Page 109 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
The room was silent. That was the real issue. I knew that my plans weren’t as thorough or as well thought out as they normally were, but with only twenty-four hours, this was the best I or anyone else could come up with. I didn’t want to die, and Idefinitelydidn’t want to lose a fight to a prick like Troy, but my plan required endurance and strength—two things I had in short supply. Putting on a show for the crowd and letting Troy think he was winning would likely sap what little power I had left. I’d have to be an idiot to think that I might survive the fight.
“So, then,” I said, “with that settled, I want word sent to Troy that we are accepting the challenge. While that’s happening, I want trackers to start scenting for Bryn and Tavi around the cave. Focus not on their scents, but on Troy’s. That should lead us right to the girls.”
“I’ll oversee that myself,” Dom said. “When they have the location, I’ll tell them to hold.”
“Good. The only thing we’ve got working in our favor is Troy’s arrogance. He’ll want everyone in his pack watching the challenge take place; that means there will be fewer wolves paying attention to what’s going on outside the ring, and there will be a minimum of guards keeping watch over Bryn and Octavia.”
Dom nodded. “I’ll take a dozen of our best fighters with me. I don’t want another surprise waiting for us like last time.”
It was nice to hear that Dom was starting to get more comfortable with my plan, that he seemed to be accepting (albeit reluctantly) his role in it.
A hand shot up, and I focused on its owner. Jasper, the boy who had tried to court Bryn when she first arrived, stood up.
“I volunteer to stay with Alpha Night,” he said. “I’ll signal to him once I get word that they’re safe.” He hesitated, glancing at me. “If that’s alright with you, Alpha?”
I had to fight back traces of jealousy and annoyance when I looked at Jasper. My wolf still seethed when he was close. I was tempted to refuse because I knew the boy was still interested in Bryn, but that interest would work in her favor. The more people who cared about my mate on my team, the safer she would ultimately be.
“That’s fine with me.” I nodded. “Alright, everyone, if there are no more questions, I want you all to get home and get some rest. We’re hours away from go time.”
Everyone began to disperse, murmuring quietly to each other, but I motioned for Dom to stay behind for a moment.
“Dom, I need you to promise me that you’ll get Bryn and Tavi back to Wargs’ territory. I don’t care what you have to do or who you have to kill, understand?”
He hesitated at first, but ultimately, he agreed. “I give you my word as your beta that I will get Bryn and Tavi home safe.”
I pulled Dom in for a brief hug. “Thank you.” When we separated, I sent Dom to his cabin alone so I could walk home by myself.
In sharp contrast to the darkness of the situation, it was a gorgeous day. The sky was a creamy, azure blue, the clouds were fluffy and white, and it was the perfect temperature for a long walk. I took in the sounds of the pack—the chatter of adults and the delighted squeals of children. The air smelled of sweet mirth and joy and simple pleasure. At present, the Wargs pack was happy, and I tried to savor that. For all I knew, it could be one of the last times I experienced it.
I arrived at my cabin and headed straight to my bedroom. Mom wasn’t there; she’d probably gone to speak to the Elders or check on her garden. Either way, I was grateful for the time alone.
I sat on the bed and picked up Bryn’s favorite pillow. I held it to my face, inhaling her scent. My wolf sighed, calming for the first time in hours. Her scent did wonders for my peace of mind, but it wasn’t anywhere as good as having her with me.
“I’ve only wanted your happiness,”Mom had said. But it was what she hadn’t said that stuck with me. The truth was, Ihadfound happiness. With Bryn. She was my mate, the only person I could see myself being happy with, my dreams made incarnate.
I’d accomplished so much in my life, including finding my soulmate. I still wanted to do so much more, but I had very few regrets about the way I’d lived my life. The thing that haunted me most was losing Bryn and Tavi, and the thought that I might die before I got to see them one more time. I wasn’t afraid of dying, and I wasn’t scared of losing my life. I was confident that I could kill Troy even at the cost of my own life. But I’d accept that price as long as I made my pack proud and saved Tavi and Bryn.
45
BRYN
Icame to with a groan. I kept my eyes closed as I tried to get rid of the dust and cobwebs that had settled on my mind. Slowly, I recalled Troy, Samson, and Harlon’s sudden return to the cave to drug me and Tavi. Again. Whatever they’d injected us with left my body feeling heavy and slow. Then again, it could be that the Alpha wound was taking its toll on me.
Though I was groggy, I immediately noticed a few changes in my surroundings. The wall at my back was no longer jagged, and I couldn’t hear the distant sound of the Kootenai or smell the overwhelmingly muggy air.
That told me that I was no longer in the cave. I was lying on cold, concrete ground, and my hands and legs were still bound. This time, my cuffs were connected to the wall. I could be strung up if Troy wanted it.
I gave a tentative wiggle, trying to take inventory of my body, but that was a mistake. I gasped as pain shot through me. If I’d healed while I slept, I hadn’t healed enough—my neck still felt like it was on fire, and I ached in places I didn’t even knowI could. And my ankles and wrists were swollen and sore from having been confined for so long.
At least I was still wearing clothes. They were the gross, dirt-and-blood-caked clothes that I’d been wearing for the last few days, but it was better than being naked in an unfamiliar place. I tried to force my eyes open, but it was a bit of a struggle with the blood and tears dried onto them. I hoped I could live long enough to feel clean again.
When I peeled my eyes apart, I found that I was in the basement of a cabin. It wasn’t Troy’s; I knew this because there was no trace of his gaudy furniture, and it wasn’t reeking with his scent. To my left, there was an old, wooden staircase leading up, and there was a plain wooden door in the wall across from me. With so few clues, I couldn’t tell whose cabin it was.
I turned to my left and found Tavi lying a few feet from me. She was clothed, too, and she was still breathing. Her arms were free, but there was a thick metal collar around her neck. A chain led from the back of the collar to a heavy-duty lock on the ground. The chain stretched for three feet, which didn’t leave her a ton of maneuvering room. My stomach turned at the sight. It was the kind of thing you did to a dangerous animal, not a person.
“Tavi, wake up!”
She stirred, the chain shifting slightly against the ground. For a second, her eyes opened, but they were empty and unfocused.
