Page 24 of In Your Eyes
They were trying to replace Dirk with his son? My entire body trembled with rage, probably because I’d been looking forward to killing Dirk and they were delaying my pleasure.
“An equivalent tribute,” I barked, stomping over to them. “They killed our Alpha! We are entitled to their Alpha as retribution, not his son.” Not Korban.
“Heisthe Alpha of the Miancarem pack,” Heath said tiredly as he pointed at Korban. “You demanded an equivalent tribute and we brought you one, Samuel.”
My stomach dropped, and my skin tingled with sweat even though I was suddenly ice-cold. “You can’t just name him as Alpha in order to satisfy our demand for retribution. That isn’t how the rules work.”
“Watch yourself, Samuel.” Anthony’s voice held a warning note. “We know your father was killed and you’re under tremendous stress. We understand the rules are on your side. But do not accuse the council of malicious intent. Dirk Keller was severely wounded during the battle and he hasn’t regained consciousness. Even if he does, he is no longer Alpha of the Miancarem pack. The council stripped him of his role the moment we confirmed the contents of the syringe. A man who cheats during a challenge to the death cannot be trusted to lead a pack.”
What they said made perfect sense, so much so that I should have figured it out on my own. Not the part about the severity of Dirk’s injuries; I had been too enraged during the battle to notice that. But I should have realized the council would strip Dirk of his position.
With my pack members standing behind me and the council members standing in front of me, I desperately tried to undo what I had done. Killing Korban Keller had never been my plan.
“What does it matter?” someone said. It took me several moments to realize it was Rick Collins. “We are owed a blood tribute and we received one.”
He probably thought he was impressing the men around us with that comment, probably assumed it would help him displace me as Alpha. I hoped he was wrong. My father wouldn’t have supported that type of behavior. For a moment, I wondered if my father would have supported what I’d been seeking—retribution from the man who killed him. But then Rick stole my attention.
He sneered, walked toward Korban, and said, “Let’s get on with it.”
“Step back.” I growled at him, the sound unlike any I’d heard; it wasn’t human. I bared my teeth as I jumped between him and Korban. “He’s mine!”
The words were out of my mouth before they went through my brain. Rick stumbled back, looking pale, and the rest of my pack members flinched. I’d terrified my own pack. Truth be told, I’d scared myself with the intensity of my reaction. Admittedly, my plan had been to take the first shot at our tribute, but I didn’t need to make my own pack members feel threatened to accomplish that. I tried to breathe and curb the desire to rip out Rick’s throat. What was wrong with me?
“You’re an honorable man,” Heath whispered hoarsely.
He was behind me, so I turned at the sound of his voice. He was talking to Korban, leaning toward him. Every hair on my body stood on end.
“We realize it wasn’t easy to walk away from your pack and come here, but you did it without a fight, and for that we thank you.” Heath closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I wish it could be different, Korban,” he said, his voice breaking.
He reached for Korban, and my skin prickled as my wolf raged forward. I didn’t blink, didn’t so much as breathe, hoping I could keep that part of myself back. It wasn’t the time to lose control. Not there, not in front of everyone, not when I wouldn’t be able to find my way back.
Navy blue eyes met my gaze, and Korban moved away from Heath. “Don’t be sorry,” Korban said, speaking for the first time that day. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”
I hadn’t heard his voice in five years, and the sound of it shot through me like a bolt of lightning. Before I knew what I was doing, I was beside Korban, my hand clamped around his arm, my chest rumbling with a roar that threatened to escape.
“The council will not sanction you for any action taken against your tribute,” Heath said, his gaze cold as it landed on me. “But we won’t stay to witness it.”
Something was wrong. I had been looking forward to this, craving my opportunity to make Dirk Keller pay. It turned out he’d paid in more ways than I’d anticipated—he was deeply injured, possibly dying; he’d lost his pack; and now he’d lost his son. I should have been happy, but instead, my mind was in a haze, my body ached, and my stomach rolled. This wasn’t right.
Don’t worry,the calming voice whispered in my head.Everything will be okay.
I heard the council members walk to the front of the house, heard their vehicle start, heard the crunch of gravel as they drove away, and through it all, I didn’t move. I couldn’t move.
“Let’s get on with it,” Rick said once again, only this time his voice was hesitant, his posture hunched and nonthreatening.
It seemed I had intimidated him, which pleased me. I was less pleased to see the wary gazes directed my way from my father’s closest friends. People had looked at him with respect and admiration. I wasn’t supposed to lead through fear; I would have known that even if he hadn’t told me. And he had told me. Many times.
We used to sit around the kitchen table late into the night talking about the pack, talking about what they needed. He explained connections, trust, loyalty. He taught me about leading with a firm but always gentle hand. He shared all the wisdom he had gained from his years as Alpha, from his own father, and from his grandfather.
As a child, I thought my father knew all the answers to all the questions in the universe. In more recent years, I thought he expected the unattainable and didn’t always make sense. On that day, with important men from my pack around me and Korban Keller beside me, all I could think was that I wasn’t ready to be Alpha. I wanted my father back.
Shhh,the voice in my head said.You’re ready. You can do this. It’s going to be fine.
Those words sounded familiar. Were they something my father had said?
George Griffin, my father’s friend, cleared his throat to get my attention. “Samuel, if you’re not ready to do this—”
“I can do it,” Rick said, puffing his chest but not getting any closer to me. “I’m strong enough to do it.”
