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No, this was directly to her face.
“She’s not strong enough to be your mate!” one of the male wolves called out.
From the shape of his eyes, Brie thought he must have been one of the wolves who had attacked her on the hunt. While that hadn’t been wise of him, it had been acceptable. She was new and hadn’t fought for her position and respect yet.
However calling her a whore because Gideon had chosen her—becausefatehad chosen her—was stepping over the line.
“Are you going to stand there and just let them call your mate these things?” Brynn snapped from behind Brie. All of the Brentwoods were there, and she could feel the tension and anger rising from them as each minute passed.
Gideon looked the worst by far. It was as if it took every ounce of his strength as Alpha not to attack and kill everyone in his path. Only Brie didn’t know if the anger was for her or the fact that they were also disrespecting him in the process.
“I want to hear what each bastard has to say. I want to see who speaks and who holds their tongues, even though it’s clear they want to say something.”
Brie’s eyes widened, and she had to hold herself back from gripping Gideon’s hand. He wasn’t letting others hurt her. He was finding out who was stupid enough to call her out for being herself.
“They won’t be allowed to do this again,” he growled.
“Good. Because I’m about to kill them myself if you don’t do anything about it,” Ryder snapped, surprising Brie. He was the quiet one, the nonviolent Heir.
Little did she know, apparently.
“Are you done?” Gideon growled. While before he had been speaking softly so just the Brentwoods would hear, now he spoke to the entire Pack.
Everyone quieted, even those who seemed the most passionate against her.
“Good. Now listen to me and listen well. Brie Brentwood is my mate. My. Mate. Not yours. Not another’s. Fate found her for me, and I am not giving her up because you don’t seem to understand your place in the Pack.”
Brie kept her chin up, gazing directly at those who had jeered and, most especially, on Iona, who had eyes for only Gideon. The other woman wanted the Alpha. Badly. It was clear on her face. Brie only knew that Iona used to warm Gideon’s bed, but he had broken it off with herbeforethe elders had put the mating game on display. Iona wasn’t Gideon’s mate, so in any other kind of mating, she wouldn’t have been an issue. All wolves needed to find comfort and release—even though she herself had been quite different. Iona hadn’t a leg to stand on other than the fact that Shannon had wanted her for the Alpha’s mate.
Things hadn’t worked out like the elder had hoped, and now things were going to shit. If they had been a truly healthy Pack, Gideon wouldn’t have had to fight for what he wanted. Instead, it was as if he had to prove himself each time he wanted to act as Alpha. Brie figured that was because he’d had to kill his father to become Alpha. She had heard the stories, but she didn’t know the entire truth. That was one thing she would have to speak to him about. She didn’t like to be kept in the dark, and from the aggression she felt against her, it was dangerous not to know as well. From what she could tell, those who had followed Joseph, the previous Alpha, and remained Talons were not making Gideon’s life easy.
Even though the moon goddess was the one who blessed those with the bonds of Alpha, Heir, Beta and so on, it took the strength of a healthy Pack to thrive. If there were diseased parts, thanks to their previous cloying loyalties, then that was something that needed to be fixed. It was a tricky situation, and Brie wanted to find out how she could help.
Ifshe could help.
“You forget that all parts of the Pack help us remain who we are,” Gideon continued. “We need not only the dominants, but the maternalsandthe submissives. It’s not the nature of the wolf inside but how the wolf treats those around him that shows us how they can help the Pack. The fact that you are threatening my mate, because you’re ignorant, shows me that some things need to change.”
She sucked in a breath. This wasn’t going to end well.
“I am Alpha. My word is law. For those of you who have forgotten that, you are welcome to challenge me. Let’s see if your strength can help you survive. Let’s see if you can be blessed by the moon goddess.”
Not a single person came forward, and Brie held back a sigh of relief.
“I am Alpha,” Gideon repeated. “I have bled for you. I have fought for you. What more must I do for you to trust my decisions? What more must I do for you to accept my mate as I have? She is your Alpha female. She is your Pack. Remember that.”
Still, she didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything for her to say. Words were nice. The fact that Gideon had put those out for her said something, but it would take her own actions and those of the Pack for her to gain acceptance.
That would come.
One day.
She hoped.
Gideon didn’t look at her, and he didn’t touch her in front of the Pack as they continued their business. For some reason, that hurt more than it should have. The elders had forced the mating because they’d said the Pack was growing weak because Gideon didn’t have a mate. Yet his mating of her hadn’t seemed to help. Instead, things were worse. What was the point of mating a man who didn’t love her if everything they tried to build crumbled around them?
Gideon didn’t trust her to protect herself, nor did the Pack trust her to act in her role.
She’d never truly felt like nothing before, but with every moment that passed, every look of condemnation sent her way, she was well on her way to nothingness.
