”My cub is strong,” he growled against her pink flesh.
“Your cub needs to hurry up and get here,” she said, throwing her head back as he pressed two fingers to her opening. Talon ignored her plea for more as he kissed a blazing path up over her extended belly, stopping at her breasts.
“Not much longer,” he purred as he rolled to his side, pulling Liberty’s ass against his raging erection. One hand cupped her heavy breasts, the other was tucked under the pillow. She raised her leg, hooking it over his thigh as his cock found her center. They’d had to come up with creative ways to make love over the past month. With his cub growing so quickly, his mate wasn’t always comfortable with him hovering over her during their alone time.
Talon kissed the mating mark on her neck, feeling his panther prowl around in his mind. His eyes flashed amber as her moans became louder with each thrust inside her. He would never want anything more than the female in his arms. She’d taken to this new life as if she were made to be here, and that alone made Talon fall in love with her all over again.
“Touch me, Talon,” she begged, taking his hand from her breast so she could push it toward her sex. He smiled against the shell of her ear as he circled her clit.
“Like this?” he teased, following her clues.
“Don’t stop,” she moaned.
“Never, my queen,” he promised, taking her over the edge. It wasn’t but a few seconds before he emptied his seed into his mate, marking her with his scent. His canines had lengthened, but he didn’t bite her. He did, however, rake them across the top of her shoulder, causing a shiver to roll through her body.
They spent the better part of the afternoon in bed, napping and cuddling. Talon inhaled against her hair, his panther purring at the scent of his pregnant mate. His body relaxed deeper into the bed as she rolled over so she could nuzzle against his neck. Although they were on their sides facing each other, Talon wasn’t uncomfortable with their cub pressed against him. Occasionally, he’d feel a thump against his stomach. He would rub the spot on Liberty’s belly when she would flinch from the strength of their child.
“Have you thought of names?” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I can’t believe you leave it to the female to name the child.” She rolled her icy blue eyes. “What if you hate the name I pick?”
“It’s been that way since…well, forever,” he shrugged. “That’s the way of our people, Liberty.”
“No pressure,” she snorted.
“Well, do you have a name?” he pushed.
“I have a few,” she taunted.
“My son better have a strong name,” Talon teased, nipping at her shoulder. “He will be the next alpha.”
“What if it’s a girl?” Liberty smirked, pinching his side.
“We are not having a female,” he growled, his eyes sparking amber. “I cannot have a female child. I know what males think, and if one of them even looks at my daughter with lust in their eyes…I will kill them.”
“No, you won’t,” she laughed.
“Yes…yes, I will,” he groaned, rolling to the edge of the bed. “You should rest. I need to check in with my Guardians about the preparations for the Summer Solstice.”
“Okay,” she yawned. “Hurry back.”
When he turned to reply, his mate was already fast asleep, her hand resting on their cub. Talon huffed to himself as he left the room, closing the door tight, “Female, psh…”
Ranger paced in front of the four males who were slated to fight in two nights at the Summer Solstice to secure a spot within the ranks of the Guardians of their pride. The honor was one of the highest a male could accomplish without becoming an alpha in their own right.
“The night of the Solstice,” he began, “you will be at the circle at nightfall. When you arrive, you are to kneel at the platform and await your alpha. He will call to the ring two opponents. You will fight until one no longer stands or Talon calls the fight to an end. No Guardians will assist you until you have been granted Guardianship.”
Ranger avoided his younger brother’s gaze. He was not allowed to train him, and he hoped like hell that Axel had been preparing for what was to come.
Among the four were Storm’s brother, Lucky, and two other males from the pride who’d all turned twenty years of age since the last Summer Solstice and had shown that they were strong enough to try out for the higher ranks within the pride.
“I would suggest that you take the next two days to train on your own, mentally and physically. Good luck.” Ranger waited until the males had left before marching toward the Guardian’s dorms.
Ranger rubbed the back of his neck as he walked up the gravel pathway at the back end of his home. Most of the pride were gathering for a meal at the alpha’s home, so he was certain he’d be able to work out on his own for at least half an hour before the single males returned. When he pulled the door open, Ranger froze. Kye was sitting on the bench holding two boxing gloves. The same gloves that Evie had been using over the past several weeks during her training.
“Are you training her to fight?” Kye asked, not looking up from the gloves that he held tenderly in his hands. Ranger’s chest ached as he watched the young panther’s head hanging in defeat.
“Kye,” Ranger started, but silenced himself when the alpha’s youngest brother looked up with glowing amber eyes.
“I asked you if you were training her to fight,” he snarled, his canines thick in his mouth.
“Yes,” Ranger replied, taking a wide stance. “She came to me and asked me to teach her how to defend herself.”
“It’s my job to defend her!” Kye burst from his seat, slinging the gloves to the ground. Before Ranger could take a step back, the young male punched him square in the jaw, sending him back a few steps. “How could you raise a hand against a female? My female!”
“I know that I have broken the rules of this pride,” Ranger said in defeat. “But I agree with Evie. The females should learn to defend themselves.”
“Did you hit her?” Kye asked. The skin of his face quivered with his partial shift. Black fur sprouted around his nose as it recessed in his face. Ranger understood his anger, and he knew he would have to pay for the things he’d done by going against the rules and fighting with a female of his race.
“Yes,” Ranger answered.
And that was when the young male released a cry of agony, launching himself at Ranger’s throat. He let Kye get two good shots into his ribs before his panther demanded he defend himself. Kye fell to his back when Ranger swept his foot out, knocking him to the ground.
“Kye, stop,” Ranger warned as they regained their footing, spitting blood from his split lip. He was better trained than the young male and knew he could possibly hurt him if they really got going.
“Fuck you, Ranger,” Kye snarled, circling as he waited for the perfect time to pounce. Any other time, Ranger would comment on how Kye would make an excellent Guardian, but now just wasn’t the time. “Shift!”
“No,” Ranger said, making another round over the mats. “We are not going to fight like this.”
“My panther is owed blood,” Kye demanded, reminding him of their laws. If a male purposely harmed a female, the mate was entitled to take blood in their human and panther form.
“You and Evie are not mated,” Ranger announced. “You are owed nothing.”
Kye lunged for Ranger again, taking him down to the mats in a hard thump. Voices sounded around them and, within seconds, Kye was being pulled away. Dane had Kye backed up to the wall, his fists tight in his shirt. Booth was standing in front of Ranger, his eyes sparking amber and his jaw set in a hard scowl as he placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” Talon bellowed, using his powers to calm the two males. Ranger’s shoulders slumped as Booth released him and took a step back.
“He’s been teaching Evie to fight,” Kye snapped. “He hit her, Talon.”
“Is this true?” Talon asked, turning his full power on Ranger.
“Yes, alpha,” Ranger replied, knowing he was skirting the edge of being stripped of his Guardian status.
“Why?” Talon pushed, his eyes sparking amber. All of the Guardians had entered the training room. Each one of them were on edge, their eyes flickering between the two males.
“She came to me the day that Mary Grace was turning,” he started to explain, pausing when Kye let out a vicious curse. Talon held his hand up for Kye to stand down, then nodded for Ranger to continue. “She was desperate for help. I tried to warn her away, but she needed to take back her sense of self. I told her that I would train her, but I would not go easy on her.”
“You do realize that you have broken a rule of our pride?” Talon raised his hand toward the other males as they all leaned forward, calming them. Ranger knew that if Talon found him guilty, the other Guardians would render his punishment. That punishment would be life threatening if they all were allowed to attack him.
“Yes,” Ranger said, lowering his eyes in respect to his alpha. “I will accept the punishment I am due. I took it upon myself to make the decision and not come to you when she approached me.”