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Chapter 1

Bryn

Tavi squeezed my trembling hand. In front of us, hopeful young wolves were gathered to fight for the right to be called alpha of the Kings. Among them, of course, was Night, my soulmate. Xavier, a man who had been little more than a bullying menace his entire life, was the Kings Council’s pick. Xavier would fight opponent after opponent until he either won or was beaten. Unfortunately, he was in top form.

Xavier was a good fifteen years older than most of the other competitors and wasted no time humiliating and viciously killing the first few men who stepped into the ring. It was difficult to watch. I was sure I would have nightmares about the final sounds those poor wolves made for many nights to come. I didn’t care if they directly opposed me and Night—no one deserved to be put down like that.

An icy chill ran down the back of my neck and spine when Xavier turned to my mate, pointing at him to come forward. My heart thundered as my mate stepped forward. I tightened my grip on Tavi’s hand. Night, to his credit, didn’t seem at all afraid or intimidated.

Xavier was tall, bulky, and cruel. His battles with previous opponents had ended quickly but viciously. Blow after brutal blow, three men had fallen under his assaults. Though I had confidence in Night’s ability, I didn’t want him—or anyone—anywhere near Xavier. Not when his lust for blood was so apparent.

The crowd roared for Night’s blood, calling for Xavier to kill him quickly. It made my skin crawl to hear, but when I saw the smirk on my mate’s face, my shoulders started to relax. Night knew what he was doing. I needed to believe in him just as much as he seemed to believe in himself.

He and Xavier circled each other like boxers, trading punches, but as the seconds passed by, Xavier got bolder. He threw a punch at my mate, but in the next second, he was bent over Night’s knee, coughing. My mate had moved so quickly, I wasn’t sure how exactly he had gotten the upper hand. But I was relieved for it.

Xavier yelled in frustration, then ripped his clothes to shit. Night followed suit. They wrestled, snapping and growling at each other. Hundreds of wolves pressed in closer, all of us standing in a circle around the training grounds to create a ring. I, Tavi, Dom, and the Kings elders and council stood on an elevated platform, overlooking the battle. I held my breath, my heart continuing to hammer behind my ribcage.

Just seconds after they turned into wolves, Night shifted things in his favor again. He got his sharp teeth around Xavier’s throat, and with one powerful snap of his jaws, the bones shattered. Xavier’s body went limp, and Night dropped him to the ground. He threw his head back and howled long and loud, his voice echoing out with beautiful, haunting clarity. I felt an answering rumble within me, my own wolf reacting to the call of our mate.

The crowd around us fell quiet as Night looked at the remaining wolves—his would-be opponents—and lowered his head, baring teeth still stained red with Xavier’s blood. I didn’t need to be a shifter to catch his meaning: Anyone else want a piece of this?

The other alpha-hopefuls shook their heads and backed away. My jaw dropped, and I glanced at Tavi to confirm that this meant what I hoped it did. Her grin was more than enough answer for me.

Night won! He was the alpha!

He shifted back into his human form, his sculpted face glowing in the orange haze of the setting sun. His emerald eyes blazed, and his hard, taut body shone with a sheen of sweat. I lowered my hand from my stomach—I hadn’t even realized I had been holding it through the battle—and raised my voice. “Kings Pack, witness your new alpha: Night Shepherd!”

The Wargs in attendance broke out into whoops and cheers. They swarmed the battlefield, eager to congratulate their alpha. The Kings’ reactions were more mixed. Some were relieved that Night had won, some upset that a Warg would now be their alpha. The council, too, was divided. Dana and Edward were scowling, while Colby, Ross, and Grant seemed unsurprised. I tried not to let the mixed reactions bother me too much. We would address their issues and hang-ups as they came up. For now, I just wanted to be with my mate.

I rushed down to the arena with everyone else as Dom handed Night a pair of pants. Night had just pulled them on when I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. His skin was hot under my touch. I covered his face with kisses as other Wargs pressed around us, eager to share in the joy.

“I love you so much, Night,” I said into his ear. “I’m so proud of you.”

His arms tightened around my waist, and he kissed me deeply. It wasn’t until this moment that it all felt real, and everything came into focus. From this point forward, he and I would work hard to make the Wargs and Kings better for the wolves who depended on us. For our baby.

As we separated, we hugged my mom, Violet, Tavi, and Dom. Vince, Jasper, Redford, and other wolves drew close. Laughter bubbled up from us as we all felt some combination of relief and excitement that things had gone so well, that we could start to face the future head-on.

“Attention!” That was the voice of Elder Queene, whose long, thick salt-and-pepper hair was pulled away from his face in a low ponytail.

His voice called the crowd to order. We turned to him and the other two elders—Forsythe, who stood silent and unaffected as ever, and Sage, who was stroking his long, silver beard.

“With this, the alpha title has shifted from Bryn Hunter to Night Shepherd,” Elder Queene said. “In accordance with pack law, this change will be made official at sunset tomorrow. That is all.”