Page 25 of Becoming the Alpha

“We’re not cats,” Jack snarled, looking pissed. I smirked, crossing my arms.

“Could have fooled me.”

“Enough already! We don’t have time for this,” Nia said. She stepped forward, looking square at Jason. My wolf let a growl loose, pissed that another female was paying attention to our mate. “Jason, what do you intend to do once you take the throne?”

Jack scowled and mumbled under his breath. Of course, we were all shifters so we could hear every word. “He has to win the throne first and he’s definitely not good enough to do that.”

I stomped up to Jack and punched him in the face. He recoiled and then bounced back up, snarling. His eyes were glowing with his wolf and he took a step toward me, intending to attack. I heard Jason try to step in between me and him, but Dean and Nia held him off. I gripped Jack’s throat and squeezed, making him freeze in my grip. “I suggest you shut your slimy fucking mouth and crawl back to where you came from. We don’t have time for you or your snarky fucking comments and we definitely don’t fucking want you here. It doesn’t matter what role you play in this rebellion. Fuck off and don’t come back unless you’re willing to play nice with others - including Jason.”

I pushed Jack away, causing him to stumble and fall on his ass. Nobody around him made a move to help him to his feet. In fact, they were looking everywhere but at him, keeping their gazes focused on the woods around us. I planted my hands on my hips, waiting for Jack to scurry up and leave. Jason was growling loudly, obviously pissed about this whole thing.

“The King is going to kill you. He’s going to make you watch as he tortures your pathetic excuse for amateand then he’s going to grant you the mercy of ending your miserable life,” Jack spat at Jason as he stood. He backed up into the forest until we couldn’t see him and then he sprinted away. I listened as he stumbled a few times, waiting until I could no longer hear his feet before I turned back to Jason and our friends.

“Well, that was exciting,” Nia deadpanned. I cracked a smile, her delivery making more than a few of the people standing around us chuckle. I looked at Jason, who looked like he couldn’t quite decide how he felt.

“Jason, you were about to answer Nia’s question - what do you intend to do once you’ve taken the throne?”

I smiled at him encouragingly, hoping that he would move on and not drag this whole meeting out any longer. He blinked, his face morphing into surprise until he shuttered his face behind an expressionless mask. I immediately thought of it as his “kingly” face. He took his time, meeting every one of the rebel’s gaze before he turned back to Nia. “I don’t intend to dismantle the monarchy.”

This announcement was met with gasps, grumbling, and angry outbursts. He held up a hand, waiting until everyone had quieted down. “I realize this is not something you want to hear, but I believe this is what is best for the kingdom right now. I want to implement a council of advisors who are nominated and chosen by the public. I want to change the way the monarchy is run. It can benefit so many people throughout the kingdom and I don’t believe dismantling it will solve anything but throw our world into chaos. With more and more humans finding out about us, the last thing we need is for our world to be uncertain right now. I intend to transform the monarchy into something that worksforthe people, instead of the other way around.”

This announcement was met with silence. I looked at each of the rebels, watching for their reaction. Nia and the two guys she walked in with looked impressed. The guy who walked in next to Jack looked pissed and disgusted. He turned on his heel and walked back into the forest, following the path Jack had taken. A few others followed him out, but most of them looked intrigued.

“We realize that this transition isn’t something you all were hoping for and you have no reason to trust that we will do what we say, but we’re at a point where we need to trust each other. We’re at a crossroads and now is the time to take the leap and believe in each other,” I offered, stepping to Jason’s side and grabbing his hand. He squeezed it, giving me a grateful look.

“What happens if we trust you and you turn on us?” One of the rebels in the back asked.

Jason and I glanced at each other. “We’re not planning on turning on you, however, if things don’t turn out how you like, the council will be in charge of communicating the public’s demands and needs. They will also be the ones who keep us in check. The plan is that while they cannot remove the current Monarch, they should have some power to veto the laws that are put in place. The details will be figured out at a later date. Right now, we need to make sure that I win this challenge. Then, we can figure out what is best for everyone,” Jason said.

Nia must agree because she sighed, shaking her head. “Alright, Jason. We’ll do it your way, but if things don’t start getting better for the public soon…”

“I will personally do what I can to make sure things turn around.”

“I know,” Nia said, sighing again. She offered her hand to Jason and he shook it, grinning at me when a growl erupted from my chest again. Nia glanced at me and quickly dropped Jason’s hand. She put her hands up in surrender and backed up a few steps. “I don’t mean anything by it.”

I opened my mouth to remind her that he wasmymate when a shout came from behind us, causing my blood to run cold. “Halt, in the name of the King!”

“Royal Guards! Scatter!”

Chaos erupted instantaneously. The rebels who were standing in front of us all shifted and sprinted out of the forest into the fields. One of the guys who had arrived with Nia jumped over me, causing me to fall to the ground. Jason turned to Dean, nodding. Dean ran over to Amara, scooped her up bridal style, and took off sprinting into the woods, taking much the same path that Jack did. I could hear Amara yelling at Dean to put her down as he left. A hand appeared in front of me and I glanced up, seeing Nia’s grim face. I grabbed her hand and she pulled me to my feet.

“You need to leave,” I said, giving her a little push toward the fields. She shook her head sadly. “They need to capture someone. It’s my turn to be taken captive.”

I stared at her in horror. “They’ll kill you! They’ll torture you. You can’t let them take you.”

Nia just gave me another smile, not bothering to move or argue with me. I whipped around, trying to find Jason so he could convince her to take off. He was currently standing in front of Simon, Captain of the Guard. Simon had his hands on his hips and was shaking his head, looking so disappointed.

“Jason?”

“Get these two to the dungeons.”

The Royal Guards gripped my arms and dragged me to the edge of the forest. I watched Nia get marched ahead of me. I turned to look at Jason, who hadn’t noticed me yet. “Jason!” I screamed. His head whipped around, shock and panic covering his face as he watched me being dragged into the forest.

27

Jason

“Lily!” I roared, launching toward the forest where I had seen the Royal Guards dragging her away. My wolf was ready to tear into everyone who dared to put their hands on her. Panic and real fear coursed through my veins. I didn’t know how to deal with these feelings, but I knew that they would go away if I could get Lily back by my side. That became the only thought I could consciously focus on - get Lily back. Hands gripped my shoulders, yanking me back and preventing me from shifting. “You can’t get her back.”

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