Page 207 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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After the battle, we made sure the Garou and Camas Packs didn’t need further assistance, then we returned to Kings’ territory.

We were all beyond exhausted, but it didn’t really hit me until I smelled the familiar sweetness of Kings’ land.

Night and I all but collapsed into each other on our bed, and we slept for as long as we could allow ourselves to sleep.

About thirty-six hours after we got home, I woke up in bed alone. Night had left a note explaining that he hadn’t wanted to wake me. His side of the bed was cold, so he must have been gone for hours. As I sat up and stretched, I felt a tightening around my stomach.

I hadn’t come out unscathed. Yes, I had minimal injuries, but all the running and fighting and yelling had led to me feeling a bit off.

According to the pregnancy books Mom had gotten me, I was experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions.

Every day, from the moment I woke up until about lunchtime, the tightening came and lasted for about a minute at a time.

It was a little annoying, but I was grateful for it.

Feeling it meant I was alive and my little one was alive. We had survived the impossible, and now we just needed to deal with the remaining problems—namely, the ferals. Sometime soon, I would have to speak to the pack about what we were going to do about those kids.

I took a long shower, letting the hot water soothe my aching muscles. Just as I dried off and wrapped myself in a towel, Night stepped into the bathroom.

“Hey,” he said with a grin. “I was wondering if you were awake.”

“I haven’t been up long.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “What have you been doing?”

“I checked in with the pack to see if they needed some extra support.”

“Did they?”

“Not really. Things ran smoothly without us.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“They also want us to update them on the ferals and what specifically happened with Troy. I said we’d address that tomorrow.”

I nodded. “I was just thinking about that. I want the parents to know everything that happened. And if they want to go to the site of the battle, we’ll let them.”

“I agree.” He ran his hand through my wet hair, and I giggled when the ends fell, splashing us with cold droplets of water. “Our moms have something for us. They caught me earlier today. They’re probably on their way.”

“Huh. It probably has something to do with the baby.”

“Most likely.”

Just then, the front door opened, and our mothers’ voices drifted up the stairs. “That’s definitely them,” I said.

I finished getting dressed, then Night and I went downstairs. When the women saw me, they squealed and rushed to hug me. Night moved out of their way while they demanded to know how I was feeling.

I laughed at their enthusiasm. “I’m okay, I promise,” I assured them. “I’m a little tired and sore, but I’m okay.”

“Come, sit, sit,” they insisted as they led me to the couch.

“I’ll make some tea,” Night said. He left to do that, leaving me sandwiched between the grandmas.

“We were worried sick about you, Bryn,” Mom said. “You cannot do that to us again.”

“I’m sorry I worried you two so much. But now that Troy is officially out of our lives, I think I can promise that I won’t have to go on such dangerous missions again. At least, not for a while.”

They sighed in unison. “I guess that’s all we can ask for,” Violet said. “You’re a den mother now, and we can’t keep you from carrying out your responsibilities.”

“Exactly.” I rested my head on my mom’s shoulder. “Still, I’m glad it’s over.”

“So are we, and so is the entire pack. We’ve all been waiting for the news,” Violet said.

“We’re planning on speaking to the pack soon.”

“How are you feeling?” Mom asked, putting the back of her hand on my forehead.

“I’m okay. I keep feeling this tightening in my abdomen. But I think it’s just those Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

“Well, keep an eye on those. If they get longer each time or increase in severity, it means the baby’s coming.”

A thrill shot down my spine at those words. “I’ll pay attention,” I promised. I looked down at my stomach when the baby kicked. “I can’t believe they’re almost here,” I murmured. “And that Night was able to defeat Troy before they came. It’s been days since then, but it still feels like a dream.”

“I imagine it’ll feel like that for a little while. After the baby gets here, it’ll feel like you’re dreaming every time you look at your little one.” Violet grinned. “And while we’re on the subject of babies…”

I moved my head from her shoulder to see that her face had brightened. “Yes!” She clapped her hands.

Night must have sensed the shift in the air when he returned with our tea. “What about babies?” he asked cautiously.

My mother was the first to speak. “Night, Violet and I have finished the nursery in your new cabin.”

I gasped. “You did?” Night and I asked at the same time.

Violet hopped to her feet. She hadn’t looked so vibrant since Troy had given her the alpha wound, the marks of which had faded a lot in the last few weeks. “Come on, you two! Let’s show you all the changes we’ve made.”

A few minutes later, our new home came into sight, and I was already amazed to see all the work that had been done.

It’d been weeks since I’d last stopped by, and it had undergone a complete makeover.

The outside was painted a gorgeous sea green.

The door and windows were trimmed with white.

Inside, there were vibrant rugs and knitted tapestries, and the kitchen was a deeper jungle-green shade with brass finishings on the drawers and cabinets.

The banisters and floor had been polished to a shine, and the place was filled with natural light.

Upstairs, the nursery had been painted a soft, eggshell white with stars painted in various hues across the walls.

The rug was plush and white, like soft fur under our feet.

The crib, drawers, and changing table were made from birch, and they, too, had been sealed and polished to a shine.

The crib was carved with little figures from fairytales I was familiar with: a rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, a frog from Princess and the Frog, a lion from The Wizard of Oz, and so many more.

I was at a loss for words.

“This is wonderful,” Night breathed, in as much awe of the place as I was. “I can’t believe you two did all of this so quickly.”

“We had a lot of help,” Mom replied.

Violet nodded. “Many members of the pack wanted to chip in and make this a reality. Their support was overwhelming. But you know us, we made it work.”

My tears came in earnest then, and I turned to face two of the most important women in my life.

I pulled them to me in a tight hug. They smelled like home and comfort and love.

I’d missed them hugging me while we focused on getting Troy.

Now that he was dead, I vowed to myself to hug them both as often as I could.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I kissed their cheeks between every thanks. I thought I was getting their faces wet with my tears, but then I realized they were also crying when Night pulled all three of us in for a proper group hug.

“You’ve made us so proud, Bryn,” Violet said. “You and Night. We can’t wait to meet your little one.”

Mom nodded along, too emotional to speak.

Night wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead as I wiped tears from my cheeks. “Neither can we.”

After the emotional evening and lovely surprise, Night and I prepared for the pack-wide meeting.

We decided the mess hall would be the best place to tell everyone what we planned to do about the ferals.

The councils were there to hear us speak, and we gave priority to those whose children had been taken to see us in person.

Speakers had been set up while Night and I were gone, which allowed our voices to project beyond the mess hall.

That way, those who couldn’t fit in the building would still hear what was being said.

Once everyone had gathered, Night started speaking. “Two days ago, I and a select group of my men, along with the alphas and fighters from the Camas and Garou Packs, met in a cave system a day’s travel from here.”

We were prioritizing the information about the ferals.

Most of the pack knew by now that Troy had briefly kidnapped me and Tavi again, but we were fine.

We’d answer more questions about that if they wanted later, but right now the focus had to be on those kids.

Besides, the full story would be recorded by Violet and Tavi for posterity.

“The ferals were under Troy’s control. They were willing to fight to the death because Troy commanded them to do that.

When the fighting started, Troy used them as shields.

We’d covered our claws and fur with a paralytic.

This drug worked just seconds after entering their bloodstreams, and it prevented them from hurting themselves or us.

“Unfortunately, Troy was prepared to send them all to their deaths to make sure he got what he wanted. They obeyed him up until the moment that Bryn reminded them of who they were. We took advantage of the confusion to turn the tides of the battle. Troy was left defenseless, and we killed him. As soon as he was dead, his power over the ferals ceased, and they stopped fighting us.”

I nodded as Night finished speaking. When I opened my mouth, I paused for a second or two as a contraction arced through me. It wasn’t unbearably bad, but it was far very from pleasant. Doing my best to ignore it, I spoke.

“The Camas and Garou Packs know the cave systems well, and they are helping us watch the ferals for now. Now that Troy’s dead, they are very docile. They do what we tell them, but they seem to be unable or unwilling to communicate with us or shift out of their wolf forms.”

“Keeping them in the caves is only a temporary measure,” Night said. “We’re planning to begin construction on a new tract of land for the third phase of building. The plans are being drafted as we speak, and our own Lance will take the lead on it.”

Lance raised his hand so the crowd knew where he was.

He’d jumped at the opportunity to help the ferals.

I think it was more than him just wanting to do more for the pack, but because he knew what it was like to be an outsider in your own pack.

He wanted to use that experience to help the ferals heal.

“Those are the basics of the situation,” Night finished. “We’re all open to your questions.”

Murmurs erupted throughout the crowd. Many of the families of the feral children were already emotional. Some had even left while we were talking to get their bearings.

“Who killed Troy?” Theodore asked.

“I did,” Night said. “But it was a team effort. I can’t take credit for the kill alone.”

“Can’t you, as an alpha, force the feral wolves to shift?” Council Member Dana asked.

“I could try to compel them to do that, Dana, but to be honest with everyone here, I’m not sure what that would do to their minds. I’m not willing to hurt them more than they’ve already been hurt.”

“What did you do to remind them of who they were?”

“I told them their names,” I replied.

Another moment of silence followed, broken only by the occasional sniffling of the children’s families. Another contraction hooked around my abdomen, making my breath hitch. Night glanced at me, but it wasn’t the best time to ask me if I was okay.

“Has this ordeal established a relationship with these other packs?” Council Member Jasmine asked.

“I believe so,” Night answered. “Troy hurt these packs, and they accepted our help even before we killed him. The alphas volunteered to help us watch the ferals; we didn’t have to ask them. I think that shows promise for our relationship with them.”

Both the Wargs and Kings council members began to talk quietly amongst themselves. Of course they were excited about expanding the reach of our pack.

“Are you going to bring our babies back? Can you bring them back?” That was Gladys. Tears shone on her cheeks, but she spoke clearly.

“I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen,” I said, ignoring the way my back had started to ache. “I had success with helping Samuel by doing a ritual that allowed me to walk through his memories. I intend to do the same with them.”

“How long will the construction take?” Council Member Grant asked.

Lance answered this one. “Tentative estimates predict we’ll have it done in three months’ time. We’re not going to interfere with the building on Wargs’ territory, and we don’t want to overwork our builders. So, while I’m committed to getting this done in that timeframe, it will be a team effort.”

The rest of the questions were more practical, asking when construction would begin and how many men Lance would need.

There were already wolves who were willing to work around the clock to make this project work.

A year ago, there had been hardly a shred of camaraderie among the Kings, but they were now eager to go above and beyond for these kids.

It was so heartening to see, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it because my contractions were coming more and more quickly.

I pressed a hand to my stomach and left the mess hall through a side exit while the talking continued. Outside, I could still hear the questions that were asked, but no one was gathered at the back of the building, so I had some privacy as I pressed my back to the wall.

The last time I’d stood there, I’d just heard that Gregor had died, and I was terrified of what Troy would do to me when he took over as alpha. Now, I was trying to breathe through the contractions. These were intense, and it was like they were increasing in intensity each time…

Oh.

I felt liquid trickle down my thighs, wetting the ground beneath me.

Oh my goodness.

The door opened, and Night was by my side. “Babe, you okay…?” His question trailed off as he realized what was going on. Just as stunned as me, he said, “Oh.”

A particularly strong contraction punched into me. I gasped, doubling over. Night scooped me into his arms and started to hurry to the infirmary.

The baby was coming.