Page 280 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
104
NIGHT
I’d hoped to spend all day in bed with my mate and only get up to be crowned alpha of the Kings, but the moment the knock came at our door, that hope was dead.
Bryn stirred as I got out of bed. “Hmm?” Her voice was groggy and sweet. “Where are you going, Night?” Her sleepy concern touched my heart. I leaned over to kiss her, to get one more taste of her.
“Someone’s at the door,” I whispered.
“Ignore them. Come back to bed.”
I chuckled. “I wish I could, but I have a feeling I need to get up now. We’ll have plenty of time to be together tonight.”
Her lower lip stuck out as she pouted, but another kiss turned her disappointment into a smile. “All right, I’ll see you at the alpha ceremony.”
I left her in bed as I dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, then headed downstairs. When I opened the door, Dom raisedan eyebrow. “Huh, I figured I’d have to go inside and drag you out.”
I snorted. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“On second thought, you might be right. I wouldn’t want to risk seeing too much of you. Or my sister.” He made a big show of shuddering at the thought.
“Shut up.” I pushed his shoulder with a chuckle. “What do you want?”
His easy smile leveled out to a more stoic expression. “The Wargs Council wants to talk to you before the ceremony.”
“Oh. Is that all?” I’d known it would be something like that. “When did they get here?”
“This morning.”
I nodded. Dom was great at setting up these sorts of things—he would have already had a large cabin set up for them. He’d probably ensured that the council members were settled in the moment they arrived.
“Do you have any idea what they want from me?”
“No, but I think we’ve both got a pretty good guess.”
I sighed. He was right, of course. They’d want to know whether my plans would continue to align with theirs—the handling of the Kings. I’d have to have this conversation with them eventually, but I wasn’t excited to have it the day I was crowned alpha of the Kings. I’d hoped they’d give me some time to settle in.
“Walk me there?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ll stay with you if you want. You know, for moral support.” He smiled.
“If you’ve got the time, then great. I think I’m gonna need it.”
Dom and I headed for the council’s temporary home. It was a spot close to the border, not far from the home that Bryn and I would be moving into. The five council members were waiting for us in the dining room. They all stood to show their respect as I entered, then sat again.
Wayne Hudson sat at the center of the round table; he had started walking with a cane since the last time I’d seen him. Graham Hanks and Ellen Grousby sat on Wayne’s right, while Jasmine Howler and Ida Kells were on his left. Graham, with his large size, took up a lot of Ellen’s elbow room, but if it bothered her, she didn’t let on. She was probably used to it by now.
“Alpha Shepherd,” Wayne Hudson greeted me with a smile, as if the subject on his mind wasn’t outright bloodshed. “And Dom. Glad to see you both here.”
“Likewise,” I said. “I’m told you all wanted to speak to me.”
“Yes,” Jasmine said, her tattooed arms and shoulders on display. “We want to hear what you’re planning to do with the Kings.” Her smile was bloodthirsty as she said, “We want to know your plans for total takeover of this land.”
“You must follow through on what you promised the Wargs,” Graham added. “To better our people.”
When they’d proposed this a few weeks ago, I didn’t feel I was in the best position to outright tell them I wouldn’t follow through on their bloody plans. But now, hours before I’d take control of the Kings, I felt more equipped to enlighten them on my feelings.
I closed my eyes briefly. “Let me not mince words about this: a hostile takeover is the absolute last thing I want to do here.”
