“Why don’t you let Mackenzie go?We can talk about this.”
“You think I’m stupid?There’s nothing to talk about.What you and the other alphas are doing to the forest is a mistake, and I’ll rectify it.I’ll kill every single human living here.I’ll make sure they can never come into the forest again.I can start with this one, make an example out of him.”He gave Mackenzie a shake.
Mackenzie hoped hewouldn’tstart with him.He had too much to live for.
“You won’t survive the day,” Dan said as he stepped forward.There was a quiet threat in his voice that made Mackenzie glad he was on Dan’s side.Nico’s father could be scary when he wanted to be, even though he was currently barefoot, which was an odd sight.
Silas squeezed Mackenzie.“What do you think you’ll do?You want to protect your little human way too much to put him in danger.You’re not going to risk him.”
Unfortunately, it looked like he was right.Jerome and Dan exchanged a glance, but neither of them moved forward.They didn’t want Mackenzie to be hurt, which meant they couldn’t act until Mackenzie was away from Silas.Mackenzie wasn’t sure how to make that happen.Jerome and Dan couldn’t help him with it.If they came any closer, Mackenzie had no doubt that Silas would take it out on him.No, he was on his own, and he wasn’t sure what to do.
He looked around the cave, but there was nothing to help him.He wouldn’t get away from Silas quickly enough to find a weapon.It wasn’t like he’d need a weapon, anyway, if he managed to put distance between them.Dan and Jerome would be on Silas before Mackenzie could do anything.
The only way forward was for Mackenzie to get away.He didn’t have a weapon, but he had his body.He’d never learned self-defense, but he’d watched enough movies and TV shows to have a vague idea of what he was doing.Silas was wounded, so maybe if Mackenzie managed to hit him there, he’d be able to get free.Even if he couldn’t, he’d have the satisfaction of having hurt Silas.Knowing that would be enough for him to feel satisfied.
Silas was still talking to Dan and Jerome, but Mackenzie didn’t pay attention.Instead, he sucked in a breath, straightened his back, and stomped his foot onto Silas’s naked one.
Silas yelped and reared back.Mackenzie took the opportunity to twirl around.Normally, he would have hit Silas in the stomach, but instead, he aimed for the arm.
Silas’s scream echoed against the walls of the cave.Mackenzie didn’t stick around to check how badly he’d hurt Silas.Silas was clutching his arm, and Mackenzie took the opportunity to turn and run.He threw himself forward, eager to put as much distance as he could between himself and Silas.
He wasn’t the only one moving.Jerome and Dan surged forward.Jerome didn’t even look at Mackenzie.His focus was on Silas.That was fine with Mackenzie.He wanted Silas out of the way permanently.
Mackenzie was all right.He was in one piece, unhurt, and finally away from Silas.He almost couldn’t believe it.
* * * *
WHEN NICO HEARD SOMEONEyell, it took everything in him not to run into that cave.His heart raced as he wondered if Mackenzie had been hurt.He wasn’t sure how his heart would survive it if something had happened to his boyfriend.They were supposed to be together forever, build a life and a family, but Silas might have ruined all of that.He might have taken Nico’s happiness and future from him.
But as desperately as he wanted to go in, he didn’t.He’d promised his father that he wouldn’t, and he knew that Mackenzie wouldn’t want him to go.He’d want him to keep their child safe, and there was no way to know what Silas would do if he found himself in front of Nico.He had to know who Nico was, and he might decide to hurt him since he’d failed when he’d tried to kill Nico’s father.Besides, Nico trusted his father.He’d said that he would take care of this, and he would.There was nowhere for Silas to go, anyway.He was stuck in that cave.
Unfortunately, so was Mackenzie.
There was the sound of a scuffle, then someone screamed.Nico screwed his eyes shut.He couldn’t do this.He had to dosomething, but his feet were rooted to the ground.Silas was just there, a few feet away, possibly hurting the man Nico loved.How was Nico supposed to stay away?How was he supposed to keep his promise and wait?
Nico opened his eyes and nodded to himself.He’d made a promise, but it wouldn’t be the first promise that he broke.He was sure his father would understand, and hopefully, so would Mackenzie.
He was barefoot since Jerome hadn’t carried his and his father’s shoes, but that wasn’t a problem.Nico was used to walking around in the forest barefoot.He’d done it since he was a child, and even though it was uncomfortable, being away from Mackenzie was more uncomfortable than that.Besides, if he had to fight Silas, he’d be better at it if he shifted.In their human forms, Silas was bigger than him, but there was little even he could do against a bobcat’s teeth.
Nico was close to the cave, but he didn’t even have time to get to its opening before someone appeared.He froze, holding his breath, releasing it only when he realized it was his father.
He looked okay.There was blood on his shirt, though, and as soon as Nico realized it, he wanted to throw up.His father didn’t seem to be wounded, but he hadn’t been alone in that cave.
Nico didn’t have to wonder if something had happened to Mackenzie for long.His boyfriend stepped up behind his father, looking pale and shaky but otherwise unharmed.Nico watched him, trying to find a source for the blood on his father’s shirt, but there was nothing.Mackenzie was making his way toward him, steady on his feet and looking strong.
Strong enough to catch Nico when he threw himself at him.
Nico sobbed as he wrapped his arms around Mackenzie’s neck.“I was so fucking scared,” he said.
Mackenzie hugged him tightly.“There’s no reason for you to be.I’m fine.”
Nico leaned back to glare at him.“You nearlyweren’tfine.What the hell happened?”
“Silas.”
Nico wanted to hear everything, but first, he needed to check in on his father.He turned to him, looked him up and down, and nodded when he still couldn’t see a source for the blood.“Whose blood is that?”he asked.
“Silas’s,” his father said.“Jerome took care of him.”
