Page 188 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
“Who said that?” I asked. Silence greeted me. “You’re not in trouble. I’m holding this forum because I want to hear how you’ve been feeling. I need you all to be comfortable enough to speak your minds so I know what’s up.”
There were a few seconds of silence, and then someone spoke up.
“I wasn’t the one who said it, but I might as well have been,” Iren said. She liked helping my mother in the gardens when she wasn’t teaching the children. “I heard you have been rebuilding Kings’ land. Is that true?”
“Yes. Troy attacked them. He?—”
Before I could finish, Iren spoke again, anger seeping from every word. “We have projects that have been abandoned! Roofs with holes and supplies that need replenishing from Colville. We need more hunters bringing meat for the winters, but you’ve got them searching for Redwolf.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t informed that our stocks were low.”
“Well, we’re fine on food now,” she admitted with some reluctance. “But if our hunters and trackers don’t return soon, we won’t be in time for winter.”
The food stocks not being an immediate concern was a relief, and I was glad Iren had brought it up. If she was worried about such things, others were, too.
“Iren, as your alpha, I’d never let the pack suffer—not even when I’m helping the Kings with their Redwolf problem. Regardless of whether or not we find Troy, I will make sure the pack is fed and our medical supplies stocked.”
“No!" This voice came from somewhere deeper in the crowd. “That’s not enough. You have been getting cozy with the Kings and ignoring us. You’ve only come now because the council wants to speak to you.”
I scanned the crowd for the speaker, but now other wolves were talking, too. It was difficult to pick out individual voices, but I caught enough.
“Kings steal our alpha. What’ll they take from us next?”
“Why should anyone care about those fuckers?”
“Might as well just move to King territory. I’ll see my alpha more.”
I gauged the crowd’s mood. They didn’t speak with one voice, but from their general unhappiness, they might as well have been. The last time I’d held a public forum, I’d been sick because I hadn’t claimed Bryn. It had been tough to accept the brunt of the emotions they had leveled my way. This time, I was stronger.
I didn’t want to use my alpha voice to silence them—that would only be controlling them. Words could only go so far, and obviously, my pack wanted action from me.
Instead of raising my voice or asking for silence, I dropped down from the roof. That was enough to catch the attention of those closest to me. I nodded to the crowd to follow me and started walking toward the tool shed for some nails and roofing material. Part of the mess hall’s roof near the conference roomwhere I met with my closest men had a leaky room. The summer had been dry, and fall was looking to be the same, so we hadn’t fixed it even when other holes had formed.
My pack trudged behind me, some still talking, and watched me climb onto the roof. I inched over to one of the larger holes and started working on it. The sound of my hammer sent a hush over the crowd.
“I’m here now, and I will always be here for you. I would never abandon the Wargs like Gregor Redwolf.” With the hole covered, I stood and looked over my people. “Let’s fix what we can while I’m here. We’ll figure out what supplies we need before I head back to King territory.”
Many of my pack seemed doubtful, but as I returned to the repair work, a few joined me. As they started working, I moved to the edge of the roof and spotted Iren standing near a group of wolves who seemed hesitant to join in. On the walk over, we’d passed her cabin, and I realized that her mate, Anthony, was one of the men I’d sent after Troy. Of course, she wanted him home. Other families would also be feeling the absence of their mates.
“Iren,” I said.
She winced but held her chin high. “Yeah?”
“If you’ve got the time, could you see what supplies need to be replaced? Once you have a list, head into Colville with a group of your choosing to replenish them.”
She blinked. “Me? Why?”
“Because I know things have been hard for you and your pups, and I want to make sure that families like yours are taken careof.” I smiled at her. “Don’t worry about how much you can spend. I trust your judgment.”
She hesitated for another second or so, then nodded. Even the arms crossed over her chest relaxed. “Sure. I can do that.”
I directed another group to grab some spare wood and supplies so we could get all hands on deck. Beer and food were served, and time passed in friendly productivity. Before I knew it, it was time to speak to the council.
I reached out to them telepathically.
“We’ve been expecting you, Alpha,”Wayne replied. “Meet us at my cabin, please. The five of us have already gathered.”
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who wanted to get the meeting over with.
