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"Convincing enough? Or do you prefer to see me shift for greater emphasis?" Rowan asked calmly as his marking lit up like a beacon, rivaling the light of the bonfire. The crowed awed over the sight of our markings, the power of the Wolf Moon displayed on our bodies. Nobody protested over what they were seeing and that was a good sign. Gesturing to me while his eyes remained on the crowd of shifters, Rowan added, "This woman right here has been deemed by our Mother Moon to be the next Queen of Wolves. Her presence alone will forge the strongest wolf pack of your generation. She's also willing to put her life on the line to save you all, and you dare to question her? Would you rather she left you all to suffer? I assure you all, that what you'll be facing is far greater than anything your precious alpha will do. There's a greater force out there that's coming for Rosie and the Wolf Moon's gift. Once they have it, none of you will be safe. If you value your lives, and the lives of your pack and family, you'll listen to what your queen has to say."
The silence after that was deafening. The very real threat of not only Pierce's actions, but the New Moon's Curse hung over their heads. There was a lot riding on whether I'm strong enough to fend off our enemies or not. Whether they want our help our not, we would still be busting our asses to make sure all of Kingsrose was safe but having their support and their loyalty would help tremendously. I needed to make sure all the shifters here would follow me. I couldn't afford the possibility of someone pretending to join me, only to really be a spy for Pierce. That sounded unlikely and overcautious, but I didn't want to take any chances. Not when lives were at risk.
I rested a hand on Rowan's shoulder, getting his attention. When he looked back at me, I sent him a silent message that I could handle this. He stepped away, allowing me to grab the audience's attention once again. "Look, I know everything is being thrown at you all at once, and it feels overwhelming. Trust me, I know from experience how hard it is to take it all in. But I think my comrades here have given you all more than enough proof to decide for yourself if you believe me or not. It's not my style to rush people into making choices, but given the circumstances, I'd advise you all to think about who you should align yourselves with sooner rather than later. If you join me, my pack and I will do everything in our power to protect you all, and I promise to be someone worthy of the title, Alpha. If you side with Pierce, then I'm sorry, but you won't be able to stay here. The Kingsrose Renegades Pack are taking over this territory as our own, which means this place is no longer yours. However, you're more than welcome to challenge me for control over Kingsrose if you wish, or you can wait it out for Pierce to come and try to take back control, but I promise you now, that won't happen."
I was on pins and needles watching with bated breath as the crowd talked amongst themselves, debating on what they should do. I knew I was giving them a tough decision to make. Most of these pack members likely grew up in Kingsrose. Their families may have grown up here, and now I was telling them to leave if they chose to side with Pierce over me. It made me feel like a dictator, but maybe that came with the territory of being an alpha. I took a moment to glance back at my brother and his group, seeing if he'd give me a sign that would tell me if I was doing the right thing or not. He didn't look upset or disappointed. He kept a stern expression followed by a subtle tilt of his head.
"This place has been, and always will be, Alpha Pierce's territory!" I heard a scraggly voice shout somewhere within the audience. When the crowed parted down the middle, only one man stood in the middle, naked with his hands balled into fists. His eyes filled with hatred, and his teeth were bare, his canines already shifted and ready to sink into his victim, mainly me.
"Reginald," Byron spoke softly. At my questioning look, he elaborated. "He's one of Pierce's betas."
I looked back at the lean shifter who looked ready to tear me to shreds the second my guard was down. Pierce still had betas left? He may have been one of the few who was with Whitney when they attacked, then ran off.
The beta, Reginald, took another step forward. Pointing a finger at me, he spat, "Kingsrose doesn't belong to the likes of you. You've disgraced our people by rejecting your fated mate, our alpha. The highest sin a shifter could commit. You don't even deserve to call yourself an alpha. All you’re good for is opening your legs for any Tom, Dick, and Harry who wants an easy lay."
"How dare you speak to her like that," Kao seethed and made to charge him, but Kai and Byron jumped in to hold him back.
I rolled my eyes at the insults. It wasn't the first time I'd been called easy, or any form of slut. This was the downside of being openly polyamorous, people who don't—or never wanted to—understand would always assume that I would sleep with anybody I wished. That I could never do commitment because all I want to do is cheat and sleep around. I may be in love with more than one man, but I'm committed to them in both body and soul. I may have a stirring for Rowan, and maybe Byron, but I knew either one of them would simply be another addition to our growing family. I would never leave my mates for anyone. If either of the two men were not meant to be my mates, then I'd let them go.
I glared at Reginald. "Whether you believe I'm deserving of being an alpha or not makes no difference to me. My pack has sworn their loyalty to me, and therefore, I will do my part to be there for them as their alpha. If you have a problem with it, you can either suck it up or do something about it."
Reginald scoffed. "So be it. On behalf of Pierce, I challenge you for the title of alpha. If I win, the pack will be under Pierce's control once again, and you will suffer whatever punishment the real alpha has in store for you."
Everyone's eyes were on me wondering if I was brazen enough to take the bait and accept the challenge.
"Rosie, I don't think this is a good idea. You know he's just baiting you," Rowan spoke softly in my ear.
"I agree with Rowan, it's too risky," Kao said.
Reginald cackled when I didn't respond right away. "What's wrong? Is her royal majesty too afraid to fight someone like me?"
I bit my tongue to avoid retorting to that nonsense. I had to remember to keep myself composed and not to let petty insults get to me. Last time I lost myself to anger because of remarks, I almost lost to Whitney for the second time. I needed to do better.
"How strong is Reginald?" Rowan asked, looking to Byron since he knew him better.
Byron shook his head. "He's strong but not that strong. He mainly likes fighting dirty. He'll do anything to get a win, and given the stakes, I wouldn't put it past him to try to cheat to win this challenge."
"If he's doing this for Pierce, then we can at least rule out the possibility of him wanting to kill Rosie," Kao said, wincing over that being the only silver lining in this situation.
"Unless he decides to try to kill her and call it an accident," Rowan countered.
My hands twitched at my sides, feeling the need to do something instead of worrying about whether I'd win and survive this challenge if I accepted or not. Saying no didn't seem like a real option, not if I wanted to prove to the onlookers that I could be the alpha they'd need to protect them from Pierce. If I turned it down, they might think of me as too weak to do anything. But there was a lot of risks involved if I accepted. On top of losing my pack, if Reginald did kill me, he'd have the Wolf Moon's gift. Mine in particular would give him control of any shifter he wanted to command, including alphas. Everyone would be forced to obey him.
I heard Reginald laughing hysterically, pointing at me as he decided to talk to the crowd. "You see this everybody? Your precious queen is too afraid to fight me. Is this what you want for an alpha? A scared little girl who doesn't have the guts to fight someone who dares to challenge her? Sounds pathetic if you ask me."
Panic started to rise from the pit of my stomach as I saw a few shifters seeming to agree with Reginald. This was bad, I had to do something now. I knew it was a risk, but it was one I couldn't afford to play it safe for. Just as I was about to accept the challenge, someone off to my side announced, "I'll do it."
I looked in the direction of the voice, stunned to see Kai stepping forward with his head held high and his back straightened. Kai was the one who accepted the challenge, and now I was left with a new fear. What if something happened to Kai?
5
KAI
"I'll do it." I spoke with confidence as I stepped forward to face Reginald. Everyone, including Rosie, looked stunned at my outburst. Even though I believed Rosie could handle herself if she accepted the challenge, the risk if she lost were too great. We needed her alive and able to lead the pack no matter what.
Reginald regarded me dumbfounded before doubling over with laughter. "You? The baby of the pack? You can't be serious. I asked to challenge the alpha of this farce of a pack, not some dick-whipped pup who usually avoids fighting."
"Yes, you challenged the Renegades Pack Alpha. As a mate of Rosie, I'm also considered Alpha, according to pack laws. Just like my brother and Joaquin are alphas."
