Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 461

Chapter 461
Xander

As more shouts erupted, and the crowd began surging up toward the stage, I held up my hands. The truth was, if they all truly wanted to riot, they would. There wouldn’t be much me, Zane, and Mason, could do about it.

I didn’t want to rule this pack like my father had. I refused to, as a matter of fact. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to show them all exactly who was boss.

My lip curled in a snarl that reverberated through the air. I felt my canines lengthen, just a touch. Behind me, without me saying even a word to them, both Zane and Mason did the same. When I shot a glance at Lanie, she’d stepped back, her eyes wide. Not frightened but impressed.

“Let him speak!” Someone shouted from the crowd.

I should have known they’d all want to know where my mom was. Telling them she’d found a new mate wasn’t going to sit well with anyone who was harboring conspiracy theories about her being killed because of my father, but I also wasn’t going to start this new era building on the lies he’d left behind. Sure, I missed my mom, but I understood why she wanted to stay at Brightsky. She deserved the chance at happiness.

As the crowd settled, I let my wolf retreat…at least physically. I was sure to keep Hunter at the ready in case I needed him. He was eager to be set free and wanted to run, but he’d have been happy to launch himself into battle, too.

“Steady, old friend,” I murmured to him in my head and promised myself I’d set up some training days as soon as I could.

Hopefully, though, training for war would only be a pastime, not something we needed to truly prepare for.

My brother stepped up to address the audience. “Everyone, I realize this is not something you were prepared for, but I want to reassure you that my brother and I are both on the same page when it comes to this pack. I’m honored to be at his side, and I’m also honored to have Zane as my Beta. And, I want to make sure you all know that I’ll be available to meet with any of you who have concerns about me, who I am, and how I intend to work as the co-Alpha of this pack.”

I listened to his calm, steady voice, and shot a grateful thought up to the Moon Goddess that I had my brother at my side. For as bad as it started off, our relationship had become steady. We couldn’t have gone through everything we had without ending up having each other’s backs.

Mason gave me a nod and stepped back.

I faced all of them again. “There are a lot of changes coming for this pack. First, I want you all to know that I appreciate and value your support. I am my father’s son, but I will not be making his mistakes.”