“She cannot speak about El in that way.El is merely a cub trapped in an adult body.”
“Even cubs know not to fight at a pride gathering, especially to not fight Leilani.Your El is lucky she didn’t get herself killed,” Claudia said.
“Leilani is lucky El didn’t kill her.I think what needs to happen first and foremost is the pride needs to be introduced to their new Lioness, my equal.Talk like this will not be tolerated any second longer, Claudia, without repercussion,” Ryan said, rising to his full height and letting his power roll off him.
Claudia dropped to her knees under the force.Even Trip struggled to remain standing.Ryan felt a new surge of power, and he knew it was coming from his lioness.He sat back down and pulled his power back to allow Claudia to finish what she had started.
An hour later, and probably a hundred missed calls from Marcus, Claudia deemed that Leilani would live and recover fully.Ryan thanked her for her service and left her.Trip stayed behind, which Ryan thought was a bad idea, but Ryan had other things on his mind.He needed to go to his mate.He needed El just as much as she needed him.He could also feel the pull of her lioness, demanding he return to their side.
Ryan just prayed the reunion didn’t turn into an explosion.
Chapter 3
El
Almost two hoursafter Ryan left with his mother’s battle bruised body, he walked into her room.El had been pacing the floor, desperately trying to keep a handle on her lioness as they waited for him to return.She smelled Leilani’s blood on him, and his expression was unreadable.El didn’t want Ryan’s mother to be dead, even if her bloodthirsty lioness seemed to feel quite the opposite.
“Is your mother…” El asked, choking on the last part of her sentence.
“She’ll survive.”
His response was lacking any emotion, and his tone was short.El knew she deserved nothing more, but it still stung.Marcus, who had been lounging on the bed, stood up and stood to the side of El.
“Ryan, I’m not sure what happened.Everything happened so fast,” El said.
“Part of the fault is mine.I didn’t take the time to tell you about our Pride ways, and for that I’m sorry.I will also take on some of the punishment for what happened tonight.”
“Punishment?”El gasped.
“Yes, one of our biggest laws is that there will be no fighting or challenging at Pride gatherings, most especially when we’re announcing a trio.Those caught doing so will be punished,” Ryan explained.
“Is yourmothergoing to receive some sort of punishment?She enticed me!”El defended herself and was annoyed that she was going to be punished for defending herself.
“Mother is enduring her punishment,” he said.
“So, she entices me not once, not twice, but three times, and I finally defend myself, and I’m in the wrong?”
“Yes, because you chose to do so at a Pride gathering.”
“I didn’t know that, but your mother did, and she chose to fight me anyways.”El was furious all over again.
“This is true, Ryan,” Marcus said interceding.
“Mother may have approached you to no doubt say less than savory things, but I have no doubt that Leilani wouldn’t have challenged you.She’s a stickler for the pride laws.”
El threw her hands up in the air.Trip walked in then, and with him a familiar scent.El stepped closer to him and sniffed him several more times before it finally clicked.
“Claudia is the one tending to your mother?”El asked Ryan.
“Yes, she is the most experienced healer we have.”
“Why is her scent so strong on you?”El asked Trip.
Trip looked at Ryan before answering.
“I hugged her,” he replied.
“You hugged her?”El asked, stunned.
