“I’m good with that.” Better to have a solid foundation before arriving at council headquarters. He didn’t think his father or any of the other elders would have an issue with him forging a new clan, but he couldn’t be positive. Some might not like the level of power that would come to the son of an elder when he became alpha of his own clan.
Zhuang was in no way surprised when Tao pulled the CAT to a stop and turned to look at him. Now that they had agreed to do this, there really wasn’t any point in waiting.
There was just one thing they were missing.
“Xias, baby.” Zhuang reached into the backseat and gave Xias’s shoulder a little shake. “Wake up, mate.”
Xias grumbled a bit before his eyelids lifted. “Are we there already?”
“No, baby, but something has come up that I need you to be awake for.”
Instant fear crossed Xias’s face.
“No, no!” Zhuang felt like a heel for putting that look on his mate’s face. “It’s nothing bad. I promise.”
A frown flickered between Xias’s eyebrows as he sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, mate, but I need you awake for this.”
“For what?”
“I’m taking Tao as my second-in-command.”
Xias’s frown deepened. “In command of what?”
“Our clan.”
Xias’s eyebrows rose. “We have a clan?”
Zhuang chuckled. “We do now.”
“Huh.” Xias was still frowning when he looked over at Tao. “So, why do I need to be awake for whatever this is?”
“We need a witness, Xias.”
“A witness to what?”
Zhuang stared, not sure if Xias’s confusion was real or not. “For the bonding ritual.”
“The bonding what?”
“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.”
