Page 33 of Fated to the Rogue

“Alpha Zephyr Wyndham wins the challenge. Aside from keeping his pack and title, he also earns the right to claim Silent Rivers,” Laelius announced, causing the crowd to go wild.

Too weak to remain in wolf form, Ryder was forced to shift back into his human form. He stayed on the ground though, pressing both hands to his injury in a very ineffective attemptto stop the bleeding as he moaned in pain. After finishing what she had come out to do, Dawn offered me back control. As soon as my transformation was over, Elder Laelius offered me a traditional green robe before stepping closer to the loser.

“Ryder, you will be stripped of your title. Your destiny is now in Alpha Zephyr’s hands,” the old man turned to me again.

I didn’t even blink. “Since I’m a merciful Alpha, I’ll let you live to regret your terrible mistake for the rest of your days,” I declared, holding my head high as I glanced at the fallen bastard. “In the meantime, you can tell everyone about how powerful Alpha Zephyr’s wolf is.” Feeling my people’s gaze on me, I turned to them. “You hear me, Wind Howlers? You’ve just witnessed what my counterpart is capable of. Her name is Dawn, and you are to respect her as much as you do me!”

“Yes, Alpha!” the crowd replied in unison.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ryder’s father shaking with anger. Disgust was written all over his face as he stared at his son lying pathetically on the ground. He had probably been the one to instruct the young Alpha to challenge me, but there was nothing either of them could do now; I had defeated Ryder in fair combat.

“Idefeated him,” Dawn gladly pointed out.“Younearly killed us both.”

“Sorry about that.” I flashed her a sheepish smile. The next second, a question popped up in my head.“Where did you learn to fight like that? I never let you out during training to spar with the other wolves.”

“It’s instinct. I’m an Alpha, just like you are; I will fight tooth and nail to defend what’s mine.”

I was still absorbing her answer when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I found Malin standing right behind me, his arm around his mate’s waist. Both of them were wearing radiant smiles.

“Good job, man. I knew you could do it.”

I nodded at him, glancing at Amaya soon after. “Thank you for the encouragement.”

“Your wolf deserved a vote of confidence. I’m glad you let her prove her strength.” She returned the gesture.

“We should celebrate…” my best friend continued, but he made a brief pause as his eyes fell on my chest, where the green had been stained by a growing pool of crimson. “After you get checked by the pack doctor.” He frowned. I rolled my eyes, but I knew there was no arguing with him.

???

“Everything seems to be in order, Alpha Zephyr,” Dr. Peter reassured me once he finished wrapping my entire torso in bandages.

The medical staff had been slightly alarmed upon my arrival, but it seemed my injuries appeared to be worse than they were in reality. Although Ryder’s claws had cut deep into my skin, a few stitches and some antibiotic cream were enough to get the job done. According to the doctor, there was nothing I should be worried about. Still, I’d have to stay away from training for two days to prevent my wounds from opening again. If I managed to have a speedy recovery, which was very likely, it wouldn’t even leave a scar.

“Thank you.” I nodded at him as I carefully put on a plain t-shirt one of the Omegas had kindly fetched for me.

“You don’t need to thank me for doing my job,” he promptly replied. “If you’ll excuse me, Alpha, I must check on another patient.”

“Of course.”

The man bowed his head at me before turning around. As soon as he opened the door, he was surprised to find someone else standing on the other side - more precisely, my father. The former Alpha’s eyes darted at me, and even as he greeted the pack doctor, we never broke eye contact. His unexpected presence was confusing enough, but what shocked me the most was his expression; it was full of emotion.

Full ofguilt.

Once the doctor left, closing the door, utter silence filled the room. My old man kept staring at me for long seconds before a heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he finally approached me.

“Congratulations on defeating your first challenger, son.” He flashed me a small smile. “Your she-wolf,” he started hesitantly. “Dawn,” he corrected. “Dawn is stronger than you thought. Stronger thanIthought.” There it was - the reason for the look of remorse on his face.

“Yeah…seems like it.” My words came out slowly as I tried to make sense of the situation. I didn’t need to rack my brain for long though.

“I’m sorry, Zephyr. It’s my fault. I…I’m the reason why you started losing your confidence.” He lowered his gaze in shame.

“What? No, Dad…” I shook my head. “It has nothing to do with you.”

“Yes, it does. After your First Shift Ceremony…you needed my support, and I wasn’t there for you.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he prevented me from speaking by continuing, “I taught you that an Alpha must be scared of nothing, yet I projected my own fears onto you. I should’ve known better than to doubt your counterpart’s strength. I should’ve known better than to think you’d break in the face of adversity.”

Once again, my lips parted, but I couldn’t form sentences. My father and I had always been close, but whereas my mother spoiled me rotten and showered me with love, he raised mewith a firm hand. To make sure I learned that a great leader must never let on his emotions, he never let me see his. For the first time ever, he was opening up. He was letting his heart talk instead of his brain.

“I told you that powerful Alphas have to face their demons head on, but you don’t have to do it alone.” He placed both hands on my shoulders, lowering his head to look straight into my eyes as I sat on the hospital bed. “I made a mistake; one that will never repeat itself. I want you to know you can count on me, for whatever you need. You can always talk to me.”

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