Ryland doubted his knees would hold him when he finally pulled himself up to his full height.By some miracle, they did.
“Come here.”
Ryland took a step forward.
*
Arslan stared down at Ryland for several long seconds.
His new pet.That’s how he’d been thinking of Ryland since he’d arrived at the den that night.Well, consciously, at least.Unconsciously, perhaps, he had always known that Ryland was going to be more to him than that, right from the first moment he’d seen him sneak into a seat at the back of a lecture hall.
Ryland’s nerves had obviously come back full force now, and Arslan wasn’t entirely surprised.Being called up to stand in front of the pride could make anyone wary.And, even if Ryland did have very fine instincts for a human, it wouldn’t be fair to him to forget that this was his first time among lions.
As Arslan watched, Ryland swallowed rapidly, fighting to keep control of his emotions.If he’d caught Blaine’s words, that couldn’t have helped him realise he was safe with his new master.It couldn’t have helped him believe that being taken under a lion’s protection was anything more than an insult either.
Reaching out, Arslan stroked a fingertip along Ryland’s jaw, encouraging him to lift his gaze so their eyes could meet.
A noise floated across from Blaine and Luther’s part of the sofa as one of the two idiots fidgeted, but Ryland’s gaze didn’t falter.Whatever interest he’d displayed in the brats during the meal appeared to have drained away now that he had something more important to focus upon.
Arslan nodded his approval.He was tempted to believe Ryland already had the sense to recognise the other lions’ nonsense for what it was.Even so, he wasn’t willing to let even the slightest doubt about his intentions towards Ryland linger in anyone’s minds.
He’d been extremely patient while Ryland sat quietly in the back of his lecture hall, but the idea that they could go back to that now was laughable.
“Focus now, pet, this is important.”He took great care to keep the words tender and between them, in spite of the other lions listening in.
Ryland nodded.
“You will answer every question I ask you, completely and honestly.”
Ryland’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he made another attempt to swallow down his nerves.He nodded again.“Yes, sir.”
He wasn’t sure what any of this meant, Arslan could see it in his eyes.The answer was little more than a leap of faith in his direction.If it proved anything at all, it was merely that Ryland trusted him enough to believe he wouldn’t ask him an unfair question.
Arslan nodded his approval, content to let the details wait for a more private moment, when he could explain the pride and Ryland’s rightful place in it to him properly, without any interruptions from the others.For now, a public answer given to a simple offer was all that was actually required.
He settled his hand on Ryland’s shoulder, something to steady them both, and he began.“If you come to us willingly and of your own free will, with no thought for your own gain, and only wishing to add to the pride, then you are welcome.”
The words slipped off his tongue as if they had been practiced for hours.They were familiar, in that he had known the form the questions should take for as long as he could remember.But, at the same time, he couldn’t help but be intensely aware that this was both the first and the last time he would ever say them—the first and last time he’d ever need to say them.
“If you wish to belong to the pride, to take your rightful place in the pride, you are welcome.”
Ryland stared up at him with far too many emotions swirling in his eyes for Arslan to have any idea what he was actually thinking.
“If you come to us without lies or secrets, you are welcome.”
Arslan could feel the gaze of the other lions intensify against his skin as they finally seemed to realise that he really was inviting Ryland to join the pride, not just as a temporary pet, but permanently, as Arslan’s mate.
Taking a deep breath, Arslan pushed forward through the last part of the offering.“If you are who we believe you to be, say that you wish to take your rightful place in the pride, and you will be welcomed.”
Ryland’s lips moved.They began to form a yes.Arslan had no doubt about that.Then, he stopped short.His lips closed.His gaze lost both its focus and its certainty.He looked down.
Silence.
“Ryland?”Arslan prompted.
Ryland’s rib cage rose and fell as he took a deep breath and let it out very slowly.He closed his eyes.A movement at Ryland’s side drew Arslan’s attention, and he watched Ryland’s hands form into tight fists.
Any indication that Ryland was more capable of trusting his instincts than all the other humans Arslan had ever known was long gone—if it had even existed to begin with.
