Christmas with the Grumpy Alpha (Feuding Hearts Christmas)

18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Tanner

"Your call, Tanner."

My father’s voice cut through the heavy silence as his eyes, ever unreadable, met mine across the poker table. His cards lay face-down, daring me to make my move.

I felt the pressure mount, not just from the game but from the undercurrent of tension in the room. Derek’s eyes burned into the side of my face, his presence an itch I couldn’t scratch.

My hand hovered over the table, itching to make a decision. But my gut warned me to hold back; my father was too calm and poised. He had me on edge.

Lockwood tapped his watch with mock impatience, cigar smoke curling lazily into the air. "Time's running out, son."

Just as I opened my mouth, Derek's voice slid in like a knife.

"Come on, Tanner. Any slower, and we'll never finish this round."

My jaw clenched. Derek had been snide the entire night, throwing barbs whenever he could. He wanted to rattle me, make me look weak.

My fingers tightened around the cards as I contemplated just how much of his smug attitude I could tolerate. But tonight wasn’t about the cards—it was about dominance.

I exhaled slowly and set my cards face-down.

"Fold."

A ripple of disappointment passed through the table. The men had been hoping for a showdown, but not tonight. Not yet.

"Good call," my father muttered, gathering the pile of chips.

But I could see the frustration flash behind his eyes. He wasn’t expecting me to back down this time.

Derek leaned back, arms crossed, lips curling up in a sneer.

"I’m surprised you did that but I guess even the great Alpha knows when to fold," he muttered, his voice low and taunting.

I shot him a look, warning him to back off.

"Watch yourself," I growled under my breath.

But Derek, always pushing, smirked. "What? It must be easier to play this game, knowing you’ve already stolen what was mine. It looks like Lena is wrapped around your little finger now.”

My hands tense on the table.

"I didn’t steal anything, Derek. Lena’s not a piece of property."

"No," Derek said, leaning in. "But she was mine first, and you know it." He dragged the last word, his eyes challenging mine. "Do you ever wonder why you even bothered? What’s a sloppy second-hand mate worth anyway?"

The room grew still, the banter of poker forgotten. Every muscle in my body screamed for me to act, but I forced myself to stay seated, my voice deadly calm.

"Apologize."

Derek grinned, leaning back and taking another drag of his cigar, blowing smoke lazily into the air.

"For what? For calling her what she is? Just a consolation prize in the great game of Tanner Wilde’s love life?"

The chair screeched as I shot to my feet, the tension finally snapping. My hands were on him before I could think, shoving him hard into the wall behind us.

"You don’t get to talk about her like that!"

The room exploded into chaos.

Our father’s voice thundered through the air as pack members scrambled to pull us apart, but it was too late. Derek’s smirk grew wider.

"Picking her just shows your lack of judgment and that you’re not fit to lead this pack, Tanner," he spat, pushing me back. "You’re weak. The pack sees it. I see it."

I knew what he was trying to do. He’d been waiting for this moment—an excuse to challenge me. His words were venomous, his intent clear. This wasn’t just about Lena.

"You think you’re the better Alpha?" I growled. "Then challenge me."

Derek’s eyes flickered hesitantly, but his pride wouldn’t let him back down. "Not here. Not now," he muttered, trying to step away.

But I wasn’t giving him a choice.

"Here. Now." My voice was a low growl. "Prove it, Derek. Prove you’re worthy."

And just like that, the fight erupted.

Derek lunged at me with all the fury of a wolf starved for power, teeth bared, eyes blazing with the fire of resentment. But I was ready.

The moment he leaped, I sidestepped, his momentum sending him crashing into the poker table, chips flying everywhere.

He recovered quickly, growling low in his throat, and came at me again—this time, faster. His fist caught me by surprise, slamming into the side of my jaw. Pain exploded behind my eyes, blood spurting from my split lip, but I barely felt it.

The sting only fueled the fire roaring inside me.

I hope that he enjoyed landing that blow because that is the last one he is going to get.

The room roared with the sounds of the pack—shouts, gasps, the clattering of chairs as the others scrambled to get out of the way.

But all I could focus on was Derek and the raw, untamed rage pulsing through him.

I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand and smirked, locking eyes with him. "Is that all you’ve got?"

Derek's face twisted into a snarl, his chest heaving with every breath. He launched himself at me again, this time with his claws out, ready to tear into me.

We collided hard, the impact sending us both sprawling to the floor, locked in a vicious struggle.

He fought with wild, reckless fury—his wolf desperate to prove its strength, to dominate. But Derek was blinded by his rage, and I knew that would be his downfall.

"Come on, Derek," I growled through gritted teeth as I blocked another swing. "You’re not thinking. You never do."

His eyes flashed with hate.

I could feel my wolf beneath the surface, eager to tear him apart, but I held it back. This wasn’t about losing control. It was about showing him who the real Alpha was.

Derek tried to come at me again, but I anticipated his move, dodging his wild punch and slamming my shoulder into his chest. The force sent him stumbling back, and I pressed the advantage, driving him into the wall with a bone-crunching thud.

I straightened, a deadly calm washing over me as I met his gaze. Derek was panting hard, eyes wild with fury, but I could see it now—his desperation, the fear hidden behind his bravado.

He wasn’t fighting for the pack. He was fighting because he knew he wasn’t strong enough.

I stepped forward, slow, deliberate. "You think you deserve to lead this pack?" I snarled, my voice low and dangerous. "You can’t even control yourself."

Derek let out a roar of frustration and charged at me, but I was quicker. I sidestepped him easily, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back.

He cried out in pain, his body slamming into the ground with a heavy thud. Before he could react, I was on him, pinning him to the floor with my knee pressed hard into his chest.

"You’re not strong enough," I growled, my teeth bared. "You never were."

Derek struggled beneath me, his chest heaving as he tried to push me off, but I didn’t budge. My wolf surged forward, its dominance flooding through me.

"Submit!" I snarled, my voice commanding, vibrating with the power of the Alpha.

Derek’s eyes blazed with fury and defiance, but there was fear there too.

His breathing was ragged, his body trembling under the weight of my control.

For a moment, I thought he might refuse, that he might defy me even now. But then, with a low, broken growl, he finally bared his neck in submission.

"I… I submit."

The room fell silent. For a brief, victorious moment, I felt the weight of the entire pack’s eyes on me, the acknowledgment of my power, my right to lead. But the victory was short-lived.

Derek’s voice, weak but still filled with venom, slipped through the quiet.

"Yeah well, we all know you don’t do serious relationships and you are just keeping her busy for now. Everyone knows she was never meant for you."

Anger simmering below the surface still, I needed to shut him down before things escalated, but I could feel the tension thickening.

I leaned in slightly lowering my voice.

“You don’t know anything about what’s between us.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “She fell right into my lap, and honestly, this whole thing between us started as a fake relationship so that I could get everyone off my back about finding a mate. I just needed some space to breathe.”

Just then, I heard it—the soft gasp from the doorway. My heart dropped into my stomach as I turned, my eyes meeting Lena’s.

She stood frozen, her face pale, her eyes wide with shock.

The look of doubt and betrayal written all over her face.

She had heard everything.

Before I could say a word, she turned and ran.

"Lena!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet.

My father tried to block me, but I pushed past him. The only thing that mattered was getting to her and explaining that she hadn’t heard everything that I was going to say.

I didn’t get to tell Derek how we weren’t faking it anymore.

Behind me, Derek laughed bitterly, and something inside me snapped.

I turned and slammed my fist into his jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor, unconscious. The room gasped, but I didn’t care.

I had to find Lena. I had to make this right.

My feet can’t go fast enough in the direction that Lena went.