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She grabbed Raine’s arm. “We have to protect him.”
Raine ran a finger over her cheek, compassion and sorrow in his eyes. “Stern is a bear. His fate rests with his clan. Ryder is over two hundred years old. Let’s hope he is open to training a potential successor.”
Dannika blinked. “I thought you weren’t immortal?”
“We’re not, but a demon soul is. The combination allows us to age much slower than humans and the Bears are quite sturdy. Their previous leader was over four hundred when he passed.”
She touched her stomach, hoping to quell its uneasiness. “Did Ryder kill him?”
Raine glanced away. “Not right away. The previous leader was Ryder’s father. Ryder killed anyone who challenged his father. It’s the main reason he lasted as leader for such a long time.”
Her heart stuttered. “But he killed him, didn’t he?”
“Not by choice. His father forced Ryder to take his place.”
Her eyebrows arched. “How?”
“He threatened to turn reaper. A reaper alpha would be a nightmare. It forced Ryder to kill him and take over the clan,” Raine said.
Dannika couldn’t imagine being forced to kill someone she loved out of duty. How did you recover from that kind of trauma? Colton and Raine shared an uneasy glance. She had the feeling they were less concerned about Stern’s fate than how she would react if Ryder killed him. They had every right to worry.
“That’s awful.”
“That’s our way,” Raine said.
Her eyes darkened. “Maybe it’s time for a change.”
Stern resumed his human form, turning to Dannika. “I’m willing to fight the bear clan leader.”
Colton huffed. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You’ve been a bear for thirty seconds. Why would you agree to that?”
Stern rolled his shoulders. “I’m a soldier. I won’t go down without a fight.”
Ryder strode up to the clearing. The cougar clan parted to allow him to pass. “Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”
Dannika stepped in front of Ryder, putting her hand on his chest. “You hurt him and I will attack you myself. Stern is my responsibility.”
Ryder’s smile was mischievous but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I would never fight you, Dannika, under any circumstance. You represent the future to our species that no shadow thought possible. I would die before I raised a hand to you.”
She crossed her arms. “Because you want to breed me.”
Ryder’s eyes darkened. “I want you to have children, Dannika.”
“But you wanted the trials to resume,” she said.
Ryder nodded. “Of course. Only the strongest deserves a prize such as you. Someone strong enough to protect both you and your offspring.”
Colton scratched his head. “I can’t disagree with your logic.”
Raine growled. “I can. She’s mine, and I will destroy anyone who attempts to take her from me.”
Dannika held up both hands. “This isn’t about me. It’s about Stern and whether I should be training him.”
Ryder’s eyes flashed. “You are a fledgling. You have not earned your right to train a new shadow. As Stern is a bear, his training falls to me.”
Raine rubbed his chin. “I am Dannika’s mentor. I’m willing to train both of them, and clan law states I may challenge for him.”
“If Stern were a wolf, then it would be your right. Had anyone but Dannika aided in his transition, you would have handed him over to the clan of his animal.”
