Page 82 of Wolf's Reckoning
I stalked across the dining room, ignoring greetings, nods, and submissive eyes cast down. I didn’t care. My temper was too hot, too sharp, laced with the knowledge that someone had tried to fuck with her—while she was grieving—and tried to exploit that crack in her armor, and thought I’d do nothing.
They were wrong.
She’d been cool and collected when I spoke to her in the kitchen, but the fuse to my anger was already lit.
It was time to remind this pack who they now answered to.
I found Kirk in the shadows outside the pack hall, bruised and sulking, his jaw tight with a resentment he hadn’t earned. He hadn’t shifted to heal his bruise, which meant hewantedpeople to see it. He straightened when he saw me coming, and I knew he was thinking of running.
“I heard you had an opinion,” I said casually as I walked forward, loud enough to be heard by anyone who was listening.
He swallowed hard. “Pack Leader Wolfe?—”
“Don’t,” I snapped. “You don’t get to speak.” I looked him over. “I’m still envisioning ripping your tongue out with my bare hands, so hearing your voice is not in your best interests.”
Kirk’s hands curled at his sides. “She’s not?—”
“I said,don’t,” I cut in. I didn’t take my eyes off him for a long moment until he got the message. He paled, but I wasn’t finished. I looked around, seeing there were a handful of pack scattered around us.
I knew Killian would be rounding up more, but I had no patience to wait.
“I am going to make one thing very clear to you,allof you,” I said, turning slowly to see the pack avidly watching. “Rowen is my wife. She is the wife of yourleader, and as such, she gets the respect thatIget.” I met each stare. “She has fought for this pack. She has bled for this pack. She hassacrificedfor each and every one of you.” I’d turned full circle and was back to looking at Kirk. “What she has done for this pack, you wouldn’t even know,that’show much her life has beenservingBlueridge Hollow.”
I let that settle.
“Alpha Malric was ill and failing for a long time, alongtime,” I reminded them. “Who do you think kept this pack going? Who do you think ensured that this pack wasn’t at the attention of the Pack Council?” I took a breath. “Who doanyof you think was bartering, trading, and buying your stock and supplies for the winter while Malric was bedridden?”
Most heads were down, and I hoped it was because they were hanging their heads in shame. The clearing was filling with more of the pack.
“You think the druid left this pack to make the journey to the human towns to get your fucking food?” My temper was rising again. “You think Malric’s betas were going to be tolerated by nearby packs when they had to scavenge andbegto get you grain for your planting ground?” I snorted with disgust. “Did you see anyone else ready to marry a fucking stranger so your pack could continue?” My temper was flying high. “Tradition states only a male can be a pack leader,” I said, my voice firm, as I tried to contain my anger. “But you fucking idiots have had your leader in front of you for years.” I knew my voice was louder. “Years.”
I let that settle too as more shifters arrived.
“You never needed an alpha or a male,” I reminded them all. “Rowen’s been leading this pack without help, even though every fucking one of you have told her at one time or another that she isn’t good enough, and she’s still been fighting for youallfor alongtime.”
The clearing was deadly silent.
I turned back to Kirk. “She kicked your ass today,” I told him frankly. “And then sheaskedme not to tear your spine from your body for the disrespect you showed her. Sheaskedme not to hurt you.” The scorn in my voice was heavy. “Because let me make one thing very,veryfucking clear to you all. This shit doesn’t fly in my pack. Had you done this at Stonefang Pack, you’d already be dead.” I swept my glare at the ones gathered. “Because members in my packrespecttheir leaders and thefemalesin the pack as much as the males.”
I rolled my head on my shoulders. “You’ve disappointed me. You’ve disrespected me. You disrespected my wife andthis pack.” I let that sit with them. “I am your leader. You don’t like it, challengeme.”
Kirk looked like he was going to faint at the thought of challenging me. I looked him over and dismissed him with a grunt of disgust, but I wasn’t finished.
“I will let you grieve,” I told them all coldly, “out of respect for Alpha Malric. But your mourning period is soon to be over. Tonight, you have a choice to make. You stay? You follow me, and youfollowRowen.” I gestured to where Killian stood. “And you listen to what the fuck my second tells you to. You don’t want to follow, you know what to do.”
Stunned silence met my words. Killian came and stood beside me.
“Wh-what do you mean?” an older shifter said at the back. “You want us to leave?”
“If you don’t like my leadership, then why the fuck would you stay?”
“This is my home,” he spluttered in outrage.
“Yeah?” I nodded as I looked at the others. “Well, now it’s mine.”
A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.
“You don’t even live together!” Kirk shouted, and I thanked Luna for the gift of his stupidity.
