No one uttered a word, because they were too dominated to.
I had to smile at that particular move. It certainly quickened things up.
Of course, it made him look like a dictator when he wasn’t. He was, essentially, cutting through the bullshit, and my own BS monitor was very sensitive, so I appreciated that more than most.
The council had been abusing the pack’s generosity for years, and the average members, like Austin and me—for all we were high-ranking and had Eli’s ear, we were still ordinary—knew that the council did nothing in our favor. If anything, they were just a set of asses with lofty manners and principles that didn’t align with anyone who had less than a couple of million in the bank.
If one of them wanted to, they could challenge Eli and try to overturn him, face down his rules, but we all knew they wouldn’t. Brandon might, but I doubted it. He was too chicken.
Mostly, this was a ruse shaped in expedient terms. The ruse was we’d drag out the person who might have targeted Sabina with the intent to cause chaos in the pack.
With the promise of change coming, and even though this part was unplanned, I knew it was time to take a stand against these pricks, so I declared, “I challenge Brandon Wright.”
A flurry of gasps gusted around the room, and the council members gaped at each other as though they couldn’t believe their ears.
I was a powerful wolf in my own right—I hadn’t shifted at eight like Eli, but ten was pretty damn impressive—so I wasn’t sure why it came as such a shock.
That was the problem with these assholes.
All privilege and no common sense.
“You can’t challenge me!” Brandon spluttered, his mouth working like a goldfish as he gaped at me.
“Just did,” I told him calmly.
“I sanction the challenge,” Eli intoned, his words dark with warning that Brandon had better not argue.
His nostrils flared with outrage, but he raised his hands in surrender—to Eli, not to me, I assumed.
“When?”
“Tomorrow. Eight AM.”
Brandon narrowed his eyes. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
“So will we all. This has more ramifications than a regular challenge. All the council will attend.” Eli folded his arms across his chest. “Now, in other news, as you are aware, my enforcer is Austin.”
A lot of huffs made an appearance then.
“Charming,” Austin grumbled in my head, making me smile.
“We are well loved.”
Sabina snorted. “Really sounds like it.”
Eli cleared his throat, and I got the feeling he wanted to laugh. Sabina, despite everything, wasn’t frightened of us. I figured it made sense, considering she was the omega, powerful in her own right, but newly transformed creatures were always timid for a little while. It took their creatures some time to accept who they were in the pack, took them longer to find a place for themselves.
Sabina?
She’d already done that.
And she’d barely met anyone yet. She was bizarre—in the best possible way.
“As of this moment, the role of enforcer will hold a place on the council. He will be titular, as important as the alpha, omega, and beta on the ranks.”
People stared at him wide-eyed, and I knew, when they cast quick and furtive glances at Brandon, they realized that Eli fully expected Brandon to lose.
Seemed they weren’t total morons after all.
I thought Brandon even figured that much out, the douche.
He shot me a glare, but I shrugged. “That’s how the cards fall.”
He snarled, “The challenge isn’t a formality—I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
I smiled at him. “Just try.”
His eyes flashed, his wolf coming out to party, but I cocked a brow at him. I wasn’t, never had been, under his control.
Why would I be?
I was more powerful than him.
His mouth tightened at my lack of reaction, but Eli was kind and let him off by stating, “Austin, would you come in please?”
He didn’t speak all that loudly, just enough for his voice to carry. The council twisted around, trying to see which way he was coming from, like he was sneaking around, hiding in a cupboard or something, but the doors opened, and together, Austin and Sabina walked in.
The council stilled as her scent permeated the room. It was like a florist had just arrived and brought with her a thousand different blossoms.
I sighed, appreciating the scent of lily of the valley and orchids in bloom. She was exotic. Everything about her, from her fragrance to her appearance, and she didn’t fit in. Not among this council loaded down with rich