3
Sage
Xander was a hell of a joker.Next he was gonna tell me he was a purple wildebeest shifter.
But then his words actually sank in. My high temperature, my sweating, my weird not-painful cramps… It kind of made sense. I wasn’t a complete idiot. I knew what was supposed to happen to omegas during a heat, I’d learned about it growing up, but I guess without first-hand experience I never truly took it to heart.
But now it was happening tome.
I stared at Xander as my mind raced with a million thoughts. Reality started to piece together like a messed-up puzzle. The guy passed out on the floor had been in the middle of talking when Xander burst into the room. Xander said that man might have hurt me.
Which meant Xanderprotectedme.
I sniffed the air. My nose was keen even in human form. Underneath the musky scent of big cat, I smelled alpha, pure and strong. Something else mixed in, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
He sat unmoving with his paws primly placed in front of him, like a statue carved from stone. The only part of him that moved was the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and the tip of his tail flicking.
“I—”
My sentence got cut off as frantic footsteps suddenly echoed in the hall followed by the sound of something crashing. The door flew open. A bristling black wolf appeared.
“Oh, hey, Remmy!” I said.
Upon seeing Xander, Remington’s fur fluffed up even higher, if that was possible. He looked twice his normal size.
“Sage, get back!” Remington snapped. He threw himself in front of me like a black furry wall. His wolf’s growl filled the room in a clear warning.
Xander’s eye twitched, but he didn’t seem bothered by Remington’s presence at all. He didn’t even stand up.
“What the hell did you do to Sage?” Remington snarl. “I’ll kill you, cat!”
“And how exactly will you do that, pup?” Xander asked. His tone was almost bored, like a schoolteacher being threatened by a rowdy toddler.
“I’ll rip your damned fur off! Sage, shift and run!”
“Uh, hang on, Remmy,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. His fur prickled my palm. “I think there’s a misunderstanding here.”
Hackles slowly falling, Remington said, “What? Sage, I heard a commotion and then you screamed! I ran here as fast as I could because I thought you were being killed, or worse!”
“Oh! Sorry. I’m totally fine,” I said sheepishly. “Except—not really, ‘cause of my—well, whatever, that’s not the issue right now. Basically, there was this human guy, and apparently he was gonna do something to me? But it’s okay ‘cause Xander showed up and—”
Remington pointed his muzzle at the mountain lion. “Are you Xander?” he demanded.
The alpha’s voice was cool. “Yes.”
Remington deflated like a comical balloon. All his fur went back down until he was a tiny black wolf again. Next to Xander’s powerful body, Remmy almost looked like a kitten.
“I-I see,” Remington mumbled. “So you actually saved Sage?”
“Yes.”
Remington ducked his head, embarrassed. “Sorry. I just thought…”
“It’s fine,” Xander said. There was no ill-will on his face, just calm seriousness with just a hint of annoyance, but I didn’t know at what. “I’m glad one of you as some common sense, at least.”
“Who was that man?”
“I don’t know, and neither does your omega friend,” Xander replied.
