All Chapters of Claiming The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 2: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Oh, Mom, you’ve been wonderful and amazing. Believe me. It’s just that…now that I’ve got my own baby on the way, I wish I knew more about who I am. I want to be able to tell my baby about its biological grandparents and the kind of people they were.”Mom nodded and gave me a small smile. “Don’t worry, Bryn, I’m not taking any offense. I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t have answers for you; the heavens only know how badly I wish I did have them. But, honey, I’m committed to helping you in whatever way I can.”I smiled, relieved that I hadn’t hurt her feelings and she would help me. “Thanks, Mom. I love you so much.”“I love you, too, sweetheart. But I want to add one thing.”“Yes?”“You don’t need to know your biological parents to be a good mother. You have plenty of experience watching pups, and you’re a very patient and nurturing young woman. You’re going to be a great mother. I know it.”“I hope that’s true, but I can’t seem to stop doubting myself.” I forced a laugh,

I directed another group to grab some spare wood and supplies so we could get all hands on deck. Beer and food were served, and time passed in friendly productivity. Before I knew it, it was time to speak to the council.I reached out to them telepathically.“We’ve been expecting you, Alpha,” Wayne replied. “Meet us at my cabin, please. The five of us have already gathered.”It seemed I wasn’t the only one who wanted to get the meeting over with.Wayne’s cabin was farther inside the compound, a few yards from the library, where I was repairing one of the reading benches. In Wayne’s sixty years of life, he’d had six pups. Because of that, he lived in one of the larger cabins that were impossible to miss.I walked up to the door and knocked before stepping inside. They were expecting me, so there was no need to wait for an invitation.I found the council members sitting at the varnished wood table in Wayne’s living room. They stood as I entered. Jasmine Howler, the second-oldest in her

“Well, they won’t be welcome unless they assimilate completely,” he said. “They’ll have to abandon their pride as Kings and take on new identities as Wargs. If they don’t want to do that, they can leave or be killed. Likely, it will be the latter.”“But your experience with the Kings is now decades-old,” I protested. “I have seen this pack with fresh eyes, and after spending time with them, they’ve shown me that they are capable of accepting change. Of course, there will be Kings who hate the merger and abandon the larger pack, but there’s real potential for them to—”Jasmine let out a harsh laugh. “Potential, Night? Potential for what? For the Kings to accept living with a pack they have always viewed as lesser? Not a chance.”My wolf growled at her disrespect. I bit back the retort my wolf and I desperately wanted to make, forcing my voice to remain calm. “I’m saying that a violent takeover won’t be necessary. If we want to end decades and decades of hate between our pack and the Ki

Tavi was waiting for me outside the council meeting room. She was wearing her usual oversized shirt and leggings. I’d sent a telepathic message to her to meet me there and was glad to see her. She gave me a half smile, which I returned. I wouldn’t have Night by my side, but at least I wouldn’t face the council alone.We headed inside together. Colby, Ross, Dana, Edward, and Grant were already seated. They rose as Tavi and I entered, but Dana took the longest to get to her feet. I knew it was because she didn’t like or respect me, but whatever; her pettiness wasn’t worth picking a fight.“Thank you for meeting with us today, Alpha Hunter,” Ross said. His salt-and-pepper hair normally fell down his back, but he’d tied it back in a low bun. Long strands of hair were in their usual place over the scar on the left side of his face. “We wanted to talk to you about the alpha challenge.”I nodded as Tavi and I took seats across from them. “I wanted to talk about that, too. I’m unclear about w

“You look like you’re doing well, Violet,” I said. “You’ve come really far with your healing.”She nodded, and her emerald eyes returned to Dr. Stan. “Thanks to Damon’s help, this awful alpha wound rarely bothers me anymore. He has the best salves for me.” She patted his leg.I pursed my lips to keep from smirking. “I’m glad he’s been helping you so much. Having a doctor on call must be a huge relief.”Dr. Damon’s face reddened. “A-anyway, did you need to talk to Violet? I don’t mean to keep her from you.”“No, no, I just wanted to check in and say hello,” I said, still smirking. “I’ll catch up with you both some other time.” I winked at Violet, then headed back to the alpha cabin.On the walk back, I noticed a small group of women talking and laughing near the tree line. Tanya and Tara were among them. They were two-thirds of the Terrible T’s, the women who had tormented me almost as horribly as Troy. Trisha was usually the ringleader, but I hadn’t seen her around the pack lately. I