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The day of the full moon—and the alpha battle—came far too fast in China’s mind. Oz hadn’t been able to find anything in the law books that would let him off the hook. Even Craig hadn’t had any insight into things, saying that he’d never heard of an interim alpha dropping out of the fight. He’d promised to keep digging, but Oz wasn’t holding his breath.
All their avenues exhausted, Oz resigned himself to having to go through the battle. He’d met with the elders and also the males who were going to fight for the alpha position, and everyone had agreed that Oz would fight for a little while to make sure the pride was happy with his participation and then take a dive, leaving the six males to battle it out themselves.
That battle was happening at seven p.m.
She glanced at the phone and read the clock: 5:07.
Her stomach gurgled and she wished she wasn’t so nervous. She knew Oz was a kickass fighter, but it didn’t mean that something wouldn’t go wrong. And that thought had kept her up the night before, listening to him breathe in sleep, watching his chest rising and falling rhythmically.
The phone buzzed and she saw his aunt’s name come up. “Hi Teresa! How are you?”
“I wanted to invite you over for a drink. I know you’re stressed, and I just got a bottle of a really nice wine I think you’ll like. We can chat and take your mind off things. Just for an hour.”
“I’d like that. I’ll be right over.” She ended the call and went to find Oz, who was sitting on the couch and staring at a large book on the coffee table. Angel was in the recliner with two books open on his lap.
Oz looked up at her and she could see how frustrated he was. Sinking down next to him, she put her arms around him and gave him a hug. “Teresa invited me over for a drink. She said it would take my mind off things, and I do love spending time with her.”
“Then you should definitely go do that. I’m not getting anywhere anyway.”
“I’m sorry, I wish you’d found something.”
“In the long run it doesn’t matter,” Oz said, rubbing the space between his eyes with his thumb like he was getting a headache. “I’ve gone over the battle with the males who actually want the job, and I’ll be the first one to tap out after a little bit of fighting.”
“You’re certain they’ll honor their end of things and not try to actually take you out?” she asked.
“I am.”
“No, you’re not,” Angel retorted.
Oz snarled and then sighed. He cupped China’s face and kissed her. “He’s right. I’m hoping for the best, but if they try to push the battle to actually get rid of me, then I will fight back with my full force. Six against one is terrible odds, but I’ll do whatever necessary to get out of the battle alive and back to you safely.”
“Well, I don’t trust them, but I do trust you.” She kissed him and rose to her feet. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Have a glass of wine for me.”
“Will do.”
China left the house and took the worn path to his aunt’s. It was a five-minute walk through the woods, but she took her time, her mind spinning over what was coming in a few short hours. Pushing aside the thoughts, she focused on the path ahead and listened to the birds and the rustle of leaves in the light breeze. Her lioness wanted to go hunting in the woods with Oz and see what kind of game was around. Hunting with her mate had been one of her dreams, and she very much wanted to see it come true.
When she reached Teresa’s house, she climbed the steps and knocked twice, then opened the door. “Inside or outside?”
“Inside. I’ve got cookies in the oven,” she called.
China inhaled as the door shut behind her. “Smells amazing.”
She found Teresa in the kitchen slipping a thin spatula under cookies on a baking sheet. “I’ve already got one batch done. Help yourself.”
China took a still-warm chocolate chunk cookie from a plate and took a bite. “Oh holy cow, this is good.”
“Thanks. It’s Oz’s favorite. And baking helps me with nerves. So does wine.” She put two cookies on the plate from the baking sheet and then poured China a glass of red wine. “It’s a cabernet sauvignon. It goes well with chocolate.”
China eyed the wine and looked at the cookie in her hand. “It does?”
“Yes. I took a wine and baking class a few years ago at the community college and the point of it was to pair desserts with wine. So cab goes great with chocolate, sugar cookies with chardonnay, and so on. I always thought wine was more for savory meals.”
China took a sip of wine and a bite of cookie, surprised when they tasted good together. “It’s like the dryness of the wine works perfectly with the sweet cookie.”
Teresa did the same and smiled. She gestured to a chair and they both sat. She said, “I’m glad you like it. Help yourself to the cookies and then you can take the plate with you. I promise that there won’t be any leftovers when Oz and Angel get their hands on them.”
