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She gave a smile, and even though her eyes were still filled with tears, a tiny bit of the light had returned to her eyes. She wasn’t the old Tavi, and maybe whatever happened to her would prevent her from turning back into the endlessly cheerful woman I had always known her to be. But I still loved her dearly, and any sign of improvement, any sign that she was clawing her way back to some kind of “normal” or at least “stable” was more than enough for me.
“Is that weird to say?” she asked when I didn’t respond.
“N-no, not at all!” I rushed to assure her. “It’s just nice to see you smile.”
She let out a brief laugh. “Thanks, Bryn.”
“Anytime, Tavi.” I reached for her hand, and she let me take it. I squeezed it gently. “I hope this doesn’t come off as insensitive, but I’m even more sure now that I want you as my beta.”
She frowned. “What? Why?”
“Because even when you were dealing with the worst of your emotions and you were trying to get me to let you go, you didn’t hurt me. And even a minute ago, when you were crying and I was saying all that dumb stuff, you didn’t want me to imprison Troy’s closest people. You were thinking of what was best for me even when you were hurting.” I squeezed her hand again. “Can’t you see? You are the best choice for my beta, Tavi. I trust you more than I trust myself.”
She bit her lip. With her cheeks still red from crying and her face totally free of makeup, the vulnerability in her face as she looked at me made me want to start crying all over again.
“Even now?” she asked.
“Yes. Even now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Tavi, I am positive.” I beamed at her, willing her to see just how deeply I meant that. I knew she wanted the position as much as I knew that Night loved me, but self-doubt was holding her back from saying yes.
She deliberated for a few moments more, and then she nodded. “It’s only for a few weeks, right?”
“Right!”
“Okay, then…okay. I can do it. But at the first sign that I’m shirking my duties, I want you to replace me or get Frankie or Violet or—”
“Tavi, okay, okay.” I laughed. “Even if that does happen, we’ll have a backup plan in place. I won’t make you do anything you can’t do.”
“Right.” She nodded and seemed to steel herself. “Thank you for talking to me, Bryn. You’re my best friend, too, and…and I trust you.”
Those words swirled around and around in my heart, warming me from the inside out. I pulled her in for another, gentler hug, and she hugged me back. For just those moments, I could forget that I was about to become the temporary Alpha of the Kings. As far as I was concerned, it was just me and my dearest friend, and the rest of the world could wait a while for us to finish our hug.
24
NIGHT
Finally, it was the day of the Alpha ceremony, and I was a bundle of nerves. Bryn left a note that she would be busy, and not being able to see her when I woke up only worsened my worry. I hadn’t been anywhere near this antsy when I was named Alpha of the Wargs, but because it was my mate’s turn this time, I couldn’t get out of my own head. The only thing I could do to distract myself was take a walk and see how the repairs were going.
My wolves had arrived that morning. There had been a few light skirmishes that were easily squashed before they became all-out brawls, but other than that, they were settling in smoothly.
The extent of the destruction that Troy had allowed on his own grounds evoked memories of the raid that he and his goons had headed on the Wargs’ compound. Buildings were burned, earth was scorched, and I’m sure there were more than a few injured occupying beds in the infirmary. The difference between the Kings’ lands now compared to what they’d looked like when I first infiltrated the compound over a month ago was stark.
I’d always believed that the persistent beauty of the Kings lands was one of the few constants in life, but now all I saw as I looked around were patches of dry, dead grass, shriveled flowers, and torched buildings. The forest surrounding the grounds was unkempt and riddled with weeds. It was physically painful to see how far the grounds had fallen in just the few weeks since Troy had taken over for his father.
I observed the people, too, some of whom were limping or sporting casts from whatever torture they’d endured at Troy’s (or his men’s) hands, and others who seemed eager to scurry away from the attention of their peers.
I had spent so much time telling myself that the reason I wanted the Kings pack was because it was my birthright, but as I took in the current state of things, shame once again burned through my gut. Now, I wanted nothing more than to be the Alpha of both packs so I could make sure these innocent wolves had the chance to live a good life.
I walked a bit farther, following the path that Bryn had showed me earlier, and found a group of six Kings men beginning reconstruction on a cabin. Each of them had planks of wood, nails, and other tools to get it done. Sitting to the side were four other Kings who were chatting with each other while the rest worked. I assumed those not working were on break until one of those who were sitting threw an empty can of beer at a man sawing a plank of wood.
“Cut straighter!” he shouted. “Or is that the best you can do? Maybe your mate would be better suited to this kind of work?”
The man said nothing. He just rubbed the spot on his head where he’d been hit and resumed sawing, this time attempting a straighter cut.
Ah. Now I understood. Those who sat around were higher-ranking members of the Kings. Given the fact that they were bigger than those working, they were likely among Troy’s elites. They were probably there with the responsibility of “supervising” the progress, but really, they were just hanging out and heckling those who were actually working.
