Page 203 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

When their footsteps faded away, Trish loosened her hold on my shirt. “You idiot,” she hissed at me. “You almost ruined everything.”

I paused. She dropped her glare, and her eyebrows knit together in desperation. Before I could say a word, Tavi had grabbed Trish by the back of the neck, her claws pressing into the sides of Trish’s throat. She must have clawed through the rope at her ankles while Troy and the others left.

“I’d let Bryn go, bitch, before I end your life right here.”

Trish let go of me so quickly, I couldn’t stop myself from falling to my back again. “Wait, wait, wait,” she pleaded. “I wasn’t going to hurt her. I want to help!”

“Yeah, right,” Tavi scoffed.

“Hold on,” I grunted as I struggled into a sitting position again. All this movement was putting a strain on my muscles. “I think she’s telling the truth.”

Tavi gave me an incredulous look. “Bryn, you can’t be serious.”

“No, listen.” I looked at Trish. “She stopped Troy from killing me, and she didn’t hit me very hard. I think she’s being sincere.”

“Y-yeah!” Trish said. “I won’t tell Troy you’re escaping.”

“Uh-huh.” Tavi didn’t sound convinced. “Prove it.”

Trish was breathing hard, her skin slick with sweat. She didn’t look anything like the femme fatale she used to be. Her skin was paler, and she’d lost weight. Her eyes were sunken, and I was sure it was because she’d seen hell with Troy.

She suddenly burst into tears. “Please,” she cried. “I hate it here. I abandoned the Kings because I thought I’d finally be with him, but all I’ve known is hell. He hurts me, and he’s always yelling at me. He’s paranoid to the point of insanity.”

Tavi let go of her, more out of shock than compassion.

Trish took a long, tearful breath, then continued her confession.

“I regret leaving my family and my friends behind, and I hate the person I had to be to go along with Troy’s plans.

” She looked at me imploringly. “I’m sorry, Bryn.

Every time I hurt you, every time I insulted you, I’m so, so, so sorry.

For all of it. I wish every day that I’d stayed with the Kings after you became alpha.

I wish things had been different.” Her words became incomprehensible as her crying turned into sobs.

She covered her face with her hands, tears dripping between her fingers.

Tavi looked at me. “Fine, so she’s telling the truth. But I don’t want to leave you with her. She doesn’t seem stable.”

“I know. But what choice do we have? You getting out of this cave is the best shot we’ve got.”

She looked frustrated enough to punch the wall, but I knew she agreed. “Watch your back, Bryn.”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

With Trish still weeping, Tavi took a few steps back.

She took a deep breath, then darted at the wall.

Leaping up, she kicked off the wall and reached for the hole.

She grabbed it with her claws, grunting when the momentum caused her to hit one of the stalactites.

It fell to the ground and broke with a thud.

Trish jumped at the sound and stopped crying.

She watched as Tavi wiggled herself through the small opening to freedom.

“She’s out,” Trish said. “I can’t believe it.”

“Tavi’s incredible,” I said. “She’ll get to my mate and the others, but I can’t stay here. Quick, help me out.”

Trish nodded. After a second, she moved closer to me so she could untie me. “Do…you think I could rejoin the Kings when we get out of here?”

I raised a brow at the word “we.”

“So, that’s your plan,” I said. “You’re helping us in exchange for rejoining the packs?”

“Not entirely…” She paused. “What do you mean ‘packs?’”

“Night is alpha of the Kings now, and we’re in the process of merging with the Wargs.”

“Good luck.” Trish sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “That’ll never happen.”

A quick spike of annoyance lanced through me. “Trish, it already has happened. We’ve brought together both councils and elders, and we’ve got Wargs and Kings moving into cabins on either territory. We’ve done it.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time.

I thought she wasn’t going to respond at all, but when she finished untying my hands and moved to my feet, I watched her face.

There wasn’t a trace of disbelief in her eyes or her voice as she said, “I can’t believe you two did it.

I was sure the hate between the Wargs and Kings would be too much. ”

“Everyone was,” I said. “But we proved to them that it could be overcome with work.”

“Wow, I…I’d really like to see it myself.”

Hearing her say that reminded me that she’d been about to say something earlier. “I asked you if you were helping just to rejoin the packs. You said, ‘Not entirely.’ What did you mean?”

“Oh. I mean, that’s not the only reason.

I want to see my friends and my family again, and I don’t want to be a lone wolf or become a feral in exile.

And I really don’t want to kill a pregnant woman…

but I also want to make up for the things I’ve done wrong.

Saving a pack mother and her child ought to do it, right? ”

I didn’t try to keep the surprise off my face. It was pretty shrewd of her, but it didn’t sound like a terrible plan.

“That should work, right, Bryn?” she asked again as she finished untying my legs. “The spirits will forgive me?”

I hesitated. The questions made me uncomfortable, as did the desperately hopeful gleam in her eyes, but who else could she ask?

I racked my brain for something to tell her.

It was difficult because I didn’t like Trish, and even though I’d tried to be confident in front of Tavi, part of me worried that Trish’s altruism only went so far.

Would she betray me the minute it served her, or if I gave her an answer she didn’t like?

But I didn’t want to lie to her. What would Mom or Violet say?

“Well…” I began slowly. “I’m sure the spirits would have preferred that you were kind and respectful to everyone all your life, but this world has proven that it isn’t without mercy and forgiveness.

If you mean your apology, and if you mean that you want to live better, I’m sure you’ll be okay.

” It was the best I could come up with. It wasn’t a lie, but I wasn’t sucking up to her, either.

She took some time to think that over, then got to her feet. She offered her hand to me. “I can work with that. Thank you, Bryn.”

I took her hand, and she helped me to my feet. Standing gave me a brief wave of vertigo, but Trish steadied me.

“I’ve been exploring these tunnels for months. I know the best way to get out, and we shouldn’t run across any of Troy’s men if we’re careful.”

I nodded. “Lead the way.”

Together, she and I stepped out of the cave and into the tunnels.

Things went smoothly at first. The cave system was very complex.

Tunnels opened into small caves, and other tunnels led us away from them.

To me, it looked like we’d passed the same areas more than once, but Trish seemed confident that she knew where we were going—until one of the tunnels opened into a chamber where Emery was smoking.

“Hey!” His voice echoed sharply in the chamber. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Shit!” Trish hissed. “Bryn, run!”

She started to sprint, and I ran as quickly as I could after her. I wasn’t as good at running in my human form, but I needed to make it work; there was no time for me to rip off my clothes and shift.

We ran, panting, down the tunnel. Trish tried to confuse Emery by crisscrossing between the tunnels, but soon enough, the snarl of a wolf reverberated through the caverns behind us.

No, no, no, he was catching up! I tried to up the pace, my heart pounding hard, but I would never be fast enough to get out before he caught up with me.

Trish looked over her shoulder at me. In her eyes, I saw her consider abandoning me to the wolves and running off on her own, but almost as quickly, I watched her make a different choice. She slowed until she was running next to me.

“I should’ve done things differently,” she panted. “I really am sorry, Bryn. I hope you can believe that.”

My eyes widened. “What are you doing, Trish?”

I should’ve known I wasn’t going to make it out of here. Tell my family, Tanya, and Tara that I’m sorry for leaving them behind.”

“Wait—”

She didn’t wait. She stopped running. I looked behind me as the wolf knocked her down, turning away just as he tore into her neck.