Page 195 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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The baby’s kicking woke me the next morning. Seconds later, I understood why they were so active. The smell of pancakes, something I’d been craving a lot since I entered the third trimester of my pregnancy, permeated the air of the room.

I looked next to me, but Night wasn’t there. Confusion gave way to excitement. Had he made me breakfast? Things had been so busy that he hadn’t been able to do that for me these past few days.

I threw off the covers, freshened up, then went downstairs. As I got closer to the kitchen, I heard laughter, and I realized that laughter didn’t belong to Night. It was Mom and Violet, chatting and giggling.

I entered the kitchen and found the two of them standing by the stove. Violet was making the pancakes. She flipped one, and I watched the sweet, golden-brown treat soar in mid-air before landing in the pan again. My stomach rumbled, and the baby gave another ferocious kick.

“Bryn, honey,” Mom said, turning a beaming smile toward me. “Have breakfast with us.”

“With the grandmas!” Violet added, shifting the pancake onto a plate where a couple dozen of them were stacked.

“The grandmas?” I repeated with a smile. “It almost sounds like you two could be a band.”

Violet and Mom exchanged a mischievous glance. “But we could, couldn’t we?” Violet asked. “I’ll do the vocals, and you the flute, Glenda?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Mom nodded.

I laughed as I sat down at the table, which was already covered in an assortment of breakfast foods.

“I haven’t heard you play the flute in years, Mom.”

“That’s because I’m out of practice,” she said. “But give me a few months, and Violet and I could be the biggest thing this side of the Kootenai River. Maybe my music will be the first thing the baby hears.”

“I’m sure the infirmary would love that,” I snickered. “By the way, where’s Night? Did he go on a run?”

“Probably. He was gone when we got here.” Violet carried over the plate of pancakes, and I started reaching for one even before she set down the plate. That was how much I craved them.

“So, Bryn…” Mom smiled. “Notice anything different?”

“Something’s different?” I was already spooning blueberry jam and butter on my pancakes.

They shared another look, and Mom nodded to the living room behind me. I turned, my eyes widening. There were dozens of boxes of gifts wrapped in brown paper and tied in multicolored ribbons.

I gasped, dropping the little spoon I was using for the jam. “You didn’t…”

“Of course we did!” Mom grinned. “I told you we would!”

The sight of the packages was so absorbing that I completely forgot about breakfast. I got out of my seat and touched one of the smaller boxes.

“Can I open them?” I asked.

“Please do, honey! We’ve been waiting for this for weeks.”

I sat on the couch with the little gift.

When I unwrapped it, I found it held several bibs embroidered with cute little designs—the careful, even stitches told me it was my mother’s work.

The next held cloth diapers, and the one after that had some long-sleeved baby clothes.

Everything was so small and cute, and it warmed me to think that my child would soon be wearing and using these items. I sniffed and wiped away a tear as I continued to unwrap them.

Violet brought me my pancakes so I could eat before they got cold.

“You two went overboard,” I said. “But it’s all so perfect. Thank you so much.”

They engulfed me in a hug. “It’s what we’re here for,” Violet said. “But we weren’t able to handle everything, just the two of us. We’re thinking of asking the greater pack for help.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! And we’ve already got volunteers. Cathy is planning on knitting some blankets and socks for your little one, Samara has started whittling something secret for you, and Mabel mentioned giving you a recipe book for baby food.”

“Oh!” Violet added, “And speaking of books, Claire and Lillian are putting one together with other mothers. I think they’re going to give you advice.”

My vision swam. It was becoming a pack-wide effort, with so many people coming together to see this through, and it just went to show how far Wargs and Kings had come.

Just a year ago, a collaborative effort between the packs would have been unheard of.

Now…I’d soon have handmade proof of their combined efforts on my shelf, available to read anytime.

It was the perfect reward for all our hard work.

But my excitement and happiness about how far the packs had come dampened with the weight of this responsibility. I felt connected to the life growing inside me, but seeing all these tools and welcome advice from more experienced mothers made me wonder if I was truly ready for this.

“What’s wrong, Bryn?” Mom asked. “Did we go too far?”

“No, no, it’s not the gifts,” I rushed to assure them. “It’s just that…I’m starting to doubt myself a bit.”

“Oh.” Understanding settled over their faces at the same time. “The baby will be here in just a few more weeks, and it’s starting to hit you how real all this is.”

I nodded. “It’s not like I’ve been ignoring the fact that I’m having a baby.

I’ve been thinking about it every day, but the longer I’ve been pregnant, the further away the due date felt.

” I leaned back against the couch. The bibs were in my lap, and I held them gently between my fingers.

“I want to be a good mom, and I want to raise my child to be strong and capable. But I want them to feel loved, too.”

“Ah, Bryn,” Violet said, squeezing my shoulder. “You’ve got such a big heart. Of course your little one will feel loved. It’s in your nature to make everyone feel at home.”

“With your baby, that will be especially true,” Mom added.

“Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that, but I don’t know. I mean, what if I’m a better den mother than a mommy? What if my baby feels neglected because of my responsibilities?”

My mom pinned me with a reassuring look. “Well, I think it’s good that you’re thinking about this, Bryn. The fact that you have these worries already bodes well for your future as a mother. It’s important to think about these things; it’ll make it easier if and when those things come up.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“It’s normal to have these anxieties when your due date nears,” Violet said. “But if you find that they’re really gnawing at you, you should talk to Night about it. I know he was feeling a bit down, but I’m sure he’ll be open to hearing your worries.”

I nodded. It was reasonable advice. “Night was feeling the pressures of being an alpha, but I think he’s been doing a lot better. Our recent successes have helped bolster his confidence, but it was tough for a while there. He even kept the fact that Lance was my brother from me.”

Mom’s eyes widened, and Violet demanded, “He did that to you?”

“Lance asked him to keep it a secret from everyone, including me.”

She let out a tight sigh. “Fates above, I’m so sorry on my son’s behalf. If you need me to, I can give him an earful.”

Mom frowned. “He knows how important family is to you. I know I’ve stuck up for your mate in the past because you were both getting used to each other, but you’d been together for months by then, and you’d told him repeatedly what you wanted. I’ll give him a piece of my mind, too.”

I raised my hands in a placating gesture.

“No, no! Don’t worry. I appreciate the concern, but Night and I already talked about it a while ago.

And Lance explained things to me, too; he was working through his own feelings about our mother and about being a brother to me.

Those things prevented him from telling me the truth. And Night was sworn to secrecy.”

Mom and Violet hesitated, but in the end, they accepted my words.

“I’m surprised you’re sticking up for him after he kept such a huge secret from you, Bryn,” Mom said. “It’s something you’ve talked with me about before, but it seems like you might be over it.”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m ‘over it,’ really.

I just told him that he couldn’t lie to me by omission anymore.

I made him understand that I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of protection.

He swore to me that he wouldn’t do it again, and I believe him.

” My heart still beat hard, remembering how he’d gotten on his knees in front of me and made the promise.

Suddenly, I missed him like crazy and just wanted to see him, to have him near.

Mom patted my arm, and I rested my head on her shoulder. “Okay, honey, if you’re sure. But we’re here for you if you need more support.”

Violet nodded. “If he gives you trouble like that again, you let me know. I’ll set him straight.”

I laughed.

“And one more thing, Bryn,” Violet said.

“It’s true that being a leader means making sacrifices for your people, but the same is true of motherhood.

To protect your children, you might find yourself doing things that you never thought you’d be capable of doing.

With me, it was raising Night on my own and protecting him from the harshness of our pack as much as I could. ”

“And for me,” Mom said, “it was standing up to Gregor when he wanted to send you away and staying loyal to you even when it meant leaving my friends behind. You’ve already made sacrifices for the life of your child, but that devotion won’t end when they’re born.”

I gripped their hands. Their advice struck a chord within me. Of course I would do anything to protect my baby, but hearing them talk about it gave me a sense of foreboding. Their words stitched themselves into my brain. I wouldn’t forget it.

We talked for a while longer, and they said they would be moving the baby things to our cabin soon.

It was finally livable. Night and I would be able to move into the cozy little home before the baby arrived, and that thought sent a blossoming spark of joy through me.

Violet and Mom had gone above and beyond with these gifts, but I was excited for the day when I got to see all these things in my baby’s room.

They cleaned up the wrapping paper and ribbons for me before heading out. I sat there, fiddling with the bib, their words still echoing in my mind when the front door opened.

Night, Dom, Lance, and Vince came into the cabin, looking grim. I stood to meet Night. He touched my arm, then brushed his nose over my hair. His urgent need to touch me told me that something serious must have happened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“There was another attack today,” he said. His frustration was a slight, growling tremor in his voice. “On the Garou Pack.”

I slapped my hand to my mouth. “Are there…?”

I didn’t need to finish the question—I had my answer when I looked into his eyes, but he responded, “Yes. It was another small pack, but there are dozens of casualties. None of our wolves died, but ferals did, and the Garou Pack suffered heavy losses.”

Grief tore at my heart. Not just for the Garou Pack, who must be devastated, but for the ferals, too.

Troy’s army wasn’t made up of wolves who’d been ousted from their packs; many, if not most, of them were traumatized kids.

Our pack’s kids. Losses like this hit even harder now, which made Troy’s actions all the more unforgivable.

“Reports tell us that the attack was sloppy and uncoordinated,” Dom added. “And it came hours after the attack last night. It was just luck that our hunting team heard the sounds of the attack and arrived before the Garou Pack lost everyone.”

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them. “They’re getting more violent and unstable.”

“Yes.” Night clutched me to him. “I need to get down there. My men need their alpha, and we can’t afford to let things get even worse. But it feels like we’re just going around in circles. We just can’t get ahead of him. Not like this.”

It came to me that this was a pivotal moment.

I was always planning on being involved with the search for Troy’s lair—after all, I was the only one who had an idea what the lair looked like—but it meant that I would be going out into the thick of it.

I was heavily pregnant, and I’d be leaving the safety of our territory to find a dangerous, crazed man.

The Night I had gotten to know months ago would never have let me do something this risky. But how would he react now?

There was a pause, and I watched Night’s face closely as the gears turned in his mind. And then, he said, “Bryn, I need you with me.”

A flood of emotion, of relief, of love came to me then, rocking me so hard, I actually swayed on my feet.

“Of course. I’ll get ready now.”

“Wait, Bryn.” Lance stepped up. “It’s too dangerous. If you just tell us what to look for, I’m sure we can find it—”

“Lance, no,” Night interrupted before I could open my mouth. “It’s okay. Bryn is the only one who can lead us to Troy’s hideout. She’s tough. She’ll be fine, I know it.”

Another wave of intense love for my mate bloomed through me. He was proving to me that he trusted me and understood that the best place for me was to be out there, protecting my pack by his side. That was where I belonged.

Lance looked at me. I wondered if my eyes had ever been the same concerned hue of blue. “Bryn, you can’t be serious. You stay home if you like.”

Night cut his eyes at Lance and started to growl. He hated his decisions being questioned, both as my mate and as an alpha, but this time, I was the one to respond.

“Of course I’m coming, Lance,” I said. “This is my destiny. I feel it, and I know you must feel it, too.” The more I spoke, the truer the words felt. I was reminded of the dream I’d had days ago, my mother’s warning to me. I couldn’t stay home even if I wanted to. Fate wouldn’t allow it.

Lance wanted to argue, and I could read as much in his face, but he lowered his head and turned away. He might not like it, but he did know. And he did understand.

“With that settled,” Dom said, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips, “we should leave at first light tomorrow morning. The Camas Pack heard about what happened, and they’re sending some of their men. We’ll meet them at the location of the attack.”

I nodded. It was time to finally put an end to this.