Selina leaned forward, her wolf in her eyes. “Yours? He belongs to neither of you.” Her eyes moved to where Shane was watching us with a scowl on his face. She shot an apologetic look at her Alpha Prime. “I’m sorry, Connor, but he doesn’t. He never has, and you know that. He chooses who he follows. When he was Alpha of Hope, he was unhappy. He did it out of loyalty to you, not because he wanted that role. Before the prison, he used Jasper’s rogue alphas as his shifter contacts, but he was independent, a lone wolf.”
I knew Shane’s past. Even before he’d been blood raped, I’d been curious enough about him to find out. Connor glared at Selina, but she held her ground. I respected her for fighting for her friend, but it made no difference; Shane wouldn’t return to them.
Connor’s jaw muscle tensed, but he dipped his chin. “Fine. Shane can choose. Fetch him.”
I kept my temper reined in. Connor had no right to demand anything of me. Yes, he was powerful, but so was I, and this was my domain, not his. Yet, no violence was my rule, and I tried to lead by example—most of the time.
“Elliot, fetch the fledgling.”
Ember tilted her head. “He has a name, Count.”
My smile was not friendly. “He does, but he is a fledgling. My fledgling. He belongs to my House, and he is no longer a full shifter.”
Connor released a low growl, one that made his wolf brothers tense. “That’s up to him. As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of my pack and always will be. If he chooses to stay, then so be it, but if he wants to leave…”
The threat was there—bloodshed on both sides if I didn’t allow him to leave.
“What’s going on?”
Shane’s deep voice rumbled, and my cock stirred to life again. I was almost irritated by how easily he affected me.
Selina jumped up and threw her arms around Shane, and I had to stamp down my urge to yank him away from her.
“Oh, my gods, how are you?”
Shane held on for a moment, his surprise at her willingness to hug him obvious. “I’m great, thanks, Lina.” He gently put her away from him.
Ember grinned. “Yeah, you look a bit different from when we last saw you.”
Shane’s face flushed, and he rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting Connor’s eyes. The last time they'd seen him was when I’d taken him to the meeting at Connor’s compound. He’d nearly attacked Ava that day, and his shame was almost palpable.
“Hey, man, it’s okay. We know that wasn’t you—not really.”
Connor’s words didn’t help. Shane raised his gaze to the Shifter King’s. His wolf was in his eyes, but his vampire side, a red hue that had merged with that wild beast, was there too, for everyone to see. It was truly beautiful. He was beautiful. My body was coiled tight, my cock aching, yet I remained still, in control, when all I wanted was to kiss him hard, strip him naked and fuck him in front of everyone here. Stake my claim, so no one would ever try to take him from me. But such a loss of control would send tongues wagging, and Stefan had already demanded our presence in his court. Showing a lack of restraint, or any kind of possessiveness where Shane or Sor were concerned, would derail all of my plans before I was fully prepared. I’d already put Stefan off, hoping for more time before he gave me an ultimatum. Stefan was ailing with an affliction even his medical team couldn’t diagnose, but that only meant he was more paranoid, more dangerous than ever. His demands on my time and resources were becoming increasingly impossible. Should he die before I eradicated the Blood Lust virus and the vile souls who’d developed it, his twelve-year-old son would be king. The child was an Original vampire who would one day be strong enough to rule, but in a world of ancient beings, earning their allegiance would be an epic trial, and, at the moment, he was too young and vulnerable. I didn’t envy the boy. But as with his father, I would be there to help him if he wanted to keep the throne. As a descendant of the Original royal family, the first demons who had escaped Hell, there was no one else fit to rule our kind.
Shane cocked his head, his face grave. “But that’s the problem, isn’t it, Connor? It was, and is, me. I’m not a full shifter anymore. My wolf spirit is with me, yet he’s…different.”
Shane's eyes met mine, and I let my possessiveness shine through. He flushed a little, and satisfaction filled my chest, my lips tilting up at his response. Connor didn’t understand whatShane meant, but I did. Shane’s wolf was stronger than ever, but he didn’t bow to the Shifter King any longer. He would only go to his knees for me and our little bird. Sor had no idea how much control she held over both of us. How deep our feelings for her ran. And Shane’s submission to me was something no one outside the three of us needed to know. Not when that knowledge could be used against us.
“Different how?” Connor’s voice was edged with restrained anger, but he was trying to keep his cool with Shane. He knew it wasn’t Shane’s fault that he was now a vampire. I couldn’t help feeling a little smug that the Shifter King was pissed off at losing such a strong Alpha wolf, but Selina was right. Shane had never really belonged to Connor’s pack.
And now, he was mine.
“To be honest, Connor, he doesn’t see you as his Alpha anymore. I respect you, I always have and I always will, but I am no longer a full shifter and am not bound to you as my king.”
I almost cheered at Shane’s bravery. Pointing out your transfer in loyalty to the most dangerous shifter in the world was a risky thing. Connor’s Hell-beast pushed forward, and he rose to his feet, glaring down from his monstrous height at Shane...who didn’t even flinch. Perhaps his frequent brushes with death had hardened him, and he no longer feared it.
He had no idea, but I’d take down everyone in this room, including Connor, if they dared lay a hand on my fledgling.
“Really? Then maybe I should remind you why I am your Prime Alpha, your king …”
His voice grated along my bones, urging me to protect what was mine. “In the interests of our alliance, that wouldn’t be a good idea.” My words were soft but held an edge of steel.
Shane’s attention shot my way, but I kept mine on Connor. The air between us crackled with tension, and my guards moved closer. Owen frowned and stepped closer to Selina, who was stillnext to Shane, clearly getting ready to move her out of harm's way. D stood and moved closer to his king.
“Okay, everyone. Time to cool down. Look, Count, we didn’t come here to cause trouble. We’ve come to make sure Shane is okay, and to let him know he still has a home, a pack, with us if he wants it.”
I didn’t comment on Ember’s ironic choice of words, seeing as she had fire surrounding her hands and flames burning in her eyes. Nor did I move or say anything more. Connor held my gaze for a moment longer before he grunted and broke our stare off.
