Tarian Alpha (New Tarian Pride #1)(33)

She dodged a fight, and then another. One of the lions clipped her leg out from under her as she passed, but she recovered before she went down completely. Heart pounding, she pushed her body faster. It wasn’t until the last possible second that she saw Cassius on her. He was already airborne, arms outstretched, eyes intent on her, claws extended. She tried to duck him, but it was too late. She hit the ground like she’d fallen from a skyscraper and the air whooshed out of her lungs. She writhed in the cold snow, trying to see straight enough to fight back, but she felt claws on her flank immediately. No, no, no! Struggling to drag a breath, she pushed up and time slowed to a crawl. Fifteen yards away, Ronin was under a pile of massive lions, lashing out and biting, showing no fear in his furious glowing eyes. The lions around her were killing each other. There was no help for Ronin, and above her, Cassius had one powerful arm raised, his two-inch claws extended as the death blow came for her, the promise of pain in his gold eyes.

And this was the end. It wasn’t fair. One day with Ronin wasn’t enough. She’d waited her whole life for that day, and it wasn’t nearly enough.

She closed her eyes just before Cassius’s paw made contact with her face. She knew it would hurt bad, so she squeezed them closed as hard as she could. But as one second went by, then another, the blow never came. As she eased her eyes open again, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

Cassius was covered in lionesses.

Just…covered.

Those submissive lionesses he’d been abusing had risen up against him. Those meek little mice weren’t mice anymore—they were motherfuckin’ weapons.

The only thing she could hear was the snarling of the lionesses. The only part of him she could see were his eyes, locked on her, wide with fear. Fear. On Cassius.

Dragging in one shuddering breath, giving her lungs relief from the burn, she stood to run for Ronin, but above the snarling of the lionesses, something else terrifying rose from the woods. The roaring of bears.

Bears?

Ronin was standing against the horde now, but he wasn’t alone anymore.

A scarred-up, black-maned lion was beside him, ears flattened against his head, lips curled back, exposing long teeth. Emerald would never forget the Reaper as long as she lived. She’d seen him when he was born into existence. The council had created him and then used him as their weapon. His empty eyes had visited her nightmares when she was younger, but now he was different. He was standing beside Ronin, daring the council to make a step toward them. This was the old enforcer of the Tarian Pride, here to back his best friend.

He and Ronin were the same size and had the same promise of pain etched into their monstrous faces. Behind them, more lions stalked forward, and then three massive she-grizzlies charged from the woods, skidding to a stop beside the Alphas.

Holy. Fuck.

If the Grim Reaper had come to aid Ronin, that meant these were his people—the Daughters of Beasts.

The New Tarian Pride had been so colossally outnumbered by the Old Tarian Pride, their allies, and the council…but Ronin had allies of his own.

As the Old Tarian Pride aimed for Ronin and the Daughters of Beasts, a freckled woman stepped from the shadows, her dark hair whipping in the wind as she lifted her hand. Her face transformed into a snarl as she flicked her fingers, and one of the charging lions was thrown to the side, slamming into a tree with a deafening crack. Lightning struck all around the clearing, illuminating everyone, lifting all of Emerald’s fur with static. Witch.

Behind them, a trail of fire blew from the sky, illuminating the underbelly of a dragon. Fiery red scales, and holy fuck…Vyr Daye was here.

Emerald closed the distance between her and Ronin, but he didn’t need her protection. The hurricane wind from the dragon’s wings was scattering the attackers. All around her, lions were crouching, slinking off toward the woods, hissing, tails down. The lionesses were hunkered down, but they weren’t running. Beautiful badasses.

Pride surged through her as she watched the Old Tarians fleeing. As she watched the council scattering like roaches.

How could they ever look strong after this?

How could they ever truly rebuild after this?

Cassius had murmured those awful words as he’d left her room. I win.

But as she ran her face down the side of Ronin’s tattered one, she knew Cassius had been wrong. Ronin was alive. He was still strong, bloodied and battered perhaps, but not even swaying or favoring injuries.

He leaned into her touch and then nudged her behind him. He filled the night air with something she hadn’t even been able to imagine. A victory roar over the Old Tarians.

And the Reaper and the Daughters of Beasts answered.

And the surviving New Tarians answered.

And the lionesses answered.

The dragon answered.

And Fury…well…she answered, too.

He’d come for her. He hadn’t left her, hadn’t abandoned her to fight what was happening on her own. He’d come here tonight, right in the middle of the new council rising to power, and changed the course of this Pride’s destiny.

Ronin wasn’t just the Alpha of the New Tarians anymore.

He was the true Tarian Alpha.

And Emerald had never been prouder to be a part of something.

She’d never been proud of being born a Tarian before, but in this moment, as she lifted her own roar with the others…she was.

Everything was different now.