2

I hugged Night again, tears of relief welling up in my eyes. Shortly after the elder’s announcement, beer and soda appeared, and the smell of fire and burning charcoal filled the air.

The party mobilized around us, filling the training grounds. Musicians took spots on the platform so that their music would be heard over the raucous laughter and conversations. Night and I were at the center, our closest friends and family at our side.

As the festivities started in earnest, the elders and a little over half of the Kings decided to head to their homes. Most of those who were leaving were older, but there were also some young ones who would otherwise have jumped at the opportunity to let loose. Those were the ones who had screamed the loudest for Night’s death. Either shame or anger over Night’s win drove them to turn in early.

The Kings who stayed to enjoy the festivities with the Wargs were those Night and I had interacted with: parents, fighters, organizers, and the like. People who liked us. Smiling, they shook Night’s hand and gave me hugs, all under the watchful eye of Night’s best men.

“It’ll be exciting to see what happens next,” said Aiden, one of the men who worked on the construction of the new cabins. “It’s high time that we had someone trustworthy at the helm.”

A woman named Barbara wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me and Night tightly in turn. “We lost our cabin when Troy and those ferals attacked us,” she said. “We thought we would have to stay with family and friends for months, but you were so quick and efficient with the reconstruction that we had a place to call our own in just a couple of weeks. Thank you for doing what the Redwolfs never could.”

I beamed at her as she thanked us again before walking back to her mate and son. Many of the people who had stayed to speak to us had benefited directly from the reconstruction project. It was nice to hear their confidence in us, and it went a long way to prove that we were on the right track to get the rest of the Kings to warm to us.

Claire, one of the young mothers I’d spoken to, came up to us, holding two wine coolers. “Consider these a token of my relief for your win,” she said, “I wish you both nothing but the best.”

As Night took both coolers from her, I said, “Thanks, but only one of us will be able to drink that.”

She seemed confused at first. “But I thought I saw you drinking this at your claiming ceremony…oh!” Her eyes brightened. “Bryn, no way! Are you…?”

I nodded, touching my stomach.

She gasped, and those closest to us who’d overheard began to cheer. Night and I laughed as word of my pregnancy carried through the crowd. There had been rumors of it, so this was, if anything, just confirmation for many of those folks. But it felt official now.

“Congrats, you two,” Tanya said, smiling widely. She clasped my hand in both of hers. “It feels like we’re standing at the start of something new.”

Tara nodded enthusiastically. “It’s amazing how quickly things have been getting done since you two took charge of things. And now with the baby, things feel even more hopeful.”

“Thanks, Tara, Tanya.” I grinned at them.

Next in line was Tyrell. He had been in charge of the reconstruction project but had stepped down shortly after Tavi and I spoke to him about getting it underway. The responsibility had proven too much for him and his family, but he was still involved in the process, just not at the helm. “There is a slew of people who would love to personally thank you both for how efficiently you’ve been taking care of things.”

It was clear I wasn’t the only one thinking about what all this meant, because Dom leaned in to speak to us when there was a lull in the influx of thankful Kings.

“Not a bad way to take the temperature of how they feel about us and the changes we’ve made,” he said with a smile.

I nodded. “I was thinking something similar. More people decided to stay and mingle than I would’ve expected.”

“That’s encouraging.” Night’s smile was determined. It told me that he’d taken the retreating backs as part of the challenge of being alpha. I returned his smile.

“Let’s not dwell too much on that sort of thing,” Tavi said when she returned to my side. She’d gone off to grab beers for herself, Night, and Dom and a soda for me. “Let’s alleviate some of our stress tonight.”

“Good point.” Dom grinned at her, and when he accepted the beer she handed to him, he touched her fingers longer than was necessary. Tavi gazed back at him. It was like the world had completely disappeared around them, and they were the only two around for miles.

“Could you two go see what there is to eat?” I said. “Night and I should stay here since it looks like there are more people waiting to talk to their new alpha.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Tavi replied. I wondered if she’d heard a word I’d said, but when Dom reached for her hand, she took it. The two dissolved into the crowd, and I giggled, leaning my head on Night’s shoulder.

The next person in the line came forward, and Night and I were surprised to see Lance. He nodded at me. “Congratulations, Bryn,” he said.

“Yeah, thanks.” I didn’t smile. The last time I’d spoken to him, he told me he already knew about my pregnancy and that I needed to watch my back around the Kings. I still had no idea what his endgame was, but I wouldn’t pretend to be friends with him just for the sake of appearances. I didn’t trust him. Not at all.

His cerulean eyes shifted from me to Night as he smirked. “Congrats to you, too, Night.” He took my mate’s hand and shook hard. “I’m glad that was such an easy fight for you.”