Page 119 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I shook my head at him, and as my gaze met his, I saw his eyes go wide. I didn’t understand why at first, but then all two hundred pounds of Troy—When did he have time to shift?—barreled into me.
I yelped as I flew to the other end of the arena, slamming hard onto the packed ground.
“Bryn!” That was Night’s voice again, but I couldn’t look at him. I’d let myself get distracted already, and Troy had taken advantage. Now I needed to focus.
I pushed myself to my feet, but Troy was already on the move again. He slammed into me a second time, but this time when I hit the ground, I rolled to my feet. He growled at me, crowding my space, but I snapped at him and he hopped back.
I took a few steps back myself. It was hard to focus on him now that the crowd had started to yell and jeer again. I couldn’t imagine how previous fighters had dealt with the weight of so many pairs of eyes on them. How did they manage to deal with their opponent when people were constantly gesturing at them or cursing them?
Suddenly, Troy closed in again. I tried to charge him, but he easily stepped out of my way. I yelped again when his fangs bit through my side, tearing into fur and flesh. It burned like nothing else could. I jerked away from him and maneuvered to the side. Troy spat blood and fur onto the ground, his tonguelolling red from the side of his mouth. I backed away, my legs trembling.
I tried to think of my next move. Troy was bigger than me, and he was so much stronger. Even at full health, I doubted I would be a match for him. Night had already been removed from the ring so that he couldn’t interfere. There were Kings wolves holding him, Jasper, and Dom back. My mother had moved closer to the circle, but she could only watch on in horror as realization filled her blue eyes. I returned my attention to Troy and tried to ignore the way exhaustion pumped through my body like blood. I really was doing this on my own.
Troy lunged again and tackled me to the ground. I avoided his snapping teeth, but in the process, my wounds filled with stinging dirt. I howled in pain and kicked him off of me. He recovered quickly, pouncing on me again.
I heard the crowd. I heard my mate. I heard my friends as they shouted after me. I wanted to cry as Troy put me through yet another beating, but I refused to give him or the Kings that satisfaction. I would stay strong to the end because I’d done the right thing. After years of living under the Kings’ thumb, I had finally fought for what I loved and for what mattered to me—Night and the Wargs.
This time, Troy backed off on his own, playing with me. I rose shakily to my feet.It’s not over until I’m dead!I thought with a growl. Troy’s wolf gave a panting laugh, as though he could hear me. I was upright, but I wasn’t steady. My body had grown numb, and I felt myself losing consciousness. A sweet, everlasting void was lingering just on the edge of my vision. I’d lost so much blood. In just a few more minutes, I would be too weak to remain awake, and by then, I would be as good as dead.
Troy ran at me again, and I started to close my eyes. This was it…
My wolf whimpered inside my head, and pushed at my mind. My eyes snapped open. At the last second, I rolled to the side, out of Troy’s way. He yelped in surprise, skidding to an unsteady stop. That hadn’t been me dodging, it was my wolf.
Dammit! I had been holding onto the reins despite my wolf trying to take charge. The moment I realized this, I receded to the background and let her surge forward for control. My need to plan and strategize wouldn’t help me here. Troy was unpredictable, and he was strong. What I needed was action, not hesitation—instinct, not second-guesses. As my wolf took charge, I turned off the urge to think things through and let her step in.
Immediately, a new power moved through me, overwhelming me with its unbridled strength. My wolf rose from our crouch, flexing and stretching, before leveling her gaze on Troy’s wolf. He hesitated, surprise evident in the way he tensed, his hackles raised. Obviously, he’d sensed the change in his opponent.
But his surprise didn’t last long. Soon, he charged us again, but my wolf was ready. With a growl, she sidestepped him, biting into his hip. Troy yipped, but she tightened her hold. She threw him to the other side of the arena, where he scrambled to get back to his feet. Now he was the one gushing blood while my wolf enjoyed the taste of copper.
Troy had over two decades of fighting experience, and I had none, but my wolf had a counter for every move he made against me, which turned the tides of the fight. I easily dodged out of the way of his snapping fangs and swept under him, knocking him off his feet. My wolf body was graceful, sleek as a bullet, and deadly.
Troy stood on unsteady legs, staring at me like he’d never seen me before. Blood dripped from the gashes and wounds my fangs and claws had left on his body. The crowd had fallen silent, everyone’s eyes were on us, amazed at our power. My wolf and I basked in their attention.
I gave Troy a smirking laugh, and he snarled back at me, running at me with everything he had. Instead of dodging, I ran at him, too. I saw in his eyes the intent to kill. If he had the chance, he would end me now. Fortunately for me, I had no intention of giving him that chance.
In the moment we would have collided, I used my size to my advantage, ducking my nose under his body and flinging my head upward, launching Troy into the air. He yipped and yelped as he flew through the air, his limbs flailing for purchase. He hit the ground on his back, his head thudding with teeth-chattering force. He lay still.
The crowd, if possible, went even more silent. I stood over Troy, panting, my limbs trembling. The fight had taken everything out of me, but I forced myself to stay still and observant. I had no idea if Troy was dead or unconscious—I wasn’t even sure which I would have preferred—but I’d do everything I could to make sure that he didn’t get up again. Even if my strength betrayed me.
The three Elders entered the battlefield and two crouched down next to Troy. One of them checked for a pulse while the other opened his eyes to see if his pupils were responsive. The final Elder stood waiting for the verdict. The two at Troy’s body looked up and shook their heads.
My heart thudded hard and fast in my chest.Wait, does that mean that I’m…?I couldn’t finish the thought. As long as Ididn’t have to fight anymore, as long as I’d kept Night safe, I was happy.
The third Elder lifted his head to address the crowd. “Troy has fallen,” he announced, his deep voice gravelly with age. “He is no longer Alpha of the Kings.”
Gasps and whispers spread through the crowd. People looked at each other, confusion and shock evident in their expressions and nervous energy. I still hadn’t moved. I just wanted to rest.
The third Elder turned to me and bowed. “Please,” he said, “shift back to your human form so that we can see our newest Alpha.”
Shit.I hadn’t realized that this was part of the process, but even in my addled brain, it made sense. They wanted to honor their new Alpha…unfortunately, I had no idea how they would respond once they saw it was me, the formerly human girl who had been the pack outcast for all her life. There was no way that this was going to go over well.
I turned to the crowed and saw Dom and Jasper standing with Night. Night had put on a pair of pants and held a shirt draped over his arm. He nodded at me. Okay, I guess I really did need to shift. But everything would be okay as long as he was here.
I took a deep breath and let the shift flow over my body. I stood before the Kings, naked, bloodied, and bruised, as their new Alpha. Recognition hit the eyes of the onlookers, people I knew and to whom I had served breakfast. People who had bullied me or ignored me.
They erupted into a mixture of shock and outrage. They shouted at me, but I only had eyes for Night, who pushed his way through the crowd toward me. He helped me into the shirt that he had draped over his arm, and it dropped to the top of my thighs. Istared up at him. It felt like it had been years since I’d last seen his handsome face. And here he was in front of me again. All the noise faded to the background as he pulled me into a tight hug.
I melted into his embrace and inhaled his dark, woodsy scent. I moaned gently, my wolf purring at being close to him again. This was my Night, my mate, my man, and he was the only thing I needed. Being in his arms again felt wonderful and perfect andright; I never wanted to leave.
