Page 204 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

We managed to force our way through that attack with few casualties, then retreated to Garou territory to recover.

My wolf was gnashing his teeth inside me, eager to take control of my body and find Bryn and Tavi.

I was also eager to get out there, but doing it his way—going off on our own and leaving behind our people—was stupid.

Oakley had brought along doctors, which was fortunate because the wolves had dislocated my shoulder.

According to Camas doctors, I was healing very quickly.

They told me it was because I was an alpha and also, likely, sheer will.

They’d just finished cleaning out the wounds and stitching me up.

I could already move my shoulder again, though not without pain.

But I could ignore the pain—it was nothing compared to the way I felt inside.

Lance was in the room with me, pacing back and forth like a caged lion.

He’d said nothing since he entered, but the glare he aimed my way said more than enough.

I accepted the accusation in that look. He was right to be pissed at me.

I’d let Troy capture my family again, something I’d sworn I’d never allow.

The knowledge of my failure only made my impatience to leave harder to control. But somehow, I was managing.

Dawn and other trackers had gone after Bryn and Tavi.

Cat, Kai, and several of my fighters had also joined the search.

I wanted to be out there looking for Bryn, too.

My only comfort was knowing that she was alive.

Because we were soulmates, I knew when she was close, and I’d feel it the minute she died.

But that wasn’t much comfort. I didn’t know what was happening to her, and it drove me insane to think of Troy getting anywhere near her.

I’d sent Dom into one of the other rooms to calm down. He was in a worse state than me because Tavi was gone. His wolf was much closer to the surface, and he was less stable. I sent Frankie with him to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, I was sure he’d just take off.

That was why Lance and I were surprised when he suddenly burst into the room, his eyes wide and his heart beating hard enough that I heard it as clearly as my own. Frankie rushed in after him, an apology in her eyes. I nodded to her to let her know it wasn’t her fault.

As she left, I looked at Dom. “What’s wro—”

“Night, we need to go. Tavi’s close.”

I paused. “What?” Lance and I asked the question at the same time.

“I said, Tavi’s on her way.” He was so relieved, tears shone in the corners of his eyes. “She must’ve gotten out somehow.”

It took a few seconds for me to really understand what he was saying. I smiled, even though I didn’t have Bryn near me.

“Dom, are you and Tavi soulmates?”

His mouth opened, surprise spreading over his face. “I—we must be, right?” Excitement again replaced the surprise. “It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

I gripped his shoulder and grinned at him.

He grinned back at me. It was such a rare blessing to have a soulmate, and it was even rarer for two couples in the same pack to share that bond.

I was happy for Dom, but this news didn’t feel as joyous as it should have.

How could it be when Bryn wasn’t there to celebrate with us?

“I’m happy for you, Dom,” Lance said. “But let’s get down there to meet her.”

Dom nodded, his good mood sobering somewhat. “Yeah, I’m sure she’ll have something to tell us about Bryn.”

When we got outside, Tavi was running toward us in her wolf form, her fur splattered with blood. Dom made a sound halfway between a cry and a growl before sprinting toward her.

“We need doctors over here!” Lance called as Tavi leaped into Dom’s arms. He caught her without stumbling, holding her trembling, furry body in his arms.

Leo hurried over when he saw the commotion. “What the hell is going on?”

“Tavi escaped,” I said. “She ought to be able to tell us where Troy is.”

Doctors swarmed Tavi and Dom, urging them into the infirmary.

I went in after them. Tavi had shifted back to her human form and was covered in blankets.

Her body was riddled with bruises and scratches.

The same Camas doctor who’d hesitated to heal Bryn was now working on Tavi without any reservations.

Dom held her hand. They weren’t going to let go of each other for a while, and the doctors would just have to deal.

“It’s not my blood,” she was explaining. “Or at least, most of it isn’t.”

I let out a small breath. It was a comfort to know she wasn’t in danger of bleeding out, though some of those cuts might need stitches.

“At least we’ll match,” I said, pulling my shirt down to show the stitches in my shoulder.

She snorted, her smile wide. I wished I could hug her, but I had to give the doctors space to work. Besides, Dom was doing more than enough for the two of us.

“Tavi, what can you tell us?” I asked.

“Right.” She took a breath, then let it out. “Troy’s got Bryn holed up in the cave Dawn was talking about earlier. He’s planning on draining her and her baby so he can do a ritual that’ll bring Gregor back.”

“What?” My question was little more than a growl, and I heard a similar rumbling from Lance and Dom.

She nodded. “One of the women who used to bully her is with her, and Bryn believes she’s on her side.”

“Do you think she’s trustworthy?” I asked.

“No. But Bryn promised me she’d be careful.”

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

“Can you tell us about his guards?” Lance asked.

“They’re all over the place. It’ll be hard for Bryn to get out because of that. The only reason I could escape was because there was a hole in the roof of the cave.”

“I’m sure they’re expecting us,” Lance said. “They’ll be prepping for that.”

“Troy’s not going to do the ritual until sundown. There’s only a couple of hours until then.”

“We need to go. Now.”

“Tavi, we’ll be back,” Dom told her, pressing his lips to her hand. “We’ll bring everyone back safely.”

“I know you will.” She gazed at him with such love in her eyes that my heart warmed. “I’m just sorry I have to leave you guys to do this without me.”

“No.” I ignored the doctors and brushed my hand over the top of her head. She didn’t flinch or close her eyes or wince at my touch anymore. “You’ve done more than enough, Tav. Just focus on healing. You know we’ve got this.”

She nodded. “I know you all do.”

I stroked her hair. “I’m happy you’re safe, Tav. I love you.”

She was smiling, but her eyes were teary now. “I love you, too, Night. I’ll see you all soon.”

Lance and I turned away so Dom and Tavi could kiss before we left her to the doctors’ care. After Dom said his goodbyes, he was at our side. Though he’d been loving and gentle with Tavi, his attitude changed as we walked out of the infirmary. He was just as pissed as the rest of us.

“Let’s go get the son of a bitch,” he growled. “Make him pay.”

Lance and I growled in agreement before we shifted. Oakley, Birchen, and Leo were waiting for us near the entrance. Now that we knew where to go, Troy was as good as dead.

With over a hundred wolves behind me, I led the way to the caves. There were many of us, but we weren’t concerned about stealth. Our goal was to storm the cave and take whatever Troy threw at us.

But once we entered the caves, we didn’t have to travel far from the entrance to find Troy sitting in his wolf form, alone.

He and about a dozen ferals were waiting for us.

I hadn’t seen his wolf form in months, but I hadn’t expected it to look like this.

His fur should have been a darker sorrel color, but it was caked with dust and dirt.

In some places, it was as matted as the ferals’.

His right forepaw was covered in blood. A moment later, I realized he was missing his dewclaw.

He bared his teeth. “Took you long enough.”

“You’re the motherfucker who killed my people?” Leo demanded, speaking before I could. “You?”

“That was me!” Troy’s voice sounded almost giddy. “And it was so easy. If only your pathetic wolves had been able to put up more of a fight…or had a better leader keeping them safe.”

Leo growled. “You lost several of your own men in that fight.”

Troy made a show of yawning. “It’s not really a loss when you have as many resources as I do, kid. And when I’m done here, I’ll make sure to hurt more of you.”

Leo stepped forward, but Lance bumped him to get him to stay still.

“You talk about control,” I said, pointedly eyeing his paw, “but it looks like you’ve been having trouble keeping your ferals in line.”

He turned his paw to hide the injury. “I have perfect control over my men, Night. Your bitch was the one who bit it off.”

I barked in delight. “I hope it hurt.”

“It did…but don’t look so pleased. I made sure she paid for it.”

The immense satisfaction I felt at hearing that Bryn had gotten her lick in dissipated. “Where is she?”

Troy laughed. “My men are preparing her for the ritual. I told them to do whatever they needed to get her to cooperate. If she was a good little girl, she’s cooperating, but we both know how Bryn is. I’m sure they’re making her suffer.”

As he finished speaking, memories flashed in my mind’s eye—Bryn hanging nearly naked from the wall in Troy’s cabin; Bryn covered in blood after she won the title of alpha from him, the purple-black bruises that mottled her skin even days after she’d escaped his torture.

The possibility that my pregnant mate was being hurt somewhere in these caves had me trembling with rage.

“Night,” Dom’s voice sounded in my head. He was the only one I could speak privately to, even in our wolf forms. “Don’t let him push you over the edge. That’s what he wants.”

Dom was right, of course. Troy could be surprisingly crafty, but it was obvious that he was trying to throw me off, that he wanted me to lose control.

Knowing that didn’t help. I wanted to let loose, wanted to cede control to my wolf and fuck the consequences.

The opportunity to paint the walls with Troy’s blood was more important than the risk of him getting away with all he’d done.

“Night,” Dom’s voice was firm. “Don’t.”

Fuck me, but I was close to letting loose.

So desperate to make Troy pay that I wanted to hurt Dom just to get him out of my way.

But a moment of clarity sliced through those violent thoughts.

This must be what the ferals felt every day, so eager to do Troy’s bidding that their methods hardly mattered.

I wasn’t under Troy’s control like they were, yet he had the ability to make me want to lose all sense.

Troy had always known exactly which button to push to make a wolf go feral just to kill him.

And in that moment, I’d never felt worse for the poor kids under his control.

I shoved back my rage. “Tell us where Bryn is, and maybe I’ll give you a head start before hunting you down, Troy.”

He laughed hard. “What an arrogant prick you are! You know, Night, you have this nasty habit of making threats even when you’re in no position to do that.”

“Troy, the sun is setting, and Bryn is nowhere around. All I have to do is kill you, and this thing will be over. You’ll miss your window for your stupid ritual, and the ferals will be free. You’re the one at a disadvantage here.”

But he didn’t seem bothered by my words, which only put me more on edge. “It’s nearly nighttime,” he said. “And I’ve given my men the order to start draining Bryn’s blood the minute the sun sets. Her blood will still be fresh enough to use in the ritual, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

My growl escaped me before I could even think of holding it back. “Let’s end this here, Troy. One on one. Let’s not drag this out any more than—”

He hopped to his feet. “You’ll have to catch up to me if you want a fight, brother.” And before any of us could do anything, he took off in the opposite direction.

“Troy!” I roared.

As one, my men and I sprinted after him.