Page 339 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I let out another squeal of joy. “I can’t believe this! We need to celebrate!”
“We can celebrate once things calm down.” She laughed. A moment passed, and she said, “For a while, I was trying so hard to get back to who I was before Troy and Samson and Harlon happened, but now I finally understand that shouldn’t have beenmy goal. I’ll never be the woman I used to be, but I can be stronger, and I can be…better.”
I took her hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s so good to hear that you’re not looking back anymore, that you’re looking forward. That’s exactly what we all should be doing. Tavi, I’m so proud of you.”
She beamed at me. “Thanks, Bryn. I’m proud of me, too.”
As we neared the cabin, we heard a whistle. When we turned, we saw Dom, Lance, and Night waving at us. What a surprise! I hadn’t expected their meeting to be over so quickly.
Tavi, surprising us all, rushed to Dom and wrapped her arms around him.
He chuckled. “Didn’t expect you to be so excited for little old me.”
“I take it that means your meeting with the families went well?” Night asked as he slid his arm around my waist.
“It went as well as it could have,” I said, resting my head against his arm. “The families are in pain, but many of them have hope now.”
“After the day we’ve had, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all taking the day off,” Lance said. “Unwind a bit. We’ve earned it.”
“Absolutely,” Dom agreed.
“Dom and I were thinking of heading into Colville to see what’s there,” Tavi said. “Lance, do you wanna come?”
He blinked. He looked like he was going to refuse, but after a moment, that refusal disappeared from his face. “Actually, thatsounds great. I’ve got some errands I’d like to run, too, if that’s cool.”
“Of course, man.” Dom grinned. “It’s more than cool. If you wanted to get some of those things done ahead of time, we could meet up there.”
As the three of them talked over their plans, I leaned more heavily into Night’s chest. The more they talked, the happier Lance seemed. I was used to seeing him either smug or serious, but now he looked like a younger version of himself. My heart swelled with joy. Finally, my family and my pack was coming together.
121
NIGHT
Bryn and I left Dom, Lance, and Tavi to make their plans and headed home. As we closed the door behind us, we let out heavy sighs.
“I’m happy,” Bryn murmured. “But it was tough. I feel like I’ve been carrying the entire world on my shoulders since yesterday, and now I’ve finally let some of that burden go.”
“I hear you.” I pulled her close and then lifted her into my arms, carrying her like the queen she was. She was coming up on eight months already. It seemed these last few weeks of her pregnancy had passed so quickly. “My meeting with the council went really well.”
“Did you tell them off?” she asked, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.
“I didn’t have to.” I carried her into the living room and sat on the couch with her in my lap. “The pack did that for me.”
“That’s awesome!” She nuzzled under my chin and slipped her hands down to my chest. “Tell me everything.”
“At first, they were very resistant to the third phase of the merger, but many of our pack members defended it. They reminded the council that any of them could be voted out if they didn’t get on board with things.”
She laughed. “That’s amazing. It’s probably better that our people put them in their place instead of you. It makes it clear that they’re not reflecting the desires of the pack.”
“Exactly.” I held her against me, and she hummed as she reached for a throw blanket draped over the arm of the couch. She grabbed the book she was reading and settled comfortably in my lap. I rubbed her stomach and buried my nose in her hair. I couldn’t get enough of her, of her scent, her presence. Bryn was everything I’d ever wanted. And the thought we’d soon have a pup running around and causing trouble, screaming and giggling through our home, made this moment of peace even sweeter.
It was a couple of hours into the afternoon when I started dozing off. Bryn was still reading, still snuggled close to me. All I wanted to do was enjoy her company and relax for the rest of the night. But as the alpha, it was impossible to fully relax—a fact that was made clear when a knock sounded at our door.
“Hm?” Bryn looked up from her book as I sat straight. “Did someone knock?”
“Yeah, I’ll see who it is.”
She slid off my lap and pulled the throw around her shoulders, following me as I went to open the door. My eyebrows raised when I saw Vince standing there. I knew him to be a pretty easy-going sort of person, but his expression was somber.
