The Alpha's Other Woman

48 Punchable

Jason

The alphas were spread out before me, their lunas beside them. I counted the votes, but I wanted to hear the final verdict with my own ears from the head alpha before I reacted.

If he were a younger werewolf I would have thought he was trying to drag out the suspense, but I suspected the wait was down to his great age.

"The nays have it, fifty-four to fifty-one."

I exhaled. By three votes we had escaped Bluegorge's attempt to dissolve us.

"We won we won we won," Carrie said in my head. Randy's whoop across the pack link almost drowned out her excitement, except I would always hear her over everything else. "They can't stop us now, without making their own decision sound invalid. They'll have to certify everything! Ha! Take that!"

I grinned at the sound of our triumph in her voice. If she was happy, I was happy. I'd stood up here, but she had helped me prepare for this fight. She was my other half, and I was proud of her.

The old werewolf nodded at me. "You'll be sent copies of all the report documents shortly." More fucking documents, but I might just frame these ones. Too bad I didn't have a picture of the Bluegorge alpha's pissy face when he lost to hang right next to it.

I nodded in return and took the nod as permission to leave. I walked back over to my corner and was greeted with wide smiles. The other lowly spectators seemed generally happy to see the underdog win against an established pack. I held out my hand to Carrie, and she took it excitedly. "Let's go," I said to them, and they followed. "We should celebrate."

"On the AA's dime," Randy added as we exited the room.

"Hell yeah!" Even quiet Lee was getting into the spirit.

Carrie was holding on to my arm. "You were amazing, Jason. I've never seen anything like that. If I hadn't already fallen in love with you, that would have been the moment."

I pulled to a stop and turned her to look at me. I already knew she loved me because it was kind of obvious, but this was the first time she admitted it. Randy and Lee kept walking before realizing we stopped, but I ignored them.

"I love you, too, babe," I told her, and then I kissed her.

Her happiness swept through the bond, and our kiss deepened.

"I see what Porter keeps complaining about," Lee commented from somewhere far away, while Randy just laughed.

—————

We had a party that night, drinking in the hotel bar. Carrie had been quick to let everyone back home know the results, but then she turned her attention to me, like I was the hero of the day. I wasn't complaining in the slightest about the treatment. My wolf revelled in her adoration.

While we celebrated, a few people came by and joined us. One of the more surprising was the Lightwood alpha and luna, and a few of their pack members. He was huge, probably the largest wolf I had ever seen and she looked tiny in comparison, but he came across as a calm soul, as did she.

"Congratulations. I'm glad you prevailed against those spurious accusations," he said, extending a hand in greeting.

"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand firmly.

He ordered a round of fairy juice and vodka—I really hoped on the Alpha Association's tab rather than Lightwood's—and we all drank up, except Carrie, of course. The Lightwood luna noticed and she smiled knowingly. "You've got one on the way?" she asked my mate.

"I guess there's no hiding it?" Carrie looked happy to share the news in spite of her words. I was too, especially now that we weren't going to have to pick up and move the pack to start over. We could have managed, but this outcome was better.