Page 33 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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Iwoke to the smell of coffee and breakfast. It had been three days since I had started living with Violet, and so far, it had been really nice.

Violet brought food from the mess hall, and we ate together for every meal.

Despite my circumstances, I had really enjoyed getting to know Violet and all of her little quirks.

Today, breakfast was biscuits and mushroom gravy. The biscuits were perfectly cooked and fluffy. They felt like a slightly sweetened cloud on my tongue. The gravy itself was creamy and buttery, and I savored the taste while listening to Violet talk about the people of the village.

It was lovely and entertaining to hear some gossip, but it wasn’t enough.

I wasn’t allowed to leave the premises of Violet’s home, and I missed interactions with other people.

I missed listening to the sound of conversation going on around me and the way that the pups would joke around and play with me without any prejudice against me for being human.

I missed the few young mothers who would chat with me.

After breakfast, I went upstairs to dress in a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans and a pink hoodie. I slipped on a pair of black boots Violet had found that fit me perfectly.

Ready to work, I headed outside to the garden, squinting against the brightness.

The sun was barely coming over the mountain, and the sky was filled with hues of pink and purple.

I stood in the modest garden and tried for the third time to follow Violet’s advice to see it as a new day with new opportunities.

What I saw was a beautiful sunrise, but it didn’t make me feel better about my captivity.

With a sigh, I turned away from the sunrise. I pulled on a pair of gardening gloves and grabbed a small trowel and shovel from the crate by the back door. I crouched low to the ground and set to work, muscle memory allowing me to space out as I tended the soil.

I checked the new growth of the lettuce, cabbages, and broccoli.

I could tell from the way the soil was disturbed that they had been planted relatively recently, but they were quite far along.

Here, like in the Kings’ pack, Violet must have known something about the land to allow her to grow gorgeous crops even in the off-seasons.

I could tell that Violet’s garden didn’t get the kind of yields that we got at home—Mom’s garden was rarely burdened with even a single weed.

But with a bit more TLC, I believed I could make some improvements here.

The irony of assisting the pack that was currently holding me hostage wasn’t lost on me, but it didn’t stop me from plucking dead leaves and weeds from the ground.

Every garden deserved to be taken care of and loved.

If I could be the one to help a garden thrive, well, it was too tremendous an opportunity to pass up.

As I continued to work, I heard a noise that caused me to look up. For an awful second, I was back in the garden with Troy. “Make sure you’re ready to ring in your birthday in a way that you won’t forget because it’ll be the last one you see as a free woman...”

But I snapped out of that memory when I realized there was a young woman about my age staring at me from the back door. It seemed that the sound I had heard was the woman accidentally kicking the tool crate. I slowly stood from my crouch, watching the newcomer with slightly narrowed eyes.

She was tall, likely around five foot nine, with long, jet-black hair that fell in waves down her back.

It reminded me a bit of Night’s. She was beautiful, but it was understated in her soft cheekbones, round jawline, and deep, brown eyes.

The woman and I continued to stare at each other until she finally leapt down the steps toward me.

I flinched as she came to a stop in front of me and the squash plants I was pruning. I half-expected a confrontation of some sort, but instead, I got a hug.

“Hello, hello,” the woman said, stepping back to look me in the eye. “You must be Bryn! I’m Octavia Black, and you can consider me your new best friend.”

I blinked, my brain slow to catch up with that whirlwind of a description. “I—I’m Bryn Hunter—”

“I know, I know! I don’t know if I said already, but I’ve been dying to meet you since you showed up!

You’re kind of the only thing the pack’s been talking about.

But I haven’t been able to find time to stop by for a visit until today.

It’s good that I bumped into Violet at the mess hall.

She let me know that it was okay as long as I didn’t overwhelm you.

” She paused. “Wait. I’m not overwhelming you, am I? ”

I stared at her. I wasn’t sure what I thought of the new woman.

Other than Dom, Octavia was the only person I had spoken to since moving into Violet’s house.

I was cautious, but at the same time, I felt I didn’t need to be.

Octavia didn’t seem to be an immediate threat, and she was obviously a very interesting personality.

I supposed I could see where things went with the conversation.

“You talk a little fast,” I said with a cautious smile, “but I’m not overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. But I’m glad I’m not bombarding you.” She gave me a perfect, wide smile. “Actually, I was worried when I came over that you were still going to be asleep, but it’s good to see you’re an early riser like the rest of us.”

“Oh, well, I actually grew up in a wolf pack, so I have a pretty similar sleep schedule.”

“No way!” Octavia’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of a human living so closely with us! I’m dying to know everything about you.”

I took a step back, uncomfortable. I didn’t know Octavia, yet the girl was asking to know all of my personal business? “There’s not much to know, really.”

Octavia paused, and then her smile turned into a thoughtful frown.

“I think I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll give you some more info about myself.

” She touched her chest. “I’m Tavi, as you know, and I’m twenty years old.

The big, stupid brute who brought you here is like a brother to me, but we’re not related by blood. How’s that for a start?”

“That’s not bad.” I smiled, tickled by how casually Octavia insulted Night. “I’m also twenty years old, but I don’t have any blood relatives. My mom adopted me.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

And though I still hesitated with most of the other Wargs, I started to relax around Octavia. This new person was someone I thought I might enjoy getting to know.

Two more days had passed since I moved in with Violet, but I hardly noticed the passage of time.

Tavi (Octavia insisted I call her by her nickname) had come over every day, and we had spent countless hours together.

Most of the time, I spent gardening or doing chores while Tavi supplied me with endless amounts of stories and gossip.

We grew closer as the days went by, and I realized with growing warmth that Tavi was my first real friend. Never had I felt I could spend so much time with another person who wasn’t my mom, but Tavi was such an easygoing and open person that I couldn’t help but grow to care for her.

And I was finding that I really enjoyed Violet’s company as well.

Violet always made sure to let me know that she appreciated having me around to help around the house or in the garden.

She also enjoyed making very tasty, very spicy foods with the ingredients she had, and I enjoyed the way the dishes put such sizzling comfort on my tongue.

Violet also showed great reverence for the land and the soil, just like Mom always did, and that helped me feel more comfortable around her.

Though I had stopped crying myself to sleep every night, dreading what the next day would bring, I was still unable to leave Violet’s home. The wolves in the forest had their eyes on me all the time, and I could never fully relax.

On the sixth day after I moved in with Violet, Tavi burst into the cabin, announcing herself at the top of her lungs. I very nearly dropped the cup I was washing, covered in suds, but fortunately, I got hold of it before disaster could strike.

“Octavia,” Violet called, “what did I tell you about knocking, honey?”

“I’m sorry, Violet,” Tavi spun into the kitchen, her hair lifting around her shoulders as she did. “I’m in a tremendous mood.” She wore a pair of black jeans that were ripped at the knees and a short-sleeve red shirt that tied in a knot at her waist. She looked great.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked, quickly finishing with the cup so I could set it down. Now that the dishes were done, Violet went upstairs to let Tavi and I talk.

“My birthday!” Tavi took my hand and spun me around the table. “I’m officially twenty-one!”

I hadn’t expected that Tavi would be one year older than me—the girl had just as much energy as the pups back home. “Happy birthday, Tavi. I’m sorry I don’t have anything to give you.”

“Silly,” Tavi poked my nose. “Your company is all I want from you, sweet Bryn. In fact, I’d like to invite you to have lunch with me in the mess hall.”

“Oh…Tavi, I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to leave the house.”

“No, no. I got special permission because it’s my birthday.”

I blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah! We just have to be escorted by Dom, but that’s okay, right?”

“Oh…” I wasn’t sure what to say. The idea of stepping off Violet’s property was so tempting, especially when I’d have Tavi by my side, but it was also terrifying.

For one, I had no idea how the Wargs would feel about me.

Dom, Violet, and Tavi had been nice, but what if the rest of the Wargs displayed more of the savagery that I’d grown up hearing?

Not to mention that disobeying Night might lead to him getting pissed off enough that he decided to throw me in a dungeon somewhere.