Mated to the Warrior Beast

Tarkyn watched his mate with ever-increasing pride. He could feel her fragility, the uneasiness she felt, like a cat walking on uneven stones-always aware that one might slip under her paws. And yet, she stayed calm and handled herself with dignity. She was truly an amazing female. He wished he could whisk her away from this place, hide her in the forest-take her to his lagoon... but he knew those were the wishful thoughts of a cub with no responsibility.

She was here to help him forge a bridge to peace. With a male who walked the knife-edge of sanity.

Tarkyn wanted to growl at the scent that came off the male, but though he was clearly in a dark place, his gaze was sharp with intelligence. This might be a male on the edge, but he wasn’t disconnected from reality or intellect. Tarkyn had seen a soldier thrown over the edge of sanity. This male hadn’t tumbled over that cliff yet. He still had all his faculties.

Tarkyn wasn’t sure if that was worse.

Harth stepped forward of the rest of them, lined up to watch him, but keeping some space from the bars.

Zev had settled with his back to the wall again-a position that was smart. Tarkyn would have done the same.

When Harth stepped forward, Zev’s eyes cut to hers and the two stared at each other. Neither of them spoke a word.

It was strange watching two people communicate when you couldn’t see or hear what passed between them-or even that anything did. But Tarkyn realized that was what he and Harth could do. This must have been how they would look, focused on each other.

.....

He understood Elreth’s nerves now-those two could be saying anything to each other. If one of them wasn’t his beautiful, golden-hearted mate, every hair on his arms would have stood up.

No wonder the wolves had always been so shifty...

While the two made their connection, Tarkyn looked left and right. They’d asked all the guards, bar the one with the key, to stay back at the door, or outside it. But the one male, a tall, strong Equine, stood near the cell door, just to Tarkyn’s right. Elreth stood closer to Tarkyn’s right, Harth to his left, but slightly ahead. Behind them all stood Aaryn, and the looming bulk of Gar who had been oddly quiet this morning. Tarkyn made a mental note to ask him what was going on with Rika. It was strange that she wasn’t here, though the male had dismissed it as little more than the need of a friend.

Tarkyn took a breath and scanned the prison tree again.

Jayah had taken Sasha out with the baby to give Zev nothing to distract him, but there were still too many bodies here. Tarkyn prayed the plan would work. While his mate and the wolf continued to lock eyes, he rolled his head on his neck, his tension rising.

Too many bodies, too little space to move. And yet, the male was locked behind the prison bars. What threat could he pose there?

Behind him, Aaryn shifted to the left, to stand behind Harth and watch over her shoulder. Tarkyn’s hackles rose. Having his mate close to other males was harder than he wanted to admit. His head knew Aaryn posed no threat to Harth whatsoever. But his newly mated heart and beast instincts begged to differ.

They urged him to hold her. To take and possess, and warn all other males away.

He rolled his shoulders again, his hands twitching towards her. But he went still when Zev suddenly pushed to his feet and took a couple steps closer to them all.

‘What are you saying-what’s he saying?’ Takyn asked in Harth’s head.

In response, she spoke to all of them.

“I’m showing him... you,” Harth said carefully. “Your strength. Your resilience. Your integrity. Your vows. I’m... showing him how you protect me. He needs to see that your heart and his are... very similar.”

Zev’s face went flat, but he didn’t say anything. He remained, locked in Harth’s gaze, standing in the center of the cell.

Harth sighed heavily. “He’s a good man, Zev. I can feel his heart-just like you can feel Sasha’s and she can feel yours. He doesn’t want to hurt you, or me, or our people, even though he’s capable of it. And he’s high in the hierarchy. He has the ear of the Queen.”

Zev turned his head to look at Tarkyn then, scanning him from head to toe.

Tarkyn, welcoming the connection, stepped up until he stood right next to Harth. “She shared her story,” he said quietly. “Once I heard it and knew what it was like for her-for all of you-I vowed that I would help her find peace. I’ll help all of you. I’m confident the Creator brought us together for a reason. But we need to find our way forward without violence.”

Zev scoffed, his upper lip curling back in a sneer. “Without violence?”

Elreth stiffened behind him, but Tarkyn just nodded. “You have my word that if you don’t attack, you won’t be harmed.” He’d already warned Elreth that they needed to give the male that-put him in control of when and how any physical contact would occur. She was uncomfortable with it, but it was the pure truth, so she couldn’t really argue.

He’d hoped that would reassure Zev. But the handsome male just tilted his head, his eyes narrowed. “So... I should just follow you... like a good puppy... on a leash?” he said through his teeth.

“No.” Elreth stepped forward suddenly, and one of the guards from the door hurried forward to be at her side. Tarkyn wanted to curse, but Zev didn’t startle or take a defensive stance, so he only motioned to the others to stay back while Elreth spoke to the Chimeran Alpha. “I don’t want to strip your strength,” she said quickly, firmly. “But I need to make sure you can be trusted not to harm us. You are a formidable fighter. I need assurance that you won’t kill my weaker people.”

Zev snarls. “You need... my assurance? I stand in your cell, I was bound, my mate and son were taken from me... but you need proof that I won’t kill? How do you propose that I demonstrate that to you unless I’m free to... not kill?”

In any other circumstance, Tarkyn would have laughed. But the irony coated his throat in a copper tang. Because the wolf was right.