Page 270 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

As we spoke, Bryn covered my hand with hers and squeezed it. “I really appreciate you doing all this for me, Night,” she said. “I didn’t know how much I wanted this until…well, until now, I guess.”

“Neither did I.” I brushed away the breadcrumb on her cheek with my thumb. “Things are going to get complicated pretty soon,” I told her. “So many things are going to change, and there’s no telling when we’ll get to spend time together like this. I wanted at least one night where we could be mates instead of alphas.”

She scooted closer so she could rest her head on my arm. “We’ve both been so busy, I wasn’t sure when would be a good time to mention it, but I spoke to Lance the other day.”

I clenched my jaw, and my wolf’s hackles raised. “What did he want?”

She took a deep breath. “He knew about the council no longer wanting me to be alpha, he knew about the challenge getting moved up, and…and he knows about the baby.”

I stiffened. “Did he threaten you?” I asked, my voice low.

“At the time, it felt like a threat, but all he did was tell me things we already knew or suspected: the pack is sexist, it was dangerous for me to be alone, and there would be opposition to your rule. I just don’t know what his endgame is, and I can’t figure out how he found out I’m pregnant.”

Rage flared through me so hard, my hand shook as I reached for the bottle of cider. What Bryn had just told me was more than concerning—it pissed me the fuck off. I had the urge to find Lance and kill him—after I found out where he’d gotten his information.

But that would be jumping the gun. He and I would have our day in the ring during the alpha challenge. I forced myself to calm down. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this time with Bryn by getting angry.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said.

“Thanks for telling me at all,” I said, nuzzling the top of her head. Her scent and her presence did so much to settle my nerves. “You’re right—we’ve both had our own things going on, and it hasn’t been easy to find time to talk about everything…but let’sfocus on us for now.” I lowered my lips to her ear. “Shift with me. Run with me.”

She brightened, and all trace of her earlier worry vanished. She started pulling off her clothes, more eager than I’d ever seen her.

“Wow, you never get naked this quickly when we have sex,” I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.

“Hush, you.” The last article of clothing she removed was her panties, which she dropped on the ground, grinning from ear to ear. “We never get to go on runs together. We have sex almost every night.”

I laughed and kicked off my pants. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to rectify that when things settle down?—”

She’d started to shift before I finished speaking. Standing on all fours, she shook out her rich brown fur. Her tongue lolled out, and she cocked one ear slightly toward me. She danced on her toes and lowered herself on her front legs, her tail swishing in the air, ready to go. My heart just about burst with love for her, my wolf whining desperately.

I shifted, and we sprinted into the forest. I’d just set my wolf loose the day before when I was training with Dom, but this was special. Different. The joy of running and playing with my mate trumped everything else. Few things felt as wonderful as her teeth nipping playfully at my ear or her excited keening.

I don’t know how many hours passed with us playing and running together, but the moon was out and high above us when we rolled down a hill together into a patch of soft grass. Laughing, we shifted back into our human forms. My heart raced against my ribs as goosebumps rose on my chest. Brynnestled against my side, and I held her tight. We looked up at the sky as we settled down again.

“I love you, Night,” she murmured.

“I love you, too—hey,” I said as she threw a leg over my hip and moved on top of me. Her eyes glowed silver in the dark, the waxing moon above framing her wild hair. “Hey,” I said again, a smile curling on my lips. “What are you doing up there?”

“You have to ask?” She leaned over me and pressed her lips to mine. I brushed a hand across her face, holding her there as I caressed her thigh. Her tongue snaked out to battle with mine, and I felt myself getting hard. The soft weight of her warm body against mine, the slight vibration of her heartbeat against mine…these were the things I craved when we were apart.

Bryn kissed her way down my chin and my neck, her hands pressed against my chest. She shifted her hips downward until her ass rubbed against my erection, wriggling back and forth. I groaned, gripping her hips.

She raised herself just enough, then wrapped her hand around my cock before sinking down on me. I hissed as she took in every inch of me. With a moan, she sat back, giving me a full view of her stomach to her neck. My hands traced her skin, over the slight firmness of her muscles beneath her stomach and up her breasts to her neck.

Her hair shifted over her shoulders as she looked down at me, eyes still glowing. She bounced on top of me, her eyes locked on mine, and pleasure radiated through my blood. Her hands were flat against my chest, and her nails were claws, piercing slightly. The slight sting elevated my pleasure, and she increased her rhythm, thighs slapping against mine.

The scent of blood and sweat and pussy was in the air. She leaned forward again to kiss me, pulling my lower lip into her mouth and between her sharp fangs. I growled low in my throat, and she answered with a growl of her own. Gripping the back of her neck, I held her mouth to mine. Her pulse beat powerfully under my palm. I moved my hips to meet each rolling bounce of hers. Her soft breasts jiggled and pressed against my chest.

Bryn groaned as she came, her pussy tightening around my cock. While she was still feeling the ecstasy of her orgasm, I rolled on top of her and took control. I took her hands, holding them above her head. My toes dug into the earth for purchase, and she screamed out loud, her voice echoing between the trees as I drove into her. Her legs locked around my waist, her back arching up off the ground to press firmly into my chest.

The pressure built and built until I felt her second orgasm roll through her body. My mate trembled beneath me, her muscles locked around me. Bathed in the soft, silvery rays of moonlight, I came inside her hard enough to leave me breathless.

101

BRYN

The day before the alpha challenge, I found it almost impossible to concentrate on anything. When I tried to read something, the words blurred together and stopped making sense. I read the same sentences over and over, but I still felt so lost.