Page 54 of Escalating Alpha

People werenothappy he said that.

I thought it was fucking fair though. “Tell them what it really means and how we’ll dig into their lives more than we did when we helped—tell them all of it.”

“You’re not seriously going to offer it to them, right?” Reagan worried.

“To free Virgil?” I sighed, giving him a knowing look. “If he leaves and they get invaded, the Virgil we know is gone and they know that. They have their claws in him because he can’t hurt them like they hurt him. Hell, I’m so pissed I might not give them a choice like I did Des Moines. I might just make the call and save their stupid asses.”

Anything else I had to say was laced with bile, and I cared more about going after Virgil. He was on the far edge of his property staring out at the night.

“What was the plan after you leave here?” I asked gently, knowing he had one.

“I wanted to be your traveling Beta,” he whispered. “I know they all think this is about being with—” He snorted. “Apparently, they were willing to sell me for money even if my ma was pissed I would give up everything for a woman.”

“I know it’s not for me. We’ve talked about this. So what did you decide after taking all this time and distance from your grief?”

That was all I’d asked from him. That he not make a rash decision after he’d lost his best friend and Beta, Ross. It had been about two years now and that was a good amount of time.

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his head. “I still talk with Brian trying to help him. He said Mauro made the call that you need more Betas and I wanted the job. Iwantthe job. I think you need a Beta that travels between your packs and checks in on them. Stays a week here and there and gets the first-hand information—makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.”

“I think that would be a great role and I agree it’s needed,” I told him. “It would even be great for you and visiting other packs on our behalf. You’re a likable guy and—you’re a great leader, Virgil.”

He chuckled darkly. “No, I’m not. You’re right. The pack doesn’t listen to me and—”

“That istheirfault, and being kind is not a flaw. I’m so fucking tired of people taking advantage of us who aren’t cruel. They don’t fucking deserve you!” I felt petulant that I had to walk away because this wasn’t about me, but I was too all over the place and I didn’t want to make it worse for him.

Except I should have stayed outside instead of going back in to get something to drink.

“What now?” I sighed when I felt the tension.

“These two ‘elders’ have been calling Des Moines to demand the details of our deal, apparently annoyed they wouldn’t share them and were so obstinate,” Freddie told me.

I moved before I’d even made the decision, my wolf teeth out and biting both of their necks. Like I took achunkfrom each of them. I spit on them when they were on the ground. “Youever—that ismy packnow. You ever harass one of my Alphas and I will put you in the ground. Alliance or not. You ridiculously overstepped.”

“I didn’t know about that,” Virgil said from the door, looking horrified.

“Why would we need to tell you?” one asked looking stupefied and like we were all insane.

That was the moment Virgil snapped. He grabbed the guy and dragged him outside before changing to his third form and beating the shit out of the guy.

I grabbed Virgil’s mom when she went to intercede, having some choice words for her while he was distracted. “You have set him up to fail, and now you’re pissed he doesn’t want this life—thistrap. They were going around their Alpha and starting problems with my pack? Even if it was still just Des Moines—you have to see—”

“What would your mate have done if he was still in charge?” Reagan tried when I didn’t seem to get anywhere.

And there it was. There was finally something more than hostility or annoyance towards us and the situation.

I shoved her to the ground. “You shit on your mate’s memory by letting them treat his son like a figurehead Alpha and not respect him. You don’t deserve a son like him.” I bent down and in her face. “I’m not the problem here. You are. You are weak and let them abuse your son, gaslighting him until he’s lost his sparkle. Shame on you.”

Freddie cleared his throat, and I darted over by Virgil and stopped him just in time before he landed the killing blow to that guy. He turned towards me but dropped to a knee when I turned up my power.

He shifted back and looked… Destroyed didn’t cover it.

And just like Virgil had done for me multiple times to reach out and save me when I needed it, I did the same to him.

I hugged him tightly and promised everything was going to be okay. His shoulders shook as he silently cried, feeling too hopeless from what I sensed, and it worried me.

When he calmed down, I cupped his face and made him look at me. “I’ll do it, Virg. Sign over the pack and I’ll take over.” I nodded when he couldn’t hide his shock. “One change. I put in a cousin as Alpha for a couple of years. This pack cannot continueas it is and will run over your pick. They’re too toxic and need an ass kicking.”

“A fucking reality check on how packs work,” Freddie grumbled. “This used to be a good pack that had its shit together. Did you all seriously lose your minds because Virgil inherited it young? Do you hear how fucking stupid that is? You should understand you areblessedthat someone didn’t immediately invade and he was strong enough to protect you!”

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