Zhuang walked over to the door and pulled it open. He waved his hand toward the other elders. “So, call a meeting. Make him a rogue shifter and then put a price on his damn head.” He’d be more than happy to track the alpha down and rip his throat out.
“And his clan, Zhuang? What are we supposed to do about his clan? We cannot leave them without someone to lead them. It would be utter chaos.”
“And having a psychopath as a leader is better? He’s taking teenagers from their parents and forcing them to join his harem. I would think chaos would look better to them. Hell, Armageddon would probably look better to them.”
Elder Shen jumped to his feet and stormed across the room. His face grew red as he shouted, “Then you man up, Zhuang. If you’re so fired up to end this man’s reign of terror, then you man up and become the alpha you were always meant to be.”
Fuck a duck!
He’d been set up by his father, and they both knew it. There just wasn’t anything he could do about it. His father was right. Without someone to lead them, the members of Osamu’s clan would fall into chaos and the clan would shatter.
“Fine, but I get to veto anyone I believe might be a danger to my mate, my cubs, or my clan. I refuse to put them in danger.”
Elder Shen grinned. “Done.”
“I still want my clan at my grandfather’s place.”
“Of course.”
Zhuang narrowed his eyes. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Elder Shen chuckled as he pushed past Zhuang and walked back into his office. The other elders started talking immediately, each one trying to be heard over the others. Zhuang rolled his eyes and headed for the door. He had better things to do than listen to a bunch of old men argue.
He strongly suspected that life as he knew it had just changed.
Chapter Thirteen
“Your mother and I can’t wait to meet them, Xias.”
Xias was excited to introduce his parents to his cubs as well. He was even more excited to see his parents. He’d missed them a lot over the last five years. “They’re really starting to get active now.”
He couldn’t tell what the cubs were doing, but two of them were feeling very playful and one was sleeping. The ability to feel their emotions and get impressions of what they were doing was something he’d never expected when he gave birth to them. It was an amazing gift.
He couldn’t wait until this whole mess was over with and they could all settle down on the property Zhuang had told him about. He really hoped his parents could join them. He would like to have his entire family all in one place.
“This man, your new alpha, he is good to you?”
Xias smiled at the concern he could hear in his father’s voice. He’d missed that. “He’s very good to me, Dad. He loves me and the cubs.”
“That’s good to hear, Xias. I… When Osamu took you, I tried to…”
“There was nothing you could do, Dad, and you know it. He would have killed you if you tried to take me back.”
“I tried, Xias. You have to believe that.”
Something in his father’s voice warned him there was more to the story. “What happened, Dad?”
“That’s not important, Xias. You just need to know that I didn’t simply let Osamu take you from me and your mother. I tried to fight to get you back after he took you. I just wasn’t strong enough.” Xias heard a shaky breath through the phone. “I hope your mate is strong enough.”
Xias sniffled, then wiped at a stray tear streaking down his cheek. “He is.”
He prayed he’d told the truth. He knew he had built Osamu up into some sort of bogeyman, but he truly felt the man was evil down to the bone. He wasn’t sure if an entire army of alphas could beat him.
“Just you wait and see, Dad. Zhuang and the council will take care of Osamu, and then you can move to the clan with me. You and Mom can spend your days playing with the cubs.”
“And maybe teach you how to be the mate of an alpha.”
Xias gasped. “I think I forgot about that part.”
