Page 27 of Tamed By the Alpha Wolf

“Hey,” I murmured, keeping my voice calm and level. “It’s over. We won.”

He eyed me warily, muscles still tense. A growl rumbled deep in his throat, his ears flattening against his skull.

The power swelled inside me, a tidal wave demanding release. “Shift, Nico,” I commanded, letting it carry my words.

His silver eyes locked onto mine, filled with confusion and rage. I continued to murmur soothing words, inching closer until I could almost touch him.

“Come back to me,” I urged. “Shift back, Nico. Let go of the wolf.”

The wild light dimmed in his eyes. I watched as he fought an internal battle, his body trembling with the effort. Finally, with alow whine, he allowed the shift to take him, bones cracking and reforming until the man knelt before me naked and panting, his head bowed.

I dropped to my knees and pulled him close, holding him tight against me. His heartbeat pounded wildly in his chest, and his skin was coated with a fine sheen of sweat. But he was alive. Alive and safe in my arms.

“Elise,” Rafe’s hard voice cut through the quiet. “We’re not finished.”

My wolf snarled, rising to the surface once more. How dare he? After everything we’d just been through, after seeing the truth of my bond with Nico, he still thought he had the right to dictate my choices?

“I will not give him up,” I spat, baring my teeth. “Don’t push me, Rafe. I’d hate to make Maddy a widow.”

The threat hung in the air between us. Part of me recoiled at the words—Maddy was my packmate, Violet was just a baby. But my wolf was done playing nice. Done pretending to be something she wasn’t.

Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a challenge?”

I cast my gaze around the room, taking in the faces of my packmates. They were paired off with mates waiting at home to offer support in the battle’s aftermath. They’d fought and killed to protect their claims. But I didn’t get the benefit of the doubt? I didn’t get to plead my case and keep my mate?

The hypocrisy of it all made my blood boil.

My fangs began to descend, my wolf clamoring for control. “Yes,” I snarled. “Yes, it fucking is.”

I braced myself for the fight, for Rafe to lunge at me with fangs and claws. To force me to prove myself worthy of leading this pack.

But instead, he dropped to his knees.

My jaw went slack as Rafe tilted his head, exposing his throat to me. The ultimate sign of submission from one wolf to another.

“Oh, thank fuck,” he heaved a sigh of relief.“Youdeal with the pack now.”

For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. This was... not at all what I’d expected.

I looked at Nico, seeing my shock mirrored in his eyes. Then to Kai and Orion, who seemed equally stunned by this turn of events.

Slowly, I approached Rafe. My wolf rumbled with satisfaction as I placed my hand on his exposed throat. I could feel his pulse racing beneath my palm, but he didn’t flinch. Didn’t try to pull away.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rafe met my gaze, and for the first time, I saw the weight of leadership in his eyes. The bone-deep exhaustion, the constant worry. “I’m sure,” he said. “You were always meant for this, Elise. I was just keeping the seat warm.”

A lump formed in my throat. All this time, I’d thought Rafe saw me as a threat. As competition. But now I realized he’d been waiting for me to step up and take my rightful place.

I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. This wasn’t the time for weakness. My pack needed me to be strong.

“I accept,” I said, infusing my voice with all the authority I could muster.

One by one, they dropped to their knees. Even Nico, though his eyes sparkled with a mix of pride and mischief as he did so.

My mate. My equal. My partner in all things.

A ripple went through the room as the power of the alpha mantle settled over me. I felt it in my bones, in the very core of my being. The responsibility, the duty, the connection to every member of my pack.

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