Page 66 of Brutal Reign
I can’t help but crack a smile, rolling my eyes as I turn to head for the workbench across the garage. He doesn’t actually need any help– my dad has done so many oil changes in his life that he could practically perform them in his sleep– but this garage is the only place where the two of us connect, bonding over a shared love of our motorcycles. I’m sure him choosing to change his oil this morning was very purposeful; so we could have a chat under the guise of me ‘helping’ him.
Grabbing my toolbox and stool from the opposite side of the garage, I carry them back over, taking up my usual spot at my dad’s side while he continues to work. And because I’ve been in this position so many times before, I preemptively pop open my toolbox and rummage through it for the torque wrench.
“Hey, can I borrow your…?” he starts to ask, trailing off when he turns to see me holding up the very tool he’s about to ask for. He grins as he reaches out to take it from me. His own torque wrench is constantly drifting out of calibration, but he’s too stubborn to admit he needs a new one, always using mineinstead. “Glad you’re home,” he chuckles, turning back to his bike.
“I don’t have to be here for you to use my tools,” I point out.
“Yeah, well it’s nice to have the company,” he says, cranking on the wrench to tighten the drain plug.
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I watch him, playing a game of chicken with myself. There’s something that’s been eating at me since Jake issued his challenge. Since before that, actually, and if I don’t just rip off the band-aid and ask, it’ll only continue gnawing at the back of my mind until it consumes me.
“Did you always know you were going to pass the Alpha rank to me?” I blurt, holding my breath nervously as my father turns to look at me.
His eyes meet mine– the same hazel as my own– and he dips his head in a nod. “I did. You’re my heir.”
“Then why didn’t you do it when I turned eighteen?” I press, lips drawing in a frown. “Isn’t that how it usually works? Why wait if you already knew what you were going to do?”
He blows out a slow breath as he leans over to drop my wrench back in the toolbox on my lap. “Because once it’s announced, a challenge can be issued,” he murmurs.
I make a scoffing sound in my throat. “So what, you were trying to protect me?”
“Isn’t that my job?”
“Why didn’t you wait longer, then?”
Dad heaves another sigh, leaning back and dragging a hand through his hair. “I wanted to, kiddo. But shit with the hunters was going bad. If something happened to me, the pack needed to know who would step in to take my place.”
I roll my lower lip between my teeth as I study his face, searching for any sign of deception. Not that my dad has a history of being dishonest with me, but something just isn’tadding up. “Then why’d you train Jake?” I grit out, holding his stare.
He tilts his head slightly, brows drawing together until a crease forms between them. “What? When?”
“Jake said you taught him how to spar.”
Dad rolls his eyes, giving a little shake of his head as he wipes his oily palms on the legs of his jeans. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he grumbles. “I taught him a few basic things, but it was only a single session, and only because Cory asked me to do it.”
“He made it seem like more than that,” I mutter, averting my gaze to my lap and snapping the lid of my toolbox closed. I shift it off my knees, bending over to set it on the ground with a metallic rattle.
“What are you trying to say, Riv?” Dad growls, the low vibration of his voice betraying his irritation. “You really think I was planning on passing you over to give the Alpha rank to JakefuckingDecker? That kid’s not Alpha material, he cowers every time I’m in the room.”
“Well, he didn’t the other night,” I point out, folding my arms over my chest tightly. “And you and I both know what’ll happen if this challenge goes forward.”
He shakes his head with a frown. “None of us know for sure.”
“Dad…” I sigh, throwing my head back.
“I have full faith in you, River,” he replies in a clipped tone. “You’re my daughter. There’s nothing you can’t handle. Between your mom’s brains and my brawn, you’ll be the best Alpha this pack has ever seen. And as for the challenge, you’ve got a month to prepare. I can help you, just like I did when your wolf first came in. We can work at it every day, see if we can…”
“Whoa, what about training camp?” I interrupt, flinching back with a scowl.
Dad levels me with a stern stare. “Is that really what’s important right now? You can join the squad later on downthe road if that’s what you still want, but… hey, where are you going?”
I’m already halfway to the door from the garage to the house, my boots clomping against the cement floor with every angry step of retreat. I don’t stop, I don’t turn back, and I don’t answer him. If I do, I’m bound to say something I’ll regret.
He knows better than to follow me as I fling open the door and stomp into the packhouse, slamming it closed behind me. I’m sure he also knows exactly where I’m headed. He always relies on my mom to smooth things over when he pisses me off, and I march straight for her office, dipping inside the open doorway to find her reclining on the plush beige sofa inside. She sits up when she sees me enter, pulling her earbuds from her ears and furrowing her brow in concern.
“Hey, baby, what’s going on?” she asks, turning at the waist to set her earbuds and phone down on the side table.
I kick her office door closed behind me, stomping over to the couch and slumping down on the opposite end with an aggravated sigh. Digging a hand into my pocket, I retrieve my chapstick, swiping it over my lips as I consider how to respond. Because honestly, there’s far too much going on in my life right now to even articulate.