Page 232 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
88
NIGHT
Dom and I went to the training grounds after Jasper and Bryn left. After I’d instructed a few wolves to let neighboring packs know what had happened to the small pack, Dom suggested we head to the training grounds to check out the competition I’d be facing during the alpha challenge. I thought it was a good idea to get my mind off things, but it was hard to focus on anything but the feral attack and the hurt on Bryn’s face.
I should have told her,I cursed myself.I should have been a man about it and come clean.I’d fucked up with her again. I’d known it would eventually come up but hoped it would be on my terms and Bryn would be in a better place with the pregnancy. My not telling her had sent her into a borderline panic attack. The guilt burned like a brand searing into my chest.
It sucked even more that Jasper had been the one to tell her. Bryn and I had claimed and mated each other, but jealousy lingered inside me. Jasper would never be stupid enough to try to get between an alpha and his soulmate, but it irked me, anyway. I was a mess of pent-up emotion and aggression andhad no easy way to deal with it. I tried to shake myself out of it. Bryn and I would talk more later—no use in getting all worked up about it now.
I tried to keep an eye on the Kings’ fighters. My men were also sparring, but none of them would try for the alpha spot. Only the Kings would be getting in the ring with me. I would take Tavi’s suggestion to heart and train in full view, but I wanted to scope out the competition first.
“Have you heard anything about which men will be participating?” I asked Dom.
“Not as much as I would’ve thought,” he said. “The Kings have been pretty tight-lipped about it, but I did hear from the elders that the Redwolfs came into power in the last alpha challenge.”
“Interesting.”
Dom nodded toward a brown-haired kid who seemed to have the most skill. I put him in his early twenties. Every punch and kick he threw had deadly precision. It surprised me that he was so agile when he had about the same muscle mass as Dom.
“That’s Lance,” he said. “He’s supposed to be the Kings’ best fighter.”
“What’s his story?”
“Don’t know. I asked around about him, but no one had much to say. He’s twenty-three, and he wasn’t born into the pack. Apparently, Troy found him seven years ago and recruited him into the pack, but he’s been a mystery ever since.”
I frowned. Troy had personally brought in this kid? That meant Lance had a connection to Troy and was possibly loyal to the Redwolfs.
“He’s good,” I said, watching Lance grapple with a guy almost a foot taller than him. In seconds, he had taken the guy to the ground.
“He is,” Dom agreed. “To be honest, Night, his fighting style reminds me of you when you were younger.”
“Sure,” I scoffed.
“I thought you’d say that.” He chuckled. “Anyway, it bothers me that no one seems to know anything about him. Not a single wolf could tell me his last name.”
“Dig deeper,” I said. “This guy is an unknown, and we can’t ignore that he might still have a connection to Troy.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Any other fighters who plan on competing?” I asked.
“Xavier is the next pack favorite.”
I followed Dom’s gaze to a man who was about my height and build. He was older, probably in his forties, and the hair above the nape of his neck was shaved, leaving enough up top for him to put into a small bun.
“He was one of Gregor’s personal guards and had been since he was twenty-five. It was like pulling teeth to get anyone to talk about him, but those who were willing said Xavier is ruthless and excessively violent.”
I could see as much from the kick he planted in the chest of his sparring partner. The man fell to the ground with a thud, gasping for breath. He struggled to get up, but Xavier put his foot on his shoulder and pushed him down again.
Other wolves were waiting to spar with Xavier, but their faces told me they didn’t want to. I bet he’d left many of them with serious injuries.
“He believes the Kings need to be a small, powerful pack instead of a larger one,” Dom told me. “And he’s been open about how he plans to cull half his own pack to achieve that goal.”
My upper lip curled back in disgust. “He sounds like an idiot. A dangerous idiot.” I leaned close to Dom. “Have our men keep an eye on him and the wolves he hangs around. They might also be in league with Troy.”
“Of course. Need me to do anything else? Any work you want me to take off your plate?”
“Not right now.” I had a lot going on, but I was dealing with it. My biggest problem right now was how my conversation with Bryn would go. I was certain I’d really hurt her this time. My wolf whined inside me. He hated when we fought.
