"Ah. That was me," Alaric said, flicking his tail.
I was relieved he wasn't hurt, but I was even more relieved that it hadn't been Taylor's cry.
Now that my most immediate concern was addressed, I examined the group. I'd clearly flown into the middle of a confrontation. The kobold crew lurked around the clearing, their cameras still rolling.
The black bear launched into it. "We were about to win the challenge when the tiger butted in."
"Yeah! He stopped us on purpose!" the gray wolf interjected.
A low, commanding growl rumbled in Taylor's throat. "No one is hunting that boar. Not even me."
My heart stuttered for a second. Did that mean Taylor didn't want to win the challenge?
But my fear melted as I met my mate's eyes. Fire burned in them, along with an edge of protective warmth. He wanted to win, but there was something else going on. I trusted him.
"Go on," I urged.
Taylor's tail flicked towards the mouth of the cave. "It's not just a wild boar. It's a mother. Her babies are inside that cave."
It's what?I thought, taken off guard.
Alaric narrowed his eyes and added, "So anybody who tries to get past us will get a face full of claws."
Taylor nodded at the cat. It was odd, but nice to see them getting along.
The two other predator shifters deflated.
"Well, we didn't know that," the bear grumbled.
The gray wolf shrugged. "Guess the hunt is off."
To drive the point home, they shifted back to human form. Sensing the conflict was over, Taylor did the same, as did Alaric next to him.
I was too overwhelmed by my affection for Taylor to shift, so I remained as a dragon. His courage to stand up to the other shifters for what he believed in was admirable. His omega instincts to protect children no doubt played a role, but I knew Taylor would've done the same thing even if he wasn't an omega. He was a good man.
Gaius floated down from the sky, shifting as he hit the ground. "Phew! What a plot twist!"
I raised a scaly brow. Had he known about the piglets the whole time? I didn't doubt it. That meant that, in the end, this had been a test of compassion and parental instincts, not hunting skills.
"Looks like the challenge is over," Gaius announced. "Which one of you—"
A pair of shifters crashed through the bushes, stumbling into the clearing. It was a jackal and a white wolf. I recognized them as Taylor's friends, Muzo and Poppy. They were both out of breath.
"What'd we miss?" Muzo asked, head spinning around.
Poppy sighed. "I think we're late..."
"Only a little," Gaius said, winking. "As I was saying, which one of you arrived at the boar's den first?"
As he looked around, the black bear and gray wolf shifters looked disappointedly at Taylor and Alaric. My heart squeezed. Which one of them came first? If it was Alaric, I'd have no choice but to honor my promise, and I didnotwant to do that.
But Alaric looked strangely accepting. He nudged Taylor with his elbow, which barely reached Taylor's chest.
"It was the tiger," Alaric said with the least amount of venom in his voice I'd ever heard. "I was here when it happened. He discovered the cave and the piglets first."
That was a massive relief. My muscles relaxed and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
Alaric glanced at Taylor like he was about to admit something else, but in the end, the two just shared a knowing look. Alaric nodded at me. "So, yeah. Stripes won, fair and square."
