Page 30 of Rescued by the Alpha

“No. Thanks.”

Nic had gritted it through his teeth. Things appeared to be way worse than he’d imagined. He sucked air in through his nose and tried to compose himself before he spoke. They wouldn’t get very far if he started yelling at Artur right out of the gate. Nic cracked his knuckles then wandered over to one of the long sofas in the sunken living room to sit down. If he could maybe have a relaxed conversation with his brother before his father woke up, get his brother’s take on things first, then maybe everything wouldn’t get too out of hand.

His brother poured his drink with his back to Nic. “I’m guessing you’re here because Alex told on me?”

Nic shook his head, sighing. “You’re not twelve. This is her bringing me into the loop. I’m part of this family too, you know. Part of this pack.”

Artur whirled around. “Oh really? You are?” He took a slug of his drink. “Not last time I checked.”

Nic clenched his fists. “I came here today to have a reasonable discussion with you and with Papa. I don’t want to fight or accuse. But we have a much bigger issue that goes beyond whatever old grudges you might have against me.”

Artur’s eyes flashed. “Me? I don’t have any grudges! You asked if I’d step in, and I did. I can’t help it if Dara lied to me.”

Yeah. Right. “I don’t care about that. What’s done is done, but…” Dammit. He couldn’t help himself. “You do realize that had you just waited, you were guaranteed to be Alpha since it had already been arranged and approved by the council. Why bother with Dara at all?”

Artur let his gaze wander around the room as if he didn’t dare let it land on Nic. “She said it would make it more solid, that with a fated mate by my side, if we had a pup, no one would dare challenge me.”

“She said?”

He sneered at Nic. “I knew you’d try to blame me for everything.”

As he’d suspected, his brother wasn’t going to take responsibility for any of his actions, so it was time to move on. “Never mind. Like I said, it’s over with. What’s more important is what we do

going forward.”

Artur drained the rest of his drink and frowned. “Do? Whaddya mean?”

“Alex told me there’s been some grumblings from the Yukon Delta Pack, that they’re thinking of issuing a challenge.”

Artur sputtered laughter. “Come on. No one in the Alliance has challenged another pack’s Alpha since the Old Country. They wouldn’t dare.” A ghost of worry crossed his features and he muttered something to himself. “Where did you hear that?”

The shifter who stood before him was a shadow of what his younger brother had once been. In recent years, Nic had been concerned whenever they’d gather together, but Artur seemed to have really gone downhill. He could understand why the thought of a burly Alpha challenging him to the death in his current condition had to be terrifying.

“All I know is that there’s been talk. But the first rule of being Alpha is to take every pack threat seriously no matter how unlikely it is, to make sure no enemy can find a way to sneak in.” Nic rubbed his chin. “Not that the Alliance is an enemy, but a rogue Alpha within the Alliance should be viewed that way—at least by us. This is our clan. Our family that’s ruled since the beginning of recorded shifter history.” Nic regarded his clearly worried brother. “We have to speak with the council, make them aware of the danger to the pack then make a decision as to how to handle it.”

His brother gaped at him for a moment then poured another shot of whiskey before beginning to pace across one end of the room. “Yeah, but I’m still Alpha, right?”

Nic took a beat before answering. What was I thinking? He can’t handle being a ruler. His father had insisted Artur was an Alpha from the time he was a whelp, and while Nic wouldn’t have initially pictured Artur in that role, his father was a clear and true Alpha, so Nic had never questioned him.

Too bad Alex is an omega.

“Artur, Papa is Alpha. You’re only heir apparent.”

He stopped and stared at Nic as though this was the first time he was hearing it, as if he hadn’t been raised his whole life knowing pack dynamics.

“But… So, if this were to go down, the Alpha from the Yukon Delta Pack would fight Papa, not me?”

“Right.”

His brother’s face crumpled and Nic released a portion of the tension he’d been holding. Hehasn’t changed completely. He’s worried about our father.

“But Papa is so old. He’ll lose, we’ll lose the pack and I’ll go back to being just a nobody.”

Nic shook his head in confusion. “This isn’t about you. It’s about what’s right for the pack!”

Artur stomped over and jabbed his finger in Nic’s face. “It’s not fair. All you talk about is the pack this and the pack that. Well, the pack is supposed to do what the Alpha tells them to do and that’s it. Nothing else should concern them. I don’t even know why we have a damn council!”

His brother had never been the most philosophical or eloquent or intelligent wolf on the block, but he hadn’t been quite so deluded or self-serving before. Nic had honestly thought—at the time—