Zhuang growled as he looked toward the guards. “It looks that way.”
“The cubs.” Xias clutched at Zhuang’s shirt. “He’s going to go after the cubs.”
“Baby, he doesn’t know where the cubs are.”
“Are you positive?” Xias wasn’t. So far, Osamu had been right on their tail, sometimes so close Xias could feel the man’s hot breath on the nape of his neck. “Do you really think he would kill an elder at council headquarters if he didn’t have some sort of plan?”
Xias knew he sounded crazy, but he wasn’t necessarily wrong.
“He killed Elder Yang,” Elder Shen said. “He had to know he couldn’t get away with something like that.”
“I don’t think he cares.” Xias had a strong urge to stomp his foot and scream. “I told you how evil he is. I never said he was stupid.”
“I know you said…” Elder Shen glanced down at his dead friend. “But this…”
“He doesn’t care who he hurts to get what he wants.” When the elder glanced at him, Xias huffed. “He wants Bai.”
“Your son?”
Xias nodded.
“Why not the others?”
“I told you.” Xias had told him. Zhuang had told him. What part of this wasn’t the elder getting? “He just wants the boy.”
Elder Shen’s jaw dropped. “Cubs are sacred.”
Xias snorted.
“This man needs to be stopped.”
He didn’t snort again, but it was close. “Do you have an army?”
Elder Shen drew in a harsh breath. “I’ll make some phone calls.”
After the elder walked away, Xias turned back to his mate. He gave Zhuang a weak smile when the man held out his clothes. He had totally forgotten that he was standing there naked.
“Tao says all is quiet,” Zhuang said as Xias dressed. “I warned him about Osamu. He’ll let me know if he has any problems.”
Xias nodded. He wasn’t going to feel better until he saw the cubs with his own eyes. He knew this wasn’t the end of things. Osamu had something planned. The alpha wouldn’t feel an ounce of guilt over killing the elder, and he had to know the council enforcers would be coming for him, but that wouldn’t stop him.
“I’m going to have my father send a unit of guards to the house to help Tao keep the cubs safe until we can get there.”
Xias started to nod again, but then he thought about it. “That actually might not be a good idea.”
Zhuang’s eyebrows lifted. “What?”
“Osamu doesn’t know where the cubs are at the moment, but he does know I’ll do everything within my power to keep them safe from him. He’d know I’d put them somewhere he couldn’t get to them while I met with him. Now that he’s attacked me and killed Elder Yang, he would most likely assume I’d head right for the cubs to make sure they were safe. If your father sends a unit of soldiers to guard the cubs, they could lead Osamu right to them.”
“I hate that that makes sense.”
Xias widened his eyes. “You and me both.”
“You think that’s why he killed the elder?” Zhuang asked. “To get you to go to the cubs so he could follow?”
Xias shrugged. He really wasn’t sure. He wasn’t batshit crazy.
“I’ll have Tao call a few friends of ours. They can get to where the cubs are without being seen.”
