Loud voices screamed from behind the door, followed by a huge crash. Snarls and roars echoed in the hall. Both of us scrambled to our feet.
“What’s going on?” Bastian cried.
We ran to the door. My heart raced as he threw it open.
Noro and Neil faced off, surrounded by a group of gryphon onlookers, and both alphas stood in fighting stances.
And neither one looked like he was going to back down.
Chapter 16
Neil was in his wolf form. The fur was raised along his back like spines and he bore his fangs viciously, clearly ready for a fight. Noro, too, took his beast form. He spread his wings high above his head, making himself look larger, and his mane was puffed up. His golden eyes narrowed, and there was no mistaking the anger in them.
I wanted to run forward, intending to stand by Noro’s side, but I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be friendly with Noro--not in front of the entire pride. As difficult as it was, I stayed a healthy distance away.
But Bastian wasn’t held back by any lies. He ran to his brother, standing in-between him and Neil.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.
“I think it’s time the magic Keeper spills his secrets,” Neil snapped.
Murmurs of confusion spread among the gathered gryphons. They looked back and forth between the two alphas. I felt grateful that they seemed as unsure of what was going on as we were, at least.
“I have no secrets to tell,” Noro replied. “But I’ve had quite enough of you skulking around on my territory and trying to undermine me, flea-pelt.”
Neil snarled at the insult and I could tell he was a second away from throwing himself at Noro. “If you don’t tell them, I will!”
Noro hesitated for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for me to notice. “Go ahead,” he said, slowly flicking his tail. “I have nothing to hide from them.”
“The hell’s going on here?” a new voice broke in. Torin, one of Blaze’s guards--and the gryphon who had abducted me--stomped in, pushing his chest in between the two alphas. He frowned at Bastian. “You, get back before you hurt yourself.”
Bastian returned to my side, still looking harried. He shot a glance to my belly, as if to make sure I didn’t get hurt among the commotion, but nobody was crowding me. In fact, in the chaos of their fight, nobody seemed to notice the size of my belly at all.
Maybe that’s a good thing, for now,I thought.
“Your magic Keeper,” Neil spat the word like it was an insult, “is telling you lies.”
Torin glanced at the wolf. “What?”
“The wolf doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Noro said. “And frankly, I wonder why he’s still here.”
Torin briefly made a face like he might have agreed with Noro, but he tried to keep his expression neutral while playing peacekeeper. He faced Neil. “Now, hold on. There’s no need to fight, especially because that’s not a fight you’ll win, wolf. Why don’t you tell me what the problem is?”
Infuriated that the gryphon was speaking down to him, Neil growled deeply. “Noro is sleeping with the omega.”
A ripple of silence passed through the gathered crowd.
“And that’s not all,” Neil went on, emboldened by the visible shock, “heknewabout Matheson’s existence this whole time! He’s been trying to keep him a secret from the pride! From your king, Blaze!”
Torin’s brow furrowed. He looked to Noro in confusion. “What is he saying, Noro?”
“He lies,” Noro said, lying himself. He kept very still and his eyes were daggers in Neil’s fur.
“Why do you think he disappeared for so long and came back with nothing?” Neil shouted.
“I came back with knowledge,” Noro countered angrily.
“You came back to steal Matheson away,” Neil snarled. “Don’t bother to deny it. I heard you last night.”
