“Don’t fuck with me, boy!”
Xias could no more have prevented his cringe when the man raised his hand than he could have stopped breathing. He had been hit one too many times. Osamu ruled his clan with an iron fist, meting out punishments he felt others deserved whether they did or not.
He was an evil man.
When Osamu came at him, Xias shifted. He was lucky his transformation was quick. It always had been. Osamu just didn’t know it because, after that first time he had shifted, Xias had been forbidden to shift in front of him.
The dropped jaw and rounded eyes on the man’s face were a wonder to see.
“Shift back,” the man demanded.
Shock rippled through Xias when his alpha’s demand simply rolled over him like water poured from a can. He felt no deep need to obey, no pain when he resisted. Osamu’s words meant nothing to him.
His determination renewed, Xias flattened his ears back and snarled at his former alpha, warning him away. He crouched down, ready to spring up and attack the man if he took a single step closer. He didn’t want to have to fight—mostly because he was pretty sure he’d lose—but he would. He just wasn’t awarrior , even if he now had something to fight for.
“You dare to disobey me?” Osamu sounded astonished. His agitation was clear in the reddening of his face and the clenched fists at his sides. Those in the clan did not disobey him. They usually ended up wishing for death if they even thought about it.
When Osamu took a step toward the place where the cubs were hiding, Xias launched himself at the alpha. He instantly knew that was a mistake when he was caught in midair and thick fingers closed around his throat.
“You think you can defy me?” Osamu snapped as he pulled Xias closer. “You think you have balls big enough to attack me? You will die for your insolence.”
Snow leopard or not, it still hurt when he was tossed across the cave and slammed into the hard rock wall. He whimpered as he hit the floor and lay there, panting heavily. He didn’t think anything was broken, but he was sure he had more than a few bruises.
“Get my cub,” Osamu shouted as he pointed to the corner. “Kill the rest.”
“And the omega?” one of the enforcers asked.
Osamu’s chuckle sent a shiver of dread down Xias’s back. “Give him to the enforcers.”
Xias’s legs shook from fear and pain as he climbed to his feet. He pushed both to the back of his mind and snarled at the enforcer heading for his cubs.
When the enforcer took a step closer, Xias launched himself at the formidable soldier. He knew he would most likely die a painful death, but he’d suffer through it a thousand times before he let anyone take his cubs.
He swiped his claws at the enforcer as he landed on him, driving him into the hard, rocky ground. His satisfaction at the blood he drew was short lived as he was grabbed and tossed away by the enforcer. When he hit the wall this time, he heard a distinctive crack and pain spread throughout his entire chest area. For a moment, breathing was an impossibility.
Until he saw the enforcer start to reach for one of the cubs.
Xias didn’t have enough air in his lungs to roar at the shifter so he attacked him instead, sinking his claws and teeth into the man’s flesh. Blood gushed into his mouth as his fangs sank deep. Warm liquid splashed across his paws.
He heard the man’s loud cry, and was almost surprised by it. He had never attacked anyone in his life. He hoped the fact that he was in his shifter form fighting an enforcer in his human form would give him an edge.
He couldn’t lose this fight.
Chapter Four
Zhuang heard the fighting before he even reached the cave. His heart pounded painfully in his chest as he forced himself to go slow when he really wanted to race in and save his mate. Finding Xias in a battle for his life was close to snapping whatever control he had.
He silently leapt at the man guarding the entrance to the cave. He took him out with one swipe of his deadly claws. The next one took two swipes of his claws. That left him with the man Xias was fighting, and the one trying to edge his way closer to the cubs.
Zhuang went for that one, knowing Xias would want him to protect the cubs first. He could smell the alpha in him and knew this was the man Xias was so terrified of. Zhuang didn’t let out a roar until he was already sailing through the air. The alpha turned just as Zhuang slammed into him. His surprise gave Zhuang enough time to get in one good bite before the alpha started fighting back.
It was a fierce fight. Zhuang’s loud roars came in part from his anger and rage, but also from the pain inflicted upon him by the man he was fighting. He was fighting an alpha after all. The man was strong, maybe even as strong as Zhuang.
He just wasn’t as pissed off as Zhuang.
When the man stumbled back, Zhuang lunged at him and sank his teeth into the guy’s arm. There was a very satisfying crunch right before the man cried out. As soon as Zhuang let go, the alpha spun and took off running out of the cave. Zhuang knew he would need to shift and rest for at least a few hours before his injuries healed.
That just might be enough time.
