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Dammit! I had been holding onto the reins despite my wolf trying to take charge. The moment I realized this, I receded to the background and let her surge forward for control. My need to plan and strategize wouldn’t help me here. Troy was unpredictable, and he was strong. What I needed was action, not hesitation—instinct, not second-guesses. As my wolf took charge, I turned off the urge to think things through and let her step in.
Immediately, a new power moved through me, overwhelming me with its unbridled strength. My wolf rose from our crouch, flexing and stretching, before leveling her gaze on Troy’s wolf. He hesitated, surprise evident in the way he tensed, his hackles raised. Obviously, he’d sensed the change in his opponent.
But his surprise didn’t last long. Soon, he charged us again, but my wolf was ready. With a growl, she sidestepped him, biting into his hip. Troy yipped, but she tightened her hold. She threw him to the other side of the arena, where he scrambled to get back to his feet. Now he was the one gushing blood while my wolf enjoyed the taste of copper.
Troy had over two decades of fighting experience, and I had none, but my wolf had a counter for every move he made against me, which turned the tides of the fight. I easily dodged out of the way of his snapping fangs and swept under him, knocking him off his feet. My wolf body was graceful, sleek as a bullet, and deadly.
Troy stood on unsteady legs, staring at me like he’d never seen me before. Blood dripped from the gashes and wounds my fangs and claws had left on his body. The crowd had fallen silent, everyone’s eyes were on us, amazed at our power. My wolf and I basked in their attention.
I gave Troy a smirking laugh, and he snarled back at me, running at me with everything he had. Instead of dodging, I ran at him, too. I saw in his eyes the intent to kill. If he had the chance, he would end me now. Fortunately for me, I had no intention of giving him that chance.
In the moment we would have collided, I used my size to my advantage, ducking my nose under his body and flinging my head upward, launching Troy into the air. He yipped and yelped as he flew through the air, his limbs flailing for purchase. He hit the ground on his back, his head thudding with teeth-chattering force. He lay still.
The crowd, if possible, went even more silent. I stood over Troy, panting, my limbs trembling. The fight had taken everything out of me, but I forced myself to stay still and observant. I had no idea if Troy was dead or unconscious—I wasn’t even sure which I would have preferred—but I’d do everything I could to make sure that he didn’t get up again. Even if my strength betrayed me.
The three Elders entered the battlefield and two crouched down next to Troy. One of them checked for a pulse while the other opened his eyes to see if his pupils were responsive. The final Elder stood waiting for the verdict. The two at Troy’s body looked up and shook their heads.
My heart thudded hard and fast in my chest. Wait, does that mean that I’m…? I couldn’t finish the thought. As long as I didn’t have to fight anymore, as long as I’d kept Night safe, I was happy.
The third Elder lifted his head to address the crowd. “Troy has fallen,” he announced, his deep voice gravelly with age. “He is no longer Alpha of the Kings.”
Gasps and whispers spread through the crowd. People looked at each other, confusion and shock evident in their expressions and nervous energy. I still hadn’t moved. I just wanted to rest.
The third Elder turned to me and bowed. “Please,” he said, “shift back to your human form so that we can see our newest Alpha.”
Shit. I hadn’t realized that this was part of the process, but even in my addled brain, it made sense. They wanted to honor their new Alpha…unfortunately, I had no idea how they would respond once they saw it was me, the formerly human girl who had been the pack outcast for all her life. There was no way that this was going to go over well.
I turned to the crowed and saw Dom and Jasper standing with Night. Night had put on a pair of pants and held a shirt draped over his arm. He nodded at me. Okay, I guess I really did need to shift. But everything would be okay as long as he was here.
I took a deep breath and let the shift flow over my body. I stood before the Kings, naked, bloodied, and bruised, as their new Alpha. Recognition hit the eyes of the onlookers, people I knew and to whom I had served breakfast. People who had bullied me or ignored me.
They erupted into a mixture of shock and outrage. They shouted at me, but I only had eyes for Night, who pushed his way through the crowd toward me. He helped me into the shirt that he had draped over his arm, and it dropped to the top of my thighs. I stared up at him. It felt like it had been years since I’d last seen his handsome face. And here he was in front of me again. All the noise faded to the background as he pulled me into a tight hug.
I melted into his embrace and inhaled his dark, woodsy scent. I moaned gently, my wolf purring at being close to him again. This was my Night, my mate, my man, and he was the only thing I needed. Being in his arms again felt wonderful and perfect and right; I never wanted to leave.
All too soon, Night pulled back. The Elders struggled to quiet the onlookers as Night examined my neck. I felt more than heard his growl when he saw the bite mark there.
“I know,” I told him, my hands on his chest, feeling his warmth, “but I’m okay. Troy tried to…to mark me, but it didn’t work.” I reached up for his face, felt the beard there. I realized he must not have shaved in the week since I’d been gone, and his beard had come in so full and dark.
“How are you, baby?” I asked.
His eyes softened to their usual emerald green. Before he could answer, I was pulled from his arms. I panicked for about half a second before I felt the warm, soft embrace of my mother’s arms. Finally! I squeezed Mom tight and she held me back. Tears pricked at my eyes and slipped down my cheeks.
“I was so worried about you, Bryn,” she said, pulling back to look at me. “But here you are, so strong and so beautiful…and you’re a wolf somehow?”
“It’s a crazy story,” I said with a laugh. “I have so, so much to tell you, but I’ll save that for later.”
She nodded and pulled me in for another hug. She eyed Night over the top of my head. Night, who looked like he would have preferred to keep me to himself, acknowledged her look with a respectful nod.
“Attention!” The Elders spoke at the same time, their voices finally silencing the Kings.
“Troy is no longer the Alpha,” one of them began. “However, according to pack laws, only a male can be Alpha. Until we can put forward a new set of challenges, Bryn will serve as the temporary Alpha until a male has been victorious.”
Annoyance tinged with apprehension pulsed through the exhaustion that thrummed through my body—annoyance about the sexist ways the packs continued to operate, and apprehension at the sudden new responsibility on my shoulders. Becoming Alpha had been the last thing on my mind when I’d jumped into the fight, but suddenly, I’d become the interim leader of the pack I’d once served.
Exhaustion kept me from feeling the full brunt of my feelings. I just wanted to get to a bed, any bed, and take a break. My body was starting to go numb, which, while concerning, was better than the constant state of pain I’d endured over the past seven days. The Alpha wound in my neck, however, continued to send ripples of stinging electricity through my blood. I tried not to think about it—the more I acknowledged it, the worse the pain got.
“Get that bitch out of here!” someone from the crowd shouted out.
