Page 193 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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Tavi and I weren’t able to find all the parents of the missing boys.

Some of them had moved on to other packs, others had died, but most of the parents and grandparents were still part of the Kings, and it was obvious that they weren’t sure why I’d gathered them together.

Many were familiar faces, including Gladys, who’d been with me when we prepped the fields for winter.

Tavi, myself, and the few dozen folks we’d found met in the garden where Mom and I used to spend most of our time.

I thought it best to hold the meeting here because it was private and would give them the space they needed to process what I had to tell them.

Fortunately, there wouldn’t be any Warg council members around to make things difficult.

“You ready?” Tavi asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied. I took a deep breath and said, “Thank you all so much for taking the time to come out to hear what I have to say. I’m sure you’re all wondering what this is about.”

A few of them nodded, but others just stared at me.

“Your alpha and I have found some information regarding the missing children. Yesterday, we learned that many of them are alive and have become part of Troy Redwolfs feral army.”

There was a brief pause followed by outrage. Many wolves started speaking over each other, pushing toward me and asking more questions. Tavi stood in their way.

“Hold on—I said, hold on!” She raised her voice. “Give your den mother space. Let her explain.”

The parents quieted after a few moments. I nodded my thanks to Tavi. “Yesterday, with the help of the elders, I completed a ritual with Samuel Granby that allowed me to see what he saw the night he and Trevor were kidnapped.”

“My Trevor?” The wolf who spoke was named Garret. His hair was the same pale yellow as Trevor’s.

“Yes.” I nodded. “What I saw shocked me to my core. I can only imagine what it will be like for you all to hear, but you have a right to know what happened to your children. According to Samuel’s memories, he and Trevor were lured deep into the forest by Troy.

Troy took them into a cavern miles away from our territory, and he and Gregor performed a ritual that forced them to shift earlier than they should have.

This caused them to become feral, and I believe they are under Troy’s control. ”

“So, the wolves who attacked us in the summer?” Garret asked. “Those were our pups?”

“They were part of the army, yes. I’m sorry. I’m not sure how many of them are alive after ten years of being ferals, but we’ve let our hunters know that Troy has been using them as part of the army. Of course, we want to prevent as much bloodshed as we can.”

The parents gathered before me started to cry, a mixture of rage and suffering in their keening sobs. Some shifted and dashed into the forest, probably to release the rage they felt. They were rightfully beyond upset. All I could do was be there for them.

As Tavi and I offered our support to the parents, Gladys walked up to me.

“What will happen to them now?” Gladys asked, silent tears tracking down her cheeks. “Can they be saved?”

I reached for her face before I could think better of it. But she didn’t flinch away as I wiped the tears from her soft cheeks that were withered with age.

“Looking through Samuel’s memories seemed to help him a great deal, and I’m hopeful that doing the same for these kids will help. But I can’t promise the impossible. All I can do is assure you that I will do what I can as a descendant of the pack mothers.”

She nodded, sniffed, then hugged me. I embraced her as tightly as I could.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you anything more concrete,” I said.

“No, we should all be thanking you,” Gladys said. “You followed through on your promise.”

“My promise?”

“To find our babies. Most of us had already given up, but you’ve given us something to hope for. Before you and Alpha Night, hope was in very short supply.”

I smiled.

When we separated, she wiped the tears from her face with her sleeves. “Could you promise me one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“No matter what happens, make Troy pay for what he did to our babies.”

My smile thinned to a determined scowl. “There’s no forgiving what he’s done. We’re heading out soon to try and find the location from Samuel’s memories. We believe that is where Troy is.”

She nodded. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we look forward to what you find.”

An hour or so after, the families started to head home or into the forest to decompress. Tavi and I, free from our burden, went to the alpha cabin to wait for Dom and Night. After such an emotional morning, neither of us had the energy to do much of anything.

“I’m glad that the others know we’ve made progress,” I said as we walked. “I hope my plan to help those kids works.”

“I’m confident it will,” Tavi told me. “I think Samuel is living proof of that. And...I am, too.”

My walking slowed as she said that, and she glanced back at me, grinning the way she used to grin.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “All the progress you’ve made was you, Tavi. Night, Dom, and I, we were all just along for the ride.”

“No, no. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without you. You listened to me, never judged me. All you’ve done is support me and encourage me to heal. And now…I feel so much better, so much more confident.”

“Oh, Tavi, that’s beautiful.” I couldn’t stop the tears that slipped from my eyes.

“You’re such a blessing in my life, but here you’re praising me for what I’ve done for you?

Without you, Night and I wouldn’t have been able to unify the packs or help Samuel through his trauma.

You’re the one who’s been so supportive and helpful.

I can’t imagine my life without you by my side. ”

We went for a hug at the same moment, both of us needing to feel the other’s strength.

“If Dom were here,” she said as we separated, “he’d be thanking you, too.”

“Oh, yeah?” I grinned. “I’m glad to hear that things are going so well for you two.”

“Things are going great. We’re actually going to be moving in together soon.”

I squealed. “No way! Oh, Tavi, I’m so happy for you both!”

She giggled. “It was a long time coming, but he was the one dragging his feet. He didn’t want to push me into doing anything I wasn’t ready for, so I had to keep bringing it up! We’ve already found a cabin we like. And, it’s pretty close to the one that you and Night chose.”

I let out another squeal of joy. “I can’t believe this! We need to celebrate!”

“We can celebrate once things calm down.” She laughed.

A moment passed, and she said, “For a while, I was trying so hard to get back to who I was before Troy and Samson and Harlon happened, but now I finally understand that shouldn’t have been my goal.

I’ll never be the woman I used to be, but I can be stronger, and I can be… better.”

I took her hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s so good to hear that you’re not looking back anymore, that you’re looking forward. That’s exactly what we all should be doing. Tavi, I’m so proud of you.”

She beamed at me. “Thanks, Bryn. I’m proud of me, too.”

As we neared the cabin, we heard a whistle. When we turned, we saw Dom, Lance, and Night waving at us. What a surprise! I hadn’t expected their meeting to be over so quickly.

Tavi, surprising us all, rushed to Dom and wrapped her arms around him.

He chuckled. “Didn’t expect you to be so excited for little old me.”

“I take it that means your meeting with the families went well?” Night asked as he slid his arm around my waist.

“It went as well as it could have,” I said, resting my head against his arm. “The families are in pain, but many of them have hope now.”

“After the day we’ve had, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all taking the day off,” Lance said. “Unwind a bit. We’ve earned it.”

“Absolutely,” Dom agreed.

“Dom and I were thinking of heading into Colville to see what’s there,” Tavi said. “Lance, do you wanna come?”

He blinked. He looked like he was going to refuse, but after a moment, that refusal disappeared from his face. “Actually, that sounds great. I’ve got some errands I’d like to run, too, if that’s cool.”

“Of course, man.” Dom grinned. “It’s more than cool. If you wanted to get some of those things done ahead of time, we could meet up there.”

As the three of them talked over their plans, I leaned more heavily into Night’s chest. The more they talked, the happier Lance seemed.

I was used to seeing him either smug or serious, but now he looked like a younger version of himself.

My heart swelled with joy. Finally, my family and my pack was coming together.