Page 112 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I had assured my inner circle, Dom, and Mom that I had no intention of dying, that all of my overplanning was just preparation for the worst-case scenario. At the time that I’d made those promises, I’d believed that there was a slim chance that I would survive the fight with Troy. Today, I didn’t feel the same. Running was meant to clear my head and make me feel alive, but it was difficult to keep up with my wolves. Even Dr. Stan, who was the least athletic of us, seemed to be having an easier time with these hours-long running sessions. Evan was with us, too, heading the pack down a less-traveled path to the Kings’ compound.
It worried me, and my wolf, but my worries didn’t weigh me down. I accepted that my survival was unlikely. I was about to enter a test of endurance with a full-fledged Alpha who had the benefit of both fighting on his own turf and getting plenty of rest beforehand. Troy was a sniveling coward, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t strong and well-trained.
I’d give him hell, I knew that much, but beyond that, I kept my hopes low. The last time I saw Bryn in person, she’d worn a soft smile on her face as we said goodbye.“I’ll see you soon, Night,”her sweet voice had promised.
I held onto that image of her as we neared the Kings’ compound. I could find some sense of peace and purpose in the fact that I was dying for my family. If nothing else, I hoped that I would die before Bryn, so that some strength would return to her in time for her rescue. Dom would save her, I knew; it was just a matter of whether or not I’d last long enough toknowthat he’d done it.
Because I was struggling, Dom recommended we take a rest a few miles out from the Kings’ compound. Pride wanted me to protest, but my body was grateful for the opportunity to recover. There was a small pond near the place where we stopped. A drink sounded wonderful, but I had to wait until my heart wasn’t beating at a thunderously hard pace. Once it’d quieted, I moved to the pond and took a drink form it. The water was cool and felt good sliding down my throat, and I dunked my head under the surface, letting it seep into my fur before pulling out and shaking myself off. The water gave me a burst of serotonin that I hadn’t expected.
Beside me, Evan barked a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting a bath this late at night,” he said. “But I guess there’s no arguing with my Alpha.”
I laughed, too. “Alphas do know best.”
“I thought that phrase applied for mothers.”
I was glad that Evan was with us on the trip in; I felt more secure with my best friends near me. A healthier me might have felt excited enough to try and push him into the pond, but the thought that I might hurt myself and not have enough time to heal kept me from following through on that particular impulse.
“You and Dom are going to split off from us in a couple more miles, right?” I asked him.
Evan had finally had a breakthrough in his investigation, and he’d found a potential location for where Troy was keeping Bryn and Tavi. He would lead Dom and the others into that area while Jasper and I entered the compound for the challenge.
“That’s right,”he said. “I’ll reach out to you when it’s time for us to break away.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dom approach the pond, take a few deep gulps of water, and wander off on his own to sit in the shade beneath a nearby tree.
Evan noticed it, too. “Looks like he’s giving you a really hard time about this.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said. “He hates my plan, but he’s going to follow through on it. Dom’s too good of a beta not to.”
“I know he will, but it can’t be good for the rest of the team to see their future Alpha sulk like this. Maybe you ought to talk to him?”
It wasn’t a bad idea. I doubted morale would be affected by Dom’s behavior, but I knew it would be good to get his temperature before we all split up (potentially for the last time).
“I’ll do that,”I said, and walked over to Dom. “Hey,” I said. “I want to check in with you before we move in closer.”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Yeah, but whether or not I’m lying isn’t going to change your mind about the plan, and it isn’t going to give either of us an alternative to it either. I’m gonna have to be away from my Alpha while he fights for his life.”
I wished I knew the right words to say that would make this easier on him. I’d forced him to accept my plan because there had been no other options, but that didn’t make it any fairer to him. I wasn’t built for comforting other people—I was built for violence and for duty. I felt powerless next to my beta was obviously in pain and struggling.
“If I were Bryn,” I said slowly, “I think I’d invite you over for chamomile and lavender tea and ask you to vent your frustrations to me.”
He looked at me, and his expression seemed to soften. “You’re probably right…What about Tavi?”
“You have to ask? Tavi would talk to you until you forgot about what was bothering you.”
He laughed, and I was glad that I’d brightened his mood for even a moment.
“She’d probably invite you to the next bonfire or try to sneak out with you for karaoke night in Colville.”
His laughter ended abruptly. “You knew about that?”
“Of course I did.” It had happened when we were younger, about a year after she’d lost her parents. “You thought you were slick, but I saw you two sneak into the forest when I went out on my run. I saw you come back, too, and you both smelled like the air freshener they use.”
