Page 158 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
She looked over at the crowd as she replied, “Octavia Black.”
There was a mixture of applause and dismayed gasps from the crowd. It made sense; it was unheard of for a new Alpha to choose a beta from another pack, but there was nothing ordinary about this ceremony. That said, I imagine it didn’t help that both their Alpha and their beta would be women. Beside me, Dom gave a sharp gasp. I glanced at him, and found him practically vibrating with excitement.
Tavi walked carefully up the steps to stand next to Bryn.
“Octavia Black, do you swear eternal fealty to Bryn, your Alpha?”
She nodded, staring into the fire below. “I do.”
“Do you swear to protect your Alpha and your pack with your life for the duration of your service?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to counsel your Alpha through the duration of their leadership, guiding her to the best of your ability and in the best interest of the pack?”
She nodded and looked at Bryn. “Yes, I do.”
“Then it is done. The decision is made.”
The Wargs’ section of the crowd began to clap as the ceremony came to a close. I saw that some of the Kings women looked like they wanted to clap, too, but stayed quiet with the rest of their pack. That was alright; it was a start. I looked again at Dom to find him grinning wide. I understood already that he had feelings for Tavi; I would have had to be blind not to see the cat and mouse game that the two of them had spent the last fewmonths playing. But I hadn’t voiced my knowledge to either of them.
Now, with the changes that had come over Tavi as a result of Troy’s kidnapping, I wasn’t sure where they stood. But I accepted that it wasn’t really my business. If Dom was going to make a move, then he needed to be brave enough to admit his feelings to Tavi first. Until he did that, I’d keep my opinions to myself.
Afterward, the celebration could begin in earnest. Most of the Kings went home rather than celebrate, but there were more than enough Wargs to make it a party, so we were determined to eat and drink enough for those who had left.
“Congrats, Tav,” I said. “I’m so proud of you.”
She paused and turned a smile on me that was a little something like it used to be. “Thanks, Night.”
She went on to share a few words with her closest Wargs friends, but she avoided anything that would tie her up longer than a few seconds. Even Jasper couldn’t get a conversation out of her. She made a beeline for Bryn, who was surrounded by Wargs and family.
Bryn received a huge hug and a slew of kisses from Glenda and Violet, and dozens of other wolves crowded her to tell her how proud they were of her. Finally, she peeled away to hug Tavi. I knew Dom wanted to speak to Tavi, but before he could, she had said something to Bryn, hugged her again, and then quickly walked away. As happy as Tavi must have been about all of this, she had been out and about for a while. I couldn’t hold it against her if she needed to recover at her cabin.
Though disappointed, Dom quickly threw himself back into the festivities, dancing and drinking like his life depended on it. I could relate. I tried repeatedly to get close to Bryn, but someone new would always come in and whisk her away.
Pax was a bit too young for these festivities, but he almost pitched a fit when his mother told him it was near his bedtime. He wouldn’t go until he had spent some more time with Bryn. She took his hands and spun with him in time with the music, but the pup pouted.
“What’s wrong, Pax?” she asked.
“I thought you were going to pick me as your beta,” he grumbled.
She laughed and spun him again. “You’ve got a little more growing up to do, Pax, but one day, you can be an Alpha if you want to.”
“An Alpha?” His eyes glittered at the thought. He paused in his dancing to pull up his sleeves. He flexed for the crowd, drawing a laugh out of us all.
“I’m surprised she curried the favor of so many Wargs in just a few weeks,” said a voice next to me.
I tensed briefly, but relaxed once I realized that it was just Evan.
“Imagine watching it happen in real time,” I said with a grin. “My girl had them eating out of the palm of her hand in a week.”
“She must be something special to have that kind of magnetism.”
I was content to sit back and admire my mate, the Alpha, but as the night wore on, I wanted some alone time with her. I finished off my beer and caught her when she, laughing at something Frankie said, walked backward into my arms.
“Hey there,” I said as she turned. “I hope you’re not too tired for a dance with me.”
She beamed up at me. “Never.”
