Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Brian had been in the house for about fifteen minutes when footsteps sounded, the front door opened, and one of Keith’s pack members ran out.
“Alpha!” Lorraine cried out the moment she saw him. “Praise heavens.” She rushed toward him.
Rosemary followed her out the door of the Alpha house, her long skirt gathered in her hands and her hair slipping from its always present bun. “You’re here.” Relief was evident in Rosemary’s voice. “Alpha, you’re here.”
For the first time, he didn’t dispute the title. Instead, he smiled at the women who had supported him for as long as he could remember. “I’m here,” he confirmed.
“That Alpha who took you is back,” Rosemary said breathlessly as she ran to him. “Alpha Brian Berger. He’s here and he challenged the Monster. He wants to take over Green Field.”
“We tried to keep him away,” Lorraine said, coming to a stop in front of him. “But he figured out where the Monster was hiding. He went after him.”
“Good.” Keith nodded. The two women were hunched over, hands on their knees, chests heaving as they gasped for air. “Breathe,” he said gently. “Everything will be better from now on.” He set a reassuring hand on each of their napes. “I’ve got you.”
“No, Alpha, you don’t understand,” Rosemary said. “If you don’t stop him, he’ll unseat Rupert Jackson in a challenge and then he’ll be the Green Field Alpha instead of you!”
“You have to go inside,” Lorraine beseeched him. “Please, Alpha. Please.”
“It’s too late.” Gloria walked out of the Alpha house, her posture slumped as she shuffled toward him. “I could hear them downstairs. That other Alpha already won the challenge.”
“Did anyone else get hurt?” Keith asked.
“No.” Gloria started shaking her head, flicked her gaze to the ground surrounding him, and then said, “Not inside, no.” When she was close enough to touch, she cupped Keith’s cheek. “You look well.” Her eyes glistened. “Healthy. I’m so glad, Alpha.”
Having finally regulated their breathing, Lorraine and Rosemary straightened and looked at him appraisingly. “Gloria’s right,” Lorraine said. “You look good, Alpha. Strong.”
“I didn’t look strong before?” he teased.
“You know what I mean.” The older woman’s cheeks colored.
“It’s not too late,” Rosemary said frantically. “You can challenge that other Alpha and take your place. We need you, Alpha Iredell. We’ve waited so long. Green Field needs you.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Brian stepped out of the house, his clothes barely rumpled. “This pack is already his. It always has been.”
“You took care of him?” Keith confirmed.
He nodded. “You were right. He was weak. I also called Steve and told him to come here with reinforcements so we can—” He froze and gasped, his eyes widening at the full picture before him. “What the fuck?” He turned from left to right, scanning the entire area and taking in the ten bodies on the ground. “Who are they?”
“Rupert’s lapdogs,” Keith said. “They tried to get the drop on you. Emphasis on tried. I didn’t let them.”
Brian blinked a few times, clearly processing the scene, and then he rushed over to him, wedging past the three women. “Are you okay?” His hands hovered on either side of Keith’s shoulders and down the length of his body. “Did they hurt you?”
He grinned. “Do I look injured?” He grasped Brian’s waist and tugged him close. “You can touch me, mate. I’m fine. Not a scratch on me.”
“Mate?” Rosemary asked breathlessly.
“Yes.” Joy and pride burst from him and he smiled so widely his cheeks hurt. “This is Brian Berger, my mate.”
Brian curled his hands over Keith’s shoulders. “It’s nice to meet you all,” he said distractedly, not taking his eyes off Keith. “What happened out here?”
“I paused them.”
Brian’s jaw dropped.
Keith started to laugh but then he stopped, stood still and focused. He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Excuse me for a moment.” He stepped out of Brian’s hold, walked around him and over to the side of the house, and closed his eyes. “Three. Two.”
“What are you—”
He jerked his head and hand to the right and dug his fingers into a furry throat. “One.” He raised his arm into the air and tightened his hold. “Did you think taking this form would help you meet a different fate from your friends?” He cackled. “Hilarious.” Just as the wolf’s growls and swipes slowed, Keith turned to the left and darted his free arm out, catching the next attacker, who was trying to sneak up on him in wolf form. “Two for the price of one.” He swung both arms toward each other, banging the two shifters’ heads together and they both went limp. “Goodie.” He let the unconscious bodies drop to the ground. “That’s twelve.” He walked back to the group. “Ladies, did Rupert Jackson have more than a dozen allies or is this all of them?”
Lorraine, Rosemary, and Gloria inspected the men on the ground.