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A nearby roar shatters my concentration as Orion's father hurls himself in our direction, claws bared.
My mate appears between us. His father's blow sweeps forward with enough force to break bone, but Orion meets it with his own. The impact reverberates through the cavern like thunder, both of them locking together in a violent tangle of claws, teeth, and muscle.
“Benji, stop!” Paula grabs my wrists tightly. “Just get out of here.”
“No.”
She stares at me with fresh tears shining in her eyes. “You don't owe me anything.”
“I know.”
Another earsplitting crack echoes through the chamber as Orion hits the ground. The entire mountain seems to shudder around us, rock shattering down in thick gray clouds, and I look up just in time to watch Orion become pinned beneath his father's weight.
Something inside me snaps. “Get the fuck off him!”
Before either creature can strike again, I blanket myself over my monster's body.
“Benjamin.” His voice tears through the cavern in horror, arms wrapping around me as if to shield from an oncoming strike.
…but it never comes.
His father's claws halt inches from my face. Everything seems to grow still around us, even the flames from the dying fire winking out.
Orion's hold on me tightens instinctively. Lifting me up, he climbs to his feet before attempting to place himself between us, but I force myself forward.
“No. If your father wants to kill you, he'll have to go through me.”
My entire body shakes so fiercely I can barely remain standing, but I refuse to move, even as the larger creature gazes at me in fury.
“You think I will not kill you?” he snarls, straightening to his full height.
“You just spent the last ten minutes telling me how important I am because I carry your blood.” The pulse in my ears hammers so hard I swear even he can hear it. “So go ahead. Do it.”
Spreading my arms wide, I put on a bravado that's totally fake. Every breath almost makes me vomit. Yet even so, my plan seems to work, because Orion’s father doesn't move, doesn’t speak. The only sound is my monster's ragged breathing behind me.
“That's what I thought.” Finally allowing myself to glance backward, I find Orion's golden eyes fixed on my face, split equally between adoration and fear. The sight is enough to make me whirl on the spot and rub my cheek against his blood-soaked chest.
“I'm done watching people I care about get hurt because of me,” I murmur.
His father's nostrils flare as he takes in our mingled scents. “This human stands between an alpha and his prey.”
Orion says nothing as we stare at his father. He simply keeps one arm wrapped around my waist, holding me close enough that I can feel the frantic beat of his heart beneath his fur.
The other creature's gaze lingers on me for one long moment before he lets out a low, thoughtful hum. “I do not require you whole, after all.”
Every muscle in my mate's body goes rigid, along with my own. “What did you just say?”
“So long as you live long enough to bear my bloodline…” His single eye meets mine, shining cruelly. “The rest is of little consequence.”
Without warning, he lunges for me so fast that I barely have time to blink.
Orion catches his father's wrist before the claws can connect, shoving me away as the two of them crash into the cavern wall.
“Orion!” I shout, but he no longer hears me. Or maybe he can't.
Deep cracks splinter through the rock where his father's back collides, but the larger monster barely seems to notice. He twists, driving his shoulder into Orion's chest hard enough to send them both skidding across the floor.
The cavern begins to groan. A long crevice races across the ceiling overhead, and every blow sends another tremor through the mountain. Orion's father drives him backward again, this time so hard that an entire wall splits straight down the middle.
