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“Your people.” Cooper sneers nastily. “They were my people once. And I didn’t let them walk all over me.”
“No, you walked all over them,” I snap, tired of his bullshit. “That’s not how being a leader works. That’s how being a dictator works. And historically, being a dictator never seems to work out, does it?”
Cooper splutters, tripping over his angry responses without making any real words come out. His inability to speak logically and professionally in the wake of his anger feels like a fucking win. This man should never have been alpha in the first place. He was a big damn child who defaulted into the position because his own dad got old and weak.
I did everyone a fucking favor.
“Your job is to do,” he finally says. “The very idea of you opening a floor for discussion… for convincing…”
Funnily enough, he almost sounds offended. By the idea of me convincing the pack to stay here, or by the fact that I’m ten times the alpha he ever dreamed of being? It’s a toss-up.
I touch Sable’s shoulder and motion toward the door with my head. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
Her eyes are as wide as saucers, and her nose is wrinkled like she smells something bad. I always get that way around my father too. If I wasn’t trying to leave with dignity, I’d tell her that so we could share a laugh. Instead, I whirl on my heel and stalk from the shed before he can open his mouth to speak again.
Because if he manages to get another word in, I won’t be responsible for what I do. In fact, I might even enjoy kicking his ass all over again.
Thankfully, I can sense Sable following right behind me, and we make our escape before I have to resort to brawling.
My heart is pounding like I just fought a fucking bear. Just being in that small space, dealing with my father like I did for the first seventeen years of my life, has my blood rushing in my ears. Standing there and arguing with him dredged up all sorts of memories and left me feeling so different from the kid who grew up under Cooper’s thumb. When I think back to all those massive fights we always had, all the times I had to bite my tongue when I really wanted to let him have it, it’s a damn miracle I waited until I came of age before throwing down for the position of alpha.
The good news is I don’t have to bite my tongue anymore. Never again.
Aside from my anger still churning in my gut, I feel validated. Like I got some closure in just that short interaction. Cooper always seemed to focus on what the pack could do for him, not what he could do for the pack. What a fucking dick.
We’re all better off without him.
I’m walking without real direction, trying to process my anger and work through my emotions. A part of me is worried if I speak now, I’ll just be an ass because I’m still learning how to feel shit. We’re somewhere deep in the middle of the village, and everything looks peaceful. Cleanup has gone well in this area of town. Either that, or this small cross section of dirt roads was deep enough to keep
it safe from the witches when they attacked from the outside.
The details don’t matter though. The birds are singing. Neighbors are chatting over fences, kids are playing in the yards. There’s an old man rocking in a chair on his porch, smoking a cigar with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.
This is what pack life should look like.
I realize two things in the same instant. One—my anger has faded dramatically in the last few seconds thanks to our idyllic surroundings. And two—Sable is being oddly quiet. I hope my dad didn’t offend her or, I don’t know, turn her off to the idea of being mated to me. I look over at her, ready to launch into a heartfelt promise that I’ll never, ever turn out like that dickbag.
But the moment I look at her thoughtful face, an even deeper realization washes over me.
“You meant for this to happen,” I murmur, baffled. “You expected this—or something like it. That argument. Me coming to terms with the fact I’m the better alpha. You… you knew.”
A small smile touches the corners of her lips, and she links her arm through mine as we walk. “I didn’t know for sure. But I suspected. Trystan, you’re an amazing leader. I’ve seen it in you. Not just with your pack, but with anybody who needs you watching their back.” She leans her head against my arm, and I feel like my heart could explode with happiness as she adds, “I just thought maybe you could use a little reminder.”
6
Sable
I give Trystan’s arm a squeeze in a kind of awkward arm hug, and he draws to a slow halt.
When I look back up at him, he’s staring at me with such a funny, un-Trystan-like expression on his face, that I almost laugh. Then his hands wrap around my elbows and he drags me against him, that bewildered expression falling away as it’s replaced by something warmer.
“Goddammit, I love you,” he murmurs, conviction ringing in his voice.
Without another word, he drops his head and kisses me.
His arms wrap around my waist, and his palms send little tingles up my spine as he tugs me closer. I rise up on my toes, pressing my body against his, and a low rumble of desire comes from deep inside his chest. Our kiss deepens. Quickens. His lips taste like ambrosia, like I’m standing in heaven and about to be as high as a goddess can go. Our tongues touch, and his fingers sink into my hips to yank me against his growing erection.
I lose all concept of time and give myself over to the sensation of him in my arms.
