Page 47 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

brYN

Iemerged from the unconscious void slowly.

As I did, the words, “strange wolf,” were soft on my tongue.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of green grass, earth, and the freshness of the woods.

I buried my head deeper into the scent, the hard, smooth surface beneath me barely giving way to my snuggling.

I could have stayed burrowed in its warmth forever and never opened my eyes again.

As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized that the hardness beneath me wasn’t an object but a body.

I knew that it was Night’s chest that I was pressed against, just like I’d known in the cave that the midnight black wolf with the blazing green eyes was him.

He had come for me and saved me from certain doom. For the second time.

I could make out voices around me, but the heat emanating from Night’s body made me want to curl up and go back to sleep.

The moment the fight ended, the adrenaline and fear that had kept me going evaporated.

When I’d looked into Night’s eyes, I knew I was safe again, and I’d blacked out.

Now that I was recalling more about what had happened, I realized that the blond, almost-white wolf was likely Dom.

I couldn’t be sure who the wolf with the brassy, coppery coat was, but he had to be pack too.

Dom, Night, and the third wolf must have brought me and the injured wolf out of the cave somehow.

It couldn’t have been an easy process given how tight that tunnel was.

Worry twanged at the back of my mind. Night had been injured in the fray.

I remembered that he had been slammed into the cave wall and that it had taken a lot for him to pick himself up and save me.

But now, he was able to hold me, and my nuzzling into his chest didn’t seem to be hurting him at all.

My worry began to subside, but fresh concern filled its place. What about the injured wolf? Had it survived all of that?

Concern for the wolf forced me out of my warm, sleepy cocoon.

I opened my eyes, but I was still surrounded by darkness.

I must have been under the covers, nestled deep in the crook of his arm.

I shifted to try and prop myself up in Night’s arms. Only, his arm refused to budge an inch as if it was made of iron. He wasn’t going to let me go.

“Night, Bryn’s awake.” It was Violet’s voice.

Night said nothing and refused to move, his arm still strapping me against his side.

“You big brute,” Tavi said. “Let her go so I can hug my best friend.”

Night gave a warning growl in response.

I sighed quietly. I needed to get out of this on my own. I didn’t want to leave the warmth of his bare, sculpted chest, but there was no way I could stay here when I knew that the others were waiting to talk to me.

I tried to wiggle out from under Night’s arm. “I’m up,” I said, my voice muffled by his muscle. “I’m okay. You can let me go now.”

Night still refused to release me. I wiggled a bit more, and the movement started to make things too warm.

Finally, I popped my head out of the covers and turned to take in my surroundings.

We were in Night’s cabin, in his living room.

Night and I were on the couch. I lay across his lap, and my face had been buried between his side and the crook of his arm.

Violet, Tavi, Dom, and Jasper stood around the couch. They had their arms up, and though their expressions were calm, concern was evident in their stiff postures. They looked like they were trying to convince a lion to set down a baby. Like they were dealing with a wild animal.

I looked up and found Night’s lips pulled back in a snarl, his teeth still sharp and wolf-like despite being in his human form. His pupils were dilated to the point that I couldn’t see the green of his irises. They twitched from person to person like he expected them to take me from him.

I wasn’t sure what had happened to put Night in such a state, but I wasn’t afraid of him even though I was literally inches away from those sharp teeth. Listening to the same instinct, which had encouraged me to go into the cave, I freed one of my arms and reached up to touch the side of his face.

The moment my hand touched his cheek, he relaxed, and his hold on me softened. He still held me against him, but less desperately. Slowly, his wolf receded—his teeth returned to normal, and his pupils slowly contracted until they revealed the beautiful green of his eyes.

Those eyes scanned my body, likely looking for injuries, even as he pressed his cheek into my hand, worry written all over his face.

I felt like that look was chipping away at what remained of the walls I’d built to protect my heart.

The way he looked at me, like he cared, like I was someone that mattered, made me want to melt against him.

I knew I shouldn’t feel that way. He and I weren’t even friends—he was my captor, and I was his prisoner.

But I didn’t believe that was all we were anymore.

I knew that something had changed between us, something important.

Suddenly, Night’s gaze slid away, and his face closed off, returning to the stoic mask he always wore. His grip on me loosened further, and I climbed off the couch. The moment I was free of him, he got to his feet and stalked toward the kitchen. He probably wanted to get himself something to drink.

Tavi rushed to me and hugged me almost as tightly as Night had. She was crying, her tears moistening my sweater like they had the night of the bonfire.

“I thought you were dead,” she sobbed. “I thought someone had taken you. I thought you had been injured. I—I thought you were never coming back.” She sniffled, holding me even more tightly. “Why did my best friend have to be human? If you were a wolf, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about you.”

I forced a laugh and patted Tavi on the back. I’d thought the same thing in the cave. If only I were stronger, if only I were a wolf—I would have been able to protect the injured wolf better. I might have even been able to bring him home by myself.

Violet came to my rescue. She pulled Tavi off me so she could fold me into a much softer embrace.

“You did so well,” she whispered. “I’m proud of you, Bryn.”

“I did?” I didn’t understand what she could mean.

Violet pulled back and winked. “You’ve made connections and promises that you’re not even aware of. Yet. But these things will become clearer to you with time.”

“Oh. Uh. Sure.” I gave a confused look to Dom and Jasper over Violet’s shoulder, but they shrugged back. They didn’t understand her words either.

Jasper cleared his throat. “I’m glad to see that you’re okay, Bryn,” he said, pink coloring his cheeks. “I was so worried about you when I saw you in that cave.”

“Oh! You were the third wolf!” I said. “Thanks, Jasper, and thank you, Dom, for saving me.”

Dom grinned back. “You can get lost anytime you want, Bryn. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”

Laughter bubbled through the room, an expression of relief and joy. I was so happy to be back among friends that I almost felt light-headed. But Night’s low growl from the kitchen silenced all of us. He stormed back into the living room, his eyes burning as he made a beeline for me.

“I want everyone out,” he said. “Now.”

The room cleared within seconds. I didn’t move. I knew that he wanted me to stay.

“How dare you wander off?” he raged. His voice was louder than normal, but it wasn’t quite a yell. A man with a voice as deep and as full as Night’s didn’t need to yell to make it clear that he was upset.

“How dare you try to leave, to run from me? From us? It was so stupid of me to give you even an inch of breathing room. The minute I take my eyes off you, you’re deep in the forest in some random cave, making me think you’d run back to the Kings or that you’d been abducted.”

My fists clenched at my sides. I opened my mouth, a retort hot on my tongue, but something about Night’s behavior gave me pause. I realized that his anger wasn’t truly anger. It came from a place of fear. He had been scared for me. He had worried about me.

Alright. I’d let him get it all out before I made any response. I knew this came from his concern for me, but I wouldn’t let him walk over me.

“It was so fucking reckless,” he went on.

He jabbed a finger toward the door, back in the direction of the cave.

“What kind of idiot, what kind of human idiot would try to protect a wolf when she can’t even protect herself?

You should have run away, but you didn’t.

You were this close to losing your life right in front of me, and you… you didn’t even care.”

He stopped, breathing hard. I could almost hear the thunderous pace of his heartbeat.

“I wasn’t wandering off or running away,” I snapped back.

“I thought about trying to leave, but I didn’t, and do you know why?

” I didn’t wait for a response. “Because I have nowhere to go, even if I could run away. I was led to the injured wolf, and I was brave for staying, not reckless. You’re such an asshole, Night.

You piss me off no end!” I glared up at him, stepping closer.

“You think I wasn’t scared? I was fucking terrified in that cave, Night.

I thought my life was over, and that I’d never see anyone again.

But you,” I jabbed her finger at him, “you have saved me twice now, and I am so grateful.”

Tears pushed behind my eyes, but I forced them back.

I wasn’t done with him yet. “I knew I was safe the minute I saw your wolf. I knew I couldn’t leave when you were fighting for my life because what if something happened to you?

What would I have done then? You’re the idiot, Night.

” I jabbed my finger in his chest again, and he actually stepped back.

“An idiot Alpha who can’t even see what’s going on when it’s in front of his face.

I would never leave you behind. I would never leave this pack behind.

This place is my home now, even though it shouldn’t be, and it’s all because of you. ”

In the wake of our explosive argument, I was breathing hard. I glared into Night’s eyes, and he gazed back, his face full of shock, confusion, and something like wonder.

Eventually, I closed my eyes and calmed my breathing before I finally turned away from Night. I headed outside, where the others were waiting for our argument to end. I made my way to Dom, who stood leaning against the outside of Night’s cabin.

“I just want to know, did that wolf survive?” I asked. “The injured one in the cave?”

“Oh, Vince? He’s fine.”

“Vince?” He was the one who’d told Tavi’s story. “I met him at the bonfire a few nights ago. But I had no idea that was him.” I’d had no clue if the wolf was pack or not, but I was happy to find out things had turned out this way.

Dom nodded. “He’s one of our trackers, actually. He went missing a couple of days ago, but I guess now we know where he was all this time.”

I’d heard about the missing wolf, but I hadn’t known that it was Vince who was missing. I wasn’t able to figure it out in the cave when I was so alone and so panicked; all I’d been able to think about was how I could get back to Violet’s cabin.

“He’s recovering at home, and he’ll probably be better tomorrow now that his leg has been set properly.”

I smiled. I was glad that everyone was safe and sound and that none of the injuries suffered were severe. “If you see him before I do, tell him I’m glad we both made it out safe.”

Dom winked.

I looked from his face, to Jasper’s, Tavi’s, and Violet’s.

They all stood nearby, waiting for me. I realized I was surrounded by people who cared about me, and my heart couldn’t have been fuller.

But I was exhausted, and staying at Night’s cabin when there was so much tension between us was not an option. So I started walking home.

“Where—” Night’s voice was tight as he called after me. “Where are you going?”

I glanced back over my shoulder. He stood in the doorway, looking after me with bright, emerald eyes. “Home,” I replied. “I’m fucking exhausted, and I need some sleep.”