Page 338 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“They were part of the army, yes. I’m sorry. I’m not sure how many of them are alive after ten years of being ferals, but we’ve let our hunters know that Troy has been using them as part ofthe army. Of course, we want to prevent as much bloodshed as we can.”

The parents gathered before me started to cry, a mixture of rage and suffering in their keening sobs. Some shifted and dashed into the forest, probably to release the rage they felt. They were rightfully beyond upset. All I could do was be there for them.

As Tavi and I offered our support to the parents, Gladys walked up to me.

“What will happen to them now?” Gladys asked, silent tears tracking down her cheeks. “Can they be saved?”

I reached for her face before I could think better of it. But she didn’t flinch away as I wiped the tears from her soft cheeks that were withered with age.

“Looking through Samuel’s memories seemed to help him a great deal, and I’m hopeful that doing the same for these kids will help. But I can’t promise the impossible. All I can do is assure you that I will do what I can as a descendant of the pack mothers.”

She nodded, sniffed, then hugged me. I embraced her as tightly as I could.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you anything more concrete,” I said.

“No, we should all be thanking you,” Gladys said. “You followed through on your promise.”

“My promise?”

“To find our babies. Most of us had already given up, but you’ve given us something to hope for. Before you and Alpha Night, hope was in very short supply.”

I smiled.

When we separated, she wiped the tears from her face with her sleeves. “Could you promise me one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“No matter what happens, make Troy pay for what he did to our babies.”

My smile thinned to a determined scowl. “There’s no forgiving what he’s done. We’re heading out soon to try and find the location from Samuel’s memories. We believe that is where Troy is.”

She nodded. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we look forward to what you find.”

An hour or so after, the families started to head home or into the forest to decompress. Tavi and I, free from our burden, went to the alpha cabin to wait for Dom and Night. After such an emotional morning, neither of us had the energy to do much of anything.

“I’m glad that the others know we’ve made progress,” I said as we walked. “I hope my plan to help those kids works.”

“I’m confident it will,” Tavi told me. “I think Samuel is living proof of that. And...I am, too.”

My walking slowed as she said that, and she glanced back at me, grinning the way she used to grin.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “All the progress you’ve made was you, Tavi. Night, Dom, and I, we were all just along for the ride.”

“No, no. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without you. You listened to me, never judged me. All you’ve done is supportme and encourage me to heal. And now…I feel so much better, so much more confident.”

“Oh, Tavi, that’s beautiful.” I couldn’t stop the tears that slipped from my eyes. “You’re such a blessing in my life, but here you’re praising me for what I’ve done for you? Without you, Night and I wouldn’t have been able to unify the packs or help Samuel through his trauma. You’re the one who’s been so supportive and helpful. I can’t imagine my life without you by my side.”

We went for a hug at the same moment, both of us needing to feel the other’s strength.

“If Dom were here,” she said as we separated, “he’d be thanking you, too.”

“Oh, yeah?” I grinned. “I’m glad to hear that things are going so well for you two.”

“Things are goinggreat. We’re actually going to be moving in together soon.”

I squealed. “No way! Oh, Tavi, I’m so happy for you both!”

She giggled. “It was a long time coming, but he was the one dragging his feet. He didn’t want to push me into doing anything I wasn’t ready for, so I had to keep bringing it up! We’ve already found a cabin we like. And, it’s pretty close to the one that you and Night chose.”