Page 346 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
A woman separated from the group and jogged to us. Her blond hair was shaved on one side of her head, and on the other, the strands fell to her shoulder. Leo looked up as she touched his shoulder, and his shoulders eased a bit.
He hugged her. “Cat.”
“Sorry I didn’t come over sooner,” Cat said. “I didn’t want to leave the men behind until I knew they were in good hands.” She glanced at Dom, Lance, and me. “They were. In good hands, I mean.”
“This is Catherine,” Leo said. “She’s my beta. This is Alpha Night, his beta, and Lance.”
“Call me Cat,” she said. “It’s good to meet you all.”
We caught her up on what we told Leo, and she didn’t interrupt once. She seemed more willing to accept what we’d said than her alpha had been. She let out a long, deep sigh.
“That sort of arrogance was the reason we left our packs and started this one,” she said. “We weren’t exactly being killed for no reason, but we know what it’s like to be ruled under an alpha’s iron fist. It fucking sucks that we’re back to square one.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lance told her. “It’s no one’s fault besides Troy’s. We’re searching for him now, and we’re not leaving the area until we’re sure that he’s dead.”
Dom and I nodded along with his words. We were on a mission, and that mission wouldn’t be complete until Troy was dead and buried.
“If you need help, we know these lands pretty well. We can?—”
“Cat,” Leo interrupted, “I’m sure they’ve got things under control.”
She paused, then said haltingly, “Oh. Sure. Of course. Sorry about that.”
I kept my face neutral about the help that was offered and then taken back. Leo probably already felt stretched thin enough as it was. He probably hadn’t been alpha for more than a couple of years. This sort of attack wasn’t something you were prepared for right away.
“I take no offense,” I said. “We’re here to help where we can.”
“Like I said before, we appreciate it,” Leo said. “Your hunters helped us hold things down until you got here. We’d be much worse off without your help.”
“Think nothing of it. It’s the least we can do.”
“Speaking of holding things down,” Lance said. “I was thinking I could help you out with some basic fortifications your pack can benefit from.”
As he started to explain his tips, Dom and I stepped away. Oakley had been taken on a walkthrough of the Garou Pack territory with his beta and a few of my men. The minute he saw me, he came over.
“I’m amazed, Alpha Night,” he said.
“By what?” I asked. My voice was a little harsher than I would’ve liked, but it was hard not to take issue with the man when I knew how he’d treated his own daughter. But if he’d noticed, he didn’t seem to mind.
“The cooperation you and your men show with the females of your pack,” he said. “I’ve never known that something like this could be as successful as it is.”
“That’s all?” I suppressed a growl and started walking back toward Bryn. She and Tavi were speaking with a group of the injured wolves. Dom walked next to me as Oakley followed behind us.
“I’m just surprised,” he went on. “I was sure that you would eventually see how the women would hold you back, but it seems like you’ve only gotten stronger with time, not weaker.”
My eyebrow raised a bit. “That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you, Alpha Oakley. It’s more than possible for men and womento work together. What you’re doing is weakening your pack by keeping half the population subservient to you.”
“I’m starting to see things from your point of view.” He was quiet for a few seconds, and then he asked softly, “How is Samara?”
I stopped walking and turned to him.
“Night,” Dom’s warning voice entered my mind, but I ignored it.
“She’s thriving,” I said firmly. “She is happy, she’s making friends, and she’s made a place for herself in my pack. She understands what she has been missing by being under your thumb all her life.”
Oakley looked surprised by my words at first, but that surprise quickly fell from his face and a deep frown replaced it. He didn’t seem angry, just upset. Maybe even a bit ashamed.
“I see.” He turned from us and slowly walked away.
