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“I mean,” he said, and cleared his throat, “that I’m not some alpha-aggressive male that you need to worry about. I’m just a regular male, except apparently I’ll go batshit crazy when my heart-match is threatened.”
She couldn’t help but smile—a huge smile that made her cheeks ache. “I believe you. Thank you for intervening. He was definitely going to hurt me or even kill me. I’ve never made someone that mad before.”
“Well, you did a great job,” he said with a wry smile. “I’m just glad I was there to stop him before he got his claws on you.”
“Oz,” a male said from behind them.
“I’m busy,” he said.
“Yes, I can see that, but there are things to discuss. You killed the alpha. You know what that means.”
China looked to the male who had been standing by Benecio. She realized that the males had been kneeling and showing their necks to Oz in deference to what he’d done. But they were all standing now, near her and Oz, and watching them intently. There were a dozen males around them, so the ones that had been in the woods out of sight had joined them.
“Are you in trouble?” she whispered to Oz.
“Only if you think being the interim alpha is troublesome,” the male said. He rocked back on his heels and said, “I’m Gio, the alpha’s number two, which means I need to speak to Oz. You can be with us since you’re his heart-match. It’s just a matter of Oz giving our people some direction. And we need to get on the road.”
“You have to leave already?” China asked.
Oz exhaled and it sounded like a growl. “Damn it, yes. But I want you to come with us. I won’t leave without you.”
She wasn’t the most impulsive person on the planet, but she was not about to let her mate leave the state without her. It was fast, but destiny often packed a punch. “I’ll go with you, but I’d like to pack a bag.”
“Of course. But first, let’s meet my people and discuss what we need to, then we can go to your place. I’ll need to speak to your alpha and make sure it’s okay for us to be in the territory.”
She nodded and then went onto her toes and brushed her lips over his. “I just wanted to kiss you quick before you get caught up with other things.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her against the hard planes of his body. “I will never be too busy for that.”
Lowering his head, he kissed her deeply, making her feel like it was only the two of them and they had all the time in the world.
They didn’t, of course, but it sure felt that way.
As far as first kisses went, Oz knocked it out of the park.
Chapter Four
Oz didn’t want to deal with anything but his beautiful new mate. They’d only had one kiss.
A fantastic one, one that put all other kisses to shame. His lion was one hundred percent digging on the beautiful brunette who looked like his best wet dream come to life and smelled like home.
But he’d killed Benecio, and that meant he was interim alpha. He was in charge of their pride until the full moon, when a battle would ensue and a new alpha would be chosen. Just because he’d taken out the alpha didn’t mean he was alpha forever—he’d have to prove himself to the pride in battle. The alpha battle needed six challengers and Oz was sure that with Benecio out of the picture, plenty of males would step up.
Which he one thousand percent didn’t want to do. He was content to give up his alphaship without a fight and focus on his mate and his furniture business—mate first, of course. But he still had to deal with the elephant in the room. Or the dead lion, as it was.
“I know I’m interim alpha,” Oz said, addressing the group, “and that means we should head home and link up with the elders and plan the battle. The full moon is in seven days. We need to get on the road as soon as possible, but I need to take my mate to her home so she can pack and come with us. I’m going to reach out to her alpha first and set up a meeting time. Angel, you can come with me as my interim second.”
“Rock on,” Angel said, coming to stand by him and holding out his fist for a bump, which Oz gave him.
“Hold on,” Drager said, his eyes flashing to the gold of his lion. “He’s not the second.”
“He is in the interim. I know the laws”—Oz thought so anyway—“and as interim alpha I can appoint an interim second until the battle, and I pick Angel.”
When Drager looked like he might argue, Oz took a threatening step toward him and the male backed down.
Certain no one else was going to object, Oz dismissed the group to return to their campsite, with several males put in charge of wrapping Benecio’s body in a tarp and taking it with them. As alpha he needed to be cremated—his ashes put in a ceremonial urn and kept in the alpha’s house, a large mansion in the center of town. All the previous alphas’ ashes were in urns in the mansion’s library, and now Benecio would be added to their ranks.
“Angel, this is my mate, China. This is Angel, my best friend.”
