Tarian Alpha (New Tarian Pride #1)(32)

The whoosh of air from his lungs and the creaking high-pitched grunt he made would’ve been funny if he still didn’t have his hands around her throat. Emerald made a fist like Ronin taught her and blasted him against the jaw before he recovered. Again and again until his hands loosened on her neck and he fell backward over the porch railing. In the halos of light between the big house and this one, there was war. Lions were engaged in an all-out to-the-death brawl. She couldn’t tell who was New and who was Old Tarian Pride, but her heart stuttered in her chest when she saw him—Ronin. Her Ronin, because that’s what he’d always been. Her hero. The one she’d remembered all this time for his kindness. He was hers, there when she needed someone to step in. To step up. To stand up…for her. For what was right.

He came out of the shadowy woods, jeans slung low, rage in his blazing eyes as he strode toward Cassius, fists clenched, blond hair disheveled, his face twisted into something not quite human. He felt so heavy he filled the entire clearing. Stunned, she watched as Cassius roared an inhuman sound from the other side of the clearing. The chaos of war around them didn’t matter. They were only focused on each other. Cassius, big, dark, soulless Alpha intent on bending people to his will. Ronin, light, strong, steady, protective, knew the value of every Pride member...she’d never witnessed a fight between good and evil like this.

Ronin’s speed as he bolted for Cassius stole her breath away. And as he launched himself through the air, his lion ripped out of him and clashed so violently against Cassius’s animal, she felt the power of their hatred in her chest. She gasped at the raw brutality of their fight—two titans latched onto each other with their claws. Ronin raked his weapons across Cassius’s skin, sank his teeth into him, slapped those monstrous paws against the dark Alpha. Their paws dragged long tread marks through the snow, exposing the black earth underneath like some Jackson Pollok painting. In moments, of the snow was speckled and splattered in red.

Motion caught her attention. As she watched a dozen more lions charging from the shadows, barreling straight for the Alpha fight, she chanted under her shaking breath, “no, no, no.” Some deep instinct told her they weren’t friends. The scarred-up monsters were the new council, here to protect their alliances, here to defend their new throne.

Old Tarians didn’t fight with honor.

Rage pulsed through her veins. Now? Fury asked inside of her.

“Now,” she gritted out, sprinting down the steps and into the yard. She let the lioness have her. This wouldn’t be like every other Change. This would be a broken lioness who didn’t have a single thing to lose anymore.

The pain was blinding as the animal tore out of her. She didn’t mean for the scream in her throat to escape. She wanted to be tough like all the badass males who were locked in battle around her. Bowed on the ground, on all fours, her Change lasted eternal seconds, and the pained sound in her throat evolved. It turned into a sound she’d never heard before. It was an enraged roar.

She opened her eyes and growled as the pile of council lions bowled into Ronin. It was a massacre. No honor. No honor. Old Tarians had no honor.

She dug her claws into the ground and blasted toward them. Three steps. Three steps and then something barreled into her side like a missile. Fury smelled him before she hit the ground—Derek. He was Changed into his lion and was on her before she could get back up. Pain roared through her shoulder as he sank his teeth into her. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him, dug her claws in as hard as she could and raked them down his ribs. He released her and twisted, trying to avoid her weapons, but she wasn’t fuckin’ done. Up again, she leapt at him, scuffled and swatted, took her own licks, but he was on the defense now, backing up, looking confused. What, asshole, you thought I would just roll over and die?

Oh, God, she was present. Emerald was present. She had some control over this body for the first time in her life. Fury was letting her be here. She wanted to cry and scream and rejoice and rage. She didn’t back off an inch, just hissed and clawed, and the second Derek gave her his back, she jumped on him and sank her teeth deep into the nape of his neck. Fuck the mane. It didn’t faze her, and it sure as hell wouldn’t protect him.

Look what you did, Derek. Look what you did.

Ronin. She needed to get to Ronin. Needed to help him. She used the vision of her father being dragged behind Derek’s snowmobile to fuel her. The snap of his spine echoed through her like a gunshot. And in the moments she laid over him, teeth clamped on her kill, she searched but found no guilt.

Over his limp body, she zeroed in on the other side of the clearing. Pairs of lions were fighting, but through the battles, she could see Ronin, fighting and clawing his way at every lion within arm’s length. There were bodies in the snow around him, and his coat was streaked with crimson. Every muscle rippled as he turned and went after another. The council was being wary. Probably best, because Ronin looked like a monster. He wasn’t even playing defense. He was actively attacking the lions around him.

There were still too many, though. Which one was Cassius? Was he one of the lifeless lions on the ground?

She released Derek and ran for Ronin. I’m coming, just hold on!

Three lions were on him now, and more were coming for him. She was going to make it. She would get to him. Just protect your neck! If she could just get to him, no one would have a shot at his throat. She would maim anyone who tried. King. Alpha. Her mate. Mine. Fury saw his lion and that was it. He was hers.