Chapter 41 ASSISTANT ALPHA
RAGNAR'S POV
Richard clears his throat. “Mr Montgomery, if you’re here to provoke–”
“Oh, I’m not here just to provoke you,” Lance cuts in his eyes sliding back to me. “Though you do make it easy for me to rile you up.”
Yurik pushes forward at me furious now.
He wants to pummel Lance through the concrete until there's no definitive structure on his face anymore.
Lance is… challenging me?
I feel the subtle pressure of another Alpha asserting his presence right here and I'm surprised it's Lance.
He's become stronger after all these years.
“You’ve been busy Ragnar,” Lance continues leisurely, “You’ve got rogues at your borders, rumors spreading quickly and your pack members suspecting you.” His gaze sharpens at me.
“And while all this is happening, you’re actually getting carried away by an Omega.” He says like there's a bad thing in his throat.
I bare my teeth at him. “If you dare say his name, I’ll break your jaw Lance!”
That finally earns me something real, an actual true reaction from him, a soft laugh. “There it is. You're still so predictable Ragnar, it's now almost boring.”
Richard moves forward, placing himself in front of me right now to try and stop a fight before it even starts.
“You need to leave, right now!”
Lance ignores him. His focus is locked on me.like it used to be. I used to like how he could single me out with his gaze and make me feel special.
“You always did have a weakness for weak little strays Ragnar. And that Omega I've heard is the weakest of them all.”
I see red.
And I’m on him without thinking, my fists curling on the collar of his jacket, slamming him back against the wall.
“Get the fuck out now Lance. You were banished never to return”
Lance doesn’t fight it or even struggle against my grip. He just looks up at me with bright eyes looking thrilled.
“Careful lover. One of the clauses for my banishment is that you can never touch or do any physical harm to me.”
“Ragnar no!” Richard is shouting and pulling at my hands still holding Lance.
I force myself to release him, even stepping back with effort.
He was banished for a reason and I wouldn't want him back in my life or this pack.
Lance straightens his jacket slowly smoothing imaginary creases I caused. “I didn’t come to fight you well, not today.”
“Then why?” I snap.
His smile sharpens into something colder and crueler. “Because things have changed.”
He lifts his chin, his voice carrying easily in the empty hall. “My Alpha is dead.” He says dryly.
The words land heavy.
“He was killed two nights ago,” he continues calmly. “Due to differences between him and the other Alphas residing in his pack. Truly unfortunate.” His eyes lock with mine in a smug grin.
“Which meant the Shadow Pack needed new leadership.”
Lance’s gaze flickered briefly to Richard, then back to me. “And as of this morning, you're looking at the new leader of Shadow Pack, I'm the new Alpha.”
Silence stretches between us.
“Well I thought you should hear it from me first seeing our history,” he adds softly.
“Before anyone else finds out.”
He turns toward the exit then stops, pausing just long enough to glance over his shoulder. “And try not to freak out when you see me again, Ragnar.”
Then he’s gone.
And I know that for Lance to come all this way to tell me this, makes it only the beginning.
Between the shock of the news and Richard holding me back, I never got to ask the reason for him being here.
What was I missing?
The rest of the morning passes in a blur of cold showers and barked orders to the guards to triple border patrols.
Even with all my preparations, there is still a sick twist in my gut that refuses to loosen.
Sebastian is still asleep in my bed when I check on him, curled and breathing slow small breaths.
The faint scent of our mingled release is still clinging to the sheets.
I want to forget everything and just crawl back in beside him.
But instead I leave before he wakes.
By midday the elders summon me.
They don’t request my presence, instead they're summoning almost like a demand.
How dare they?
I realize now that I've been giving wolves in my pack too much leeway and privileges that's making them forget their rank and status in the pack.
But out of curiosity, I go anyway.
I find them already assembled in the council chambers all looking serious and stern.
They were all annoying and twice as stubborn whenever we agreed to meet in the council chambers.
The seven of them were relics that worshipped the old ways. I had gotten a lot of resistance and pushbacks from them when I became Alpha and wanted to implement new things.
Elder Mara sits at one end of the table with her unique silver hair gleaming under torchlight.
But it’s Elder Torin who draws my eye immediately.
Even in old age he is broad shouldered with a calm expression and scarred hands folded together.
What draws my attention is the fact that he's sitting in the centre seat which means he called this meeting.
“You called for a summit tonight with Alphas in the state region without thinking to tell Alpha?,” Mara says without hesitation.
I freeze. “I called no such thing.”
Torin meets my gaze directly and without flinching. “The invitation was sent out under your seal regardless..”
My blood runs cold.
That's why he waited until the day of the event before calling this meeting to inform me.
He did it.
Yurik surges forward in a roar of fury, outraged and violent.
“You,” I growl, pointing straight at Torin. “What gave you the right?! How dare you go behind your Alpha’s back like some scheming pup and do something like this?!”