Page 17 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

Ibounced on the balls of my feet and flexed my muscles in anticipation of what was to come.

The winter air was crisp and clear, the silver, full moon hung high and pregnant in the dark sky, and all I could think was that it was a perfect night for staging a takeover.

My wolf whined and panted within me, practically turning in circles, eager to get things started.

I couldn’t blame my wolf for being so hyped up.

The smell of the excitement in the Kings’ compound, combined with the knowledge of what I was about to accomplish, would make any wolf lose its shit.

Tonight, I would end the reign of the Redwolf Alphas. My mother could go on and on about destiny all she wanted, but tonight? I would take my fate into my own hands, take back what belonged to me, and I would lift the Wargs up to our rightful place at the top.

I knew there would be fallout once I killed Troy.

I knew that the Kings would be worried about what I was going to do to them, but I had thought this through.

I wasn’t a tyrant—those who wanted to leave could leave if they wanted, and those who wanted to challenge me for the position could try.

It was within their right. All I wanted to do was restore some balance to the Idaho panhandle.

And all I had to do was get rid of the cruel little boy who stood in my way.

I was ready and rearing to go, but I kept my focus turned outward, not in. I heard Dom’s footsteps approaching from behind, even though he was trying to keep quiet. I felt more in tune with the area around me and my senses than ever before. I felt alive.

“What’s up?” I asked, turning to Dom.

“The squads are in position. They’re ready for your command.”

I grinned slowly. My wolves and I were closer to the compound than we’d been last night, but not so close that we weren’t able to mask our scent.

The extra precaution wasn’t necessary. As I suspected, all of the Kings’ pack was in attendance for the Alpha ceremony, including their hunters and sentries.

We scouted around the compound once an hour just to make sure that their borders remained unprotected and, of course, nothing had changed.

I chuckled to myself and shook my head. What a shame, the new Kings’ Alpha is too cocky for his own good. He would leave his pack unprotected just to make sure that everyone is present to see his coronation.

“Listen, Dom.” I turned to my beta. “There are still a few hours before the ceremony, so I want to use that time to our advantage.”

Dom raised a brow. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but how are you planning on using that time?”

“I want to enter from their own compound when I announce that I’m here to challenge him as Alpha.

I want to see the look on his face when he realizes how easy it was for me to get in.

” If Troy’s men tried to apprehend me, my hunters would emerge from the forest and surround them, thus leveling the playing field.

“Wow. That’s…not exactly what I was expecting to hear from you. What are you going to do while you’re over there?”

“I’ll probably do some snooping in his cabin.” Why not? It would be mine after tonight anyway.

Dom let out a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. “You’re just full of good ideas tonight, aren’t you? Well, when it’s time, I’ll let our team know you’re doing recon and to wait for your signal.”

I reached over to ruffle Dom’s hair, just as I knew my beta and oldest friend hated. “That’s what I keep you around for, Dom.” I was in a rare mood tonight. But then, on the eve of my ascension, I figured I was allowed to let loose a little.

“Really?” Dom moved out of my reach, his hair mussed into an unfortunate mop on his head. He patted it back into place, glaring at me. “You just make sure you get out of there at the first sign of trouble, got it?”

“Sure, sure. I’ve got it.” I smirked at Dom as he tried to tame his hair back into a more respectable style.

I looked up at the moon’s spot in the sky. The challenge ceremony would be happening soon. I needed to get moving.

“It’s time, Dom,” I said. “Let the others know to be ready.”

Dom nodded and sprinted off to carry out my orders. The night before, I’d had my men verify which cabin belonged to Troy. Now that it was finally time, I did my name justice by slipping into the shadows to infiltrate the compound.

I slipped from building to building, but I didn’t have to—everyone was too drunk, too sleepy, or too distracted to notice that I had snuck through their borders.

I was sure I could have waltzed in through the opening without alerting any suspicion.

But it was better to remain cautious during these sorts of missions—even if the opponent threw caution to the wind.

It wasn’t hard to find Troy’s home. He lived in the Alpha’s cabin, a property that was much larger than not only my own cabin but also the other cabins of the Kings’ pack.

It had likely started out more humbly, and as the territory passed hands, each Alpha added more to it.

Given the lumber that was piled near the western side of the cabin, Troy was probably in the process of expanding it even further now that our father was dead.

On the second story, there was a window large enough for me to fit through. With one leap, I grabbed hold of the sill and tested the window. It was unlocked, so I pushed it the rest of the way open and slipped quietly inside.

I landed in a crouch and surveyed the room.

It was dark here, but my wolf senses allowed me to see what was around me.

I seemed to be in a den filled with shelves and shelves of books.

I scoffed at the idea that any of the Redwolfs would ever crack open a book or that they were even capable of reading.

If they cared at all about books, they wouldn’t be such a disgrace.

Now that I was sure I was the only one in the den, I went to touch one of the spines of the books.

My fingers came away dusty. As I’d thought, none of these had been used in years, maybe even decades.

They were likely just for display, meant to impress visiting Alphas, or they had belonged to previous Kings’ Alphas.

I froze. I thought I’d heard something. It was just for a second, nothing more than a squeak or a sigh or something like that. I tilted my head, listening for any sign that there was another soul in the cabin. But the sound didn’t come again. Must be a rat. I told myself to keep moving.

The den opened to a large hallway. As I reached it, the smell of dusty books and old rugs gave way to Troy’s scent.

My wolf sneezed repeatedly, and I tried to soothe him.

The odor was terrible and pungent, and it made both me and my wolf want to gag.

It was the stink of someone who had nothing to offer other than the corroded sludge they were made from.

It left me wishing for an open window or something that I could use to get the scent out of my head.

Because it was so overwhelming, it didn’t take long for me to acclimate to the smell.

I continued down the hall. The cabin was furnished with antique furniture, and the flooring was freshly polished.

It didn’t so much as creak as I stepped across it.

On the walls were pictures of Troy, Gregor, and Troy’s mother.

I scowled at them. The sooner I could burn this place down, the better.

As I neared the far corner of the cabin, another scent hit me. Hard.

I inhaled deeply and marveled at the way the aroma clung to the air like perfume.

I took another deep breath, and the scent wrapped around me like a warm blanket.

It was like nothing I had ever smelled before.

It was like the smell of spring grass first thing in the morning when dew still clung to each blade.

It was sweet magnolias mixed with the scent of fresh earth, and something about it made my wolf howl.

I had to investigate where it was coming from.

I couldn’t complete this mission without finding its source.

So I followed it, allowing it to take me out of that hallway and toward a closed, red door.

I leaned forward and took a few tentative sniffs at the door.

Oh, yes. Whatever was behind this would reveal what was causing that divine smell.

Now that I was so close to it, I realized the scent was laced with the spicy scent of fear.

That thought disturbed me more than a random smell ought to, but I couldn’t shake it off.

I took another whiff, and my shoulders relaxed somewhat.

I thanked the powers that be that I couldn’t detect any indication of sex behind the door.

The last thing I wanted to do was walk in on Troy balls-deep in one of his mistresses.

Though, if nothing else, it would make a great story for me to bring back to the Wargs.

I placed my hand on the knob. I was prepared to head inside, but right before I opened the door, the faintest sob reached my ears.

Despite the enticingly potent aroma, I stepped back—my wolf whined at the delay, but I ignored its protests.

That sob—it didn’t belong to Troy. It had come from either a woman or a child, but none of the intel I had on Troy revealed that he had a family or a mate.

I frowned, considering what to do next. I didn’t relish the idea of hurting—or worse, killing—another wolf, especially if they were a woman or a child. At the same time, I couldn’t risk being caught. I’d put too much work into this moment for it to fail just because I’d startled someone.