“You have a mate, Xias?” Yao asked in a voice trembling with trepidation.
“Yes, Father.”
“And he’s an alpha?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Is he strong?”
Zhuang shrugged when Xias glanced at him. He had no idea why Yao was asking all these questions. Xias didn’t seem to know either.
“Yes, Father, very strong.”
“Strong enough to beat Osamu?”
Ah, and that would be why Yao was asking all the questions. “I’ve already wounded him once and taken out several of his enforcers.” He smiled when Xias rolled his eyes. “Xias is mine to protect now.”
“And his cubs?”
“They are mine to protect as well.”
“Then you need to know Osamu is going after them. He’s pulled almost all the enforcers off patrol and sent them to get the cubs.”
“Do you know where Osamu is right now?”
“He was here earlier,” Yao replied, “but like I said, he gathered up most of his enforcers and took off. There’s only a couple enforcers left to guard the clan.”
Xias gasped. “He knows where the cubs are.”
That was Zhuang’s thought as well. Either that, or he planned to storm council headquarters. Either way, there was a fight coming. He sent a quick message silently to Tao, telling him to be extra vigilant.
“Xias, your mother and I are leaving the clan,” Yao said. “I know we’ll be banned as rogue shifters because we don’t have our alpha’s permission to leave, but now that we know you’re safe, we can’t stay here anymore.”
“Come here,” Zhuang said. “We’re at council headquarters. I’ll make sure you’re not labeled rogue.”
Somehow.
“Can you do that?” Xias asked.
“I can accept them into our clan.”
Zhuang heard Yao gasp through the phone. He was more concerned with the tears gathering in Xias’s eyes.
“You’d take us into your clan without even knowing us?”
“You’re Xias’s parents,” Zhuang replied. “What’s to know?”
He hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake, but he’d do just about anything to make his mate happy, and he was pretty sure those were happy tears.
He hoped those were happy tears.
“Just come to council headquarters,” Zhuang said. “We’ll get you registered as members of my clan, and then we can all head home together.”
“Would you… Would you consider taking in a few more of us?” Yao asked. “There are others, not a lot, just ten or so, but they need to get away from Osamu as much as Xias did.”
Zhuang’s eyes narrowed at the words Yao left unspoken. “Are they all underage?”
“A few of them.”
