Page 32 of Becoming the Alpha

Dean dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “I know, man. Right now, the only thing you can do is make sure you win this challenge. You have to - for Lily.”

I nodded, clenching my jaw. “For Lily.”

I watched my father walk out of the castle, the main gate banging open as he made his entrance. I snorted under my breath, but watched as he gestured for everyone to gather around. Pack members, guards, and servants alike joined around him, eager to hear what he was going to say. I raised my eyebrows at Dean, jerking my head toward the crowd. He nodded and we both seamlessly blended into the crowd, waiting for my father to get on with it.

He didn’t disappoint, stepping onto a small stage that had been built for this very purpose. It put him at least a foot over the heads of everyone, which is exactly what he wanted. “Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for joining us during these troubling times. I know many of you are eager to understand exactly what is happening and how it will affect the kingdom moving forward. I’m here to help you understand and give you the peace of mind you so deserve.”

He cleared his throat, turning away slightly, as if he were overcome with emotion. I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the clear drama he was stirring up. I earned a couple of side-eyes from my reaction, but nobody said anything as the King continued with his speech. “My one and only heir has betrayed this kingdom and its people. He conspired with the rebels and attempted to kill me in order to take the throne for himself. He went behind my back and tried to take the coward's way out. He is a traitor to the throne and is hereby stripped of his status as Prince and sentenced to death!”

I blew out a harsh breath, crossing my arms. I closed my eyes, slightly rocking back and forth on my feet, before I had to speak up. “You can twist this situation any way you’d like, but I still challenged you for the Alpha position! You cannot keep me from fighting. It is my right to challenge for the position!”

The crowd parted, shifting away from me and giving my father a clear shot to where I was standing. I smirked as I watched his face shift from surprise to fury then smooth out quickly before everyone could refocus their attention on him. “Are you denying me my right to challenge for the position of Alpha?”

My father’s face went slack as if he was surprised at how this whole situation was playing out. I resisted the urge to laugh, enjoying surprising him more than I thought I would. I walked forward to the stage, bowing in a pretentious manner, feeling smug.

“Let us fight, Father.”

“Very well. You will regret this.”

“Well, if I end up losing, I’ll be dead, so I won’t have to worry about regretting this. Either way, it’s not your problem,” I shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at me before turning to the crowd and lifting his hands.

“I am but a humble servant to the throne. I accept Jason’s request and look forward to proving my dedication to our people, but first! I have a surprise for you all. Turn your attention to your left and see all of the folks who have worked against the throne and want to destroy your way of life. As a testament of my dedication to you, my people have worked tirelessly under my direction to track these people down and stop their nefarious acts. We will enact justice upon them now!”

I turned to the left with the crowd, my heart jumping into my throat as I prepared to see Lily with a rope around her neck. I released a sigh when I realized she wasn’t standing there. I turned back to see my father’s reaction, surprised when I realized he looked pissed when looking at the prisoners he had brought forward. I raised an eyebrow. He connected with my gaze and all of his emotions were wiped from his face.

“You were expecting her to be there, weren’t you? You were planning on killing her and avoiding the Challenge altogether.”

My father scoffed, shaking his head. He shifted his weight, looking evasive. I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to respond to my accusation. “Are we going to get on with this or not?”

I shook my head, not at all surprised that was his plan in the first place. I crossed my arms and gestured for him to go on. He directed everyone into place for the mass hanging and led the crowd in a countdown. It was eerie and chilling to see everyone get so worked up and excited over a hanging, but it was the nature of our beasts. I would say the prisoners were lucky that they were hanged and not let loose for a hunt.

“Alright, now that this excitement has died down a bit, I think we can move on to the main activity of the night!” My father yelled over the crowd. They all roared their approval and shuffled to encompass a roped off area a few feet to our left. I bowed again, a smug look on my face and waved my father forward. He sneered at me and then stomped forward, making his way through the crowd that maneuvered out of his way easily.

We walked over and stood on opposite sides of the clearing. I stripped out of my shirt as I faced him. He did the same. We ducked under the rope and stood ready facing each other. Simon stepped to the edge, ready to fill in as the officiant of the fight.

“Wait!”

34

Lily

I pushed forward through the crowd, struggling to get to the front. I caught Jason stepping into a roped off area and cried out. The crowd around me suddenly parted and I bent over the rope, trying to get to Jason, as the people I was trying to push past moved out of my way. I gripped his strong shoulders, locking gazes with Jason. “Jason…”

“Ah…the lowly maid has returned. Guards!” The King yelled. My eyes widened as the Royal Guards pushed their way toward me. “No!” Jason roared.

The guards hesitated, glancing at each other. They looked unsure of how to proceed because both Jason and his father were shouting commands at them. I took a deep breath and leaned forward more. I moved my grip to the back of his neck, pulling him to look directly at me, trying to share how serious I was. “Don’t worry about me. Just win this fight. I need you alive so we can rule this kingdom. I love you.”

Jason’s mouth dropped open and he blinked at me. I laughed lightly, releasing him and backing up. I raised an eyebrow at the King, popping a hip. “Your Majesty,” I sneered. He scowled, a growl erupting from his chest and his eyes starting to glow.

“Capture and execute her! Now!” The King snarled, waving a hand. I let out a bark of a laugh as the Royal Guards moved in again. I put a hand up, causing them to hesitate again. The crowd murmured amongst itself and the King’s face turned bright red as his anger increased.

“How about we wait to give more commands until after the challenge? We wouldn’t want any decisions to be made that our new Alpha would regret,” I suggested, attempting to keep the smile off my face.

“Iamthe Alpha - now andalways!” The King roared. He tipped his head back and let a loud howl loose. I rolled my eyes, glancing around us. The crowd shifted with uncertainty and fear. The Royal Guards bowed their heads and also took a few steps back. “You can stop being so dramatic now. Let’s get this whole thing over with so Jason and I can figure out how we want to redecorate our new castle,” I responded, waving a hand. I turned away from him and strolled over to the stage, taking a seat on the chair next to the throne. Everyone had parted to let me walk past them, turning to watch me with their mouths dropped open. I shot them all a wink.

Jason was grinning broadly at me, looking at me with so much pride that it made me slightly uncomfortable. My wolf was antsy to see her mate, but melting at the look he was giving us. I took a deep breath, trying to push away the fear that was coursing through me and maintain the cocky attitude I was portraying. Jason nodded at me, getting serious and my breath caught in my throat as I realized this was it - this was the start of the challenge.

“Shift!” Simon yelled. I frowned at the urgency in his voice when I realized that the King was already in the middle of shifting. He hadn’t waited for the official start, intending to catch Jason unaware. A growl vibrated in my chest, causing a few members of the crowd around me to glance in my direction, but they didn’t meet my gaze. I cleared my throat, shifting forward in the seat as I watched Jason start his shift and try to catch up.

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