Page 19 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
My wolf snarls at the memory of all those times Father pitted us against each other. “You’ve got a real short memory. Father never handed me a damn thing. I had to fight for every scrap, just like you.”
“Except you came out on top, didn’t you?” Reed takes a step closer, and I can hear gasps from the onlookers. “You always made sure to look like the golden son. Well, guess what, brother? I’m done.”
Kai’s gaze flicks anxiously between Reed and me. She looks ready to jump in again, but isn’t sure whose side to take. Then Jacob emerges from the crowd with a pleased grin spreading across his face. Of course he’s enjoying the spectacle.
“My brothers are at each other’s throats,” Jacob drawls, coming to stand a few paces away. “Ah, it feels like old times.”
“Shut up,” Reed and I growl in near unison, and Jacob lifts his hands in mock surrender.
Kai tries once more to defuse the situation. “Is this how you plan to run a pack? All this energy wasted on who can snarl the loudest?”
Her words land in a hush that settles over the group. Even the band has gone silent. Eyes move between the four of us, the Hunt siblings and the newcomer who’s now mired in our family drama.
Reed doesn’t even look at her. His focus is pinned on me. “You think I’ll let you rule me, Theo? Now that you’ve got a mate, you think I’ll let you become the next alpha of this entire territory, telling me what to do?”
“I don’t give a damn what you want.”
He cracks his neck, a gesture meant to intimidate. “You’re not my alpha. Never will be. Not so long as I can stand.”
A tremor of rage ripples across my shoulders, but Kai steps between us, placing a hand on my chest as if that’s enough to hold me back. My wolf strains, wanting to show Reed who’s in charge, but knowing that to get to him would mean putting a hand on my mate.
“You’re both so stubborn!” Kai shouts before turning to glare at Reed. “Why can’t you handle this without turning it into a battle?”
Reed barks a laugh. “Because that’s the only way it ends in this family. You’ll learn that soon enough, little luna.”
“Don’t call me that,” Kai snaps. “You don’t even acknowledge him as alpha, but you’ll use the title for me?”
“It’s why you came here, isn’t it?” Reed says. “To climb the top wolf’s dick and take the accolades that come with it.”
“I’m here because I don’t have a choice.”
“If that’s true, then that’s exactly why you shouldn’t trust him,” Reed shoots back, jabbing a finger at me. “He doesn’t care about anyone except himself and his ambitions. He’ll use you and then discard you when you’re no longer useful.”
“Watch your mouth,” I snarl, puffing out my chest with the need to defend myself.
“Or what?” Reed demands, taking another step closer. “You’ll run me through with your big, bad alpha teeth? You know I’m not scared of you, Theo. I never have been.”
We’re close to blows now, so close I can smell his anger. The crowd backs away even more, forming a ring as if they’re expecting blood to be shed at any second.
Jacob steps forward, playing the peacemaker even though I know he’s loving the hell out of this. “Now, now, Reed. Let’s not ruin the party. I went through all the trouble of setting this up.”
“Shut it,” Reed growls, casting Jacob a glare that would slice lesser men in half. But the tension between him and me is what’s about to boil over.
Kai places her other hand on Reed’s shoulder like she’s trying to keep him from lunging. “Stop. Both of you.”
He shrugs her off, never once looking away from me. “Get out of my way, or you’ll regret it.”
And then, my restraint snaps. He just threatened my mate in front of everyone, and if he thinks he’s going to get away with it, he’s got another thing coming.
Taking a step forward, I close the gap until Reed and I are almost nose-to-nose. His breath is ragged. Mine is just as erratic, and I can sense the next move teetering on the edge of violence.
“You think you can challenge me?” I grind out.
Reed sneers, and his lips peel back. “I think I can tear you apart. And after that, I’m going after Jacob for good measure.”
Chapter 7 - Kai
I realize I’m seconds from watching a brawl the moment Reed steps toward Theo, tension radiating from both men. I’m stuck between letting them knock each other silly or doing something to prevent a scene nobody here deserves. Around us, pack members gape. A few kids hover in the corners, and their eyes are huge. I don’t claim to have a maternal bone in my body, but even I know these little ones should be safe, not watching two alphas-in-waiting lose their minds.
