Page 10 of Owned By Four Alphas

“Show some respect,” Phane snapped, despite there being absolutely nothing respectful at all about the way he looked at Caeda.

Caeda’s scent spiked with anxiety, even as she schooled her features into haughty displeasure. “If you’d perhaps like to come out of the rain, the feast is in a matter of hours,” she said, her voice prim.

Vallin laughed. “Would you like to help me get dressed, sweetheart?”

Ronan spun, a roar in his throat, but it was too late. Phane tackled Vallin to the ground, and in a split second, it was a full-on brawl. Caeda squeaked and jumped back, “I-I’m just going to—um…”

“Go find Kaelen, if you can,” Ronan sighed, not looking at her as she turned tail and fled back into the palace.

“Now are you going to stop them?” Thyrius asked as Phane landed a well-aimed punch into Vallin’s jaw, snapping his neck to the side. Several wolves battered into Phane’s side in response, snarling and growling. “At least none of them have shifted.”

Ronan ignored Thyrius, and instead stalked forward into the fray, batting away dragon and wolf alike as he plucked Vallin from the fight by the back of his neck, throwing him down to the cobblestones.

Vallin was back on his feet with an almighty roar, barreling towards Ronan. Ronan merely sidestepped, ducking low to throw a shoulder into Vallin’s middle and put him back down on the floor. The blood was roaring in his ears as Vallin thrashed and snapped his teeth, the rage of the challenge threatening to overtake him.

He drew in a breath. He was older than this. Better than this.

“Stay down,” he snarled at Vallin, his voice an earth-shattering rumble. The other wolves winced and whined, retreating from the fight, and the dragons backed off with heavy pants and bleeding limbs.

“You would stop me defending myself?” Vallin roared, jumping to his feet, his teeth bared in a snarl.

“You insulted an omega. There is no defense!” Ronan growled, his muscles tense as the other wolf paced in front of him.

“That’s right, I forgot, the great and mighty Alpha Ronan! Too cunt-struck by some omega bitch to stand by his kind! Next you’ll be telling us to get along with the fucking humans!”

The other wolves reared back from Vallin’s hissed words, their gazes frantic and fearful as they looked to Ronan.

“What did you just say to me?” Ronan said, his voice deadly calm.

Inside, his wolf howled for blood.

“I said,” Vallin squared his shoulders, “you’ve abandoned us because of an omega. You hardly ever come back to the clan lands. You have no idea what it’s like. Our people are terrified that the humans are going to come and slaughter us in the night. And you donothing.”

“What did you say,” Ronan repeated, “about mymate?”

For the first time, there was a flash of fear in Vallin’s eyes.

“I said what I said,” he replied, his fists balling, “Ordovic’s been visiting more than you. The Alpha of the Northern Clan. Hehas a claim to your title, doesn’t he? And I’m sure he isn’t too pleased about you killing his father.”

“Leave,” Ronan snarled, taking a menacing step forward, “get out of my sight before I spill your guts here and now.”

Vallin glanced at the other wolves before slinking towards the corridor, away from Ronan’s boiling rage. “It’s all just empty threats,Alpha,” he threw over his shoulder, before disappearing with his packmates.

For a while, nobody said anything. Ronan actively drew in several breaths, desperately wrestling with the urge to hunt Vallin down and tear him limb from limb.

He’s a boy. A stupid boy. Much like you were. Let it go.

He snarled, and Thyrius muttered a curse before following after the wolves, leaving Ronan alone with Phane and the other dragons.

“Well, that was certainly interesting,” remarked Phane, with a healthy note of caution in his voice. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder, all right.”

“What do you lot think you’re doing, winding them up?” growled Ronan, turning on the group of young dragons.

Phane scoffed. “Who are you to tell us what to do?”

“Your king is my pack brother, your queen is my mate, andweare trying to unite this realm for the good of all. And when we do, like it or not, those wolves will be your brothers-in-arms. You have a chance here, a real chance, to build bridges instead of burning them.”

“Perhaps you should lecture your own people,” Phane said, picking up his sword, “instead of blaming us.”

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