Chapter 17: Alpha Rising

Neal stood in the middle of his living room as Bane glared at him, unable to stop the shaking of his body under the man's scrutiny. Even with his recent epiphany of what an alpha really should be, Neal still feared the alpha of the coyotes. The man was notorious for his unscrupulous tactics used to achieve his goals. And, he wasn't alone. He was never alone.

Off to the side and slightly behind Neal stood Tina, looking just as frightened as Neal felt. He should have known the confrontation would come when he tossed Cody off Ash's property the other day; it was just a matter of time. Bane Kastner didn't suffer failure, especially from those he assumed he controlled, and now, he no longer controlled Neal. Or, more importantly, Bane no longer controlled the alpha of Bull Creek. "What's done is done," Neal said, doing his best to keep the tremor from his voice. "The Council sent another alpha because I failed, and they were right to do so."

"You sniveling little weasel," Bane spat. "The Cou