Page 185 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

Bryn told me she wanted to go home to Wargs’ territory because she’d missed it so much.

I had business there, anyway—the Wargs Council had heard about the attack on the Camas Pack, and they wanted to speak about it.

I wasn’t looking forward to it; the meeting would be full of half-veiled threats again.

The day Bryn was well enough to leave, she, Lance, and I were ready to head out. Tavi was on Kings’ territory to help Dom keep an eye on things.

Samara was waiting for us at the entrance to the Camas compound. She had a small linen bag filled with her belongings. She was around six feet tall—give or take an inch—with freckles spread across her nose. She had very long wheat-blond hair that lifted in the wind as we reached her.

“My father said I was to go with you,” she said politely.

“That’s up to you,” Bryn replied. “But we’d be very happy to have someone like you with us.”

“Someone like me?”

“A woman with courage,” Bryn explained. “A woman who’s willing to fight even if she knows people will go against her.”

Samara’s hands tightened on her bag. “I think there’s some misunderstanding. I got people killed, Den Mother. I wasn’t brave.”

Bryn shook her head. “You acted when no one else would. I know your father has a different opinion, but”—Bryn moved closer to whisper in her ear—“he’s wrong.”

Samara’s eyes widened as Bryn stepped back again. It might have been the first time that Samara heard a woman contradict her father.

“You saved the lives of those children,” Bryn said. “In my pack, that is seen as very brave.”

Samara gave her a small smile before glancing down again. I caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Then I think, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to see what life is like in your pack.”

“Great!” Bryn beamed at her. “You’re more than welcome to come with us.”

When we reached Wargs’ territory, we were welcomed with a feast. Bryn received a ton of gifts from the Wargs who missed her, and there were plenty of wolves who were cautiously optimistic about the merger with the Kings.

It was nice to see at first, but my excitement didn’t last. I think I put on a good face, but doubt warred within me. I’d never questioned the way my pack felt before, but the Wargs Council had a lot of sway. For all I knew, my own people were lying to me.

It didn’t help when I spoke to the five council members about the feral attack on the Camas Pack.

“War is approaching,” Jasmine declared. “The need for strong leadership is needed now more than ever.”

Great. They didn’t need to say it directly because I got the message loud and clear: they were still looking into finding a replacement for me. At least they hadn’t found anyone yet.

Days passed, and my worries continued to torture me.

I knew my suspicions weren’t real, that they were brought on by my insecurities and the pressure put on me by the council, but that didn’t make them go away.

The only thing I could think to do was keep it to myself and hope I would snap out of it.

I popped in every once in a while just to set eyes on things, make sure things were running well, and put some distance between me and the psychological warfare the council was waging on me.

I had Samara escorted to Kings territory, figuring the less hostile mood would be a better environment for her.

Of course, every time I visited the Kings, I found that things were going fine—my beta and sister were amazing at what they were trained to do. That was a relief in most ways, but sometimes I wondered whether I was needed there at all.

On the day that marked two weeks since we returned to Wargs’ territory, Lance and I were walking around, checking out the progress of the construction and discussing pack safety.

The attack on the Camas had made us all hyper-aware of security, and fortunately, Lance was an expert.

He was close to Theodore, whose son I’d saved during Troy’s attack.

Because of what Lance had learned from one of the Kings’ strongest warriors, he had plenty of ideas for how we could bulk up security while Troy was still at large.

“Seeing the siren pole the Camas use made me think,” he was saying as we walked. “What if we added a few here and on Kings territory?”

“When there’s an emergency, my men light flares,” I said. “They get Dom or me, but one of us is always close and ready.”

He nodded, not missing a beat. “Obviously, your borders are well-defended, and you have a quick reaction time, but when you get to be as old as Oakley, you’ll be less alert.

And for the alphas who will replace you, they might prefer having sirens in addition to the flares, you know?

And even before that, when the packs expand, it’ll be even more important to have a way to alert as many wolves as possible, won’t it? ”

I nodded. Lance had a great mind for strategy. “It’s a good idea, Lance. Do you want to take point on this? All you have to do is speak to the security teams to implement sirens. Let them know I approve.”

“Sweet.” He grinned, eager to take on the responsibility. “Now, about the shifting of the guards…I think there’s a blind spot you haven’t considered.”

I listened to him, nodding and understanding his advice, and as we walked and talked, I wondered whether I was as good an alpha as I thought.

Yeah, I’d built up this land and helped construct most of these buildings with my own hands, but there were things I hadn’t considered. Blind spots, like Lance had said.

Logically, I knew that no alpha was perfect, but when I reached Oakley’s age or when I died, how would I be remembered?

Would the people think of me as an alpha who gave everything he could for his people?

Or as a man who bit off more than he could chew and fumbled it?

Was it short-sighted of me to be considering the future when the man who threatened every pack in the Idaho panhandle was still at large?

Troy was just another failure of mine, another loose end.

My thoughts spiraled down a path of self-doubt until a small voice pulled me out of it.

“Alpha Night!” Pax called, launching himself at my legs.

“Whoa,” I said as the little boy latched onto my leg. “Easy, kid, you could’ve knocked me over.” A lie, but Pax’s huge believing grin made it worth it.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger, huh?” He beamed. “I wanted to tell you and Bryn about my new friends! They’re from the Kings Pack, but they’re actually really fun, and…” he trailed off when he spotted Lance. The boy grew uncharacteristically shy.

“What’s this?” I asked. “You’re usually such a ham, but now you clam up?”

“I thought he was Dom.” He held onto my pants and peered at Lance from around my leg.

I looked at Lance, who had grown quiet. The expression on his face was thoughtful.

“This is Bryn’s older brother,” I told Pax. “His name is Lance.”

“Really?” Pax’s grip on my jeans loosened. “You’re her big brother?”

“Yeah, it’s true,” Lance said. “I’m four years older than her.”

“Oh.” He beamed. “Well, she’s my best friend, and she reads stories to me.”

“I’m sure she does. I know she loves to read.”

“Yeah…does she do that for you?”

“Read stories?” Lance chuckled. “No. Maybe she would if I asked her.”

I pictured Bryn reading one of those fairytales in the Wargs’ library while Lance listened, eager to hear what happened next. I laughed.

Pax told us more about how he’d made friends with the children from the Kings Pack, and then his mother called him to lunch.

“Bye, Alpha Night!” he said, running and waving at us as we went. “Bye, Lance!”

We waved back.

“Kids sure are full of energy,” Lance said. “Makes me wonder how Bryn’s pup will be.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Thinking of Bryn should have made me smile, but the only thing on my mind was how I’d failed her. It settled in my chest like heartburn.

Lance and I walked on until we reached my mother’s cabin. She spotted us through the window and waved at us to wait for her. Seconds later, she appeared in the doorway.

“Boys, come have lunch with me and Stan.”

“Sure.” I started walking toward her, but Lance hung back.

“I don’t want to intrude—”

“Nonsense!” She grinned. “You’re family now.”

He froze for a second, maybe two, and then he thawed. His smile was sheepish, his cheeks red. “Well, if you insist…”

I smirked at him as he started walking, and he shoved my shoulder as he followed me into Mom’s cabin.

She and Doc had moved in together a week ago. Her home was mostly the same, but he’d added bleached animal skulls and taxidermy butterflies and moths. I’d had no idea Doc was interested in those things, but they somehow weren’t out of place with Mom’s bright and colorful décor.

She’d made cabbage stew and brought fresh rolls of bread from the mess hall. The cabin smelled savory and wonderful—like home. Doc was reviewing some papers at the dinner table. He was so involved in them that he didn’t notice Lance and me coming in.

“Damon.” Mom only spoke his name, but in an instant, he stopped looking at his work to focus on her.

He brightened when he saw us. “Good to see you, Alpha, Lance,” he said. “I was wondering how the two of us were going to finish this stew.”

Mom laughed and took the seat next to him. Lance and I sat and helped ourselves to the stew. Between Doc and Mom, the conversation was lively and interesting, but I found her stealing glances at me. When everyone had had their fill, Lance yawned.

“Sleepy?” Mom asked with a smile.

He nodded. “I should walk this off, and I have some people I want to talk to. Night, you coming?”

“Sure—”

“Actually, Night, I was wondering if you could help me hang a picture before you leave,” Mom said.

“A picture?” Doc tilted his head. “I could do that—”

“No, no.” She patted the back of his hand. “If I don’t have Night do things for me from time to time, he’ll never visit.”

I snorted. I visited her as often as possible; she knew that as well as anyone else.