Page 42 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“You cold?” Jasper asked, pulling me close to him. “I can lend you some heat.”

My face warmed because I’d been caught, but I kept my head down. “Oh. Thanks, Jasper.”

“Anytime. And you know,” he leaned close to whisper near my ear, “I’m going to make the core hunting team soon.”

Before I could congratulate him, I spotted a small wooden sign embedded in the ground, with the word “Library” carefully painted on it in black letters.

Without thinking, I slipped out from under Jasper’s arm so I could run into the single-story, wooden building.

It wasn’t extravagant, but books lined the wooden shelves that were built into the walls.

In the back was a reading nook—a few handmade chairs with worn cushions sat beneath a window.

I clasped my hands together and held them against my chest as I took in the space. The building smelled like the pages of a well-loved book, and it gave me an immediate feeling of comfort.

Tavi and Jasper walked in after me, and I turned to them with wide, shining eyes. “This place is amazing!” I exclaimed. “There are so many books here that I’ve never even heard of.”

“I was hoping you’d see the library,” Tavi said. “I’ve been wanting to bring you here ever since you asked Preston for a book from Colville.”

I grinned. “Can we stay here for a little while?” I asked. “I know you’ve got more places to show me on the tour, but—”

“Of course we can! This was the real point of the tour anyway, so spend as much time here as you like.”

I whooped with joy and grabbed the first book that caught my eye.

The next few hours went by quickly as I took my time browsing and skimming the books.

Jasper and Tavi talked quietly to each other as they watched me with smiles on their faces.

I wanted to take all of the books home, but knew that I wouldn’t be able to take the entire library with me!

At the Kings' pack, the library wasn’t well stocked or interesting. Most of the texts there were historical in nature or were just storage of extra books that the schoolhouse didn’t need. What few novels it had, I’d read multiple times over already.

Finally, I narrowed the books down to around ten that I wanted to read now, each of a different genre. “Could I check these out?” I asked, a bit embarrassed by my obsession now.

Tavi nodded. “There’s a book here where you write down what you’ve got.”

The book in question was large, and the pages were blank.

Tavi explained that I needed to write down my name and the titles that I was borrowing.

I set the stack down on the table and carefully wrote out the information.

I grew more and more excited to read each book as I jotted down their titles. When I was finished, Tavi took the pen.

“Try to remember your page number,” Tavi said, tapping the bottom right corner of the book. “When you return the book, just put a little checkmark or cross next to it.”

“Gotcha.” I watched as Tavi wrote down the page number on the back of my hand.

“I need to start working soon,” Jasper said, glancing out of the window at the darkening sky.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “Did I take up too much of your time?”

“Not at all.” He gave me a shy grin. “I’m glad I spent the day with you.”

I smiled back. His words were so sweet, but I wished I were hearing them from a different man.

“I have plenty of time to walk you back to Violet’s,” he said. “I’ll even carry your books for you.” He easily lifted them with one arm.

“What a gentleman.” I giggled. “Thanks, Jasper.”

The sky went from azure to a deep cobalt as we reached Violet’s cabin. As the three of us walked up the steps, the door opened. To our surprise, Night stood in the doorway looking down at us.

His gaze landed on me first, almost in greeting, before shifting to Jasper.

Jasper was holding my books in one arm, and the other was draped over my shoulders.

Night’s nostrils flared, a low rumble leaving his chest. Jasper stiffened and quickly removed his arm from me.

I tried to suppress another shiver. That deep growl should not have been such a turn-on.

“Night, it’s good to see you,” Tavi said.

If she noticed the exchange between Night and Jasper, she didn’t seem bothered by it.

“We showed Bryn like half of the compound so she knows which areas are safe for her to go. We even went to the library, which I guess explains why Jasper’s got so many books. ”

As she went on, Jasper shifted from foot to foot, his gaze glued to the deck. All the while, Night continued to stare him down.

Finally, Jasper burst out, “I should get ready for work!” He handed the books to Tavi, who fumbled with them.

“Bye, Bryn.” He leaned in, as if to kiss my cheek, but Night’s eyes flashed green, and Jasper immediately backed away from the deck with a small whimper.

He gave a quick, awkward bow and sprinted back the way we’d come.

“Oh, weird,” Tavi said. The confusion on her face mirrored mine. “I guess he had somewhere to be?”

“Guess so,” Night said, walking past us. “I’ve got a meeting to go to.”

I whirled on him as he stepped off the porch. “Do you always have to be such an ass?” I demanded.

I had expected him to keep walking and either ignore me or give me some sort of snarky retort over his shoulder. But to my surprise, he paused with a sigh and turned around.

Tavi and I watched as he walked up to me. I didn’t back down or look away. I stood still even when he stopped a couple of feet in front of me.

“You know, I’m not really an ass,” he said, his voice calm and perhaps a bit tired. “I’m actually a pretty decent guy.”

“Oh really?” I crossed my arms. “I’ve never seen that guy.”

He gazed into my eyes, his expression unreadable. “That’s right,” he said. “You haven’t.” He backed away from me and turned, walking in the same direction as Jasper.

I stood on the porch with my arms still crossed, the indignation quickly evaporating from my body. I felt like I’d somehow lost in that exchange, but rather than feel bested by Night, all I wanted to do was learn more about him.

Later that same evening, I was cleaning up the table after Violet and I had shared a few sandwiches for dinner.

“Bryn, are you alright?” she asked. “You were quiet at dinner.”

“Oh, yeah, my head is just…full, I guess.”

She frowned. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I smiled and shook my head. “Not right now, thanks.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I think I just need to sort out my thoughts.”

“Alright, well, I’ll be in my room if you need me.” She passed by and rested a hand on my shoulder before continuing up the steps.

Now that I was alone, I began to wash the dishes.

As I plunged my hands into the warm, soapy water, I tried to deal with all the fullness in my brain.

Part of the issue, I knew, was that I was still reeling from the afternoon.

Spending time with both Jasper and Tavi had been lovely, but it was good timing that I’d seen the library when I had.

I had always wanted friends, but having to be “on” while working in the mess hall and then around Tavi and Jasper had started to exhaust me after an hour or so.

I needed that library time to recharge and think.

After that confusing interaction with Night, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the way my life had gone.

Just a week earlier, I had been spitting fire and ready to run barefoot through the trees and underbrush while being chased by Wargs if it meant a chance at freedom.

But now, I didn’t feel the same pull to escape.

I felt closer to the Wargs than I ever had to the Kings—to the point that when I’d heard about the wolf who had lost her life the night before, I felt some of that loss too.

I didn’t really know the wolf who’d died, but I understood that she was one more addition to the growing tally of bodies that the Kings were assembling.

I hated how senseless and cruel the killing was.

Violet had shown me nothing but kindness and love, Tavi had become my best friend, and I even felt close to Jasper in the short time that I’d known him. Dom, too, was someone I had stopped looking at as a jailer and more like a friend.

As I finished up the dishes, I started to wipe down the table.

The Wargs pack had, without hesitation, accepted me for who I was, even though I was human.

I felt that the bond I shared with them was something special and precious, something that couldn’t be put into words.

I was happy that I had known these people—that I had made friends.

Though I missed my mom, it was impossible for me to imagine life without the Wargs I’d grown to care for.

And then there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” I called, finishing up the table. I suspected that I was about to see Dom. He came around often to have tea with me and Violet (though I knew he was there to check in on me), but when I turned to the door, it was Night who stepped inside.

“Oh.” I straightened in surprise. Butterflies filled my stomach at seeing him again so unexpectedly, but I tried to calm them down. He was probably still mad at me for the way I’d snapped at him earlier.

“Violet’s already gone to bed,” I said carefully. “Do you want me to see if she’s awake?”

“No. I came to speak to you.”

“Oh,” I said again, feeling dumb. “I…do you want to sit down at the table?”

He nodded, silently taking a seat. I sat across from him, my hands in my lap.

“Sorry that the table’s wet,” I said. “I just wiped it down.”

“That’s fine.”

I pressed my lips together and wiped my hands over my jeans. Why isn’t he saying anything? I squirmed, desperately looking anywhere but directly at his handsome, stoic face. The seconds dripped by in silence, and I was too frazzled to take it anymore.

“Do you want something to drink?” I asked, popping out of my seat. “I can get you some tea or coffee or—or water?”

“No, I don’t need anything,” he said. “Please, sit.”

I sat and tried to pretend the awkward silence wasn’t so awkward.

“Tell me about your pack,” he said finally. “And about Redwolf.”

I looked up at him then, my eyes slightly narrowed. Though I hated what the Kings had done to the Wargs, I couldn’t help but think of my mom and the pups. Would Night hurt someone innocent just to get back at the Kings for the loss of one of his wolves?

I don’t know what Night saw on my face, but he quickly held up his hands. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt anyone you care about,” he said, “I just want information. I’m planning to face Troy soon, and I want to learn everything I can to prepare.”

I relaxed a bit. “Why would you come to me?”

“Because I know you hate Troy about as much as I do, and you grew up with him, so you would have the best intel.”

“Aren’t you worried that I’ll lie to you?”

“Yes,” he said. “I know you don’t trust me. I can see you lying to protect your mother even after I’ve told you that I won’t hurt her. But,” he sighed, “I’m running out of options.”

I paused, considering his words. His logic made sense, but he was wrong about one thing.

Though he was technically still my captor, I didn’t distrust him nearly as much as I had when I first arrived on the Wargs’ compound.

If anything, I was wary of him, but I didn’t feel like I needed to watch my back whenever I was nearby.

“Okay, I’ll tell you about them. Where should I start?”

“Redwolf first.”

I nodded. “Troy has always been awful, even when he was a kid. He bullied me severely, but he bullied anyone who got in his way. He knew that because he was the Alpha’s son, he didn’t need to answer to anyone, so he exerted his influence wherever he could.

” I played with my hands, losing myself in those memories.

“His need for violence goes deep, and he’s hotheaded too.

He can’t stand to be the butt of anyone’s joke, even as a tease. ”

“What about his inner circle?”

“He’s got about two dozen men around him most of the time.

They’re all just as bad-tempered and mean as he is, but most of them are idiots.

They all treat the women of the pack terribly and live for nothing but food, sex, and whatever high they can find around the territory.

” I paused, considering what I’d seen of the pack and the things I’d overheard.

“I don’t think most of the Kings really like Troy’s posse, but it’s much easier to go along with them than it is to face their wrath. ”

Night cursed under his breath. “How did you survive in an environment like that?”

“My mother is the only reason I’m alive today,” I said.

“I think you know that she saved me as a baby. But more than that, she maintained some clout in the pack because she manned the gardens. Alpha Gregor knew that if he banished me or killed me, he would lose out on my mom’s skills.

Troy was forced to play along while his father was alive, but now…

well, you saw what he did to me the moment he had the chance. ”

Night listened, and I read sadness in his eyes when I talked about what I’d been through. I glanced away, my cheeks warming. I hadn’t expected this level of intimacy.

“Do you want to see Troy taken down?”

I didn’t have to think about it. “Yes. Without a doubt. I would have killed him myself if I had an opening.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it wasn’t a frown either. “I believe you.”

My heart pounded against my ribcage. How could he make me so weak by saying only a few words?

I went on to describe a bit more about the men in Troy’s inner circle, and when I was finished, Night stood.

“Thanks for the information,” he said. “It’s been helpful.”

“You’re welcome.” Suddenly, I wanted to thank him for rescuing me from Troy, but the words stuck in my throat.

The urge was like a tug in my chest, one I couldn’t make go away.

But I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t know how he would take a thank you after so many days of arguments.

I didn’t want to ruin the first real conversation we’d had that didn’t end with a fight.

I walked him to the door and waved as he walked away.

My heart was still beating erratically in my chest. Troy was the only thing that we had talked about, but something about our evening left me feeling more confused about my emotions—especially regarding my captor, who now seemed less like a captor and more, perhaps, like a friend?