Page 120 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
All too soon, Night pulled back. The Elders struggled to quiet the onlookers as Night examined my neck. I felt more than heard his growl when he saw the bite mark there.
“I know,” I told him, my hands on his chest, feeling his warmth, “but I’m okay. Troy tried to…to mark me, but it didn’t work.” I reached up for his face, felt the beard there. I realized he must not have shaved in the week since I’d been gone, and his beard had come in so full and dark.
“How are you, baby?” I asked.
His eyes softened to their usual emerald green. Before he could answer, I was pulled from his arms. I panicked for about half a second before I felt the warm, soft embrace of my mother’s arms.Finally!I squeezed Mom tight and she held me back. Tears pricked at my eyes and slipped down my cheeks.
“I was so worried about you, Bryn,” she said, pulling back to look at me. “But here you are, so strong and so beautiful…and you’re a wolf somehow?”
“It’s a crazy story,” I said with a laugh. “I have so, so much to tell you, but I’ll save that for later.”
She nodded and pulled me in for another hug. She eyed Night over the top of my head. Night, who looked like he would have preferred to keep me to himself, acknowledged her look with a respectful nod.
“Attention!” The Elders spoke at the same time, their voices finally silencing the Kings.
“Troy is no longer the Alpha,” one of them began. “However, according to pack laws, only a male can be Alpha. Until we can put forward a new set of challenges, Bryn will serve as the temporary Alpha until a male has been victorious.”
Annoyance tinged with apprehension pulsed through the exhaustion that thrummed through my body—annoyance about the sexist ways the packs continued to operate, and apprehension at the sudden new responsibility on my shoulders. Becoming Alpha had been the last thing on my mind when I’d jumped into the fight, but suddenly, I’d become the interim leader of the pack I’d once served.
Exhaustion kept me from feeling the full brunt of my feelings. I just wanted to get to a bed, any bed, and take a break. My body was starting to go numb, which, while concerning, was better than the constant state of pain I’d endured over the past seven days. The Alpha wound in my neck, however, continued to send ripples of stinging electricity through my blood. I tried not to think about it—the more I acknowledged it, the worse the pain got.
“Get that bitch out of here!” someone from the crowd shouted out.
“Fucking witch! She tricked us all!” another hissed.
“I’ll kill her myself before I see her as Alpha!”
Night growled loudly, his fangs sharpening, which brought most of my detractors to silence. I was surprised at how little their words meant to me; I’d expected them to be upset, and I’d expected their rage, but their insults rolled off of me completely. Whatever the reason was, I was glad that I could be strong in the face of it, that I didn’t let it bring me to my knees the way it would have if I was still the old Bryn.
“Alpha,” one of the Elders approached, “what do you plan to do with Troy?”
Troy still lay in a heap on the ground. For all of the Kings’ indignation at me being their interim Alpha, no one was taking care of him or checking up on him—not his supposed supporters, not the doctors, no one. He lay on the ground like a broken toy. I had no qualms admitting to myself that seeing him like that gave me a lot of satisfaction.
“You could have him banished, killed, or imprisoned.”
I frowned. A couple of months ago, I had wished that Troy was dead. But now that his fate was in my hands, I knew I didn’t want to kill him. Nor did I want to order someone else to do it. Banishing him would bring him a lot of shame, shame I knew he could hardly stand to live with, but that would mean essentially letting him roam free in the surrounding wilderness. Unless he died, there was a good chance that some unsuspecting wolf would happen onto his path, and he would kill them. He would be a thorn in my side unless he was dead or, well, imprisoned. Which meant I had only one option.
“I want him locked up for the remainder of his life,” I said, my voice strong. “I never want him to be seen again.”
The Elders bowed their head to me. “Of course, Alpha.” They turned to look at one of the guards and snapped their fingers. Troy’s body was carried toward the cells.
“Everyone,” one of the Elders said, “return to your homes! The festivals for celebrating the temporary Alpha will start in four days’ time.”
A wave of dizziness overtook me, and I stepped back into Night’s arms. As the crowd began to reluctantly disperse, my world went dark. The last thing I was aware of was the comfort of my mate’s arms around me again.
50
NIGHT
Iwoke in the Kings’ Alpha cabin, and immediately the stench of it made me want to gag. Troy was everywhere—in the sheets, the walls, the rugs—he was a stain that couldn’t be removed. The last time I’d been in this fucked-up cabin, I’d wanted to burn it down. Now, the urge to grab a lighter was even stronger. I hated that I was lying in the same bed where Troy had sex with other women. But I needed the rest—my body was sore, and I was growing weaker the longer I went without claiming Bryn.
I would have to wait a bit longer, though, because we were both injured. Especially Bryn. My body ached something fierce, but I turned on my side to see her. She was still fast asleep.
Her chestnut hair fanned around her head, blazing with hues of copper and gold in the sunlight that streamed in through the window. She was beautiful even now, making it all the more painful to see the purple and faded brown bruises on her arms, shoulders, and legs. When she’d shifted into her human form last night after defeating Troy, I’d seen the full extent of the torture Troy had put her through. The bruises on her sides and on her back were almost black, they were so fresh. And even atthat distance, I’d been able to tell that she was struggling for breath. It made my blood boil to see everything he’d done to her—especially that Alpha wound, plain as day on her neck.
I was beyond relieved that she’d been able to resist his attempt to claim her, but it destroyed me to know that he had even tried to put his mark on her. She had undoubtedly been dealing with the pain of the bite throughout the fight, and yet, she’d still won.
I reached for her face, brushing my fingers over her cheek, also bruised. A small smile lifted her pink lips, but she otherwise lay still. She would be alright once I claimed her, but it was awful to see her so hurt.
