“That baby isn’t yours!” A voice that could only be Thorne Canton’s reached my ears.
“Beryl?” Clarence Moonscale’s voice reached my ears a second later. He shouldered through the lions and looked me up and down. “What in the name of Frost are you chasing that kidfor? Have you lost your bloody mind, Beryl? I should descale you right here!”
I shoved the lioness into him and hoped the fucker got some scratches out of it. The pain would serve him right for all the years he didn’t speak up about Pras Lavender. I sprinted into the fields and found myself surrounded by corn. It was like something out of a horror film. The kid was still shouting, and my guy was shushing him. At least, I thought it was my omega’s voice. He was the only one who didn’t stop to kick my ass when the lions found me.
I brought out my wings, planning to glide over the giant rows of corn to find them. I had to get to my omega. I had to get to him and explain what had happened. Only I was pounced by a lion from either direction and one of them bit into my forearm like he meant business.
“Stop it! I’m trying to get to my mate!” I roared, trying to shake the feline beast off my limb. “STOP IT!”
I drew in a sharp breath, stoking my fire to make some broiled lion, when his scent grew closer. A shadow fell over us, and a little whimper came from the boy. Both lions stopped biting me and turned to look at the man standing there in an oversized shirt and pair of basketball shorts. He held the drenched little boy on his hip while he stared at me with yellow eyes.
“Don’t let him eat me!” the baby cried and something inside me broke.
I tried to sit up to explain what had happened but the bigger of the lions slapped me back down with a massive paw. What the hell were they feeding these lions out here in the GGB.
“Why were you chasing my son?” my mate asked. “It couldn’t have been because he smelled like me. He was in the water.”
“I’m sorry I snuck out,” the little boy cried. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. The pool broke and I wanted to swim and—” he broke down in sobs.
My mate turned his back on me and the big cat kept his paw on my face. The other had shifted into a human with his hands on his hips. He tutted at me and shook his head.
“Does your momma know how dumb you are?” he asked.
“I—” I started to speak but the other lion slapped me with his paw again.
“I bet she doesn’t. You cannot go chasing kids you don’t know around. That’s a good way to get skinned. I should do it anyway just to prove a point,” the lion man said. “You’re lucky Jade realized who you are to him. Though, if we find out you’re a scum bag, he’ll kill you himself. This isn’t Old Moonscale London. We don’t put up with piss poor excuses for alphas just because of true-mate responses. He’ll skin you and eat your heart.”
I sighed. Obviously, there was going to be no talking to these guys. I’d have appreciated a little help from my mate, but he was preoccupied with his kid.
“My rock! I had in my hand when Ferrick showed up! I don’t have it now!” the little boy sobbed.
“Shh... We’ll find it,” he cooed to his son. “We’ll make him find it. He’s not Ferrick. He’s an alpha. Ferrick was an omega. He’s just a big dummy.”
“Dumb dummy,” the little boy sobbed. “He made me lose my rock!”
Jade turned to face us again with the still crying kid. He walked towards us and I thought for a tiny second that he was coming to save me from the other lions.
“You made my baby lose his rock,” he said, squatting down.
“Big mean Ferrick!” the little boy shook his finger at me.
“I’m not Ferrick!” I protested, but the lion slapped me again. I was starting to get tired of it and considered biting off his paw, but Jade spoke again.
“The rock has a face,” Jade said. “I don’t want to see or smell you again until you find that rock and bring it back!”
“I didn’t do anything!” I protested but Jade was already walking away.
Neither of the lions left my side for several long minutes after Jade padded away on his bare feet. Neither of them said anything as they walked off. The one in lion form brushed against the one in human form.
I lay there in the mud on my back giving my draconic genes time to heal. I might’ve laid there in the mud forever, pondering why my mate considered a rock more important than me if Mum and Clarence hadn’t found me in the mud.
“Beryl,” Mum sighed, reaching her hand out to me. “I told you not to wander around at night. Everyone is on high alert and most of the guards don’t know you. We know you wouldn’t hurt that baby, but they don’t know that.”
I let her pull me to my feet. She held me at arm’s length not wanting to get muddy.
“He wants me to find a rock,” I groaned.
“I’d find the rock then,” Clarence finally said something. “Look, I don’t even claim to fully understand lion culture, much less otter culture, but if you want your mate, I’d find that rock.”
