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They had been a pair for only a century, and already she was with child. It was a rare blessing amongst his Kind. Amongst any of the Immortal Kinds.
Which was why he paced restlessly now at the entrance of the cavern, loathe to leave her and their unborn cubs behind.
It was the safest choice, he knew this. As pregnant as she was, only days away from giving birth to their young, she couldn’t very well run with the other warriors in his pride.
Every sun cycle they did this, animal spirits far and wide, no matter their Kind. The males and a few females spread out in their territory, be it forest, jungle or mountain, to draw the Dark hunters away from their pregnant females or their young. Many of them perished each year, but it was worth the sacrifice to preserve the future of their Kind.
Sin’s own pride was small, only a dozen or so members, smaller than other lion Beasts. It was his solitary tiger half that restrained the circle of his influence, though stray animal spirits often sought refuge with his pride, under his protection. He willingly gave it, but he never voluntarily sought to expand the span of his leadership, and he had never pledged his formal allegiance to the Tiger King, Goya.
He loved the freedom of charting his own Destiny, of doing whatever he wanted whenever the hell he wanted. The Beasts who allied with the Tiger King had to follow his rules.
Sin knew only one rule: survival of the fittest.
He never thought he was the type of male who would settle down with a Mate and cub. But when Anya made him sit up and pay attention with a smack to his jaw one day when he was being his usual prickly, growly, arrogant self, his life changed in ways he never anticipated.
She complicated his existence with emotions he never knew he was capable of having. Before, he preferred to spend his days in animal form whenever possible. But because of her Pure One base and her preference to take human form, he became human too, just to be close to her.
His own base he suspected was Dark, though he didn’t know for certain. He never knew his parents, which was not unusual for cubs of his Kind, given the constant violence and warfare in which they were embroiled.
There was a savagery deep within that he struggled to leash. A need for violence, to inflict the maximum amount of pain and damage upon his prey and enemies. An unquenchable thirst and hunger for blood.
But then, Anya came. She fulfilled him in ways he’d never imagined. She changed his world view.
She taught him that it was the duty of those stronger to protect the weak. She calmed the Beast within, though she never tried to tame him. With Anya at his side, his strength and power began to attract other animal spirits, and thus they formed a pride.
But ever since he’d chosen his Mate, and especially since she started carrying his young, all he wanted to do was protect his own.
His flesh and blood. His family. They embodied his heart and soul.
He feared for them every moment of every day.
“Go,” she urged gently, her eyes conveying her strength and courage.
“You have a duty to fulfill. You must lead our warriors to meet the Hunt. I am safe here. I will be here—wewill be here—when you get back. And this year, make the Dark hunters return to their hellhole empty handed. You are the mightiest warrior I know. I have no doubt of your victory.”
“I love you,” he growled gruffly, as if the words were pulled from his chest without his permission.
He was not a demonstrative male, no matter the feelings she taught him to grow.
She smiled fully at him, displaying the sharp tips of her fangs, knowing full well how uncomfortable he was saying the words.
“And we love you more than you will ever know,” she replied, holding a hand over her distended belly.
He stared at everything he held dear for a moment longer.
She met his fierce gaze with the determined intensity of her own.
At last, he gave one curt nod, transformed in the blink of an eye into his giant liger form and bounded out of the cavern, into the dark forests that surrounded them.
A horn blared in the distance, echoing across the land.
The annual hunt had begun.
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
Zai raised two fingers of his right hand in a silent command and pointed to the entry points into the forest.
The one hundred Hunters in his troop knew exactly what to do. The first line fanned out on foot, blending seamlessly into the foliage and shadows.
