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China didn’t like that at all. According to what Oz had said, the alpha battles were brutal. What if someone tried to take him out?
Oz looked thoughtful and then said, “Fine. I’ll be part of the battle and I’ll fight, but once I concede, then I can get back to my mate.”
Heads nodded all around. She was sure she saw some calculating gleams in several gazes. The whole thing left a bad taste in her mouth.
“So you won’t move in here?” Tiberius asked.
“No,” he said. “It’s for six days and that’s silly. But I will agree to be here during the day.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. “Is there anything else?” Oz asked.
He didn’t wait for an answer, simply pushed his chair back and tugged on China’s hand. She stood and looked at the group of males.
“You’ll need to go through the mail,” Vince said, gesturing to a stack of mail on the desk. “And ensure that nothing needs to be handled during the interim timeframe, and also log into the computer and check the alpha email.”
“I’ll get on that after lunch. Meeting is adjourned,” Oz said. He took China and walked from the office with Angel right behind.
They stopped at the truck and Oz opened the door for her.
“I have a bad feeling,” China said. “I can’t explain it, but I think it’s a bad idea to fight in the alpha battle.”
“Yeah, man,” Angel said. “I agree. You know who’s thrown their hat in the ring to battle?”
Oz shook his head.
Angel held up his hand and began ticking names off on his fingers. “Drager, Voll, Tolis, Cato, and Lee. I’ve heard that there are a couple more planning to try. You’ve got at least a handful of serious males who want to be alpha, and they might say they’ll let you off easy with a concession after a few punches, but I don’t know if I believe them.”
Oz explained to China that the pride as a whole wanted the best male for the alpha job, and in their eyes it meant the male who was the ultimate fighter and could best any and all who came for him. Oz, because he’d killed Benecio, had to be part of the battle because that’s the way the pride laws were written. He wasn’t able to bow out without fighting, so he had to trust the other males not to take him out just to prove to the pride that they were the best for the alpha position.
He was interim alpha. That meant in the pride’s eyes, he was the male to beat even though he didn’t want to be alpha and wouldn’t have won the position in a straight-out alpha battle.
Oz blew out a growling breath. “I’m going to be watching my back and China’s.”
“So you’re going to fight?” she asked. She looked up into his handsome face and saw worry in the dark depths of his eyes.
“I’m going to take you home and rock your world, and then I’m going to do some research in the office and see if I can find anything related to this. I can’t be the first male to kill the alpha outside of a battle and not want to take over.”
“I’ll help you research,” she said.
“Just watch out for each other,” Angel said. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground and see if I can get any more information related to the upcoming battle.”
“Thanks, man,” Oz said. He and Angel fist-bumped and Angel walked away. “Hop in, love.”
China climbed up and sat down, then reached for him. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Not when you killed for me, and we just met. I know you’re strong and a great fighter—that much was really clear when you took him out. But this feels different.”
“I don’t want to get hurt either, trust me. I’m not afraid to fight, but I have no dog in this race. Maybe I can find a loophole in the laws, so the pride won’t mind me stepping down ahead of time.”
“That would be good.”
“But first, we’re going to have some fun.”
She leaned in for a kiss and he gave it to her willingly, searing her body and sending sparks of heat through her. She might not be sure what the next few days would bring, but she had Oz and they were mated. That was all that mattered.
For now.
Chapter Eight
Oz smoothed a piece of sandpaper over the edge of a rocking chair he was refurbishing for his Aunt Teresa, who was Angel’s mom.
