Spread out.
Careful.
Ready.
Reg is there too.
Of course, he is.
My brother looks like he wants to throttle me and hug me at the same time.
“Bro? What the hell are you doing?” he demands.
I bare my teeth.
A snarl rips out of me, low and dangerous, my body dropping instinctively into a forward stance.
Not defensive.
Offensive.
No explanation needed.
He knows.
They all do.
“I think he’s looking for his mate,” Elissa says softly, her voice carrying despite the chaos in my head.
Hunter’s gaze narrows.
And I feel it.
The weight of him.
The Neta—our version of Alpha.
The strongest Tiger in the Pride.
The only one who could put me down if this goes sideways.
I don’t want that.
I don’t want to challenge him.
This isn’t about dominance.
This is—I try to form the words.
Try to force them past the instinct choking my throat.
But my Tiger doesn’t do words.
He does need.
He does drive.
So instead—I growl.
