Page 63 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
“I’ve been having dreams for months now, but they’ve increased to almost every night since I brought her here,” I explained. “Usually, they’re of me in bed with a woman whose eyes are the same color as Bryn’s. I’ve started to think of the womanasBryn, and every time I have one of the dreams, it’s even more difficult to keep my wolf in check.” I shook my head. “Bryn also…she getsunder my skin, and I can’t shake her off no matter what I do. It’s been so hard that I was considering moving her to the other side of our territory just to make sure that I could avoid her.
“Obviously, I never followed through. I think some part of me knew it wouldn’t help anyway because somehow, I always end up near her. And now she’s got free rein of the compound. It’s impossible for me not to see her or smell her or hear her voice. She’severywhere. And it’s too late to put her back on restrictions. She’s already won over everyone who’s met her, which confuses the shit out of me.” I rubbed my eyes. “It’s fucking with me.”
Dom sat listening as I let all my anger and frustration out. I felt raw and vulnerable. I waited for some sort of encouragement or advice from my beta, but the first sound out of Dom’s mouth wasn’t a vote of optimism or a solution—it was a snicker.
My head snapped up, unsure if my ears were deceiving me. I found Dom trying to hold back his laughter as best he could, but the amusement in his dark eyes gave him away.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I demanded. “You think this shit is funny?”
Apparently, that was too much because Dom let it out, laughing his ass off while I sat there, in equal parts, angry and stupefied.
Eventually, Dom gained control of himself enough to bring the laughter down to a minimum. “You must be the most jacked up fucker there is,” he said. “The universe must have it out for you, Night.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You kidnap a girl and try to make her life miserable, only for her to turn out to beyour mate!” Dom dissolved into laughter again.
Mate?The word was like a silent explosion in my head. My wolf began to pant and hop around like the word had summoned him.
“No,” I said. “What? No, that’s ridiculous. Bryn is a human woman, Dom. There’s never been a real mate pair between a wolf and a human. Ever.”
“Uh huh.” Dom smirked.
“It’s more likely that it’s just stress about blowing the mission to kill Troy when I had the chance. Now I’ve got the stress of this human and of trying to figure out how to keep our pack safe. That’s all.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure that’s it.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Dom. I’m telling you, it isn’t like that.”
“Yeah? Then why were you about ready to shift when I mentioned a particular young wolf’s name?”
I clenched my hand so tight that the beer bottle shattered in my hand, spraying blood and beer over the table. Fortunately, it was mostly empty. Dom pursed his lips to keep from laughing.
“Forget I said anything, and mind your damn business. I never want to speak to you about this again.”
“That’s what I thought.” Dom grinned. “There’s no possible way Bryn could be your mate. You’re just under the kind of stress that has you in a constant jealous rage. How stupid of me to think it could be anything else.”
I kicked him the hell out shortly after that.
25
BRYN
The next day, Violet and I worked side by side in the garden, picking the ripe fruits and vegetables so we could take them to the mess hall and prepare for the pack’s next meal. The sun was high in the bright, cerulean sky, and I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand as I worked.
“So, it sounds like things are going well,” Violet said. I had just finished telling her about the library and all the books I wanted to read.
“Absolutely! Pax’s mom Lillian told me that she wanted to start a book club with me sometime soon. I’ve never been in one of those before, and—oh!” I cut myself off with a gasp. “I didn’t tell you about the shifting ceremony! Pax dedicated his shift to me.” My heart swelled with joy every time I thought about it. “I think it’s because I helped him when he confided in me that he was a late shifter.”
“I see.” Violet looked at me from under the brim of her hat, her eyes strikingly chartreuse. “Why did you help him?” she asked.
“Why? Well, because I know what it’s like to feel inadequate. And because he needed someone to help him through it.”
“Mm.” Violet tossed a yellow squash into the basket. “You’re not pack, though. You shouldn’t have felt obligated to help him.”
I paused.I’m not pack?The statement confused me even as it hit me right in the chest. It felt wrong. And mean. How could she say something like that to me?
My hands clenched, and I met Violet’s gaze. “I know I’m human, Violet, but I wasn’t trying to step on anyone’s toes. I never felt obligated to help him. I just did what I felt was right.”
