Page 34 of Alpha Unbound

When we reach the outer buildings, we head for the pack’s designated changing shelter, nestled in a grove by the training field. It’s a simple wood structure with benches and hooks, spare clothes stored in chests marked by size. It smells of cedar and shifter musk and faint traces of detergent—functional, familiar.

We slip inside and shift back to human. There’s no pain, no bones snapping, just that ripple of power, color and storm, the roar of thunder between worlds. As my feet hit the worn boards, I look over to Kate, breath catching.

Her eyes search mine, clear and steady now. "Are you sure about this?"

I hesitate—not in answer, but in the weight of the moment. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle after this. No undoing a public claim. Not without blood.

"They need to know who you are to me," I say, lifting her hand to my mouth and kissing her knuckles. "And they need to understand what that means. For you. For the pack. For anyone stupid enough to challenge it."

She nods once, but I don’t move right away. I reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her cheek tilts into myhand, and her eyes search mine with that same clever heat I’ve come to crave. “You’re not walking in there as a tagalong,” I say. “You’re walking in as mine. But more than that—you’re walking in as you. And that scares the hell out of them.”

Her mouth curves, wry and fierce. “Good. Let them sweat.”

My lips twitch at her fire—sharp, fearless, completely hers. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but every time she counters my fury with her own, it hits me square in the chest. I didn’t just choose a mate—I found my equal.

Only then do I open the door and lead her inside.

The main hall’s full—every seat taken. Wolves lining the walls, silent but restless. Eddard’s there, flanked by two of the elders. He doesn’t speak. Not yet. Good.

I step forward, keeping Kate at my side. Not behind me. Beside me.

"Listen up," I say. No mic. No podium. Just voice, steel, and the echo of authority that runs deeper than bloodlines.

Every eye snaps to me.

"Kate McKinley is my mate. She carries my mark."

A ripple goes through the room—shock, tension, and something darker.

"From this moment forward," I continue, "she’s not a guest. Not a stranger. She is your alpha's mate. She is mistress of the Rawlings pack."

Someone snorts from the back. I don’t have to look to know who. Karl. One of the old guard. Loyal to Eddard.

"A McKinley? You expect us to just roll over and let her..."

I’m across the room before he finishes, hand wrapped around his throat, slamming him against the wall hard enough to rattle the windows.

"I expect nothing," I growl, low and lethal. "I command it."

He flashes his teeth in warning. I bare mine in response.

"Challenge me," I offer, voice like ice. "Right here. Right now."

Silence.

He looks away first.

I drop him.

"Anyone else have doubts?" I scan the room, eyes sharp. "Anyone else want to test how far I’ll go to protect what’s mine?"

No one answers.

But it’s not unity I feel in the room—it’s restraint. Barely. I see the stiffness in shoulders, the clenched jaws, the subtle scowls flickering between pack mates who grew up hearing McKinleys were barely above rogues. There are old wounds in this room. Old alliances. And not all of them include me.

Some of these wolves would rather tear the pack in half than see a red wolf mate with their alpha. Too bad. Too late.

And that means this declaration isn’t the end of the fight... it’s just the beginning.

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