quickly as possible. My nails sharpened to claws as I gripped her ass and entered her. She cried out, gripping my shoulders.

“Yeeesss,” she breathed, raking her nails across my back.

I fucked her, feeling the rush of her blood under my tongue and lips. I could have drawn blood, and I kind of wanted to. She screamed. Anything that remained on top of the vanity slid to the ground as it beat rhythmically against the wall.

I bit her as I came and smelled her blood and mine in the air, just the way it ought to be. When I finally eased my desperate grip, I gazed down at her and found her sleepily satisfied. She ran her fingers through her hair, showing the teeth marks I’d left on her throat.

My heart pounded, and I yearned to sink into her again, but duty called. I’d never been more ready to head into battle.

Itugged on a new pair of pants, then Bryn and I set out for the training ring. By the time we arrived, the marks from our lovemaking had mostly disappeared.

Once we arrived, we separated so I could be at the ring and she could be with Dom, Glenda, Tavi, and Mom.

They would keep her calm and protect her if anything crazy happened.

Just in case, I had men appointed at key locations around the ring.

I wasn’t sure how the crowd would handle the challenges, and if their favorite fell, there was no guarantee a few of them wouldn’t try something stupid.

Bryn had to be there to announce the new alpha.

Had it been up to me, I’d have preferred she not be there at all.

She would worry every time I got a scratch or someone landed a punch.

I wasn’t planning on letting that happen often, but I knew my mate, and even minor injuries would bother her.

Not to mention that she wasn’t one for violence—at all. It wouldn’t be easy for her to watch.

I glanced around me and tried to assess some of the men I’d be competing against. It was obvious who the competitors were because they, like me, were shirtless.

I spotted Xavier right away, standing still as a statue, surveying the wolves in attendance like he was already their alpha.

I smirked. He was in for a rude awakening.

I tried to find Lance but couldn’t see him in the crowd. “Dom, do you see Lance anywhere?”

It was a couple of moments before Dom responded. “I don’t.”

Of course. It shouldn’t have mattered, but it annoyed me that I didn’t know Lance’s exact location. It seemed that asshole could pop up and dip out without detection, which was beyond aggravating.

“I’m sure he’ll make an appearance soon enough,” Dom said.

I took a few deep breaths and nodded to myself. Dom was right, and it wouldn’t do me any good to get pissed off before the fight even started.

The elders and the council members arrived, and a few other challengers showed up. Lance wasn’t among them. I frowned, meeting Dom’s eyes through the crowd. His face mirrored my surprise. After talking all that shit and acting weird around Bryn, Lance wasn’t even participating? Why not?

No need to lose your head, Night, I told myself. This just makes for an easier win. There were only ten fighters, including myself, with Xavier the biggest threat. It was the best-case scenario, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been denied a real challenge.

“Will the fighters please line up along the west side of the arena?” Bryn’s voice, clear as the sweetest bell, sounded over the crowd.

We did. And again, I wasn’t too impressed with my competition. Xavier stood with his arms crossed, already assured of his win.

Councilman Grant stepped forward and announced, “We nominate Xavier Chase for the alpha challenge.”