Page 118 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I knew that Dom and the rest of the wolves would be pissed at me, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to my mate, and I wasn’t going to let negligible things like pain or guilt get in my way.
49
BRYN
Icould hear the roar of the crowd, hundreds of Kings gathered together to watch my love die. How many times had this exact sound chased me through my nightmares? After growing up listening to the sound of the crowd from my bedroom during all the parties Troy hosted, the sound of the entire pack jeering at me and calling for my death had long haunted me at my worst moments. I pushed myself to run faster.
I made it to the compound, skidding across leaves and dirt as I came to a stop. I was too short to see through the legs of the gathered crowd, so I pushed through, avoiding stomping feet and spilled beer as I moved. As I reached the outer edge of the circle, my eyes widened.
Night was on the ground, bloodied and panting, with Troy on top of him. Troy’s fangs were out, gleaming white in the moonlight. He was seconds away from bringing them down to pierce Night’s throat. I couldn’t let that happen.
My wolf snarled, and before I could think or hesitate, I’d crossed into the circle. I bounded for Troy, slamming my body into histo knock him off of Night. Troy hopped to his feet, and I saw surprise in the depths of his dark eyes.
The cheering turned into gasps of shock and murmured questions as I stood in front of Night. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Jasper standing to the side. He was just as shocked as the others. Behind me, Night tried to get to his feet. He whined softly, just loud enough for me to hear, and concern was clear in his tone. I didn’t respond, and I didn’t look back at him. If I did, I knew I’d lose my resolve.
Because I was in my wolf form, only Night would know that it was me. All the onlookers would just assume I was some random wolf or one of the Wargs, which was how I wanted it to stay. For now.
I wasn’t supposed to be here in the middle of the arena while the fight went on, and I wasn’t supposed to intervene in the challenge, but there was no way I could stand by and watch my mate being killed. I had no choice but to act. Damn the consequences.
Troy stood up, shifting as he moved. I wished I could look away from his naked form, but I had to keep my eyes on him. He laughed as he saw me. I was sure he recognized me because of the wound in my neck. It was still bleeding, soaking into the cold, dark ground at my feet. It was a struggle to draw each breath—even my lungs felt sore and tense with effort after the way I’d run into the fray. But I couldn’t afford to think about the extent of the damage that Troy had done to me.
“How sweet,” he cackled. “You couldn’t wait to die along with your mate.”
At the word “mate,” the gossip from the crowd increased.
I growled and snapped at him. I approached him slowly, and he backed off a couple steps. It was obvious that he wasn’t afraid of me, he was just making a show of it, but that didn’t matter. I wanted to put more distance between him and Night.
“What? Are you challenging me?” He smirked at me, and my hatred for him deepened. “You’re even more stupid than I thought if you think you can do that here.”
Behind Troy, an Elder cleared his throat. The crowd looked to him as he approached the circle. “Actually, Alpha Redwolf,” he began gently, “as per shifter rules, you must accept any challenge that a wolf presents to you.”
Troy scoffed. “She’s not worth the effort.”
“I’m sorry, Alpha, but if you don’t accept her challenge, you must relinquish your Alpha title.”
Those words caused Troy to growl. He snatched the Elder by the front of his shirt and lifted him from the ground. “No onewill take my title away from me.”
The Elder’s face paled. “O-of course, Alpha.”
Troy dropped the man and shoved him back into the crowd. “Fine. I’ll accept your challenge. Saves me the trouble of having to kill you later.” The smirk was back on his face. “At least now your mate and your mother will get to watch me tear you apart.”
I hadn’t seen my mother in the crowd. I cast my eyes over the surrounding people and spotted her standing off to the side. She gave me a confused frown. She wouldn’t realize that it was me. Not yet.
“Don’t!” That was Night’s voice. I turned to face him automatically. He was hurt, of course, his skin dark with bruisesand stained with blood, but he was still my Night. His eyes were a deep forest green, and I saw the pain and fear within them. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, but I heard him as clearly as though he were standing next to me. “Please, go home. I’ve only just got you back.”
His words made my heart ache, but I knew I couldn’t back down. I knew my chances of winning were slim to none. I knew that I was weak because of the Alpha wound and because of the time I’d spent away from Night, but I had to try. If I didn’t, Night and Troy’s fight would resume, and Night would die. Knowing my mate, I was sure he would do everything in his power to take Troy out with him, but I couldn’t risk it.
I tore my eyes away from Night. I had to do what I could as his mate, but also as a member of the Wargs pack to protect the Alpha.MyAlpha.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Jasper and Dom pushing their way forward. Night’s reaction must have tipped them off to my identity, and they looked almost as scared for me as Night did. It hurt to see how much they cared for me—especially Dom. He should have been with Tavi, but he’d followed me to the arena instead. I hated that I was putting them in the position of having to watch as I fought Troy, but there was nothing I could do about it at this point. My challenge was made, and Troy had accepted it. I didn’t have any choice but to fight.
“Come with us!” Dom shouted. “We have to get you and Tavi home. Night will be okay—he’ll finish this for all of us!”
I shook my head. My wolf and I had both made up our minds. I knew that Dom was trying to do what Night had told him to do. He wanted to make sure that Tavi and I were safe, and as long as I was out here, in Troy’s line of sight, he had failed to uphold hisend of that plan. It made me feel even worse about putting him in this position, but I had a mate and a pack to protect.
I hoped Night wouldn’t hold this against Dom if I didn’t survive.
“Please, Bryn!” Dom said.
