Chapter 3

M y muscles tense as I enter the ring against Hoyt. He’s been running this pack into the fucking ground, but fortunately for them, I finally found where I belong, where I come from.

I’ve been waiting for this moment for years. The moment I could claim my birthright, and it’s finally here.

“He’s weak,” Jonas says behind me.

He’s my oldest friend, the only friend I could ever truly depend on. While others left me in their wake, Jonas was there, having my back, it’s why he will be my second the moment I take over this shambled pack.

Both of our wolves ripped out of us when we needed them the most. We stayed at Mander’s for a few years, thinking it was safe for us, until we learned the truth.

We left that hellhole and never looked back. Since then, we’ve been trying to find the right pack. And it just so happens that this one is tethered to me in blood. And I want what I’m owed.

We should kill him, Thorin whispers in my mind.

My inner wolf is begging to be let out as he whispers threats of violence in my mind.

I’ll let you out shortly and you can have your bloodshed, I tell him.

This pack is ours. Our mate is near. I can feel it, Thorin rumbles.

As of late, all the Alpha wolf cares about is finding our mate. The drive has not been similar for me as a man. I just want to finally be a part of something real, somewhere I belong. I can appreciate a woman's beauty, but I’ve never been drawn to enter a relationship or anything adjacent with one. Being the Alpha of a pack, of my destined pack, has been my only motivation.

“This is bullshit. You think you’re going to come into my home and try to take my pack away from me? You aren’t even a part of the Moon Walker Pack. You have no fuckin’ claim here,” Hoyt says in a thick southern drawl.

“If you’re such a strong Alpha it won’t matter,” I say, and his eyes flash yellow.

“He’s going to shift,” Jonas states the obvious behind me.

Hoyt is ill-tempered, unfit to lead, and clearly misjudging my strength. I’ve never felt an impulse as strong as I have to take this position from him. The rest of the shifter community stands by, none of them defending their current Alpha. They all just look on with intrigue.

“He’s weak. We should rip out his throat,” Thorin growls, and I swear I can hear him salivating at the idea.

Hoyt is vibrating across from me, his wolf taking over. What a weak, pathetic asshole. It’s been nearly a decade since Thorin involuntarily took me over. We’re so in sync at this point in our bond, I’d never look so impulsive in front of my pack.

He rips out of his clothes, shredding them into pieces, and I sigh as the gray wolf in front of me bares its teeth in challenge.

I unbutton my shirt, folding it, and handing it to Jonas, before undoing my belt and doing the same with my pants. Having no issue with my manhood, I take off my underwear until I’m completely naked and take one last look at the crowd. My skin is balmy with the humidity, and I almost wish my blood rite was further north, but here we are.

This pack is about to be ours.

The shift is lightning fast, and Thorin takes over.