Page 8 of Brutal Reign
I roll my eyes. I don’t know why people seem surprised that Theo’s passing the Alpha rank to his daughter. The writing’s been on the wall for years, since he doesn’t have a son to pass it down to. He told the six-pack council about his plans before he made the official announcement to his pack, and my dad told me. I responded to him like I always do anytime someone brings her up, by saying that I don’t care about RiverfuckingJacobsen.
It’s easier to choke out the lie than swallow the truth.
“Yeah, how’s that gonna work, anyway?” Eli asks, snorting a laugh. “Is her future mate gonna be a male Luna? I feel bad for the poor bastard who inheritsthattitle”
“It’s not right,” Beau agrees.
“A female Alpha, or a male Luna?” Micah asks, brows knitting together.
Beau shrugs a shoulder. “Both.”
“Not our pack, not our problem,” I sigh, leaning over to snatch the joint from Micah’s hands.
He swings his gaze on me, eyes rounding in concern. “You’re not gonna spark that up in here, are you?”
“Why not?” I scoff, lifting it in front of my face to examine it.Too loose, it’ll burn like shit.I toss it back onto his lap. “What about that girl who was hanging with Riv? The one with the purple hair?”
“Think her name’s Hailey,” Eli supplies, gnawing on his lower lip as he fights to keep the lead in the race against Beau.
“Hayden,” Micah corrects. “Summervale pack, and yeah, she finished seventh.”
“She’s hot,” Beau remarks, whooping in victory as he slides into first place while Eli starts cussing him out.
“I hope you’re talking about me,” a feminine voice purrs.
I glance up to see the handsy blonde from earlier approaching, swinging her hips as she struts up to me. Her blue eyes sparkle with devious intent as she steps between my spread knees and drops into my lap. I promptly shove her off with the sweep of an arm, sending her sprawling sideways onto the couch cushions.
“What the hell?” she huffs, scrambling to sit up.
I slowly turn to look at her. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?” I deadpan.
A flush creeps across her cheeks as she pushes herself upright, smoothing her long hair back. “Jeez,sorry.You don’t have to be a dick about it.”
“That’s kinda his thing, sweetheart,” Beau chuckles, leaning forward to drop his gaming controller onto the coffee table. He licks his lips as he reclines back, stretching out his arms and cracking his knuckles. “You can come sit on my lap, though. I don’t bite.” He pats his thigh, beckoning her with a flick of his head.
She rolls her eyes, pursing her over-glossed lips and lifting her chin haughtily. “Sorry, you’re not my type.”
“Please,I’m everyone’s type,” Beau scoffs, carding his fingers through his golden hair and flashing her a grin. He’s an arrogant bastard, but he’s not wrong. Since he’s packed on more muscle, girls fall all over themselves for his pretty-boy jock aesthetic.
“I like my guys taller,” she muses, lips curving into a smirk as she swings her gaze back on me.
Why the fuck is she still here?
I scrub a hand over my face, heaving a sigh. “Listen, Chelsey…”
“Chandler,” she corrects.
“Whatever. Like I said, we were…” I trail off as the lights flicker overhead, jerking my chin up to glare at the offending fixture. “The fuck was that?”
“Five minutes ‘til lights-out,” she quips.
“But it isn’t even fucking ten,” I growl.
“Training starts at seven a.m.,” Micah states, pushing up from the couch.
I toss my head back against the cushion behind me with an annoyed groan. I’ve never had a fucking bedtime in my life; my mom and dad believed in free-range parenting, and I took full advantage. It’s bad enough that I have to slum it in the barracks with the other recruits, but expecting me to abide by their bullshit rules is like a slap in the face. I’m an Alpha. I answer tono one.
“Here,” Micah offers, extending his shitty joint toward me.