Page 50 of Brutal Reign

“She’s not Alpha yet.”

“She’s been announced as the next in line, so according to shifter law, that opens her up for a challenge.”

I’ve gone so numb that I barely feel my mom’s hand grab for mine, her fingers threading between my own. She squeezes three times in a silent question, asking if I’m okay, but I can’t squeeze back.

I’m not okay.

“Are you sure you want to do that, Jake?” Dad questions, narrowing his eyes threateningly. “Once you’ve issued a challenge, you can’t take it back. And if you don’t succeed, the consequence is exile.”

Jake puffs out his chest, looking more self-assured than I’ve ever seen him. “I’m sure. This pack needs a strong Alpha at the helm after you step down, and I believe I’m the man for the job.”

Fuck.

“Name the time and place,” Dad growls.

Fuck.

Jake smiles in my direction. “Here, next full moon.”

FUCK.

“River, do you accept?”

I whip my head sideways to stare at my dad, the room falling so silent you could hear a pin drop. He cocks a brow to punctuate his question, and I know there’s only one right answer. If I say no, I’m essentially handing the Alpha rank to Jake on a silver platter. He’d run this damn pack into the ground– destroy my family’s legacy– all because I bruised his ego.

Or maybe I was so caught off guard by the way he approached me that night that I missed the bigger picture here. Maybe it was never really about me rejecting his advances, but thwarting his grab for power. He’s the snake in the grass that I never saw coming.

If I refuse to accept his challenge, then it’s all over right now. He wins. But if I accept, then I’ve got a month before the next full moon to figure out how the hell to get out of this.

I turn to look at Jake, clocking the smug arrogance written all over his face. He has no idea what he’s just set into motion.My inner wolf thrashes in my chest with the promise of violence as I step forward, holding his stare unblinkingly. “I accept,” I say confidently, internally panicking while putting on the performance of a lifetime.

Dad nods in approval, then abruptly turns on a heel to start toward the back doors of the packhouse. “Let’s go fucking run,” he growls as he rucks his shirt off over his head, barely containing his fury as he stomps away.

Everyone else stands there frozen for a moment, blinking in bewilderment. It seems I’m not the only one who was taken by complete surprise at Jake’s challenge, and I suppose it should be some comfort that this wasn’t all part of an organized coup. Even Cory looks blindsided, but when I shift my gaze to Ellie standing beside him…yeah, that bitch knew. She probably encouraged it.

I turn my gaze on my mother, feeling helpless as my brain trips over itself to process what just happened. “Mom, what’s…?” I whisper, but she silences me with a subtle shake of her head.

“Later,” she whispers back, grabbing for my hand and pulling me to follow her toward the back of the packhouse.

She’s right- we can’t have this conversation now, with the rest of the pack looking on. At this moment, I’m still the Alpha heir, and I need to keep up appearances.

My inner beast claws at my insides the moment I step out into the moonlight. She’s all riled up, which means this is the absolute worst time to let her take the reins. When I have a clear head, I can usually keep her in line, but when I’m overwhelmed and she feels threatened…

So much for those calming exercises.

Forget running with my pack, I need to run as far away from here as I possibly can. We always begin the run by heading north, and if I keep going, I’ll cross over into Goldenleaf’s territory. Sloanedidsay I’d be welcome there tonight…

Shit, was this what she was trying to warn me about?

My mom quickly leads me across the lawn, putting us safely out of earshot of the rest of the pack before pivoting to face me. “How’s your wolf?” she asks, brows knitting together in concern as she reaches up to cup my face.

“Not good,” I rasp.

She nods slowly, sweeping her thumb back and forth soothingly over the apple of my cheek. “Do you think you can keep a handle on her, or do you need to leave?”

“I need to leave,” I croak. “I can head for Goldenleaf, but if she senses Jake’s wolf…”

“I’ll hold the pack off by waiting to shift, and I’ll explain everything to your dad after,” she says curtly, keeping a level head as always.