Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 183

Colby

It was no surprise that I ended up receiving a letter that officially challenged me to a fight regarding my authority. If I won, then they would be facing punishment for their crimes, but if I lost, then they would be free to commit more.

The first thing I needed to do was go talk to my pack about everything so they knew what was going on. They were bound to get upset knowing that I would be facing a rogue pack leader who had ordered the kidnapping of Matt and was just a brutal guy in general. Understandable, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.

I had to fight him. It was the best way to end this once and for all. But did I like it? No. I thought we could be a bit more civilized about this, but nope. They didn’t understand any language other than violence so I was going to have to suck it up and fight.

There was no doubt that I was going to win, but it didn’t mean I liked it. I downright hated it.

Slowly, I looked towards the pack who were waiting for me to explain why I had asked them to come down here in the first place.

“They want to challenge me,” I said, pacing the living room while the rest of the pack stared back at me. “Straight-up, old­ school, territory-and-dominance challenge. Thought we were past this crap.”

Jesse leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “What do you want to do?”

I stopped pacing. Met each of their eyes, one by one. “I’m going to fight them.” Silence.

Then Lia, her arms folded tight, spoke up. “You don’t have to. There are ways to handle this without-“

“I know,” I said quickly. “I’ve thought through every option. But they’re not interested in talking. They want to humiliate me. They want to make a statement.”

Rain kicked his legs up onto the coffee table, munching on a piece of beef jerky like we weren’t in the middle of a serious moment. “Well, guess it’s time you make a louder one.”

I gave him a look “You got something helpful to say?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he said, jerking a thumb at himself. “Coach Rain is here with a very professional pep talk.” I groaned. “Rain-“

“Shhh,” he said, standing up and striking a dramatic pose. “Colby McGrath. Alpha. Slightly broody. Prone to roof-sitting. Wears too much black”

“I wear-“

“You’re going to walk into that fight,” Rain continued, undeterred, “and you’re going to stare those overcompensating punks in the face like they’re a minor inconvenience on your way to breakfast. You know why? Because you’ve got something they don’t.”

I crossed my arms, exasperated but… slightly curious. “And what’s that?”

Rain pointed dramatically at the rest of the room. “Us. You’ve got a pack that gives a damn. Not followers. Not fear-based loyalty. Real, ride-or-die people. That’s what makes you dangerous.”

Lia raised an eyebrow. “Dangerous might be a stretch.”

“Don’t ruin the moment,” Rain shot back. “My point is-yeah, sure, they want to challenge you. Fine. Let them. But don’t walk in there thinking you have something to prove. Walk in like you already won.”

Jesse nodded, more serious now. “He’s right, in his weird Rain way. You’ve got our support, Colby. No matter what happens, we stand with you.”

I swallowed hard, the tightness in my chest easing just a little. “Even if I lose?”

“You’re not going to lose,” Lia said firmly. “But if you did? You’d still be our alpha. That’s not something they can take with a fight.”

Rain flopped back on the couch, arms behind his head. “Yeah. We picked you. You didn’t claw your way here. You earned it.”

For a second, I didn’t say anything. Just looked around at the people who somehow still believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself.

I nodded. “Alright. Let them come. They want a show? I’ll give them one.” Jesse leaned back, a slow grin spreading across his face. “That’s more like it.”

Rain was already pulling out his phone. ”Okay, do we want matching outfits? I’m thinking black-on-black-on-intimidation.” Jesse gave him a look “We’re not color-coordinating a challenge fight.”

“Not with that attitude.”

I snorted. “Rain, you’re not even going to be in the ring.”

Rain wasn’t going to be anywhere near there. I was going to be the one fighting, and that was it. As pack leader, it was up to me to fight the alpha of the other pack It was something I was ready and willing to do for not only myself, and my ack, and everyone in he city.

“Exactly why I have time to focus on the aesthetics,” he said, completely unfazed. “You handle the punching, I’ll handle the vibe.”

Lia rolled her eyes, but her mouth twitched at the corners. “If you show up in a cape again, I swear-“

“It was a dramatic cloak, and I stand by that choice.”

It was hard not to burst out laughing.

Rain, whether he intended to or not, was always managing to make me laugh. I don’t think he even had to try very hard. It just came naturally to Rain. As natural as breathing was to the average person. Chuckling, I looked at Jesse, who appeared to be about to speak

Jesse raised a hand. “Okay, okay, Rain’s fashion crimes aside, we need to think strategy. Do we know who’s backing this challenge? It’s not just about the idiot doing the punching-it’s who put him up to it.”

But the fact of it was, this was going to be a tough fight. I wasn’t entering this without knowing this to be the case. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, trying to just enjoy my time with my mates.

I’d respond to the official request tomorrow. Once I responded to it, we would picka time for the official duel and we’d be on our way to fighting. I was eager to get rid of this issue. The sooner I fought them and won then the quicker we could put this behind us.

Put all of it behind us and focus on making the world a more livable place. A better place would be night, but I just wanted a more livable place, to be honest. As long as I could live I a contented world, I was fine.