much.
“Wait a moment,” she then said when she felt the return of that tingling sense of unease. “When I woke up, I knew that you were in danger. I just knew. That’s why I followed you.”
“Blood Claw,” Kayden said and gritted his teeth. “Another of Iron Fang’s enforcers. The strongest of us all. He was hunting for us ever since we escaped. The night we met—I was on the run from him. I thought I’d shaken him off in the forest—but tonight he returned. That’s why I left tonight. I knew he was close, and I needed to draw him away from you.”
The alarm in her kept rising. “And did you succeed?”
Now Kayden was starting to look decided ill-at-ease as well. He frowned, standing all of a sudden to stare at the forest.
“We have look-outs set,” he murmured. “We’d hear him, if he were close...”
Suddenly there was a loud roar coming from the trees that lined the clearing to their east. It was a sound of rage and challenge, a terrible sound that rose and fell. A second later, there was a crash and the splintering of branches to be heard, and Sidney’s heart dropped to her stomach.
“Oh no....” she breathed.
A giant black bear had just come crashing out from the forest into the clearing, staring straight at Kayden with rage in his eyes.
Chapter Ten: Kayden
“B lood Claw.” There was coldness in Kayden’s voice, even though the heat of his fury was burning him up.
Blood Claw had tracked him all the way back to the hidden camp of his clan. Worse—Kayden had not even succeeded in drawing him away from Sidney, because the mate bond had led her right back to Kayden.
Back into danger.
His heart was pounding in his chest. Rage had heightened all of his senses. He stared at the giant black bear, meeting those angry eyes unflinchingly.
Blood Claw was the strongest of them all. Kayden had never beaten him. Blood Claw had been the alpha’s second for a reason.
But Kayden felt no fear. At this moment, with his mate next to him and his clan at his back, all that filled him was cold determination and the ancient instinct of the feral creature within him. His bear would defend clan and family to his death.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kayden said coldly. “We left. We are no longer part of the Iron Fang clan. I am this clan’s alpha, and you have no power over us. You are encroaching on our territory. I will let you leave without a fight, and then consider this challenge settled. But if you choose to stay... I will kill you .”
Kayden felt Sidney flinch next to him, but there was no time now to reassure her. This challenge would be settled one way or another, and he would do whatever it took to keep his mate safe and protect his clan.
The black bear opened his mouth and let out a loud, furious roar.
Then he attacked.
Before he had even halfway crossed the clearing, Kayden was running towards him. He shifted mid-run—one moment, he was running on two legs, the next, four majestic paws dug deep into the forest soil, and he opened his own jaw to let out a roar of rage. The sharp senses of his bear told him that Darrell and Glory, his clan’s most capable warriors, had stepped to Sidney’s side to keep her safe. The rest of his clan was watching from the edge of the clearing.
This was it. This was the challenge that would decide their future. If Kayden failed, he would not only fail Sidney, but also his entire clan. Their sacrifice would be for nothing. With Kayden dead, they would be dragged back to Iron Fang’s territory.
I will not fail you, he thought.
Then he met Blood Claw mid-jump.
They crashed into each other in a furious whirl of claw-studded paws and sharp fangs. Kayden could feel the burning pain of claws shredding the fur somewhere behind his right shoulder.
Blood Claw’s breath was hot on his face. His dark eyes gleamed with rage.
But Kayden’s own hind paw had found purchase, and while he wrenched his throat out of reach of Blood Claw’s fangs, his own claws
“Wait a moment,” she then said when she felt the return of that tingling sense of unease. “When I woke up, I knew that you were in danger. I just knew. That’s why I followed you.”
“Blood Claw,” Kayden said and gritted his teeth. “Another of Iron Fang’s enforcers. The strongest of us all. He was hunting for us ever since we escaped. The night we met—I was on the run from him. I thought I’d shaken him off in the forest—but tonight he returned. That’s why I left tonight. I knew he was close, and I needed to draw him away from you.”
The alarm in her kept rising. “And did you succeed?”
Now Kayden was starting to look decided ill-at-ease as well. He frowned, standing all of a sudden to stare at the forest.
“We have look-outs set,” he murmured. “We’d hear him, if he were close...”
Suddenly there was a loud roar coming from the trees that lined the clearing to their east. It was a sound of rage and challenge, a terrible sound that rose and fell. A second later, there was a crash and the splintering of branches to be heard, and Sidney’s heart dropped to her stomach.
“Oh no....” she breathed.
A giant black bear had just come crashing out from the forest into the clearing, staring straight at Kayden with rage in his eyes.
Chapter Ten: Kayden
“B lood Claw.” There was coldness in Kayden’s voice, even though the heat of his fury was burning him up.
Blood Claw had tracked him all the way back to the hidden camp of his clan. Worse—Kayden had not even succeeded in drawing him away from Sidney, because the mate bond had led her right back to Kayden.
Back into danger.
His heart was pounding in his chest. Rage had heightened all of his senses. He stared at the giant black bear, meeting those angry eyes unflinchingly.
Blood Claw was the strongest of them all. Kayden had never beaten him. Blood Claw had been the alpha’s second for a reason.
But Kayden felt no fear. At this moment, with his mate next to him and his clan at his back, all that filled him was cold determination and the ancient instinct of the feral creature within him. His bear would defend clan and family to his death.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kayden said coldly. “We left. We are no longer part of the Iron Fang clan. I am this clan’s alpha, and you have no power over us. You are encroaching on our territory. I will let you leave without a fight, and then consider this challenge settled. But if you choose to stay... I will kill you .”
Kayden felt Sidney flinch next to him, but there was no time now to reassure her. This challenge would be settled one way or another, and he would do whatever it took to keep his mate safe and protect his clan.
The black bear opened his mouth and let out a loud, furious roar.
Then he attacked.
Before he had even halfway crossed the clearing, Kayden was running towards him. He shifted mid-run—one moment, he was running on two legs, the next, four majestic paws dug deep into the forest soil, and he opened his own jaw to let out a roar of rage. The sharp senses of his bear told him that Darrell and Glory, his clan’s most capable warriors, had stepped to Sidney’s side to keep her safe. The rest of his clan was watching from the edge of the clearing.
This was it. This was the challenge that would decide their future. If Kayden failed, he would not only fail Sidney, but also his entire clan. Their sacrifice would be for nothing. With Kayden dead, they would be dragged back to Iron Fang’s territory.
I will not fail you, he thought.
Then he met Blood Claw mid-jump.
They crashed into each other in a furious whirl of claw-studded paws and sharp fangs. Kayden could feel the burning pain of claws shredding the fur somewhere behind his right shoulder.
Blood Claw’s breath was hot on his face. His dark eyes gleamed with rage.
But Kayden’s own hind paw had found purchase, and while he wrenched his throat out of reach of Blood Claw’s fangs, his own claws
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