Page 82 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

brYN

Iwoke up the next morning feeling better than I had since, well, ever. Not just since the day that Troy kidnapped me—better than I had felt ever in my entire life. I felt this fullness that I had never known before, a kind of peace that blanketed over me and held me close.

Before, when I closed my eyes, I had no senses beyond what I could immediately see, feel, taste, hear, and smell, but now there was somehow so much more. Every time Night breathed, his arm would brush mine, and even that small touch would send pleasure rippling over me.

Is this what it’s like to have a soulmate?

My wolf answered with a purr. I knew that meant yes.

I sat up in bed, marveling at the ease with which I moved. My wounds were all healed, and it looked like all traces of Night’s wounds had largely disappeared too, aside from a new scar here or there.

Carefully, so as not to wake him, I slipped out of bed and padded over to the mirror. I shifted my hair over my shoulder to cover the Alpha wound, and my hair tingled over the spot where Night bit me. I had to know if it was still there, but I wasn’t ready to look right away.

I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then opened them, flipping my hair off of my neck.

I almost gasped. All I saw on the right side of my neck was the shape of Night’s teeth imprinted there.

There was no trace of an Alpha wound or of the beatings Troy had put me through.

Only Night’s mark, which made me hot all over, remained.

I glanced at the reflection of the bed in the mirror, and watched the rise and fall of Night’s sleeping form.

As lust shot through me, so, too, did my relief.

The relief almost overshadowed my desire to wake him with a few bites to the place where I’d left my own mark on him.

I couldn’t be happier that the Alpha wound was gone.

I had been so afraid that whenever I looked at my shoulder, I would be reminded of the awful things that Tavi and I had gone through.

I sent a quick thanks up to the heavens that I wouldn’t wear the reminder forever, that I was free of any mark from Troy.

“Checking yourself out in the mirror?”

Night’s voice made me jump. I looked at his reflection in the mirror, and saw he had a sexy, sleepy grin on his face.

“I can’t blame you,” he said. “You are incredibly beautiful.”

I giggled. “You don’t have to flirt with me, Night Shepherd. You already have me.”

“True. You’re wearing the mark to prove it.”

I blushed even as I laughed harder. I loved that I would forever bear the mark of his teeth in my skin, that any wolf who looked at me would know that I was his and he was mine.

I went to the bed and sat at the foot of it. “Can we talk about all of the stuff that’s going on?”

“Of course,” he said. “I think there’s a lot to talk about.”

“I know that I’m only going to be Alpha temporarily, but I don’t know what that means for the Wargs or for you.”

He sat up and scooted closer to me so he could reach my back. He ran his fingers up and down my spine, making me shiver. “While you’re busy being a much better Alpha to the Kings than Troy or Gregor could ever be, I’ll be preparing to become Alpha after you.”

I nodded. “Of course you’ll want to be Alpha of both packs. I guess that means you’ll combine them into one.”

“That’s right. It’s the best way to ensure that the war between us stops.”

“That makes sense…but aren’t you worried about integrating them? I mean, the Kings are going to hate that, and I’m sure a lot of Wargs will be resistant, too.”

He shook his head. “Taking over the Kings has always been part of the plan. Integration won’t be easy, but the Wargs know it’s coming. And as for your first question…”

Suddenly, he reached for my hips and pulled me down to the bed with him. I laughed as he pressed me into the sheets and peppered my face with kisses.

“We can try and endear ourselves to the Kings and make integration easier,” he said. “But we won’t be able to account for all of the pushback we’re sure to get from them.”

“I’ll help in whatever ways I can while I’m Alpha.”

“I know you will. But we can talk about that later. For now…let’s focus on us.” He kissed my lips, drawing a deep moan from me, but before we could go further, a sharp knock on the front door of the cabin interrupted us.

Night was out of bed first. I had been worried that we’d have to wear the Redwolfs’ clothes, but there was a duffel bag filled with our stuff.

“Mom thinks of everything,” he said in answer to my wide-eyed surprise.

The knock sounded again as we finished pulling on our clothes. We rushed out of the room and down the steps. Night answered the door, his body tense and ready for anything, but it was just Frankie.

She greeted me with a nod, but when she saw the mark on my neck, she pressed her lips together to hide her grin.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Alpha Night. There were a few of us who had questions about next steps.”

“Of course.” He nodded, all business. “Bryn, you can stay—”

“I’m going with you,” I interrupted.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. It’s a good opportunity to see the state of the compound, and I want to show the Kings that they didn’t just dream what happened last night. I’m their temporary Alpha, and they’ll have to accept that.”

He nodded as he considered my words. “But if you ever feel uncomfortable, we’re heading straight back here, alright?”

“Agreed.”

Outside, the sky was a periwinkle blue. Despite our intimate night, we’d woken up just after the sun started to rise. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh, clear air. It felt like such a luxury after being tied up in a cramped cave for days.

I shook my head to dispel the thought. I didn’t want that darkness on my mind right now.

“You okay?” Night asked, taking my hand.

“I am.” I smiled up at him. “Don’t worry.”

Frankie led us toward the southern side of the compound. It made sense that a lot of the Wargs would be housed there. When I had lived here, the Kings were constructing new cabins in that area.

There were a few Kings out and about, and they stopped to stare at the three of us as we walked by. Their expressions ranged from shock to curiosity to outright disgust. A few people didn’t even pretend that they weren’t glaring at me. I kept my head high, though I felt the burn of their gazes.

“You’re doing great,” Night whispered to me.

His encouragement made me smile. “Thanks, love.”

As we walked through the center of the compound, I was surprised to see the amount of damage that Troy had done to the cabins and buildings there.

There were many that showed fire damage or that looked like they had been ripped apart plank by plank.

I recognized some of the houses as those belonging to lower-ranking wolves in the pack.

It seemed that Troy was starting with the weakest wolves and working his way up the totem pole.

The hand that wasn’t holding Night’s clenched. What a coward.

“I think that’s going to be the first thing on my agenda,” I said, eyeing what looked like half of a charred table lying on the ground. “Reconstruction.”

“I agree,” Night said. “I’m surprised they haven’t started on their own already.”

“Me too.”

“I guess this place is in need of leadership,” Frankie said, glancing at me and Night over her shoulder. “It’s a good thing we’re here to help them pick up the pieces. If they want that from us, I mean.”

He squeezed my hand. “We’ll offer our help as much as is needed,” he said.

I squeezed his hand back. That was his way of telling me that I had the Wargs at my disposal.

I had thought that would be the case, but it was comforting to have him confirm it.

I was sure that we’d have some pushback from the Kings about accepting help from the Wargs, but I hoped that logic and necessity would win over the most stubborn Kings.

When we reached the southern end of the compound, we found that the Wargs had already assembled in front of one of the cabins. Tavi wasn’t with them. I guess I’ll have a chance to catch up with her later on. When she’s ready.

The Wargs grinned as we approached. When they saw my mark, a few of them whistled and clapped. It made my face warm right up, but I was happy to hear their approval.

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Night said, raising his free hand. He was grinning, too. “I’m here to quickly answer your immediate questions, and then Bryn and I are headed back.”

Vince raised his hand. “How long are we going to stay on the compound before heading back home?”

“A couple more days,” Night said. “Then we’ll head back to our compound to check in. Of course, we’ll be back for the Alpha ceremony.”

Redford came next. “What do we do if we get into a conflict with the Kings?”

“You come to me if you can’t squash it,” Night said. “I don’t want any of you fighting the Kings if you can avoid it.”

Vince asked another, “Will you name your first pup after one of us?”

That earned a laugh from all of us and a playful smack from Night.

There weren’t many serious questions after that, so Night and I headed back to the Alpha cabin. I was getting antsy, and all I wanted to do was cuddle Night. It seemed he was just as eager to get back because I had to speed-walk just keep up with his long, quick gait.

The minute we entered the cabin, Night and I returned to the bedroom and immediately got under the covers again.

“Getting up that early was a mistake,” I yawned.

“Let’s never get out of bed again,” he agreed, spooning me. “Deal?”

“Deal.”