Page 367 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“I’m okay. I keep feeling this tightening in my abdomen. But I think it’s just those Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

“Well, keep an eye on those. If they get longer each time or increase in severity, it means the baby’s coming.”

A thrill shot down my spine at those words. “I’ll pay attention,” I promised. I looked down at my stomach when the baby kicked. “I can’t believe they’re almost here,” I murmured. “And that Night was able to defeat Troy before they came. It’s been days since then, but it still feels like a dream.”

“I imagine it’ll feel like that for a little while. After the baby gets here, it’ll feel like you’re dreaming every time you look at your little one.” Violet grinned. “And while we’re on the subject of babies…”

I moved my head from her shoulder to see that her face had brightened. “Yes!” She clapped her hands.

Night must have sensed the shift in the air when he returned with our tea. “What about babies?” he asked cautiously.

My mother was the first to speak. “Night, Violet and I have finished the nursery in your new cabin.”

I gasped. “You did?” Night and I asked at the same time.

Violet hopped to her feet. She hadn’t looked so vibrant since Troy had given her the alpha wound, the marks of which had faded a lot in the last few weeks. “Come on, you two! Let’s show you all the changes we’ve made.”

A few minutes later, our new home came into sight, and I was already amazed to see all the work that had been done. It’d been weeks since I’d last stopped by, and it had undergone a complete makeover. The outside was painted a gorgeous sea green. The door and windows were trimmed with white. Inside, there were vibrant rugs and knitted tapestries, and the kitchen was a deeper jungle-green shade with brass finishings on the drawers and cabinets. The banisters and floor had been polished to a shine, and the place was filled with natural light.

Upstairs, the nursery had been painted a soft, eggshell white with stars painted in various hues across the walls. The rug was plush and white, like soft fur under our feet. The crib, drawers, and changing table were made from birch, and they, too, had been sealed and polished to a shine. The crib was carved with little figures from fairytales I was familiar with: a rabbit fromAlice in Wonderland, a frog fromPrincess and the Frog, a lion fromThe Wizard of Oz, and so many more.

I was at a loss for words.

“This is wonderful,” Night breathed, in as much awe of the place as I was. “I can’t believe you two did all of this so quickly.”

“We had a lot of help,” Mom replied.

Violet nodded. “Many members of the pack wanted to chip in and make this a reality. Their support was overwhelming. But you know us, we made it work.”

My tears came in earnest then, and I turned to face two of the most important women in my life. I pulled them to me in a tight hug. They smelled like home and comfort and love. I’d missed them hugging me while we focused on getting Troy. Now that he was dead, I vowed to myself to hug them both as often as I could.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I kissed their cheeks between every thanks. I thought I was getting their faces wet with my tears, but then I realized they were also crying when Night pulled all three of us in for a proper group hug.

“You’ve made us so proud, Bryn,” Violet said. “You and Night. We can’t wait to meet your little one.”

Mom nodded along, too emotional to speak.

Night wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead as I wiped tears from my cheeks. “Neither can we.”

After the emotional evening and lovely surprise, Night and I prepared for the pack-wide meeting. We decided the mess hall would be the best place to tell everyone what we planned to do about the ferals. The councils were there to hear us speak, and we gave priority to those whose children had been taken to see us in person. Speakers had been set up while Night and I were gone, which allowed our voices to project beyond the mess hall. That way, those who couldn’t fit in the building would still hear what was being said.

Once everyone had gathered, Night started speaking. “Two days ago, I and a select group of my men, along with the alphas and fighters from the Camas and Garou Packs, met in a cave system a day’s travel from here.”

We were prioritizing the information about the ferals. Most of the pack knew by now that Troy had briefly kidnapped me and Tavi again, but we were fine. We’d answer more questions about that if they wanted later, but right now the focus had to be on those kids. Besides, the full story would be recorded by Violet and Tavi for posterity.

“The ferals were under Troy’s control. They were willing to fight to the death because Troy commanded them to do that. When the fighting started, Troy used them as shields. We’d covered our claws and fur with a paralytic. This drug worked just seconds after entering their bloodstreams, and it prevented them from hurting themselves or us.

“Unfortunately, Troy was prepared to send them all to their deaths to make sure he got what he wanted. They obeyed him up until the moment that Bryn reminded them of who they were. We took advantage of the confusion to turn the tides of the battle. Troy was left defenseless, and we killed him. As soon as he was dead, his power over the ferals ceased, and they stopped fighting us.”

I nodded as Night finished speaking. When I opened my mouth, I paused for a second or two as a contraction arced through me. It wasn’t unbearably bad, but it was far very from pleasant. Doing my best to ignore it, I spoke.

“The Camas and Garou Packs know the cave systems well, and they are helping us watch the ferals for now. Now that Troy’s dead, they are very docile. They do what we tell them, but they seem to be unable or unwilling to communicate with us or shift out of their wolf forms.”

“Keeping them in the caves is only a temporary measure,” Night said. “We’re planning to begin construction on a new tract of land for the third phase of building. The plans are being drafted as we speak, and our own Lance will take the lead on it.”

Lance raised his hand so the crowd knew where he was. He’d jumped at the opportunity to help the ferals. I think it was more than him just wanting to do more for the pack, but because heknew what it was like to be an outsider in your own pack. He wanted to use that experience to help the ferals heal.

“Those are the basics of the situation,” Night finished. “We’re all open to your questions.”