Page 89 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

I shook my head. “I think they might see me as weak if I go with Mom.”

“Maybe you could take one of the Wargs with you. I’m sure that Night left one or two here.”

“I don’t know...”

There was some strategy to my hesitance.

Walking around with one of Night’s wolves could give the Kings the impression that I was afraid of them or that I needed a Wargs bodyguard with me wherever I went.

Tyrell might even think I was trying to intimidate him if I showed up like that, and that was not the message I wanted to send.

Then again, I could give the same impression if I brought Night with me. It was difficult to know what to do.

“Do you think Tavi would agree to go with me?” I asked.

“Tavi?” Violet considered. “I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask her, but I might be able to help convince her to head out with you.”

“Okay.” I didn’t know what I’d do if she said no. It suddenly seemed to me like it would be too late if I waited for Night to get back.

We reached Violet’s cabin soon after our conversation, and I went inside with her.

“Wait in the living room,” she said. “I’ll talk to Tavi.”

I nodded. While she went upstairs, I looked around the cabin.

Because this was just a generic cabin for a family to live in, the furniture and walls were standard, unpainted, unstained pinewood, and there were no decorations.

Violet, I knew, preferred more colorful decor, so it was a bit surreal to stand in the home, knowing it didn’t have her preferences or specifications.

The only indication that she was living here at all was the lingering smell of chamomile and lavender tea.

I heard voices murmuring upstairs, followed by a closing door. Violet came down the steps, followed slowly by Tavi, who was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and jeans.

“Violet said you need to speak to someone about construction,” Tavi said to me.

“Um, yeah.” It was hard to gauge how she felt about it. Her face was expressionless. “I didn’t want to go by myself, and I know that you’re pretty good with people. I want to make a good impression on this guy.”

Tavi laughed, but it sounded a little forced. “I don’t know about that, but I can try. Violet says you need the help.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, if you’re willing to come along—”

“I’m ready if you are.” Her smile seemed a bit too bright, too cheery.

Before I could say anything more, Tavi started toward the door. I glanced at Violet, who gave me a sad half-smile. That, too, was hard to gauge.

I rushed to catch up with Tavi, who was already opening the door.

“You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to,” I said. “I know you’re recovering.”

“I know I don’t.” She was still speaking with that strange peppiness. “But I’m always willing to help, Bryn, you know that. It’s what I’m here for.”

I didn’t really understand what she meant, but it bothered me. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure! Don’t worry, Bryn. I’ve got your back!”

“I know you do. I’ve got yours, too.” I looked at her, and felt like there was distance between us where there wasn’t before.

Was she projecting this cheeriness because she felt forced to come with me?

Was she hiding something from me? Or was this all part of her healing process somehow?

I didn’t think I would get a straight answer out of her, but there was no talking her out of coming with me.

Tyrell’s cabin was similar to Violet’s, but his door was painted beet red, and the doorknob was brass instead of gunmetal gray. I heard voices on the other end, and they were all male. I cursed under my breath.

“I think he’s got other people with him,” I said. “I was hoping to catch him alone.”

She hesitated for about half a second, and then the peppy smile came back to her face. “Well, we’re already here, right?” she asked. “Let’s just do it now and get it over with.”

“Are you sure—”

“Yep! Violet said you were hoping to get this done today.”

I frowned, but she was right. I did want to handle this asap. I sighed and turned again to the door. I knocked a few times, and then waited.

I was nervous about speaking to these men, but unlike the Elders, where much of my nervousness came from uncertainty around my new role, my nervousness now came from a fear of being bullied.

Tyrell and whoever was with him with might try to physically intimidate us.

And if that happened, I didn’t know what we’d do.

Tyrell pulled open the door, still joking with someone behind him. “—didn’t know she’d hurt him like that.” When he turned to us, his smile faded, and surprise replaced it.

“Hi, Tyrell,” I said, hoping the expression on my face was neutral but not unfriendly but also not too casual. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”

“Oh. Um. Sure.” He blinked. “A-Alpha Hunter, right?”

“That’s right.” It still felt weird to hear.

“I have company over. Is that going to be a problem?”

I was glad to see that Tyrell didn’t seem to dislike me. Or, if he did, he hid it pretty well. He seemed nervous, too; I could see it in the slight twitch of his cheek before he spoke. He seemed almost as nervous as I felt.

“That’s fine,” I said. “I’ve brought someone along, too.” I gestured to Tavi. “This is Octavia.”

“Hello,” she said brightly.

He nodded to her, and then he led us inside. Unlike the Elders’ cabin or Violet and Tavi’s, Tyrell’s was very obviously lived in. There were clothes and dishes and candy wrappers in random corners of the cabin. It was messy and disorganized, but fortunately, it didn’t smell too bad.

Tyrell led us into his kitchen, where eight other men sat sipping beers. Their conversation stopped as they looked at Tavi and me.

Tyrell introduced each man, pointing to each one as he went around the table. The men said nothing as he did, all of them just staring at us with intense, unwelcoming eyes. At least Samson and Harlon aren’t with them…

“This is Octavia,” I said when Tyrell had finished. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

Silence answered me.

Tavi broke it. “Hey, I know it’s been a little while since you all have had an Alpha, but it’s customary to greet her when she greets you.” Her tone was still bright, but the sarcasm was obvious.

“I don’t see an Alpha here,” one of them, Seth, replied, leering at us. “Just a couple of bitches.”

“A couple of female wolves in your presence, and that’s the best you could come up with?” Tavi laughed, the sharp sound of it almost made me flinch. “Next you’ll be calling us ‘cunts’ or something just as unoriginal.”

He gripped his beer tight, and I knew he was wishing for her death with his eyes. I glanced at Tyrell, but he was watching me. I got the impression that he was waiting for something.

I cleared my throat, hoping to diffuse some of that tension. “I don’t want to interrupt your evening, men, I just came here to talk about how the repairs are going around the compound. How is that going?”

No one responded, not even Tyrell. They did, however, have the presence of mind to avoid eye contact with me. I guess that was an answer in itself.

“Okay, so you haven’t started. When were you planning on doing it?”

Again, there was silence.

“I’ll answer for them,” Tavi said suddenly. “They’d much rather leave their pack in shambles than try and rebuild anything. Picking up a hammer and doing something would just make it more real that they did nothing against Troy.”

I glanced at her, finding a kind of manic edge to her smile and the twinkle in her eye. I got the impression that she was letting off some steam.

“Shut the fuck up,” Seth said. “You don’t know shit.”

“You could try and make me,” she said. “But you know it would start a war.”

At that, the air in the room shifted from one of unfriendliness to one of trepidation and hostility.

“That’s what I thought. You might not know this,” she continued, “but Bryn and I have been through a lot thanks to the previous Alpha, a man who doesn’t even deserve to be named.

A man who attacked his own pack and who actively tried to drag literally everyone down with him.

But I guess logic doesn’t count for much when we’re standing in a room filled with men.

If you sorry assholes can even be called that. ”

Seth’s chair squeaked across the floor as he stood up, his eyes flashing.

A few things happened all at once. Seth stalked toward Tavi, and I stepped in front of her at the same time that she took a step back.

As he approached, Tyrell moved, too. He took Seth’s shoulder and yanked him back to the table.

“Sit, jackass,” he said, shoving him into the chair. “Or are you trying to prove her point?”

Seth looked like he wanted to argue, but with another glare from Tyrell, he stayed quiet.

“I’m sorry, I should have stepped in sooner,” Tyrell told me.

“You should have,” I agreed.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I don’t want apologies, I want answers.

” I looked at the rest of the men, focusing especially on Seth.

“Why are you all acting so coldly toward me? If you’re ashamed to have a woman as your Alpha, it’s only temporary.

If you’re unsure how to start rebuilding the pack lands, then I can get you resources to help you.

But if you’re still loyal to Troy after everything he did to the Kings, then you might as well find a new pack. ”

This third silence was different. The men still refused to meet my gaze, but there was color in some of their cheeks. It read to me like shame.

Tyrell looked at the men at the table and then back to me.

“To be honest, we were going through hell with Troy as our Alpha. We had to stand by and watch while our own men were killed by Troy for any form of disobedience or opposition. The temper tantrums, the paranoia, the public executions…” He visibly shuddered.

“Despite their behavior, there isn’t a man in this room who supports the Redwolfs. We’re glad that they’re gone.”

“Then we have at least that much in common, right?” Tavi said gently. The faux joviality was gone from her voice. And when I looked at her, I found that the manic twinkle in her eye had also dissipated, but now her eyes were dark and haunted

“Right,” Seth said. He didn’t say anything more.

“Like I said, if you need help organizing, let me know. I know Wargs who are familiar with the rebuilding process. They will help if I ask them to.”

“I don’t think we need their help,” another wolf, Buck, said, “We just haven’t started up yet.”

I shook my head. “Repairs should have already started, Buck. I’ll let them know you’re in the market for some assistance when they come back onto the compound. When they come by to help, you can take it or leave it.”

That seemed to be a good place to end our meeting. I nodded goodbye to Tyrell, and Tavi and I moved out of the cabin as quickly as we could without looking like we were running away.

When we were outside, I turned to Tavi, who seemed to be trembling slightly. All trace of her earlier, forced pep had totally vanished. The woman who walked at my side wasn’t the Tavi I had come to know at the Wargs’ compound, but this version was more genuine, and that was a relief.

“Tavi,” I began gently. “Do you…want to talk about what happened back there?”

“I wanted to try being myself again,” she said. “That person who’s ‘good with people.’” She repeated the phrase slowly, like the words didn’t quite make sense to her. “I don’t know if that’s still me.”

“You don’t have to prove who you are, Tavi. Not to me. You’re still my best friend,” I said. “No matter what.”

She looked at me for the first time since we left the cabin. Her expression wasn’t happy, exactly, but it wasn’t sad, either. What I read in her dark eyes was…appreciation, I thought.

“It’s nice to hear you to say that,” she said. “It really is.”