“And who is that?”
“My son,” I growled.
“Oh, shit! Last night was really confusing. I didn’t catch names and stuff I was more worried that your pride of lions was going to rip me apart for trying to get to you,” he narrowed his eyes on me.
“Uh… If they wanted to rip you apart they would’ve. I’ve wrestled with those guys my whole life. Together they’re deadly. I’ve got a couple scars from our play fights as kittens. They do too,” I said, almost laughing.
“I was in a situation where if I hurt them, you’d be mad at me but now you’re mad at me because I didn’t hurt them?” he asked, his brows climbing high on his forehead as if I was speaking another language.
“I didn’t say you should’ve hurt them. I said they weren’t going to kill you. I’m mad at you because you still haven’t gotten the baby’s rock!” I growled.
“Oh my god! You have to explain this rock thing to me! I get that otters have rocks but why do you think I can get it?”
“Because you’re my mate. Sure, I have training and education but I’m also pretty damn good at getting things done when push comes to shove. I chose your ass in the Other World, didn’t I? I have decent judgement when it comes to alphas. It’s why I’m still single.”
Beryl opened his mouth and shut it again. He had beautiful blue eyes that I wanted to fall into but now wasn’t the time for all that bullshit. The only blue thing I was going to fall into was probably the pond.
“And you left me in the mud because you figured I could handle myself?” he asked me.
“Yeah. You were walking around the farm at night while all this was going on. Until he’s gone the chance Ferrick will escape is never zero,” I said. “You pushed through Evie and them to get to me. Sure, Vius and Claw caught you, but that’s because they’re twins and hunt together all the time.”
“And then you came to ask me if I was afraid of lions?” he asked, hands back on his hips.
“Yeah, because I wasn’t thinking clearly last night. I just wanted to get my baby back inside the house before something actually scary happened! Something was mentioned I wondered if you had a panic attack or something.”
“I’m not that sort of—”
“Sort of what?” I growled, squaring up my shoulders.
“Coward,” he said and I shoved him with all my might and both hands straight into the pond.
“You’re a fucking asshole! That’s what you are, Beryl Moonscale! Find the damn rock while you’re in there if you can pull your head out of your ass long enough to look for it!” I said and stalked off back to the house.
The nerve of that fucking lizard-brained, spineless, waste of an eggshell! If he knew what shifters went through to overcome panic attacks, he’d keep his mouth shut. I hoped there was a monster in that lake that ate him up. I hoped that he stepped on Evie’s tail. I hoped that he accidentally set Philip’s hat on fire or---
I stopped on the back porch and took a long deep breath. I couldn’t go back inside smelling this pissed off. Jondi would be upset and Eran might go punch the asshole. He’d deserve it without a doubt, but I didn’t want to pull Eran into my drama. Besides, if I wanted him punched, I’d do it my damn self.
Unable to go back inside and unwilling to go back to the pond and talk to Beryl, I dropped down and shifted into my lion. I needed to go for a run. Jondi was safe with Eran and Vatten and I needed to blow off some steam before I blew my top.
Inside my lion, I paced as he often did. His paws hit the grass hard, bouncing off the individual blades with each step he made. Just when I thought perhaps I was being unfair to Beryl he had to go and be a toxic alphahole. What had I been thinking in the Other World when I chose him? Had I set myself up for a lifetime of bullshit? Part of me wanted to take my baby and run somewhere else. Except the GGB was my home, not his. Jondi and me would stay right here where our family, pride, and friends were. Fuck Beryl and the chip on his shoulder. The mancouldn’t decide whether he was a softy who needed saving from a pair of lions or an asshole with little awareness of the world.
I lost track of space and time as I ran. It was something I did often when I needed to clear my head. My lion knew his way around the farm and the path back to town. He got to burn off some steam and I had time to figure out my thoughts and feelings.
He must’ve been headed to my parents’ place because it was my carrier’s leg that I slammed into as he came out of Sandy’s. He blinked down at me as I found my footing.
“If you wanted a sandwich you could’ve asked,” he laughed, until my scent reached his nose. “Want me to descale him?” he asked.
I sank down against the wall and shifted back into my human form. Dad sat down next to me and waited for me to say something. He’d gotten most of the info over the family link but he’d always been good about sitting with me while I figured out what I needed to do. It was probably one of the reasons I didn’t bump heads with him as much as I did my sire during my teenage years. Though, those arguments were in a strange arena of him wanting to keep me safe and my being unsure whether the danger was real or part of his anxiety.
“I just want him not to be a giant asshat. There are enough of those around,” I sighed.
“I don’t think he’s a giant asshat. That’s giving him too much credit,” Dad shrugged. “I’ve lived with giant asshats. They do more than complain about being left alone with lions and call people cowards. Though, knowing dragons, he probably thoughtyou were implying he was a coward by asking if he had a panic attack.”
“That’s some alphahole bullshit,” I groaned.
“Well, if you’re going to be with an alpha sometimes that bullshit is going to come up,” Dad said. “That doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. Call him out on it by all means but not everyone was raised by Kenny.”
“I don’t want him to be Eran,” I groaned.
