by Celia Kyle
A glance around the space revealed the source.
Their families.
Elly’s father and brothers stood to Alex’s left, screeching at the Prime, while his father and brothers stood at the lion’s right, roaring.
Behind the Prime, Maya was being held back by Wyatt and Harding. The men were really trying hard to suppress their laughter, but the smiles couldn’t be ignored. Snarky Maya, the woman who held her twins with such care yet had a wicked tongue, was spewing curses that would make a sailor blush.
“Listen, you nut-eating suckshits, I will gut you like a fish, toss you on a spit, and we’ll have charred varmint for dinner. I’ll turn your fluffy little fucktails into a hat!” The woman wasn’t done. She turned her ire to Deuce’s family next. “And you! You little ass-sniffing, butt-licking, hair-ball-hacking pieces of dog shits better run before I claw out your eyes and make a necklace out of your intestines.” She fought against her two guards. “Lemme go! I wanna eat those sorry excuses for bipeds. Goddamned squirrel and lion are on the menu tonight!”
Another glance at Alex revealed that the lion was having a hard time keeping a straight face as well. Hidden behind the four people, he found the remaining guards, plus Ricker, standing before their mothers.
Thank fur for that.
The Prime looked over his shoulder. “Enough, Maya.”
The Prima’s lips tightened, but she kept her mouth shut. Then Alex turned back to the interlopers. Deuce hated the idea of thinking of them as family. Not after what they’d done to him and Elly.
At the time, he’d just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge with their mothers and forget they ever existed. Apparently the men weren’t keen on letting that happen.
Nope, not at all.
Karn along with Elly’s dad, Bradic, glared at the Prima, mouths still moving, and through their ranting, one thing was clear.
They wanted their women back.
“Enough!”
The clearing fell quiet.
“If I understand correctly, you”—the Prime turned toward Bradic Martin—“would like your wife back. You, the man who handed over your daughter’s mate to be ‘taken care of,’ and your sons would like their mother back. Those same sons who assisted in ‘taking care of’ their sister’s mate. Is that right?” Bradic opened his mouth, probably to respond, and Alex held up his hand. “That was a rhetorical question. I already know you boys are idiots. I don’t need you to speak to confirm my opinion.”
Deuce wanted to laugh, but he held the urge in check. The Martin men’s faces burned red.
Alex turned to Deuce’s family, his father and brother’s already half-shifted golden fur coating their skin and mouths in the middle of transformation from lips to snout.
“And you, the men who have turned an entire town against Deuce as well as handed him over to Freedom, would like Rowan and Autumn to be returned to you.” He paused for a moment and tension crackled in the air. “Tell me, Karn, when was the last time you hit your wife?” Alex’s tone seemed conversational, but Deuce knew of the rage that lurked just beneath the surface.
His father glared at the Prime. “That’s none of your business. A man has a right to discipline his wife. Sometimes it takes a tap to keep them in line. Nothing wro—”
Alex moved in a blur, closing the distance between himself and Karn in a blink, and the echoing crack of the Prime’s hand against flash reverberated through the still air. “And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, do you?”
Deuce could sense the rage pulsing from his father, felt the trembling anger that preceded the man’s fury.
Karn lunged for Alex, fangs bared and claws extended, but Deuce’s brothers kept him from attacking the obviously stronger Prime.
“Dad, chill. Take it easy.” His brother’s voice held the familiar soothing tone he’d heard throughout his life.
“Gentlemen, the fact of the matter is, these ladies have joined the Ridgeville pride and need my permission to leave.” He felt the weight of Alex’s deadly stare and fought the shiver that ached to snake down his spine. “And I refuse to grant it. They belong to me, and I protect what’s mine.” He focused on the Martin men. “I believe that you and your sons are simply the stupidest men I’ve ever come to know.”
Alex turned and beckoned Mrs. Martin forward. Elly looked so much like her mother that he felt he was looking at an older version of his mate. And that made his lion that much more protective of the little squirrel. “If you can convince Rowan to return to you, she has my blessing. That said, only one of you can enter my territory at a time and only for four hours each day. Even then, only if she would like to speak with you.”
Bradic grumbled but nodded. “Yes, Prime.”
The Prime focused on Deuce’s father. But it wasn’t the man who looked out through those eyes, but the lion. “The Martins were spared because I believe they didn’t know of your full plans. They merely listened to gossip and wanted to protect Elly. But if you three step into my town again, approach any member of my pride, I will gut you where you stand.”
Part of Deuce ached with the knowledge that he’d never see his brothers again, hurt for the severing of that familial connection. But the truth stood at his side. If they’d succeeded, he wouldn’t have his mate or the cub she carried. All it would have taken was a simple call from one of his brothers. Yet they hadn’t and he’d nearly lost his life and his mate for their weakness.
“You can’t do that!” His father frothed at the mouth.
Alex stood tall, arms crossed over his chest, his power as Prime wrapped around him like a cloak. “I can. I will. I have.” Alex gestured behind him once again and the remaining guards stepped forward. “Please escort the Pierces and Martins from town.”
Deuce’s blood burned like fire, an ache thumping through his chest. He wanted to shove his father down the street, watch him be kicked out and barred from Ridgeville. It was only a small hand stroking him that soothed the beast.
“He’s not worth it.” Her words speared into his soul, his mate having guessed his thoughts.
“No, you’re right, he’s not.”
Brute, the largest of the pride’s lions, and Ricker flanked his father, keeping pace as the man limped through the clearing. Obviously his mate’s shots had done a decent amount of damage and they hadn’t healed properly.
Good.
Karn continued his stilted journey, shoulders slumped, and it wasn’t rage that lurked in Deuce’s chest. Nor heartache over the loss of his father.
No, he looked down at his mate, the gentle swell of her growing belly, and it was love and hope that filled him.
Well, that and the yearning for a poker game. He wondered what he could win this time around.
The End
About Celia Kyle
Celia Kyle would like to rule the world and become a ninja. As a fall-back, she’s working on her writing career and giving readers stories that touch their hearts and *ahem* other places.
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