Page 347 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
“Huh,” Dom muttered. “Considering how close you two came to fighting last time you spoke, that wentwaybetter than I thought it would.”
“No kidding.” I watched him until he reconnected with Birchen. “I think this time away from Samara has given him time to think.”
“I hope that means he’ll change, even a little bit.” Dom looked at me. “You didn’t tell him that she misses him.”
“She can tell him that when they see each other. I’m sure one or both of them will want to have a visit before too long.”
He smiled. “Fair enough.”
An hour later, we put the Garou Pack’s dead to rest in one large funeral pyre. Bryn pressed close against me during it, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed silently.
124
BRYN
Iwas in the lead the next day. It was me, Lance, Dom, Night, Vince, and several from Night’s hunting team around us. We were in an arrowhead configuration, with Night and I taking point and the others flanking us in a protective diamond.
I’d expected things to look a little different, considering that the sun was out and it had been full night in the vision, but I could recall the trail with perfect clarity. Some part of me must have been afraid that despite my best efforts, I would be leading my pack on a wild goose chase, because to find that this wasn’t the case was a huge weight off my shoulders. We moved farther along the path, which seemed much more winding now that I was in the body of an adult wolf and not that of a boy.
It was wonderful to be in my wolf form while pregnant. I felt stronger, more capable, and my back didn’t ache so much. I was faster than I thought I’d be capable of despite my round belly hanging to the ground. I was surprised I never tripped over it.
“In another hour,” I projected to the wolves around me, “we should reach the cavern Samuel saw.”
There was a chorus of excited responses around me, of wolves rooting for Troy’s demise, and when I glanced to my left, I saw Night sporting a wolfish grin. I grinned back at him. Above us, the sky was heather gray, and petrichor scented the air. The minute I noticed this, I felt a drop of rain on my nose. And then another. With the drips of frozen rain, a chill traced down my back, but it wasn’t because of the weather. My wolf’s shoulders stiffened, and her hackles raised.
The sense of dread hit so hard and so fast, I didn’t understand where it was coming from. Not until a wolf to my right suddenly broke off, her jaws snapping at something I couldn’t see. We all came to an abrupt stop as ferals surrounded us.
“Bryn, stay close to me!” Night barked, sinking his fangs into a feral who had lunged at him. He tossed the wolf away.
I was already moving in as close as I could get without pressing against him. Lance and Dom swarmed in next to me, forming a triangle to protect me from the attack. I looked around, my heart racing at the sheer number of ferals darting in and out between the trees. One by one, our wolves were being overwhelmed by the incoming ferals.
“Where the hell did they come from?” Lance growled, then snapped at a wolf when they got too close.
“We’ll figure it out later!” Dom replied. “We need to get Bryn out of here!”
Every passing second felt like a lifetime. It was like we were in the eye of a tornado of vicious, sharp teeth. My heart rate spiked. There was no way we would get out of here without more bloodshed.Ifwe got out of this at all.
“Vince!” Night called. “Get over here!”
“On it!” I couldn’t see him approach, but I felt the press of Vince’s gray fur against mine moments later. “I’m here.”
“We’re going to create a break in their formation,” Night explained. “I need you to get Bryn out of here as far and as fast as you can.”
“I don’t want to abandon you,” I protested. “I don’t want to separate again.”
“Bryn, I’m sorry, but you have to listen to me this time,” Night’s tone was urgent but not as sharp as earlier. “Trust me. We’ve got this. You focus on getting away safely.”
I didn’t want to do it. Even my wolf wanted to stay close to our mate. If I lost him, how would I keep living? But then I thought about the life inside me. I was reminded of my conversation with my mom and Violet. Sometimes being a leader, and being a mother, meant doing things that you didn’t want to do. Thinking about the people who needed you could give you the courage and strength to keep going.
“I trust you,” I said.
Night glanced back at me, handsome with his fur as dark as obsidian. “Thank you.”
I bit back a cry even as my heart wanted to shatter into a million pieces.
When he turned around again, he, Lance, and Dom changed from a triangle to a straight line. As if they all shared one will, the three lunged at the same time, tackling the ferals and breaking up the whirlwind of fur and teeth.
Vince butted against me. “Now, Bryn.”
