“Don’t you know anything about this?” He was a shifter. He had to know. It was shifter basics 101.
“I don’t even know what this is,” Xias said.
Well, hell.
“A bonding ritual is where the alpha of the clan accepts others into the clan. There has to be a small exchange of blood in order for the bond to form.”
Xias hissed. The glare he shot Tao could have put a smaller man six feet under.
“It’s not a mating bond, Xias,” Zhuang said quickly. “It’s a clan bond. I don’t even have to bite him. Just exchange blood with him.”
“Like when a clan member goes through puberty?” Xias asked.
Zhuang nodded. “That’s exactly what it is.”
Xias eyed Tao again. “And it’s not a mating bond.”
“No.” Zhuang was firm about that.
“Why do you need a witness? Osamu never had witnesses.”
Zhuang’s eyebrows shot up. “There were no witnesses when he accepted you into the clan?”
“No. He said it was a private affair between an alpha and his clan member.”
Zhuang swallowed tightly. “Baby, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Yeah. There were never any witnesses when Osamu accepted someone into the clan, so I don’t understand why you need one.”
“Can Osamu talk to you telepathically like I do?”
“He’s not my mate!”
“Xias, once you are accepted into a clan, the alpha can talk to you just like a mate can. Mates can talk to each other, they can talk to their cubs, and alphas can talk to every member of their clan. That’s what clan bonds are all about.”
Xias’s jaw dropped.
“He’s never talked to you telepathically?”
Xias shook his head.
“And there was no witness when he accepted you into the clan?”
Xias shook his head again.
“Then I doubt you were a registered member of his clan.”
Which was both good and bad. If Xias wasn’t a member of Osamu’s clan, then the man had no claim on Xias or the cubs at all. But it also meant that Xias was a rogue shifter with no clan. That was a shit-storm in itself.
Zhuang turned to Tao. He knew what he needed to do. He used a claw to slice a cut across his wrist, then held his arm out. Tao did the same to his own arm. When they clasped wrists, their cuts met, blood blending with blood.
“Do you accept me as your alpha?”
“I do,” Tao replied without hesitation.
“Do you agree to live under my rule and accept my dominion over you?”
“I do.”
