Page 281 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
The five stared at me as if I’d just spoken in a foreign language.
“You can’t be serious,” Graham said passionately, spittle flying from his mouth. “After everything these people took from us? After generations of them murdering our loved ones? Your own mate grew up under their constant torture!”
My temper flared, but before I could speak, Dom coolly cut in for me.
“I understand that your emotions run deep, but Graham, I’d be careful how you speak to your alpha.”
Graham glared at my beta, but Dom stood firm. Because he and the rest of the council had grown up in an even tougher, more violent era of Wargs history, I could see Graham consider taking this argument with Dom to the mat. In his younger years, Graham was as big as Dom and me, if not bigger. He’d held on to a lot of that bulk, thanks to how often he worked out with younger wolves on the training grounds. That said, Dom had youth and his own years of experience on his side. Graham would never have been able to take Dom in a fight.
“That’s enough,” I said before Graham could make that mistake. “I’ve made my intentions clear.”
“But why, Alpha?” Jasmine demanded. “You should want this just as much as we do. Graham is right—you’ve seen firsthand the true depths of the Kings’ cruelty. The burnt cabins, the murdered families, the fear that so many of us lived with on a daily basis. You were there for all of that.”
“Because I’ve also seen the way the Kings have suffered after two generations of Redwolf control. It’s true that they’ve done despicable, awful things to us—I would never deny that. But I’m sure you all remember that before Gregor abandoned us to take control of them, our rivalry with them was just that: a rivalry. There was mutual respect then, when Kings and Wargs would trade every generation for the spot of the most powerful pack in the panhandle. It didn’t become so sadistic and cruel until Gregor came into the picture.”
I waited for some pushback, but they couldn’t really argue my point.
“This pack isn’t any crueler than any other; it was their leadership. From the outside, sure, they seem like they’ve got everything, but their lives have been miserable. They have suffered under Gregor and Troy’s leadership. Wargs have a much healthier, stronger pack than the Kings have had in over twenty years.”
Wayne started to chuckle, but the sound was anything but happy. “Am I hearing you correctly, Alpha? Are youreallytrying to compare the atrocities our pack has endured to the Kings’? I can admit that Gregor and Troy were…neglectful, but that’s nothing in the face of what we have survived.”
“If things were so bad for them, they could have just challenged their alpha,” Ellen pointed out. “They were complicit in their suffering.”
“You say that because you don’t know, Ellen. The Redwolfs murdered anyone who dissented. They walked around under the constant protection of the strongest wolves in the pack, keeping the lower members of their pack poor and completely dependenton them. There was no honor in the way they governed, and there was no chance for anyone to go against them.”
There was a pause after my words. I took advantage of that pause to keep going.
“Now that I am the alpha of both packs, I want to build something new and better, something not rooted in the past. There are things that the Kings and Wargs can learn from each other, if you’d only open yourselves up to that. I suggest you all make use of your time here to get to know the Kings, see the state of the homes that we’re helping them rebuild, hear the stories of their lost children, and watch how women and children have been taught to stay silent and out of the way, to flinch away from men.”
I paused, letting those words sink in for a few seconds. And then Dom started speaking.
“I can vouch for all of this,” Dom said. “I heard the stories while I constructed new cabins with them. I’ve seen how many of them changed when they were offered kindness and aid after Troy masterminded the plot to devastate them with ferals. There’s more to them than we’ve thought. And the wolves who were the most violent toward us left of their own volition to join Troy.”
I looked from face to face to see if our words had gotten to any of the council members. I saw maybe a sliver of hesitation from Graham and Ellen, but before I could confirm it, Ida rose.
“Maybe the Kings have suffered,” she said gently, “but what do they know about pain? They felt powerless? Tough. Our loved ones were slaughtered before our eyes, and we still had to work the next day. The women flinch from men? They should have learned to use their claws and teeth to fight them. They hadabusive alphas? They should have slit their throats in their sleep to better their pack.” She sat again, her eyes a clear, sharp blue. Her voice was flat as she said, “All this proves to me is that we need to cull them from our ranks. We have no room for such weakness in our pack.”
Wayne struck the floor with his cane as if calling us all to order. “Ida, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Maybe the younger generation has forgotten their trauma, but us old folks, well, we can’t do that. Unfortunately, Alpha, we need someone strong to lead the Wargs, and it looks like that might not be you. If you prove to be weak-hearted, we will find a replacement.”
A deep growl reverberated from Dom’s chest. “Wayne, I would think twice about lobbing threats?—”
I raised my hand, and Dom immediately quieted. I couldn’t blame him for getting so pissed off—after all, it was his job to watch out for me—but his fury would get us nowhere, and if the council refused to listen even to well-reasoned arguments, that was their fucking prerogative.
“It’s fucking foolish to pressure your alpha to destroy an enemy you don’t understand,” I said, my voice even and low. “I’ll have Bryn work with you all. She’ll schedule time for you to meet with prominent members of the Kings to get to know them.”
Jasmine scoffed. “What, so they can slaughter us now that they’ve got us alone?”
I pinned her with a glare. “That wasn’t an invitation to speak, Jasmine.” She’d given me my first tattoos after I became alpha of the Wargs at the tender age of sixteen. I’d believed that she would tattoo me for the rest of my life, but after this, I doubtedI’d let her anywhere near me with a needle—even just to touch up my ink.
“If you feel so unsafe, I’ll have Wargs there to make sure everything goes all right,” I continued. “And this isn’t a request; you all are attending these meetings whether you want to or not.” I turned on my heel and headed toward the door, Dom at my heels. But I stopped a few yards away from them. “And don’t forget”—I glared at them over my shoulder—“I am officially the strongest wolf the Wargs have. If you try and replace me, all you’ll do is get wolves killed. I implore you, don’t shorten your already long lives with foolish mistakes.”
With that final warning, Dom and I left them to think things over.
By the time evening came, I’d had plenty of time to relax and let go of my pent-up anger. As I watched my people gather for the alpha ceremony, I even started to feel giddy. Hundreds of Wargs joined the ranks of Kings to watch me get up on stage and repeat the vows to them all. Having been to two of these ceremonies beforehand—first my own and then Bryn’s—it was pretty rote by this point, though the incredible turnout of Wargs was enough to fill my chest with pride.
I announced Dom as my beta, of course, and when it was finished and the pack had acknowledged us both, the council called for Bryn to get on stage. Tavi came with her, and Dom and I watched them stand at our side. Bryn was absolutely breathtaking. Her dress was the color of champagne, and the moonlight gave it a silvery sheen. She was like an angel in the night, capturing every eye in the audience—almost every eye.Dom only saw Tavi, and I couldn’t blame him. She was stunning in her short maroon dress that glittered in the low lighting.
“Your former alpha will be moving into position as den mother,” Graham announced. “Her former beta will serve at her side as her assistant.”
