Page 224 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

Tavi walked me to the tree line, then veered off to the alpha cabin. I pushed deeper into the forest until dense trees surrounded me. I chose a new spot eachtime I trained, just to keep things interesting. This spot was my favorite thus far. Because of the packed trees, I couldn’t hear the Kings—only the sounds of nature.

I wanted to work through my lingering discomfort after that meeting with the council. I started with cardio, climbing up the trees and leaping from one to the other. Birds were startled into flight in my wake. Afterward, I did hundreds of chin-ups and squats in quick succession.

When my heart was pumping and a sheen of sweat covered my body, I started training in earnest. I used my claws to mark a circle on a thick tree, then punched and kicked it in the same spot each time.

Hours later, the sun was much lower in the sky, and I was drenched in sweat. I ran a hand through my damp hair and caught my breath before walking back to town. When I reached Mom’s cabin, I was relieved to see she wasn’t with Doc—and that she recently made bread because her cabin smelled like butter and baked deliciousness.

“Come in, come in,” she said, coming down the cabin steps. She paused, her nose scrunching. “Get in here and wash up, Night. You smell like you’ve been rolling around in the dirt.”

I chuckled. “I was training.”

“Yes, that’s what I said.” She moved out of my way and ushered me upstairs. “Go on, go on. I refuse to hug you before you’re clean.”

I grinned. This was the sort of interaction I wanted, this normalcy. I washed in her shower, the hot water relaxing my taut muscles. When the water sluicing down my body ran clear, I stepped out of the shower and toweled off. Mom had left mesome clothes while I was washing, so I dressed in them and headed downstairs.

“Ah, now that you’re clean,” she said from the kitchen, “come and have some dessert with me.”

“I shouldn’t since I’m training…” I pretended to hesitate. But the blank look she gave me made me laugh. “Yeah, I’ll have some. Do you have blueberry jam?”

She swatted me gently as I passed her. “Of course I do.”

We went into the kitchen, and she made us milk tea and brought out the blueberry jam. “I had a feeling you’d visit me today,” she said. “What’s going on? Is Bryn okay?”

I sighed. “She’s still waking up with morning sickness. It sucks, Mom, it really does. I had no idea it would be so hard on her.”

“Neither did I, poor thing.” She gave an empathetic frown. “What did Damon say?”

“He told us the baby was six weeks and seemed to be doing well. And he said that Bryn has only one ovary and a low egg count. She probably won’t be able to have any more children.”

“Ah. That’s unexpected.”

“It was for Bryn as well. Damon said she would have been born that way. She didn’t say anything, but I think it bothers her. She wouldn’t have been so shocked if she knew more about her birth mother.”

“I can imagine. I wish I had an update about Bryn’s mother, but I haven’t heard back from our elders yet. I’m sure they’ll get back to me, but, like everything, it’s a matter of waiting.” She cheweda slice of bread laden with butter and honey. “And how are you holding up with everything, Night?”

“I’m more than okay with having one pup, but knowing this is our only chance has hit me differently now that I’ve had time to sit with it. I mean, Troy is still out there, and neither of the parties we sent out has any leads. We’re swamped with the amount of work the Redwolfs left behind, and the alpha challenge is coming up. I’m trying to make sure everything is handled, but we’re not planning to tell anyone about the pregnancy until the challenge is over.”

“Well, I don’t think you should worry about the challenge, Night. You will win,” she assured me. “You were born to be a leader and a fighter.”

I smiled a little. “I appreciate your confidence, Mom. I’ll probably feel better about it once I’ve trained more.”

She nodded and patted my hand. “Well, you let me know if you need any help with paperwork or the challenge. I’m happy to help anywhere I can, even with ledgers or with watching over Bryn while you train.”

I didn’t know if we would ask her for that help, but it was nice to know she was open to it. Mom was always willing to support me, and it made me feel like shit that I was here to ask her about her past with Gregor.

Sensing my hesitation, she patted my arm again. “How are the Wargs? I’m sure they’re missing you.”

Thinking about my pack pulled me away from my darker thoughts. “Things went well there. It started out rocky, but by the end of it, we ended up repairing dozens of buildings andgetting some supplies from Colville that we needed. I think you’ll be surprised when you go back.”

“I’m glad I asked,” she said. “Your eyes look brighter when you talk about our people.”

I nodded. “I just wish everything else could be solved with a hammer and some paint.”

“Wouldn’t that make things easier?” She chuckled. “Now, tell me more about whatever mess you have, Night. I can tell it’s weighing you down.”

I caught her up on the missing money and the search we were doing through the Redwolfs’ belongings—a search that was going nowhere—and the fable about portals to realms holding other shifters.

She nodded as I spoke. She digested the information easier than Bryn, Tavi, or I had. I wondered if it was because few things surprised her or because of her connection to the spirits and belief in fate and destiny.