Page 76 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

brYN

Ibraced myself for another session of Troy’s tantrums, but the person I saw walking down the steps was…Dom! My heartbeat quickened as he reached the landing. If Dom was here, that meant Night couldn’t be far away.

He cursed, seeing the state I was in, and crossed the room in just a few quick steps. “Hold still,” he whispered, undoing the straps that kept the muzzle on my face. He removed it in just a few seconds, throwing it across the room like it was a venomous snake.

“Dom, it’s so good to see you,” I said, tears immediately filling my eyes.

“It’s good to see you, too.” He gently touched my chin, and I nearly let those tears fall. It was the first time in so long that I’d been touched in a way that wasn’t meant to hurt me. “Where’s Tavi?”

I inclined my head to the door on my right. “They took her into the room behind that door. We’ve been separated for days.”

Dom stared at the door like it held the path to his future, but he stayed with me.

I wasn’t sure what was keeping him here when he so obviously wanted to look for Tavi until it hit me.

I was his Alpha’s mate. He’d probably assured Night that I would be his priority.

I would have laughed if I had the energy to do it.

“Go get Tavi,” I said.

His eyes, glowing amber in the darkness, flashed to mine. In them, I saw uncertainty. A question. Upstairs, I heard other people walking around. Given the quiet, gentle nature of their steps, I assumed they were more Wargs. That made me even more sure that I’d be okay while he went for Tavi.

I nodded, smiling with as much warmth as I could muster. “The others will help me out of here. Just go and get your girl.”

He seemed surprised at first that I had seen through his worry, but then he shook his head with a chuckle.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll get her.” Before he left, he stood to his feet and gave a sharp whistle.

Four Wargs immediately came down the steps.

“Frankie, I want you and two more to help Bryn out,” he said. “The rest I want with me.”

The group nodded before separating. I closed my eyes as the three crouched around me.

A couple of them had brought garrotes to get through the chains.

They held my limbs still as they ran the metal back and forth rapidly over the cuffs.

With their shifter’s quickness, I was free—finally, gloriously free!

—in just a few short minutes. They tried to help me to my feet, but I was so weak, I needed to lean against one of them for support.

“I don’t suppose any of you brought a portable shower with you, too?” I asked.

They laughed. “We brought everything but that, it seems,” one of them responded, the female wolf whom Dom had called Frankie. “But don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here safe and sound, Bryn.”

“I know you will. Thank you.”

They took me upstairs, and out the front door.

The first taste of night wind after a week of dampness and stagnant air was so sweet that I, again, almost cried.

I was finally free, and I felt so much safer, even though I was still on Kings pack lands.

Against the side of the cabin was a pile of Kings wolves lying still.

I avoided looking at them too long, unsure how I felt about their deaths.

I glanced behind me to get a better look at the cabin, and realized that I’d seen it before, though I’d never been inside it.

It was on the outskirts of the Kings’ territory and had once been the cabin that the Elders lived in.

Now, its white paint had faded and weathered with age, and the building lacked upkeep.

The wolves helped me to a rock, at which point a man with ash-blond hair that grayed at the temples, a kind smile, and a lithe, muscular frame approached me. “I’m Dr. Damon Stan,” he said, crouching in front of me. “I don’t think we’ve ever formally met.”

“No, not formally.” I tried to smile at him. “It’s a relief to see you, doctor.”

“Call me Dr. Stan, or Doc. Now, I imagine you’d much rather me treat you than exchange pleasantries. Where is your pain at its worst?”

“My neck.”

He reached in the satchel he brought with him and pulled on a pair of gloves. He then gently positioned my head to the side so he could see it. He clicked his tongue, and then reached into his satchel again.

“That’s an Alpha wound,” he said. “It’ll take a long time to heal, but it’ll heal a hell of a lot faster when Night claims you.”

I blushed. “Y-you know that he hasn’t?”

He nodded, not at all perturbed that we were talking about such intimate matters. He was entirely focused on my wound as he dressed me with bandages and cleaning wipes. “He told me himself.”

“Did he say why he waited so long?”

He chuckled. “I think that’s a conversation you’ll want to have with him yourself.”

I perked up. “So, he’s somewhere nearby then? Where is he?”

“Ah, well, he’s working as a distraction so we can get you and Tavi out.”

That response was frustratingly vague, but it was enough that I could start putting together the missing pieces myself.

“Wait, are you saying that he’s fighting Troy right now?

” My relief at being rescued paled in comparison to the dread and worry I felt for Night.

“No! Troy wants to fight him while he’s weak, so he’ll have a better chance at killing him.

We need to get Night away from him right now. ”

The doctor finished wrapping my neck and began to bandage the worst of the scratches on my arms and legs. The glance he gave me was sympathetic. “I know you want to go to him, and I know you’re worried, but he gave us strict orders to get you and Tavi safely back to our territory.”

“No, you’re not listening,” I said. “Doc, Night might be too weak to win against Troy. If we don’t do something, he could die.”

“I understand, Bryn. I don’t want you to think I’m minimizing your worry, because you have every right to be feeling this way.

Especially after the hell you’ve been through.

” He made quick work dressing the relatively minor wounds, and finally met my gaze.

“We have to trust in Alpha Night and do as he says. He knows what he’s doing. ”

I shook my head and cast a desperate eye around me for any Wargs who might have overheard.

Unfortunately, the wolves I saw were all focused on their tasks.

They were carrying out Night’s orders perfectly.

Their obedience was admirable in many ways, and it was evidence of how well Night had trained them, but it also meant that none of them would help me save his life.

Frustration burned in my gut almost as much as the Alpha wound burned on my neck.

The Wargs wouldn’t listen to me. I knew that Night was much, much stronger than me, that he had more experience and power that I wasn’t aware of.

But if I did nothing, I knew he would die fighting Troy in his weakened state.

I have to get to Night myself to make sure he isn’t killed. No one else can go against his orders.

Dr. Stan looked at something behind me, and quickly stood.

I followed his gaze, and gasped. Dom had emerged from the cabin with Tavi in his arms. It was the first time I’d seen her since we’d been separated, and Tavi had obviously suffered a lot since then.

There was more blood on her clothes, and her arm dangled limply, likely broken.

Where the collar had been around her neck, the skin had become almost black with bruises.

“Oh, Tavi.” I couldn’t have stopped the stinging tears even if I wanted to.

Dr. Stan reached out to touch Tavi, but a sharp growl from Dom made him back up a couple steps. The beta’s eyes blazed with danger and fury even as he cradled Tavi in his arms. There was a pause as the wolves nearby glanced between Dom and the doctor.

“Sorry, Doc,” he said, relaxing. “Let me give the signal.” He gave a whistle, loud and aimed up at the sky. It spread through the forest, sending nearby birds into flight. After a couple of seconds, it ended abruptly.

“Doc,” he said, “is Bryn good to move? I think Octavia needs a real hospital bed.”

“She’s injured, of course,” the doctor replied carefully, “but as long as we’ve got wolves assisting her, we can start heading out. The sooner, the better.”

“Good.” Dom whistled again, and the dozen or so wolves that he’d brought with him began to form up.

When everyone was accounted for, we started to leave. I was leaning against another wolf for support as we moved. My worry for Night still gnawed at me, and I turned to Dom for more details on Night’s whereabouts.

“Is Night challenging Troy right now?”

It took Dom a few seconds to respond. He still carried Tavi in his arms, and he was staring resolutely forward rather than down at her. I thought it might be because seeing her so broken would send him into a rage.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We need to get back to our pack where you and Tavi will be safe.”

My eyes narrowed slightly. “But who will keep Night safe?”

He didn’t have an answer, but the slight tightening of his jaw told me that this decision was eating at him, too.

I closed my eyes as burning frustration mounted inside me.

I knew it was unfair for me to be so upset with Dom or with any of the Wargs.

They were only carrying out Night’s orders.

But I loved Night more than anyone, more than my own life, and the thought of losing him was too much to bear.

As if Dom knew what I was thinking, he sent a sharp look my way. It wasn’t quite a glare, but it was almost stern enough to be one.

“Night wants you and Tavi home, Bryn. Not on the front lines. Both you and Tavi are so injured, you can barely walk. Going into the Kings’ den would be suicide in your current state.

” He looked forward again. “I made a promise to Night, Bryn, and as much as it fucking hurts to be in this position, I plan on keeping it.”

That was that. It would be a waste of breath for me to try to convince Dom to go against Night. I’d sooner convince a tree to lie down or a brick wall to move.

So, I’d go along with them for now. I’d let them think that I was going with the plan instead of thinking of ways I might be able to slip away.

A few minutes later, the Wargs were still walking.

I was grateful for the wolf holding me upright because I was able to look behind me and see that Tavi had finally opened her eyes.

Unfortunately, she had yet to say a word or even make a sound.

She didn’t complain about being held, didn’t moan about the aches and pains of her body—she just remained quiet in Dom’s arms with her head leaning on his shoulder.

She stared at the trees without seeing them.

She was alive, but this listless version of her scared me.

Soon, the group stopped so I could rest. I sat on a fallen tree and breathed deeply.

I watched Dom sit on a rock with Tavi still in his arms. Now that she was awake, he seemed more willing to let the doctor check her out.

I could see Dom’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

I tore my eyes away so I could watch the wolves around me.

They were fanning out, making sure that the area remained safe for our break.

I’d tried to come up with a plan of escape as we walked, but I had very little to go on.

In lieu of any real steps that would take me to Night, I had a burning desire to just start running and hope that I reached him in time.

I had no idea what I would do when I found Night, but I had a feeling I would know once I saw him. I just needed to get there.

I chalked this confidence up to desperation, but I was grateful for it. It was better than worrying and crying. I was going to try to help Night in whatever way I could, even if that meant we died together.

Dying with him sounds so much better than living a life without him. My wolf snuffed in agreement.

So, when I felt sure that the others were too busy either scouting the area or checking on Tavi to pay me any attention, I got to my feet.

I wobbled unsteadily at first, but then strength I hadn’t known I had coursed through me.

I took off at a staggering, unsteady run into the trees.

After a couple of yards, my wolf pushed at me to shift, and I allowed it.

My wolf body was much more coordinated, much faster, and was able to pick out Night’s scent on the wind.

I knew that Dom and the rest of the wolves would be pissed at me, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to my mate, and I wasn’t going to let negligible things like pain or guilt get in my way.