Page 336 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

She was still recovering from her orgasm, but her nod was eager. “Please.” That’s my girl.

I lowered her to the bed, and she rested against the pillow, stretched out in that cat pose again. Her pussy was so slick, all she had to do was lean back into me, and I was inside. “Yes,” I breathed, and began to stroke her from the inside.

The next morning, Bryn and I slowly got out of bed and dressed.

“I’m going to call a meeting with the parents of those kids,” she said. “Tavi and I will track as many of them down as we can find.”

I buttoned my pants and nodded. “That won’t be easy. Are you sure you’re up for it so soon?”

“Yeah. Knowing what we know now, I just can’t stomach the thought of not telling them. I know it’ll be difficult, but they have a right to know.”

“Yes.” As she finished pulling on her dress, I went over and kissed her temple. “Good luck, love. I’m glad you’ll have Tavi with you.”

“So am I.”

I pressed my nose to her hair, the scent of her relaxing me. “I’ve got a meeting with both councils today to catch them up on the final phase of construction.”

“Oof. That phase is the one that’ll link the packs, right?”

I nodded. We were making aesthetic additions to both packs. Our craftsmen would craft statues and paint murals that reflected both places. We also planned to have an irrigation system that would allow water from the Kootenai River to reach the Wargs. It would take a while to complete, but we had a step-by-step plan in place. Builders from both packs would be there to help me explain.

“I know it’s going to be an issue to get the Wargs Council to understand.” I sighed. “Despite their threats, things are moving ahead. I doubt they’ll be encouraged by my plans.”

She smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be okay.” She touched my chest and then reached up for my cheek. “I know you’ve got this.”

I chuckled and let her pull me down for a quick kiss. With her vote of confidence, I almost felt like I had nothing to worry about.

“I’ll be telling them about what happened to the missing pups, too,” I said. “We all need to be on the same page about Troy and his army.”

Bryn and I headed off. Because the meeting would include so many people, I’d decided it would be best to hold it in the mess hall. It was just past eleven in the morning, and I was ten minutes early, but both councils were waiting for me, as were most of the builders. I’d had a messenger grab Lance, and he and Dom were standing near the center of the room, eyeing the council members. The Wargs sat on one side, with the Kings on the other. It was strange to see the room divided in half like this, and it added to the tense mood.

I let out a deep breath, then went to stand between Lance and Dom. I waited a few more minutes for people to filter in, and when I felt enough time had passed for everyone to be settled, I cleared my throat. “Welcome, everyone.” The sound of my voice silenced the chatter. “Let’s get this meeting started.”

I had both councils sit at the largest table with me, Dom, and Lance standing at the head. I saw the reluctance on every council member’s face. This would be a tough meeting, and it was more likely that the Wargs council would give me the most trouble. I would never let them know it, but not having their support set me on edge. Especially now. A pack that wasn’t united allowed danger to get in.

Bryn and I’d both had little victories with the council members. I just hoped this meeting would show them the importance of being one pack.

“We have been making great strides in the renovation and rehabilitation of both packs,” I said. “Construction on the Wargs’ marketplace is taking off. Business is moving in already, and people from both packs seem excited to have new goods at their disposal. We’ve got many new cabins ready for young families to move into, and there have been quite a few families rushing to fill them. In terms of increased security, we’ve made strides there, too. Lance?” I nodded to him.

“Right.” He took the floor. “We’ve come up with an idea for a way to alert both packs to danger in case of emergencies. There will be sirens near highly trafficked areas of both packs, and we’ll add telephone wires that will allow both sides to communicate. We will have drills in the coming months that will teach people how to behave in case of danger. Fighters from both sides will work together to keep everyone safe and the danger at bay. This means upgraded security, quicker response times, and fewer blind spots.”

As Lance spoke, more people drifted into the mess hall. It was becoming a pack-wide meeting, with both Wargs and Kings eager to hear what was going on. I scanned as many faces as I could to see people’s reactions. Most people were either neutral or visibly excited about increased protection. Even the Kings’ council seemed interested. The remaining three council members, however, looked stubbornly unimpressed.

When Lance was finished, I took the floor again. “To make it easier for those security changes to happen, I want to introduce the final phase of the pack merger. We will bridge the areas between the packs, which means moving many of the trees thatobscure the paths between the packs. This will make it easier for the pack to expand and take on new territory. An aqueduct will take water from the Kootenai into this new area and Wargs’ territory?—”

“I have something to say,” Wayne announced.

I took a second to steel myself. “Sure.” I gestured to him. “Say whatever you want.”

He used his cane to push himself up to his feet. “I still don’t understand why we all need to be one pack. The Kings have done nothing but hog resources, torture Wargs, and generally make asses of themselves—if you’ll pardon the expression.” He paused to see if he’d gotten a rise out of those present, but I was proud to see that no one took the bait.

“Anyway,” he went on, as if he hadn’t noticed the silence, “I’m not convinced that this effort hasn’t been a waste of time and resources. I’m sure I don’t speak just for myself but for many wolves when I say that these changes will only cause chaos and discord. A true leader wouldn’t overlook the wishes of his own people.”

I almost laughed at his display of open disrespect. It was his last bid for control, his final effort to convince the Wargs to oppose me and bring in someone who would challenge me to be alpha. I opened my mouth to ask if anyone else felt that way, but someone spoke before I could.

“That’s going too far.” It was Aiden. He and the other builders moved through the crowd. “We’ve been able to learn techniques from Wargs and teach them new things, too. There’s a real sense of camaraderie between us, and I truly feel that each building we’ve raised together has been stronger than the last.”

“It’s not just the construction, but our pups have been taking well to it, too.” Iren stepped forward. She helped Mom in the gardens when school was out. I’d forgotten that she and her mate had moved into one of the cabins on Kings territory.