Alpha dominance
18: 18.
Alpha dominance Barric
The Assembly wolves sit across from us like stone statues.
Neutral faces and calm postures, they no doubt achieve due to hours of practice in the closed fortress they call a headquarters.
It doesn’t matter.
The room reeks of hostility.
Any wolf with even a juvenile’s senses would be able to feel it.
I lean back slightly in my chair, watching them the way a wolf watches a rival pack across a territorial line.
My arms rest loosely on the table, but every muscle in my body is coiled and ready.
My wolf is pacing inside me.
Arrogant bastards, he growls.
That about sums it up.
There are three of them.
All the older males are dressed in dark, tailored coats that scream authority and self-importance.
The display is a human one.
Funny due to some of their positions on human and shifter mixing.
You would think they believed superiority would make them break out in hives at the thought of mimicking anything humans create.
I guess it only applies to biology.
Ronan is making them wait for his arrival, and my wolf gloats.
They made the mistake of thinking they are in charge here.
Ronan will show them otherwise, and I’ll get to sit back for the show.
I drink in their irritation.
Uncomfortable.
Angry that things didn’t go their way.
Good.
They should be.
How dare they sit here like they’re the ones being wronged?
They’re the ones who sent their enforcers into our territory.
They’re the ones who tried to kidnap a human.
My wolf snarls.
They touched our pack.
That thought has me freezing.
Aria isn’t pack.
He growls in resistance to my obvious fact.
Stubborn beast.
Across the table, one of the Assembly wolves folds his hands together.
“Something wrong, Aldren?” I ask.
I recognize him from past Assembly gatherings.
He has the calm, calculating eyes of someone used to sitting in judgment over others.
He studies me carefully.
“Not at all, Barric.”
I bare my teeth in something that almost resembles a smile.
“Good. Ronan doesn’t like our guests to be uncomfortable while waiting.”
He frowned at my wording just like I knew he would.
The other two Assembly wolves shift slightly in their seats.
My wolf chuckles darkly.
They smell you.
Good.
Let them.
The door opens behind me.
Footsteps enter the room.
I don’t need to turn to know who it is.
Liam’s scent reaches me first, determination and anger make it viscous against my senses.
He pulls out the chair beside me and sits down.
The Assembly wolves immediately notice.
Aldren’s eyes narrow slightly.
“And why,” he asks coolly, “is he here?”
Ah.
Here we go.
Before I can answer, another presence fills the room.
The temperature shifts.
The air grows heavier.
The dominance of an apex predator is like a fog that reaches them long before Ronan steps inside.
Alpha.
You don’t have to see him to feel it.
Every wolf in the room straightens instinctively as his power spreads through the space like a silent storm.
My wolf lifts his head proudly.
Our Alpha.
Ronan closes the door behind him and walks to the head of the table.
He doesn’t sit immediately.
Instead, he looks directly at Aldren.
“Considering,” Ronan says calmly, “that the human your enforcers attempted to illegally hunt and kidnap is under my pack’s protection…”
He gestures toward Liam.
“…and happens to be his sister…”
“I’d say he has every right to be here.”
The silence that follows is delicious.
I don’t even bother hiding my smirk.
The Assembly wolves hate it when Ronan reminds them exactly how powerful he is.
My wolf practically preens.
They fear him.
They should.
Aldren’s jaw tightens slightly.
But he regains his composure quickly.
“We came for Jasper and Henry.”
Straight to the point.
Typical.
Ronan finally sits down.
“You’ll have them.”
A flicker of satisfaction crosses the Assembly wolves’ faces.
Then Ronan continues.
“After you answer a few questions.”
Their satisfaction disappears instantly.
Ronan folds his hands on the table.
“Why did you arrive on my territory unannounced?”
His voice is calm on the surface, but beneath it lies something sharp enough to cut steel.
“And why,” he continues, “were your enforcers sent to abduct a human without notifying me?”
The tension in the room spikes.
Aldren leans back slightly.
“Our enforcers were pursuing an anomaly.”
“Oh?” Ronan says.
My wolf snorts.
Here come the lies.
Aldren nods.
“The human in question displayed resistance to The Call.”
The words echo heavily in the room.
Liam stiffens beside me.
Ronan’s expression doesn’t change.
“And that justified an illegal abduction?”
A second Assembly member speaks this time.
“The situation required discretion.”
I laugh.
I can’t help it.
Three pairs of eyes snap toward me.
“Discretion?” I repeat.
“Does that include you misleading the Alpha of the territory so you can sneak onto their land and violate their rights?”
The wolf scowls.
“This does not concern you.”
I lean forward slightly.
“You sent wolves into our town. That concerns all of us. And as Beta of the pack, I’d like to remind you just how much that is my business.”
The room grows tense again.
Aldren lifts a hand slightly.
“Let us stay focused.” He looks back at Ronan.
“The Assembly simply seeks answers.”
Ronan tilts his head.
“Then start explaining. I’d like it to begin with why you thought it was okay to send consultant to question Aria without informing me prior.”
Aldren’s jaw ticks.
“We did send contact.
It is not our responsibility to ensure the postal service does its job.”
“But it is your responsibility to announce your presence with the Alpha before going about your business,” I say helpfully.
If they think they’re going to talk circles around Ronan, they’re about to have a shit time.
I knew their little handbook better than them.
“A small oversight which we can assure you will never happen again,” Aldren conceded.
“Now about the human—”
“Aria.” Liam interrupted.
“She’s not a human.
Her name is Aria.”
The other male, Thane, cleared his throat, “Yes.
Aria would still need to be tested.
It is unprecedented that she would be able to have the mental fortitude to resist a direct Call order.”
Liam’s jaw tightens.
“So your solution was what? What would you have done if you had gotten her?” Ronan inquired.
“To study her,” Aldren says simply.
My wolf snarls.
Lies.
Ronan taps his fingers once on the table.
“And you decided not coming to me would have helped you accomplish this?”
“The Assembly does not require permission from individual packs.”
The statement hangs in the air like a challenge.
Ronan’s eyes slowly turn colder.
And suddenly the pressure in the room doubles.
Every wolf in the room feels it.
Alpha dominance.
Raw power pressing down like gravity.
The Assembly wolves shift uncomfortably.
My smirk widens.
That’s right, my wolf growls.
Remember who you’re speaking to.
Aldren fidgets in his seat.“We acknowledge your authority here.”
Smart move.
The pressure eases slightly.
“But the anomaly still requires investigation.”
Ronan studies them for a moment.“Fine. You may investigate.” The Assembly wolves relax slightly.
“Here.” They freeze.
“On pack land.”
“That will not be acceptable.”
My wolf growls.
I lean forward again.
“Actually,” I say calmly, “it will.”
Three sets of eyes glare at me.
I meet them without blinking.
“Assembly law states that any investigation involving a pack-protected individual must occur within that pack’s territory unless the Alpha grants permission otherwise.”
Aldren’s lips press into a thin line.
He knows I’m right.
Finally, he sighs.
“Very well.”
Ronan nods toward the door.
“Kade.”
The door opens.
Kade steps inside.
And beside him—
Aria.
My wolf quiets instantly.
She looks nervous but determined as she walks into the room.
Her eyes flick briefly to Liam before returning to Ronan.
Aldren studies her carefully.
“This is the hu—” Liam growls, and Aldren corrects himself, “Aria?”
The way he says her name is like he is testing something bitter.
“Yes,” Ronan says.
Aldren folds his hands again.
“Then we must begin with a formal confirmation.”
Aria blinks.
“What?”
Aldren’s voice remains calm.
“Do you accept Ronan as your Alpha?”
The question hangs heavily in the room.
I watch her closely.
This matters.
Without her acknowledgement, the Assembly could argue she isn’t under pack protection.
My wolf murmurs softly.
Choose.
Aria looks around the room.
At Liam.
At Ronan.
At me.
At the Assembly, wolves.
The tension stretches painfully long.
Then she nods.
“Yes.”
The word releases the pressure in my chest.
Good girl.
Aldren nods once, stiffly.
“Very well.”
The tests begin.
They’re subtle.
One of the Assembly wolves focuses his gaze on her.
I feel the faint ripple of mental pressure in the air.
The Call.
Aria frowns slightly.
Then shakes her head.
“Stop that.”
The Assembly wolf blinks in surprise.
He tries again.
Harder.
The pressure builds stronger.
I can feel the edge of it.
But Aria just crosses her arms.“Seriously,” she says.
“Knock it off.”
The room goes very quiet.
The Assembly wolves exchange looks.
Fascination replaces hostility in their scent.
Aldren stands slowly.
“The results are… intriguing.”
Aria looks unimpressed.
“Glad you’re entertained. But next time you try slinking into my head, don’t.”
Aldren ignores the sarcasm.
“We will need to bring these findings back to the Assembly. To determine whether her existence presents a threat to shifters.”
Liam bristles beside me.
My wolf growls softly.
Ronan’s voice cuts through the tension.
“She is under my protection.”
Aldren nods.
“Then we will take our prisoners.”
Kade leaves briefly and returns with Jasper and Henry.
Both look bruised.
Good.
The Assembly wolves take custody of them.
Before leaving, Aldren pauses at the door.
“A summons will follow once the Assembly reaches a decision.” He looks directly at Ronan.
“And you will be expected to answer it.”
Ronan doesn’t even blink.
“We’ll see.”
The Assembly wolves leave.
The door closes behind them.
And I’m sure this isn’t going to be our last interaction.